“Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down”—Strum Through This Bluegrass and Folk Standard
It’s a simple song with just four basic chords, but the most challenging aspect for some beginners may be the spirited tempo.
Maurice Tani
Maurice Tani is a veteran singer-songwriter and alt-country band leader based in California.
Learn Cole Porter’s Slightly Silly Show Tune “Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall in Love”
Compared to some of the songs we’ve covered in this series, this is a fairly adventurous arrangement using quite a few chords.
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How to Play “In the Jailhouse Now,” a Novelty Number Turned Country and Pop Hit
“Jailhouse” has been recorded many times over the years—often in very divergent styles—by the likes of Hank Snow, Johnny Cash, and others, and has been featured in major motion pictures.
Play an Approachable Arrangement of the Classic Tune “I Can’t Give You Anything but Love, Baby”
There’s a fair number of chords in this arrangement—14 shapes in all—but they are mostly in open position and easy to play.
A Fun Guitar Arrangement Inspired by Bobby Darin’s Swinging Cover of “Mack the Knife”
What really sets this version apart is the use of five half-step modulations that keep raising the tension with each pass through the song.
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Learn to Play “Blue Skies”—a Jazz Age Classic with Clever Harmonies and a Bit of Drama
"Blue Skies,” arranged here in the guitar-friendly key of C, has been covered in many popular styles from ragtime piano to big band jazz to country.
Learn to Play “Tonight You Belong to Me” on Acoustic Guitar
This simple arrangement allows for easy, primarily open chording.
Taking a Fresh Look at the Centuries-Old Waltz “On Top of Old Smoky” on Guitar
Singer-songwriter Maurice Tani teaches how to add fresh color and anticipation to a traditional favorite.
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Play the Classic Sea Shanty “Drunken Sailor” with 3 Simple Chords
This easy campfire arrangement follows a traditional four-bar pattern using just the chords Am, G, and C.
Learn to Play the Fun and Breezy 19th Century Dance Tune “Jenny Jenkins”
“Jenny Jenkins,” which has been covered by the likes of Jerry Garcia (with David Grisman) and Lisa Loeb, is as simple as it is sweet.
Learn the Scottish Folk Song “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean” on Guitar
Learn an easy guitar arrangement of the traditional Scottish folk song "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean."
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Learn an Easy Guitar Arrangement of “Low Bridge, Everybody Down” (aka “The Erie Canal Song”)
Here's an easy strumming version of “Low Bridge, Everybody Down” (aka “The Erie Canal Song”), a 1900s tune that takes a look back to the mid-1800s.
Learn a Campfire Guitar Version of the Classic Railroad Song “Casey Jones”
“Casey Jones” is one of the great traditional American folk songs. Here's how to play a basic campfire strumming version on guitar.
‘Are You Lonesome Tonight?’ Learn an Easy Guitar Version of this Classic Popularized by Elvis
"Are You Lonesome Tonight" was a big hit for Elvis. For this easy guitar arrangement in the key of G major, we’re going to concentrate on just the main body of the song.
Learn a Simple Guitar Arrangement of “I’m Sitting On Top of the World”
This arrangement is taken at a relaxed tempo, using a handful of open and first-position chords—C, F, A7, D7, G7—along with a couple more sophisticated but easy-to-play shapes.
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Learn an Easy Guitar Version of “House of the Rising Sun” Using Simple Chords
Here's an easy arrangement for guitar of "House of the Rising Sun" that's great as a campfire song—whether you're cooking dinner inside or outside.
Learn a Streamlined Guitar Arrangement of the Rodgers & Hart Classic “Manhattan”
Some of the chords you'll play in this guitar arrangement of Rogers & Hart's classic tune "Manhattan" are a bit sophisticated, but they’re all pretty easy to play.
Learn an Easy Guitar Version of the Classic American Tune “Beautiful Dreamer”
“Beautiful Dreamer” was originally written in the key of Eb major. Our arrangement transposes it to the more guitar-friendly key of C, with just a handful of chords.
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Campfire Songs: ‘Oh Shenandoah’
“Oh Shenandoah,” sometimes called “Shenandoah” or “Across the Wide Missouri,” is an American folk heirloom which, ironically, was most likely written by French-Canadian fur traders in the 16th century.
Campfire Songs: Learn to Play ‘Red River Valley’
In this acoustic guitar lesson, you'll learn how to play "Red River Valley."
Campfire Songs: “Stealin’”
Learn a simple arrangement of the classic tune "Stealin'" in this video from Acoustic Guitar's Campfire Songs series.
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Campfire Songs: Learn to Play ‘Tom Dooley’
This classic murder ballad chronicles the 1866 death of one Laura Foster, in Wilkes County, North Carolina, and the capital punishment of her lover and assailant, Tom Dula—a story that received widespread national attention when it was published in newspapers such as The New York Times.
Campfire Songs: Learn the Gospel Classic ‘This Little Light of Mine’
To work up “This Little Light of Mine,” first make sure that you are familiar with all the chord shapes and can switch between them with relative ease.
Campfire Songs: Learn ‘Streets of Laredo’ With Four Cowboy Chords
Learn to play 'The Streets of Laredo' (aka “Cowboy’s Lament”), in the key of C major, using four cowboy chords: C (I), G (V), F (IV), and D (II).
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Campfire Songs: Strum “Home on the Range” with 5 Easy Chords
Few songs are as evocative of the ideal of the American West as this old ode to frontier life