Members of Congress used to be concerned about profanity and adult-themed lyrics in music.
But these days they’re having congressional hearings on the prices that Ticketmaster is charging for tickets to Taylor Swift concerts.
Basically, in the entertainment world, she is equivalent to a force of nature who is constantly popping up in the news cycle for both her music and her personal life.
But even if you don’t call yourself a “Swiftie”, I think you have to admit that she’s had a really positive impact on the music scene.
First of all, with so many different distractions and hobbies available compared to the past, it’s nice to see someone who can still get people (and especially youth) excited about music.
And unlike many Pop stars, she actually plays a musical instrument (a lot) and writes her own music.
So she has undoubtedly inspired a lot of young people to pick up a guitar or another instrument for the first time. That’s pretty cool, right?
Plus she deserves some kudos for how prolific of a writer she is (10 albums) and the fact that she has managed to stay at the top of her game for so long.
For example, her first album was released in 2006 and she’s still the hottest ticket concert to attend!
So if you play guitar and want to impress your friends, family, or maybe even a crush, knowing at least a few Taylor Swift songs is a no-brainer.
And though there are a lot to choose from, this list will provide some great songs to start with.
With a bit of luck, maybe you’ll be selling out stadium tours yourself someday.
1. The Story of Us
To start, let’s take a look at a fast-paced song that uses electric guitar but still sounds fine if you want to rock it on an acoustic.
As with the majority of Taylor’s songs, the lyrics are about emotions arising from dealing with a troubled relationship, but it’s a formula that seems to work well for her.
There are really only five chords that you need to deal with here because Dsus2 and Asus4 are the same except for adding the open A string for Asus4.
And the strumming is pretty easy for beginners as well; just check the video tutorial if you need some extra help!
Here is how to play the song with a capo on the second fret.
Intro: A Bm Dsus2 G (play two times)
Verses 1 and 2: D A G (four times)
Pre Chorus: A Bm G D G A
Choruses 1 and 2: D Asus4 G (two times)
Bm A G D
Bm A G
Then repeat the intro chords once or twice.
Verse 3: D G
Bm A G D G
Bm A G
Chorus 3: D Asus4 G (two times)
Bm A D
G Bm A G D Asus4
Outro is very similar to the first two choruses:
G D Asus4 G
Bm A D G
Bm A G
And here’s a lesson (includes an Em7 chord not in the tab):
2. Hits Different
This is a great choice if you want to learn a recent song that is also part of her current tour playlist (2023).
This song has quite a bit happening with the instrumental track, but it’s not quite one of Taylor’s Electro Pop tunes.
You can still hear the guitar laying the foundation and she plays acoustic guitar when performing the song live.
You will need a capo on the fifth fret to match the recording but you can lower it if you want to sing along at a lower register.
Here is the song.
Intro and verse 1: C F/C C Csus2 (for the verse play this seven times)
Then… C F/C Csus2 Gsus4
(You can just play an F chord instead of F/C (133010) and it will sound good enough)
Chorus: C F/C (two times)
Am7 F/C Dm Gsus4
C F/C C Csus2 (two times)
Verse 2: C F/C C Csus2 (three times)
Am7 F/C C Csus2
Then repeat the first line four more times
Bridge: use the main C F/C C Csus2 chord progression
Chorus 2: repeat the first two lines of Chorus 1 twice and then end on a C chord.
And here’s a lesson:
3. Fifteen
If you don’t have a capo (or try to avoid them to keep your frets in pristine condition) then this is a simple song to have in your wheelhouse.
And though I can’t always relate to all of her lyrics, this one is pretty universal since it is about youth, high school, and how every small thing seems important at that age.
If you have learned some Taylor Swift songs before, you have probably noticed that she often uses only a few chords in a song, but rearranges them for each part of the song, as she does here.
Here is how to play it.
Intro and Verse: just keep repeating G Cadd9 Em7 Cadd9
Chorus: G Em7 D Cadd9
G D/F# Em7 Cadd9
Em7 D G D/F# Cadd9 D
Bridge: (same as the last half of the chorus) Cadd9 Em7 D G D/F# Cadd9 D
And here’s a lesson:
4. Everything Has Changed feat. Ed Sheeran
What do you get when two of the biggest music heroes of our time collaborate on a song?
Well, this is a sweet track about infatuation or love at first sight that has the two superstars sharing the singing duties.
And that means you can kill two birds with one stone by being able to impress fans of both artists.
Actually, Ed and Taylor do share more than a professional relationship and the two are reportedly close (platonic!) friends.
Here is how to play the song with a capo on the 4th fret.
Intro: D Dsus4 D…
Verse: Bm G A D
Bm G A
Pre Chorus: D Em7 G Bm A (play two times)
Chorus: D Bm A G (two times)
Bridge: Bm G D A (two times)
And here’s a lesson:
5. Teardrops On My Guitar
6. Back to December
7. Mine
8. Speak Now
9. You Belong With Me
10. Treacherous
11. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
12. I Knew You Were Trouble
13. Come Back… Be Here
14. Our Song
15. Lover
16. Begin Again
17. All Too Well
18. Carolina
19. Safe and Sound ft. The Civil Wars
20. Tim McGraw
21. august
22. Love Story
23. State of Grace
24. betty
25. Sparks Fly
26. Never Grow Up
27. I’m Only Me When I’m With You
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.
