Are you looking to impress someone with your guitar skills but don’t know where to turn? Are you fond of playing and listening to guitar solos but can’t find any that are easy enough for you to play? Are you a novice guitarist that has yet to wrap their head around easy guitar solos?
Then step forth and saddle up as we explore 30 of the best easy guitar solos available to you today as well as some tab to get you started!
Table of Contents
- 1. “Seven Nation Army” by the White Stripes
- 2. “Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd
- 3. “Come Together” by the Beatles
- 4. “High and Dry” by Radiohead
- 5. “Sweet Child o’ Mine” by Guns N Roses
- 6. “We Will Rock You” by Queen
- 7. “Heartbreak Hotel” by Elvis Presley
- 8. “Johnny B Goode” by Chuck Berry
- 9. “Let It Be” by The Beatles
- 10. “About a Girl” by Nirvana
- 11. “American Idiot” by Green Day
- 12. “Angels” by Robbie Williams
- 13. “Apache” by The Shadows
- 14. “Black Magic Woman” by Santana
- 15. “Come As You Are” by Nirvana
- 16. “Highway to Hell” by AC/DC
- 17. “Live Forever” by Oasis
- 18. “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson
- 19. “Fix You” by Coldplay
- 20. “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash
- 21. “Hey Joe” by Jimi Hendrix
- 22. “I Wanna Be Sedated” by Ramones
- 23. “Island in the Sun” by Weezer
- 24. “It’s My Life” by Bon Jovi
- 25. “Love Her Madly” by the Doors
- 26. “Purple Haze” by Jimi Hendrix
- 27. “Something” by the Beatles
- 28. “Sympathy for the Devil” by the Rolling Stones
- 29. “What’s Up” by 4 Non Blondes
- 30. “On the Road Again” by Willie Nelson
- Final Tones
- FAQs Easy Guitar Solos
1. “Seven Nation Army” by the White Stripes
This humungous and simple tune has already become a football chant – even the solo has taken hold in this way too. Everybody knows how it goes and there ain’t no stopping the masses from chanting it, especially with the tab.
2. “Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd
Though it might be true for most, no easy guitar solo is more true to the belief that it is all in the feeling of the playing than this one by Pink Floyd lamenting the dissociation of their former frontman Syd Barrett (tab here).
3. “Come Together” by the Beatles
Perhaps the Beatles should have sung this song back to themselves when they were at their wit’s end and threatening to break up. The lead guitar here is simple and undying, much like the universal message of the song itself.
4. “High and Dry” by Radiohead
An early classic from Radiohead sees them dabbling in the fusion of acoustic guitar and electric guitar to conjure up a rather hilarious image of Thom Yorke threaded upon a washing line – this is a great and easy acoustic guitar song. The music video and song itself are typically mournful and depressing, not to mention the tablature itself.
5. “Sweet Child o’ Mine” by Guns N Roses
Many would say that it’s a testament to Slash’s brilliance that he includes two variegated solos in this song, one simple and easy guitar playing – an altogether melodic solo – and the other more complex and shreddy. Follow along with the tab here. This isn’t your bog-standard Red Hot Chili Peppers affair!
6. “We Will Rock You” by Queen
Ah, yes, the good old days, when rock and roll was so self-referential as to be meta. The meta-modernists of today could learn a thing or two from this tab.
7. “Heartbreak Hotel” by Elvis Presley
More than any other artist, Elvis paved the way for repressed males to keep on colonizing. And, boy, was he good at his job, as evinced in this tab right here!
8. “Johnny B Goode” by Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry was one of the original guitar superstars and so, though his politics were often a little all over the place, we must lay a laurel wreath at the font of his genius by following along with the tab. The intro solo really is to die for, and that guitar tone!
9. “Let It Be” by The Beatles
Even mega Beatles fans can forget that there is actually a guitar solo in this song, and that’s okay! We all make mistakes, even if that mistake is forgetting about one of the easiest guitar solos ever. Follow the tab to find out just how easy it is!
Here you can find some of the most valuable Beatles albums of all time.
10. “About a Girl” by Nirvana
The guitar work of Kurt Cobain is a veritable treasure trove of easy guitar solos, so while everyone else’s guitar gently weeps, you can follow along with the tab right here.
11. “American Idiot” by Green Day
This song was utterly humungous, with its rebellious teen spirit and boogie bass riffs, all slathered with a smattering of power chords that would make Jimi Hendrix turn in his grave. Follow the tab here to see exactly what we mean.
12. “Angels” by Robbie Williams
Everyone’s favorite unruly Take That ex-pat provides likely his most enduring track here with the magnanimous “Angels”. Try following the easy guitar solo at the very center of this track with the adjoining tab and get a real feel for what it means to be an angel.
13. “Apache” by The Shadows
The Shadows are best known for their tasteful renderings of retro-futuristic songs both old and new. “Apache” was a song composed by their backstage writing team but obviously made popular but the Shadows when performed on television. This is likely their most defining song and can be followed along with through tablature.
14. “Black Magic Woman” by Santana
Santana takes a step in the direction of the exoticization of non-white people as we all knew him capable of. Nevertheless, the tasteful guitar playing that threads throughout this song can be played along with via the adjoining tablature.
