Fingerstyle guitar is one of those enchanting techniques that can create sonic tapestries from one guitar. As such, this technique is often employed by solo artists, allowing them to sound much bigger than one person.
If you’ve ever wanted to dip your toes into the fingerstyle world, you’ve come to the right place. Here are some of the best fingerstyle guitar songs ever written to help you get started on your journey.
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“You’ve Got A Friend” by James Taylor
Tab: Ultimate-Guitar.com
James Taylor is one of the most well-known artists using the fingerstyle technique. You’ve Got A Friend remains one of his most famous songs of all time.
This song is the perfect ode to sing to another friend, reminding them you’ll always be there for them. You’ll need a capo on the 2nd fret to play this masterpiece.
There are 2 different guitar parts that play throughout the entire song. However, you can use your ear to figure out how to assimilate them into one part for a solo performance.
“Dust In The Wind” by Kansas
Tab: Ultimate-Guitar.com
When you think of fingerstyle, Dust In The Wind is likely to be the first to come to mind. In fact, in some regards, this song is just as popular today as it was when it was first released.
Dust In The Wind is a perfect song to learn if you are a complete beginner at the fingerstyle technique. Because you are probably very familiar with its music, it will make it quite easy to learn very quickly.
This song centers around some basic open chord grips, which is an added plus for beginners. Take your time to correctly incorporate that iconic fingerstyle rolling sound.
“Never Going Back Again” by Fleetwood Mac
Tab: Ultimate-Guitar.com
Fleetwood Mac has a number of different famous fingerstyle guitar songs. This is largely in part thanks to the playing style of guitarist Lindsey Buckingham.
Never Going Back Again, from the Rumours album, remains a standout fingerstyle song in the band’s catalog. It’s also one of the more difficult fingerstyle songs to learn when it comes to fairly modern rock music.
This song is in drop D with a capo at the 4th fret. As with any difficult song, take it slow and be patient!
“These Days” by Jackson Browne
Tab: Ultimate-Guitar.com
You might not be familiar with this powerful Jackson Browne song unless you’re a fan of his. In fact, the female artist Nico was the first to record a version of it.
These Days is a very heartfelt track that was written when Jackson was a teenager. Despite its age, it still hits into the center of the soul when played correctly.
Overall, this song is fairly difficult, so take your time and work through it slowly. You’ll need to employ a capo on the 1st fret. Jackson Browne can often be seen moving the capo up to the 2nd fret, but the underlying technique remains the same.
“Needle And The Damage Done” by Neil Young
Tab: Ultimate-Guitar.com
One of Neil Young’s most famous fingerstyle songs is by far Needle And The Damage Done. You can hear this track from his smash hit album Harvest.
Needle And The Damage Done is a very serious song written about heroin addiction. While it was written in the 1970s, its message is still very much alive today (unfortunately).
For the most part, this song centers its fingerstyle patterns around basic open chord shapes. Be sure to listen to the recording to get the iconic pattern down correctly.
“Rhiannon” by Fleetwood Mac
Tab: Ultimate-Guitar.com
Rhiannon is another smash hit by Fleetwood Mac that features fingerstyle guitar. In fact, the guitar part is the signature piece of music by which people can readily identify the song.
This song is fairly unique compared to others on this list, primarily as it features an electric guitar. Despite this, it can still sound great on an acoustic.
The tab provided breaks Lindsey Buckingham’s guitar part into 2 separate parts. If you want to play it like him, combine them into one cohesive part.
“Sultans Of Swing” by Dire Straits
Tab: Ultimate-Guitar.com
Speaking of fingerstyle on the electric guitar, one cannot overlook the epic song Sultans Of Swing. Mark Knopfler continues to dazzle guitarists with his fingerstyle guitar playing on this track.
Many guitarists learn Sultans Of Swing, primarily for learning lead guitar concepts. When doing so, people often learn the song using a pick.
To get that highly expressive tone, you should learn this the way Mark Knopfler plays it. You’ll find yourself using his fingerstyle techniques in other songs throughout your guitar career.
