Guns N’ Roses is one of the biggest bands in the history of Rock N’ Roll.
Their popularity has reached more than just Hard Rock fans.
Somehow, their songs have become a favorite of people who barely listens to heavy music.
As a result, it is no surprise to see youngsters starting to learn guitar with one of their songs.
If you are one of them and want to know which Guns N’ Roses songs are the easiest, then this article’s for you.
The 5 easiest Guns N’ Roses songs to play on guitar are:
- Used to Love Her
- Patience
- Sweet Child o’ Mine
- You Ain’t The First
- Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door
Guns N’ Roses used to compose in Eb tuning, which means that every string is half a step-down.
However, they can be played in standard without any problems and still sound great.
The choice is up to you.
1. Used to Love Her
An acoustic classic from the album GN’R Lies.
Many people claim Used to Love Her is the easiest Guns N’ Roses song to play on guitar.
This could be true, because you only need three beginner open chords: D, A, G.
Those are repeated throughout the entire song, including intro, verse, and solo.
The only difference is that they change the order in certain parts.
For example, the intro is D-A-G-A, just like half of the verse.
The second half switches to G-A-G-A and then G-A-D.
The solo has the same structure as the verse.
That’s it!
This one is also rather simple to be sung and played simultaneously.
Here you’ll find the song and the tabs:
2. Patience
Another acoustic track from the already mentioned GN’R Lies.
Patience is a song that even your grandma loves.
Luckily, you can play it to her, because it’s not hard to learn!
While it might look messy at first sight, do not forget that Patience has three acoustic tracks, all of them playing different things.
Therefore, my advice is to start with the rhythmic parts.
Then, little by little, you can learn (or even figure out on your own or by ear) the rest of the string arrangements.
In fact, the solos are melodic and quite simple to follow through.
Give them a try and you’ll play them perfectly eventually.
What is more, Patience is a song that can be played and sung at the same time without much difficulty.
Here you’ll find the song, the tabs, and a tutorial video that focuses solely on the rhythmic guitar.
3. Sweet Child o’ Mine
One of their biggest hits is also one of the easiest to learn.
Funnily enough, if you are new to playing music and listen to the intro of this track, you will freak out.
You might think learning it is a pain in the neck, but it is not.
In fact, learning Slash’s intro would make for an excellent training exercise.
You can slow the tempo down and practice until you get it right.
The solo may have some complex parts, but all in all, it is possible to adapt it to a beginner level. That is until you learn it properly.
On the other hand, rhythmic parts have plenty of chords.
Seven in total (D-C-G-A-Em-B7-Am). The good thing is, all of them are open chords, and not hard to learn at all.
D, C, and G are played in the verse. A, C and D, in the chorus.
Em, B7, and Am appear just at the solo and outro.
If you think those are too many chords to learn, take your time.
Learn the intro and verse to the full.
Then move on to the chorus, and finally, to the solo and outro.
Tabs and song are below
4. You Ain’t The First
Yet another acoustic song, and a rather underrated one.
This time, though, comes from the album Use Your Illusion I.
Interesting fact: Did you know that the band members recorded this track completely drunk? All of them!
Of course, you don’t have to drink that much to play this song, but it’s so easy and slow that even while drunk you could play it without any problems.
It is divided into two parts: verse and chorus.
The verse is composed of only two open chords, which are E and A.
They are probably the easiest chords to learn on guitar because of the comfortable fingers’ position.
Plus, transitioning from one to the other is smooth.
Now, there’s a mild difficulty when you reach the chorus.
For this, you’ll have to play three or four barre chords.
The chorus adds G#, F#m, and B, along with open E and A.
It might be a good idea to play the open A chord as a barre chord as well because the song makes its passage straightforward.
Below you’ll find a top-notch cover of the song for you to understand how to play that last part.
Don’t worry if you find it hard to play barre chords.
A little practice will solve everything.
You’ll have the full song figured out in a couple of days.
5. Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door
Here’s one of those curious cases where a cover becomes more famous than the original version.
Although this song was made by Bob Dylan, the impact Guns N’ Roses version had on the media was huge.
After all, they re-invented the song almost on the whole.
Therefore, it is fair to say Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door has long belonged to Guns N’ Roses since then.
Here’s a track that uses just four open chords: G, D, Am, and C.
What’s more interesting still, is that the sequence of chords is the same throughout the entire song.
The order is G-D-Am; G-D-C.
Again and again all through the intro, verse, and chorus. Simple as that!
It has a slight change at the end, where the sequence ends being G-D-Am (without the G-D-C)
The song and the tabs are below. Good luck and enjoy them!
Hello there, my name is Ramiro and I’ve been playing guitar for almost 20 years. I’m obsessed with everything gear-related and I thought it might be worth sharing it. From guitars, pedals, amps, and synths to studio gear and production tips, I hope you find what I post here useful, and I’ll try my best to keep it entertaining also.
