Easy Fingerstyle Songs

[SkinnyDevil]

Grumble, grumble....I know we had a thread on this topic a few years back, but I couldn't find it.

Anyway, we had a growing list of beginner fingerstyle songs. The list included the intro to "Stairway to Heaven", "Dust in the Wind", "Blackbird"....

I also teach my students the opening few bars of "Spanish Romance" and the "Malaguena" theme.

What else would you put on your list of easy fingerstyle songs for beginners?

[JonR]

To go with Blackbird, you could add some other fingerstyle tunes from the White Album: Dear Prudence (in drop D) and Julia.
(All 3 have some tricky parts for left-hand, but the right hand is pretty straightforward - Prudence and Julia actually use the same RH pattern.)

The old folk-blues classic "Freight Train" is a beginner staple, as are some of Mississippi John Hurt's tunes. ("Pay Day", in open D, is easy on left hand as well as right.)

Some early Bert Jansch tunes are good:
Running From Home
Needle of Death
Oh How Your Love is Strong
Courting Blues
(all from his debut album)

Donovan's 2nd album Fairy Tale has several easy pieces, including:
Oh Deed I Do (a Jansch tune)
To Try for the Sun
Ballad of Geraldine
(of course he got the technique from Jansch, and passed it on to the Beatles ;) )

Bob Dylan:
Girl of the North Country (Freewheelin' version)
(Also "Don't Think Twice" off same album, but that's a little trickier, because faster.)

Paul Simon:
Scarborough Fair
Kathy's Song (and various others off the "Songbook" album)

(sorry this is all 60s biased... :rolleyes: )

Classically, there's a couple of Tarrega preludes that are not too tricky (both in D, one in drop D).

[metaljustice83]

there are a bunch of metallica tunes that are great for it.

[JonR]

Don't know if the following count as "easy", but are not too hard:

Road Trippin - Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Dress Looks Nice on You - Sufjan Stevens
Heartbeats - Jose Gonzales
Teardrop - Jose Gonzales

[SkinnyDevil]

Thanx, Jon.

MJ - what Metallica tunes?

[metaljustice83]

Fade to black was my first.

nothing else matters is another good one

[JonR]

Winter - Joshua Radin