Forums

Simple, 3 chord songs

Posted by Dan Sleep on March 2, 2010 at 8:08am in Performances, How to Play, Lessons, Concerts
I am trying to put together a list of simple, easy to play songs, that are your basic 3 chord songs. For example, almost any 12 bar blues song would belong on my list. These songs can be blues, country, pop, any song that a person might recognize and want to play.  There are literally thousands to choose from.

Primarily, I want songs that can be played on an open tuned 3 stringer by just barring all three strings with one finger, and just strumming, with no finger picking or single notes played.

Please add your suggestions here.  For starters, here are some of mine:


You can't lose what you ain't never had - Muddy Waters

Living on Love - Alan Jackson

All My Ex's Live In Texas - George Strait

One More Last Chance - Vince Gill

Bad To The Bone - George Thorogood

Mustang Sally - Various Artists

You need to be a member of Cigar Box Nation to add comments!

Join Cigar Box Nation

Email me when people reply –
Follow

Replies

  • jeff maurer May 25, 2011 at 11:54am
    3 chord songs? thats easy, anything by the ramones for starters, if you can play bad moon rising you can play the theme song from the dukes of hazard. although its made up of single note lines whipeout is based on the twelve bar blues in key of c[c f g].  samething with wilson picketts wait till the midnight hour[key of e]. steal the wine by eric burden and war. did you know horse with no name is only 2 chords? thats right two chord motif for 5 minutes. wild thing by the troggs. the verse riff for purple haze is a 3 chord figure[ e g a]. big city nights by scorpians is f g a. thunderstruck by AC/DC uses only b a and e chords, and rock n roll train only uses d g and a chords. a boy named sue uses g c and d chords only. a lot of rolling stone songs only use 3 chords also
  • Keni Lee Burgess May 23, 2011 at 6:03am

    Thank you Hal for your response. Now that I presented the Devil's Tuning Method (Retuning from GDg to ADf#) I want to post a few videos demonstrating what to do now that you can find the chords you need.

    Not to blow my own horn, but what the Hell, I feel this method offers a very solid approach to playing CBG if you want to strum chords and make arrangements that are simple but at the same time sound good.

    Before I have the chance to post a video, if you have time, try the tuning ADf#.

    Here are the three chords:

    string / fret from low to high

    D 3/5  2/4 1/3

    G 3/2  2/0 1/1

    A 3/4  2/2  1/3

    Enjoy your practice, Keni Lee    

  • Habanera Hal May 22, 2011 at 7:52pm

    Thank you Kenny, I am a total idiot when it comes to music theory.  (it also doesn't help that I have a tin ear and the rhythm of a three-legged duck on crack.)  What you said makes some sense to me, as when I strum these chords on my six-string, the result is more familar, though I struggle with it ( didn't know about the capo).  I, and others I'm sure, will eagerly await your video.

    Keni Lee Burgess said:

    Hello Hal,

    I would like to take the time to answer your question. Unfortunately, to do this correctly it will take a video, please give me a little time.

    First consider the key. I believe the original recorded key is D. Playing on a standard 6 string, a capo is placed at the 7th fret, so playing a G chord sounds a D chord. Key is very important to get that familiar recorded sound. 

    Additionally the chords are played in open position and not moving up in pictch across the fingerboard. Chord selection is not simply a matter of finding the correct notes. How they are stacked (inversions), placement on the fingerboard (pitch) and also relativity to the other chords you are using is essential to making it sound right. Chords progressions are usualy grouped closely together.

    Also, although the chords may be correct for these simple arrangements. I have found many times they are not accurate. Additional chords? 

    If you are using a 151 tuning (Ex: GDg) it is rather difficult to arrange chord progessions (using 3 note triads)

    I use ADf# tuning for chord work. If you are using strings ADg from a back of strings, tuning to GDg can be retuned to ADf# (Open D) A simple system of movable chords can be learned.

    So, please stand by and I will post a video for you.

    I know learning music can be challenging, but there is a relatively easy approach that works out real well.

    Enjoy, Keni Lee   

      

     

     


    Hal "PairsNPaint" Spalter said:

     I found this site for some three chord songs: http://chainsawguitartuition.net/blog/learn-to-play-20-easy- tchord-guitar-songhree-s/.  But when I try to play them on my 3 string tuned GDg, they don't sound right.  (Example: Blowin' In The Wind - It's just G (open) C (5th fret) D (7th fret) repeated over and over during the verse and then C D G for the chorus.  But when I play it, it doesn't sound anythng like the song I know.)

     

    What am I doing wrong?  I'm getting pretty tired of only being to play "Smoke on the Water"

  • Keni Lee Burgess May 22, 2011 at 11:22am

    Hello Hal,

    I would like to take the time to answer your question. Unfortunately, to do this correctly it will take a video, please give me a little time.

    First consider the key. I believe the original recorded key is D. Playing on a standard 6 string, a capo is placed at the 7th fret, so playing a G chord sounds a D chord. Key is very important to get that familiar recorded sound. 

    Additionally the chords are played in open position and not moving up in pictch across the fingerboard. Chord selection is not simply a matter of finding the correct notes. How they are stacked (inversions), placement on the fingerboard (pitch) and also relativity to the other chords you are using is essential to making it sound right. Chords progressions are usualy grouped closely together.