15. “Come As You Are” by Nirvana
As already stated, the work of Kurt Cobain really is a treasure trove of easy guitar solos as his playing style either veered towards simple and rudimentary melodicism or outright noise blasts. This song occupies a place in between the two, blasting out a four or five-note melody that sounds like water jettisoning out into the air – follow along with the tab to learn more.
16. “Highway to Hell” by AC/DC
Angus Young has always reigned supreme over the deceptively simple guitar solo. Though his solos are relatively straightforward to follow, there is clearly so much tone and passion coming from his fingers that is impossible to imitate, though you may try by following the tab.
17. “Live Forever” by Oasis
Noel Gallagher’s rudimentary and simplistic style does get results even if they have caused him to now rest on his laurels all these years since Oasis’ greater successes. Bask in their former glory with the tab!
18. “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson
Though this might not fall under other people’s definitions of what a guitar solo is, this shining moment for funky guitar will no doubt get hearts racing and legs stomping out of their seats, especially if you have already read forward and know the tab. For rhythms alone, this is definitely more of an intermediate level solo.
19. “Fix You” by Coldplay
As with plenty of other examples on this list, though the content of this solo might seem simple, it is all in the feeling. Here, two notes are given a pedestal which makes them sound somewhat infinite, and you can go to infinity and beyond with the tab.
20. “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash
Trust Johnny Cash to introduce you to the world of country music through a gig that he performed in prison featuring an easy guitar solo that you can easily follow along with through the means of tablature.
21. “Hey Joe” by Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix is obviously one of the greats and this is one of his biggest hits, a seminal rite of passage for any budding guitarist wanting to learn the ropes via one of the greatest to ever do it. Follow along with the tab here.
22. “I Wanna Be Sedated” by Ramones
Ramones take a rare step into the world of the melodic solo here, eschewing their punk aesthetic to offer forth a guitar solo which, admittedly, entirely consists of 65 of the same note in a row. Practice keeping rhythm to it by following along with the tab.
23. “Island in the Sun” by Weezer
Weezer has long been the placeholder for geeks who wish to adjourn into the halls of rock but know not how to do it. This song sees them branching into more commercial territory which you will see when following along with the tab.
24. “It’s My Life” by Bon Jovi
Though it was released some time ago now, this song has lost nothing of its original impact and is still just as relevant as ever thanks to an illustrious and well-chronicled tablature to accompany it.
25. “Love Her Madly” by the Doors
Named after Aldous Huxley’s landmark text on psychedelic drugs, The Doors of Percetpion, this band also broke through to another side of guitar playing altogether. Guitarist Robby Krieger had an interesting and original technique born of the lack of a pick and bassist and, thus, a need to fill out the lower frequencies, all of which can be seen by following the tab.
26. “Purple Haze” by Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix was a virtuoso of the guitar, one of the electric guitar’s truest innovators whose short career was filled with exciting leaps and bounds toward new futures for music. His genius was also in his simplicity – for all the theatrics in his playing, he could also play so tastefully, as evinced in the tab.
27. “Something” by the Beatles
The Beatles’ final addition on this list proves that as they grew as artists they tended to value simple solos in the midst of structurally complex songs that far more prized artistry in songwriting than any one flashy or virtuosic element alone. Check out the tab to find out how they did it!
28. “Sympathy for the Devil” by the Rolling Stones
Though it might sounds incredibly difficult, this euphoric solo from one of the Rolling Stones’ seminal songs is actually not so tough as it might first seem. Sure, there is a heck of a lot of vibrato on some of the notes, but that is surely part of the appeal, as evinced in the tab.
29. “What’s Up” by 4 Non Blondes
What makes this song really stand out on this list is the fact that it is one of, if not the only songs on the list where the guitar solo occurs in the intro of the song. This is an altogether underrated and munderappreciated phenomenon that can be seen when analyzing the tab in greater detail.
30. “On the Road Again” by Willie Nelson
In contrast with much of the more intricate guitar work that can be found in country music, this is a relatively straightforward affair, likely to properly communicate the melancholy inherent in the song. Try working on the tab and this melancholy will surely seep into your own self.
Final Tones
So, there you have it! Hopefully, you are now feeling ready and able to get started playing easy guitar solos and perhaps even writing some of your own eventually!
FAQs Easy Guitar Solos
There is no general group of songs that are guaranteed to have easy solos. Anyone who is ready to assume that if, say, a pop song was going to feature a guitar solo it would feature something relatively simple, then you might want to think again and conjure up, for example, Del Shannon’s “Runaway” in which an early synthesizer goes absolutely nuts up and down the keys. Nor is a solo so fast and nimble the mark of a good musician – a tasteful solo implemented effectively is far more important and impressive.
Here are just a few songs that feature easy and simple guitar solos tastefully implemented: “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana, “Come As You Are” by Nirvana, “In Bloom” by Nirvana, “About A Girl” by Nirvana, “Heart Shaped Box” by Nirvana, “Scentless Apprentice” by Nirvana, “Territorial Pissings” by Nirvana, etc.
It can be difficult to solo on guitar when you have no prior experience doing so. Jumping straight into the deep end of improvisation is going to get you nowhere but feeling sorry for yourself about your inability to do so. Properly improvising off the cuff takes many years of learning and familiarizing yourself with your instrument and will never just happen straight away no matter what kinds of quick tips and tricks you might consume that tell you so.
