Learning to play the guitar is an impossible dream for many. The only thing that stops people from picking up the instrument right now is the perceived difficulty of learning. Indeed, many compositions cannot be played without years of training. To masterfully perform Asturias—one of the most complex suites by the Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz—you would have to spend months just developing your hand technique.
Perhaps achieving such mastery really is impossible for most, but is it even necessary? A huge number of modern songs are built on 3-4 chords, which are quite easy to learn. For example, compositions like “Let It Be” (The Beatles), “Zombie” (The Cranberries), “With or Without You” (U2), and hundreds of other famous hits are built on the basic chords C, G, Am, F. Having mastered these chords, you can put on a home concert for friends or continue to improve your guitar skills by learning more complex things.
Learning the acoustic guitar can start with the very basics—compositions that are played literally on one string. You don’t even need to learn chords for this. It is enough to learn tablatures—digital designations of the frets on the guitar neck that need to be pressed with a finger. For example, the number “3” means plucking the string with the third fret pressed (frets are counted from the top, from the tuning pegs that hold the strings), and “0” means plucking an open string.
We offer you a few simple “one-string” compositions that can be learned in an evening. In addition to tabs, the songs are supplemented with chords and lyrics so that you can sing not only in karaoke but also to live guitar accompaniment.
The White Stripes — Seven Nation Army
Tablature (on the 5th or 6th string)
7-7-10-7-5-3-2
7-7-10-7-5-3-5-3-2
Chords and lyrics:
Em
I’m gonna fight ’em off
G C B
A seven nation army couldn’t hold me back
Em
They’re gonna rip it off
G C B
Taking their time right behind my back
Em G C B
And I’m talking to myself at night because I can’t forget
Em G C B
Back and forth through my mind behind a cigarette
Despacito
Tablature:
10–9–7–2-2-2–7-5-7–3-3-3
7-9-10–5-5-5–10-12-9
10–9–7–2-2-2–7-5-7–3-3-3
7-9-10–5-5-5–10-12-9
Chords and lyrics:
Bm G D A
Ay…
Fonsi
Oh oh…
Oh no, oh no…
Oh…
Yeah…
Dididiri Daddy
Go!
Bm G
Si, sabes que ya llevo rato mirándote
D A
Tengo que bailar contigo hoy (DY)
Bm G
Vi, que tu mirada ya estaba llamándome
D A
Muéstrame el camino que yo voy (oh)
Bm G
Tú, tú eres el imán y yo soy el metal
G D
Me voy acercando y voy armando el plan
D A
Solo con pensarlo se acelera el pulso (oh yeah)
Bm G
Ya, ya me está gustando más de lo normal
G D
Todos mis sentidos van pidiendo más
D A
Esto hay que tomarlo sin ningún apuro
Bm
Despacito
Bm G
Quiero respirar tu cuello despacito
G D
Deja que te diga cosas al oído
D A
Para que te acuerdes si no estás conmigo
Bm
Despacito
G
Quiero desnudarte a besos despacito
Gs D
Firmo en las paredes de tu laberinto
D A
Y hacer de tu cuerpo todo un manuscrito
A
Sube sube sube, sube sube…
Bm
Quiero ver bailar tu pelo
Bm G
Quiero ser tu ritmo
D
Que le enseñes a mi boca
D A
Tus lugares favoritos (favorito, favorito baby)
Bm G
Déjame sobrepasar tus zonas de peligro
G D
Hasta provocar tus gritos
D A
Y que olvides tu apellido
Bm
Si te pido un beso, ven dármelo
Bm
Yo sé que estás pensándolo
G
Llevo tiempo intentándolo
G
Mami esto es dando y dándolo
D
Sabes que tu corazón conmigo te hace bom bom
A
Sabes que esa beba está buscando de mi bom bom
Bm
Ven prueba de mi boca para ver como te sabe
G
Quiero quiero, quiero ver cuanto amor a ti te cabe
D
Yo no tengo prisa yo me quiero dar el viaje
A
Empezamos lento, después salvaje
Bm
Pasito a pasito, suave suavecito
G
Nos vamos pegando, poquito a poquito
D
Cuando tú me besas, con esa destreza
A
Veo que eres malicia, con delicadeza
Bm
Pasito a pasito, suave suavecito
G
Nos vamos pegando, poquito a poquito