    Also, although the chords may be correct for these simple arrangements. I have found many times they are not accurate. Additional chords? 

    If you are using a 151 tuning (Ex: GDg) it is rather difficult to arrange chord progessions (using 3 note triads)

    I use ADf# tuning for chord work. If you are using strings ADg from a back of strings, tuning to GDg can be retuned to ADf# (Open D) A simple system of movable chords can be learned.

    So, please stand by and I will post a video for you.

    I know learning music can be challenging, but there is a relatively easy approach that works out real well.

    Enjoy, Keni Lee   

      

     

     


    Hal "PairsNPaint" Spalter said:

     I found this site for some three chord songs: http://chainsawguitartuition.net/blog/learn-to-play-20-easy- tchord-guitar-songhree-s/.  But when I try to play them on my 3 string tuned GDg, they don't sound right.  (Example: Blowin' In The Wind - It's just G (open) C (5th fret) D (7th fret) repeated over and over during the verse and then C D G for the chorus.  But when I play it, it doesn't sound anythng like the song I know.)

     

    What am I doing wrong?  I'm getting pretty tired of only being to play "Smoke on the Water"

  • Habanera Hal May 22, 2011 at 10:15am

     I found this site for some three chord songs: http://chainsawguitartuition.net/blog/learn-to-play-20-easy- tchord-guitar-songhree-s/.  But when I try to play them on my 3 string tuned GDg, they don't sound right.  (Example: Blowin' In The Wind - It's just G (open) C (5th fret) D (7th fret) repeated over and over during the verse and then C D G for the chorus.  But when I play it, it doesn't sound anythng like the song I know.)

     

    What am I doing wrong?  I'm getting pretty tired of only being to play "Smoke on the Water"

  • MichaelS Country Boy Guitars May 22, 2011 at 9:10am
    Yea, how anout some Johnny Cash, you should be able to do some of them in 3 chords?   2 votes for Johnny.

    Eric Wallace a.k.a.Godzilla said:
    How about some Johnny Ca$h!?
  • Gadsden Guitars May 21, 2011 at 9:51pm
    How about some Johnny Ca$h!?
  • Michael Glenn May 21, 2011 at 1:35pm

    Hi Vaughan,

     

    Thanks for the feedback.  Froggie Went A-Courtin' is on the site, and I thought about You Are My Sunshine but all the information I've seen online leads me to believe it's still under copyright.  I could be wrong about that though, but my opinion is better safe than sorry.

     

    I think I should've called the site "51 easy songs," or waited a bit more to put it up.  All of the sudden life is getting in the way and it's getting harder to find time to work on it.  :)  Oh, well, I'll get there.

     

    Anyway thanks again,

    Michael

  • Vaughan S. Nelson-Lee May 21, 2011 at 8:50am
    I think you could maybe use some more olde time songs like Froggie Went A-Courtin', You Are My Sunshine, etc. (both of which are GCD btw)

    Michael Glenn said:

    I doubt Dan is still looking for a list of simple 3 chord songs (since he started this discussion well over a year ago) but, since the thread is still active, there must be other people that are looking for something...

     

    I'm putting together a ton of 3 chord songs all notated "I, IV, V" so all anyone has to do is know where to find those three chords on their instrument, and they can play what will eventually be over 100 songs.  No learning all the major chords, or transposing to the right key, or anything.  (Also no advanced technique, no "strumming" patterns, no melody line, no tabs.  I know what I know, and I don't pretend to know what I don't.)  Anyway the URL is

     

    http://101cigarboxguitarsongs.weebly.com/song-list.html

     

    I started it for myself but someday I'm gonna start selling CBGs.  (I already have someone who wants me to build one for her son's birthday present, and I've only made one so far.)  Anyway I thought something like this could be a good resource for the absolute "I've never even seen a guitar before in my life" beginner to just learn three chord shapes and have hours of fun.  And then when they're ready to move on they can search the Nation and elsewhere for more advanced stuff.

     

    What do you guys think?

     

    Michael

  • Michael Glenn May 6, 2011 at 1:46am

    I doubt Dan is still looking for a list of simple 3 chord songs (since he started this discussion well over a year ago) but, since the thread is still active, there must be other people that are looking for something...

     

    I'm putting together a ton of 3 chord songs all notated "I, IV, V" so all anyone has to do is know where to find those three chords on their instrument, and they can play what will eventually be over 100 songs.  No learning all the major chords, or transposing to the right key, or anything.  (Also no advanced technique, no "strumming" patterns, no melody line, no tabs.  I know what I know, and I don't pretend to know what I don't.)  Anyway the URL is

     

    http://101cigarboxguitarsongs.weebly.com/song-list.html

     

    I started it for myself but someday I'm gonna start selling CBGs.  (I already have someone who wants me to build one for her son's birthday present, and I've only made one so far.)  Anyway I thought something like this could be a good resource for the absolute "I've never even seen a guitar before in my life" beginner to just learn three chord shapes and have hours of fun.  And then when they're ready to move on they can search the Nation and elsewhere for more advanced stuff.

     

    What do you guys think?

     

    Michael

This reply was deleted.