Most music enthusiasts start their journey as guitarists with an acoustic guitar, but starting with an electric guitar can be more fun and motivating. Electric guitars offer a more comfortable playing experience with their thinner strings that ease the fingers and smaller necks that provide an easier grip for the fretting hand.
While any song can be played on an electric guitar, it is better to start with some more straightforward tunes if you are a beginner. This way, you can build a proper technique while you move on to more complex songs. Playing some simple tunes will also give you confidence and motivation, which will drive your progress forward.
You will learn and master some crucial techniques along the way, such as bends, hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, different picking techniques, and many more. Playing some simple songs will also help with your sense of rhythm and teach you some pieces of musical theory as well as other basics of electric guitar playing, which will guide you greatly through your journey as a guitarist.
Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana
As one of the most famous songs of Nirvana and the rock genre, Smells Like Teen Spirit is one of the most played songs by beginner electric guitar players. Released in 1991, the tune has an iconic riff that is incredibly entertaining to play.
Mastering this riff will require learning some techniques such as palm mutes and power chords. It will also help your hands with strumming and quickly transiting between power chords. When you are comfortable with the rhythm, you can try playing the introductory solo of the song, which is an excellent solo for beginners with easy positions, basic techniques, and slow rhythm.
Sweet Child O’mine – Guns N Roses
Don’t miss the chance to learn this easy-to-play classic! Guns released this track in 1988, appearing on their great album Appetite for Destruction. Slash’s melody and the solo on this song will always be a must for beginner guitarists to learn.
This classic should be played in half-step-down tuning, to begin with. There is the intro and the main melody to learn first. And later, the actual guitar solo comes, which you can easily learn to play.
Do I Wanna Know – The Arctic Monkeys
One of the most memorable guitar riffs of the 2010s is Do I Wanna Know from the famous English indie rock band The Arctic Monkeys. The tune is built around the stomping guitar riff that is easy and extremely fun to play.
Repeated many times throughout the song, the riff is the core of the tune and features many essential techniques like slides and hammer-ons. It is a great riff to play with some overdrive, ideal for beginners.
Zombie – The Cranberries
Released in 1994, Zombie is the globally famous hit by the Irish band The Cranberries. The tune was composed as a protest against the attack of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) in 1993.
With clean open chords, power chords with overdrive, easy solo partitions, and transitions, the tune has everything a beginner guitarist would crave for. It is educative as well as entertaining, a perfect song to master.
It’s My Life – Bon Jovi
Released in 2000, It’s My Life is the biggest hit by Bon Jovi. The song got extremely famous and became the symbol song of Bon Jovi with its epic riff and lyrics.
The tune can be played with power chords entirely. The intro melody, the verses, and the chorus are all played with distorted power chord variations. In addition, the song has a relatively easy and short solo that you can master and add to your repertoire.
Back In Black – ACDC
ACDC’s famous hit Back In Black is well-known for its rock-solid guitar riff, celebrated as one of the greatest guitar riffs of all time. It may be a little challenging for absolute beginners to play all the riffs, but it is entertaining to learn and play this tune.
It is played with distorted chords, and solo fills in between the partitions. The solo may not be suitable for beginner guitarists, but the riffs and the chorus parts are great for novice players.
Eye Of The Tiger – Survivor
Eye Of The Tiger by Survivor is mainly known as the song of the Rocky. The iconic riff is filled with adrenaline and inspiration, making it a cool and extremely fun song to play.
The riff features mutes on the same note with a steady picking technique. As the song is an excellent practice for the picking hand, you should start slowly and build up the speed.
Beat It – Michael Jackson
Here is one of the most iconic guitar riffs on an MJ song. This big hit was released in 1983 and rocked the world in no time. And you can find it on Jackson’s album Thriller.
Tune your guitar to half-step-down tuning and set up a great amp tone with an 80s distortion style. There are 3 guitar riffs on this one: First, learn the main riff, then go into the intro lead and the riff for the verse.
Livin On A Prayer – Bon Jovi
Livin On A Prayer is another hit song by Bon Jovi, released in 1986. The song became one of the most famous songs of the ’80s with its killer riffs and lyrics.
The tune features a basic riff with palm mutes and open notes on the upper strings, repeated throughout the verses. The chorus features power chords, and there is an intermediate-level solo that is fun to play for experienced guitarists.
Otherside – Red Hot Chili Peppers
Otherside is the third single from the Red Hot Chili Peppers album Californication, released in 1999. It is one of the most famous tunes of the American band.
This tune features a straightforward riff along with some barre chords and a straightforward melodic solo. It is an excellent tune to practice soloing and the barring technique.
Boulevard Of Broken Dreams – Green Day
The most successful song of the American punk band Green Day, Boulevard Of Broken Dreams, is another great song to play for beginner electric guitar players. Played with power chords, it is a straightforward song to play.
There is nothing complicated with this tune; just grab your guitar, add some tremolo effect if you have a processor, and enjoy playing this iconic tune.
Boulevard Of Broken Dreams Guitar Tabs
Creep – Radiohead
The 1992 Radiohead piece, Creep, is another great choice for beginner guitarists with its easy chord progression and picking pattern. The famous song has everything for you to rock the audience.
The key part of the song is the fingerpicking technique. The chords are arpeggiated through the verses before power chords with overdrive come in during the chorus.
Sex On Fire – Kings Of Leon
Kings Of Leon’s successful piece Sex On Fire rocked the world when it was released in 2007. The tune offers fun to play rhythm guitar partitions with different power chord variations.
The single-picked power chords and double stops with steady strums are a joy to play, especially when you add some overdrive and delay.
Conclusion
Mastering some electric guitar tunes is the best way to progress with your guitar technique and compose skills as you get familiar with different genres and songs. It is also a great way to keep yourself motivated by playing your favorite tunes to remember why you have started walking on this path.