D
Y es que esa belleza, es un rompecabezas
A
Pero pa’ montarlo aquí tengo la pieza
Bm
Despacito
Bm G
Quiero respirar tu cuello despacito
G D
Deja que te diga cosas al oído
D A
Para que te acuerdes si no estás conmigo
Bm
Despacito
G
Quiero desnudarte a besos despacito
Gs D
Firmo en las paredes de tu laberinto
D A
Y hacer de tu cuerpo todo un manuscrito
A
Sube sube sube, sube sube…
Bm
Quiero ver bailar tu pelo
Bm G
Quiero ser tu ritmo
D
Que le enseñes a mi boca
D A
Tus lugares favoritos (favorito, favorito baby)
Bm G
Déjame sobrepasar tus zonas de peligro
G D
Hasta provocar tus gritos
D A
Y que olvides tu apellido
Bm
Despacito
Bm G
Quiero respirar tu cuello despacito
G D
Deja que te diga cosas al oído
D A
Para que te acuerdes si no estás conmigo
Bm
Despacito
G
Quiero desnudarte a besos despacito
Gs D
Firmo en las paredes de tu laberinto
D A
Y hacer de tu cuerpo todo un manuscrito
A
Sube sube sube, sube sube…
Bm
Quiero ver bailar tu pelo
Bm G
Quiero ser tu ritmo
D
Que le enseñes a mi boca
D A
Tus lugares favoritos (favorito, favorito baby)
Bm G
Déjame sobrepasar tus zonas de peligro
G D
Hasta provocar tus gritos
D A
Y que olvides tu apellido
Bm
Despacito
Bm G
Quiero respirar tu cuello despacito
G D
Deja que te diga cosas al oído
D A
Para que te acuerdes si no estás conmigo
Bm
Despacito
G
Quiero desnudarte a besos despacito
Gs D
Firmo en las paredes de tu laberinto
D A
Y hacer de tu cuerpo todo un manuscrito
A
Sube sube sube, sube sube…
Bm
Quiero ver bailar tu pelo
Bm G
Quiero ser tu ritmo
D
Que le enseñes a mi boca
D A
Tus lugares favoritos (favorito, favorito baby)
Bm G
Déjame sobrepasar tus zonas de peligro
G D
Hasta provocar tus gritos
D A
Y que olvides tu apellido
Pirates of the Caribbean (He’s a Pirate)
Tablature
0–3–5–5—-5–7–8–8—-8–10–7–7—-5–3–3–5
0–3–5–5—-5–7–8–8—-8–10–7–7—-5–3–5
0–3–5–5—-5–8–10–10—-10–12–13–13—-12-10-12–5
5–7–8–8–10–12–5—-5–8–7–7—-8–5–7
Chords
Dm Bb Am Dm
Bb F C Dm
Dm Gm Am Dm
Bb Dm A (A7)
A , Dm C Bb A , Gm A
Dm Dm, C Dm
Dm Dm, C D
Dm C F Bb, F Am Dm Dm
Dm C F Bb, Gm Am .. A
Chorus:
Dm Bb F C , Gm Am Am Dm
Deep Purple — Smoke on the Water
Tablature (main riff, played on the 6th string):
0-3-5
0-3-6-5
0-3-5
3-0
Chords and lyrics:
G Bb C
We all came out to Montreux
G Bb C
On the Lake Geneva shoreline
G Bb C
To make records with a mobile
G Bb C
We didn’t have much time
Chorus:
C Ab
Smoke on the water
G
A fire in the sky
C Ab
Smoke on the water
G
Seven Nation Army
Tablature:
5–5-8-5-3-1–0
5–5-8-5-3-1–0
5–5-8-5-3-1–0
5–5-8-5-3-1-3-1-0
Chords and lyrics:
E E G E D C B
I’m gonna fight ’em off,
B E E G E D C B
A seven nation army couldn’t hold me back.
B E E G E D C B
Their gonna rip it off,
B E E G E D C B
Taking their time right behind my back.
B E E G E D C B E E G E D C B
And I’m talking to myself at night because I can’t forget.
E E G E D C B E E G E D C B
Back and forth through my mind, behind a cigarette.
G A
And the message comming from my eyes, says leave it alone.
B E E G E D C B
Don’t want to hear about it,
B E E G E D C B
Every single ones got a story to tell.
B E E G E D C B
Everyone knows about it,
B E E G E D C B
From the queen of England to the hounds of hell.
B E E G E D C
And if I catch you comming back my way,
C B E E G E D C B
I’m going to serve it to you.
B E E G E D C B E E G E D C B
And that ain’t what you want to hear, but that’s what I’ll do.
G A
And the feeling coming from my bones, says find a home.
E E G E D C B
I’m going to Witchita,
B E E G E D C B
Far from this opera and for ever more.
B E E G E D C B
I’m going to work the straw,
B E E G E D C B
Make the sweat drip out of every pour.
B E E G E
And I’m bleedin’, and I’m bleedin’,
E D C B E E G E D C B
And I’m bleeding right before the lord.
E E G E D C
All the words are going to bleed from me,
B E E G E D C B
And I will think no more.
G A
And the stains comming from my blood, says Go back home.