“Angeles” by Elliott Smith
Tab: Ultimate-Guitar.com
Elliott Smith proved himself to be a masterful songwriter, evoking many deep emotions others tend to ignore. With the song Angeles, he also proved himself to be a pretty great guitarist.
Angeles features extremely fast and complex fingerstyle patterns that continue to blow minds. The song stands out on the Either/Or album, as it is truly one of a kind.
Take your time and practice this song slowly, as there is a lot happening at a very quick pace. You’ll want a capo on the 5th fret when learning this song, so make sure you have one handy.
“Things Behind The Sun” by Nick Drake
Tab: Ultimate-Guitar.com
If you’re unfamiliar with Nick Drake, consider this your introduction. Nick Drake didn’t enjoy major success during his short life. However, his music has been continually discovered in recent times, with legions of fans adoring his precious music.
As such, his album Pink Moon remains to be one of the best albums of all time. It features primarily just a voice and an acoustic guitar.
Things Behind The Sun is one of the more interesting tracks from the album. The fingerstyle pattern employed gives the track its mysterious sound.
“Classical Gas” by Mason Williams
Tab: Ultimate-Guitar.com
Another song that is often thought of when thinking of fingerstyle guitar is Classical Gas. This song is extremely famous and is a bit of a rite of passage for guitarists.
If you can play Classical Gas, it is assumed that you possess quite a bit of skill on your instrument. In fact, this song has been covered time and again by many artists including Tommy Emmanuel.
As the name suggests, Classical Gas takes inspiration from classical fingerstyle guitar songs. The song has some iconic melodies that are forever cemented in modern music history.
“Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica
Tab: Ultimate-Guitar.com
When Metallica released the Black album, they proved that they had a bag of other musical tricks beyond metal stylings. The song Nothing Else Matters is a prime example of this.
The song has an iconic intro that is perfect for those learning fingerstyle guitar. You’ll find that much of the pattern repeats throughout the song.
While Nothing Else Matters certainly is not Metallica’s heaviest song, it remains extremely popular today. Be sure to add this well-known song to your musical repertoire.
“Lonely Stranger” by Eric Clapton
Tab: Ultimate-Guitar.com
Eric Clapton is often more known for his blues-style lead guitar techniques. However, he’s also a fairly accomplished fingerstyle guitarist.
His iconic Unplugged album is full of excellent fingerstyle arrangements. One of the best to learn, especially for beginners, is Lonely Stranger.
For the most part, this is based around some simple open chords and a barre chord or two. Its fingerpicking pattern is not too difficult, either, as it is mostly used for melodic chord inflections.
“Sleep” by Phish
Tab: Ultimate-Guitar.com
The band Phish is more known for their sprawling freeform improvisations than anything else. However, to live your life based on this assumption, you would overlook some excellent fingerstyle songs.
One of the simplest, and most powerful fingerstyle songs in their catalog is Sleep. This is another track perfect for beginners who are dipping their toes into the fingerstyle world.
The fingerstyle picking pattern is not too difficult and can be learned by anyone. It also features similar chord shapes that are moved throughout the song.
“Fire And Rain” by James Taylor
Tab: Ultimate-Guitar.com
Any finger-picking song list would be incomplete without the mention of James Taylor’s Fire And Rain. This song was a smash hit and remains to be one of the most popular songs in his catalog.
James Taylor wrote this song about a friend of his who was admitted into a mental institution. Unfortunately, his friend didn’t pull through and was never quite the same.
As such, this song is an extremely powerful song, both lyrically and musically. You’re sure to win over an audience by playing this song.
“Hey There Delilah” by Plain White T’s
Tab: Ultimate-Guitar.com
When the Plain White T’s released Hey There Delilah, it became an instant hit. Part of this had to do with the lyrics. However, the fingerstyle guitar was a breath of fresh air in a musical landscape dominated by other types of music.
If you’re looking for an extremely simple and easy fingerstyle song to learn, don’t pass up this song. You’ll