Below are links to thousands of easy 3-chord songs collected from guitar and ukulele sites. This music is now in a search index - sorted by chords, genres, decades, and even chord progressions.
To see what I mean, click the orange link to run a demo search of 3-chord "rock" songs with G + C + D. Any tune that exists for both guitar and ukulele will appear twice.
Run 3-Chord Search
G C D
And click the next link for 3-chord songs from the 1980s that use D + G + A.
Run 3-Chord Search
D G A
With that out of the way, let’s dive in.
Table of Contents
If you don’t know any chords yet, start with 1-chord songs first. Otherwise, skip ahead to see 3-chord songs by:
- Return on Investment (ROI)
- Genre (e.g. Rock, Folk, Blues)
- Decade (from 1920 to 2020)
- Chord Progression (e.g. I-IV-V)
There’s also a Bonus & FAQ section at the end.
The 3 Most Useful
Chords to Learn First
If you’re going to learn 3 chords, make it one of the combos below. They have the highest return on investment (ROI) because they let you play the most music across all genres and decades.
Run Demo Song Search
Click the first link to see what 3-chord songs you can play with G, C, D. Rinse and repeat.
G C D
D G A
A D E
C F G
Here are major chord diagrams for mandolin, banjo, guitar, and ukulele.
3-Chord Songs
by Genre
Using data from Last.Fm and AllMusic, it's possible to tag songs by genre. These genre tags aren’t perfect (for the reasons listed here). But they can help you quickly find easy tunes you know and like.
Jump ahead to see three-chord songs from your favorite genre:
- Rock
- Folk
- Pop
- Blues
- Country
Rock Songs with Three Chords
Below are the groups that let you play the most 3-chord rock songs. Click any link to see a list of easy tunes from this genre.
Run Demo Song Search
G C D
D G A
C F G
A D E
Here are major chord diagrams for mandolin, banjo, guitar, and ukulele.
Folk Tunes with 3 Chords
If you’re a fan of folk music, the chords below have the highest ROI. We're also starting to see some dominant 7 chords like G7.
Click any link to see what 3-chord folk tunes you can play.
Run Demo Song Search
G C D
C F G7
D G A
A D E
Here are major chord diagrams and dominant 7 chord diagrams for banjo, mandolin, guitar, and ukulele.
Three-Chord Pop Tunes
I didn’t realize how many pop songs use just 3 chords. There are loads. And the combos below are the ones that appear together most often.
Run Demo Song Search
G C D
C F G
D G A
A D E
Here are major chord diagrams for mandolin, banjo, guitar, and ukulele.
Blues Songs with 3 Chords
There aren’t many 3-chord songs “tagged” as blues. But if that’s the type of music you like, below are the best chords to focus on.
Run Demo Song Search
G C D
A D E
C F G
D G A
Here are major chord diagrams for mandolin, banjo, guitar, and ukulele. But many blues tunes sound better if you play them with dominant seventh chords instead of major chords. In other words, G, C, D becomes G7, C7, D7.
3-Chord Country Songs
Below are the most useful chords to learn if you like country music. Click any link to see what 3-chord songs you can play from this genre.
Run Demo Song Search
G C D
C F G7
D G A
A D E
Here are major chord diagrams and dominant 7 diagrams for banjo, mandolin, ukulele, and guitar.
3-Chord Songs by
Decade (1920-2020)
Maybe you like oldies from the ‘50s and ‘60s. Or perhaps you’re a fan of 1980s music. Either way, you can search for 3-chord songs by decade. Just click your favorite era below.
1920s
1930s
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
Coming soon: I hope to add a new section for 2020 when I have more data.
Quick tip: When signed in, you can use genre and decade filters together. This is useful if you want to focus on a very specific style of music (e.g. 3-chord rock songs from the 1960s and 1970s).
1920s Three-Chord Songs
I’ll be honest. There aren’t many 3-chord tunes from the 1920s (unless you were in the Carter Family). But below are the combos that let you play the most music from that period.
Run Demo Song Search
A D E
C F G
G C D
G C D7
Here are major diagrams and 7 diagrams for ukulele, guitar, banjo, and mandolin.
This post first appeared on The Definitive List Beginner Ukulele Songs, please read the originial post: here
