6 Easy One-Finger Power Chord Songs To Teach Beginners
As mentioned in my other article: ‘3 More Simple Ways to Make Your Lessons More Engaging’, I love teaching guitar skills through songs. For teaching my students Open E, A and D power chords, I start them on the Level Up Guitar Teaching Open Power Chord Mini Songbook and then when they’re ready, I start introducing them to popular songs that use Power chords in different styles.
In this article, I’m going to list 6 Easy One Finger Power Chord Songs that you can use to teach beginner guitarists in your guitar lessons. Let’s dive in!
‘For What It’s Worth’ by Buffalo Springfield
The first cab off the rank is ‘For What It’s Worth by Buffalo Springfield. It’s a pretty straight forward song with simple rhythms and includes 3 guitar parts which are at a similar level of difficulty. I love teaching this song in my group lessons as my students can learn all 3 parts (prioritising the E, A, D chord part) and then we do a rotation in which students play as a band, having a go at playing each part in a collaborative setting.
2. ‘Take The Money and Run’ by Steve Miller Band
‘Take The Money and Run’ by Steve Miller Band is a lively number that always goes down well with my students. Very simple in its chord progression, this song is perfect for my students to practice their changes from E power chord to D power chord, rather than the easier change from E to A.
3. ‘Mustang Sally’ by Wilson Pickett
Another super fun song to teach in a group setting, ‘Mustang Sally’ by Wilson Pickett features a funky bassline and awesome opportunities for your students to practice their string muting skills with it’s short and sharp guitar rhythms. In addition to this its a SPECTACULAR SONG.
4. ‘Off The Rails’ - Open Season Power Chord Mini Songbook
I created the Open Season Power Chord Mini Songbook because I needed a series of songs that developed a particular skill gradually in a fun and engaging way. I also needed it to work in my group guitar classes that encouraged collaboration and individual learning. I love using this songbook because my students can work through the songs at their own pace and once they’re finished, they are super competent and switching between all the power chords that they need in regular guitar playing. Also, it made teaching kids and teens guitar way more fun and easy!
Ever since I created these mini songs:
My classes are so fun to teach and my students are eager to work their way through the song levels
My students are way more confident in their guitar playing because they see their progress clearly and quickly due to the challenges and checklists that each song has
I’ve cut my lesson planning time down to a couple of minutes
Every student interacts and collaborates with their guitar classmates by playing the multiple guitar parts
5. ‘Satisfaction’ by The Rolling Stones
Next up is the iconic ‘Satisfaction’ by the Rolling Stones. Most beginner guitarists have learnt the main riff to ‘Satisfaction’ but the rhythm part of the song is super fun to play and great for developing a students’ feel for rhythm as it includes accents and anticipations during the chorus.
6. ‘T.N.T.’ by AC/DC
Even my youngest students know this classic rock song of TNT by AC/DC. AC/DC are great at making powerful rock songs from the simplest of guitar parts. This makes TNT and most AC/DC songs perfect for teaching your students Open Power Chords at a relatively low difficulty level. This song incorporates the G Open Power Chord on the 3rd fret and is great for practicing faster changes between the main power chords while rocking out to some Acca Dacca.
Use some of these songs in your classes and let me know how you go!
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