Rock songs are super fun to play on acoustic guitar, and many of them are actually quite easy to learn. That said, what rock songs are best suited specifically for playing on an acoustic guitar?
Well, to help you out, I put all my favorite rock songs to play on the acoustic guitar here in this list for you. I also included links to the full chord and tab charts, so you can immediately start learning these rock songs on your acoustic guitar.
I even included video lessons for some of the songs where I could find a great lesson available.
How to Listen to These Songs for FREE
If you’re unfamiliar with any of these songs and want to listen to them in their entirety, I really recommend doing so with Amazon Music Unlimited.
If you simply sign up for their free trial, you get access to over 60 million songs completely free – and you can listen anytime, anywhere.
It’s a great way to enjoy some awesome acoustic music. You can check out the free trial here.
Can You Play Rock Songs On an Acoustic Guitar?
Before we get started, I want to answer a common question about the following songs. Can you learn these rocks songs on an acoustic guitar instead of an electric?
The answer is yes. Many rock songs actually feature acoustic guitars prominently. Even songs that were composed for the electric guitar translate very well onto the acoustic guitar.
There are a couple of rock techniques really strongly associated with electric guitar, such as power chords. However, these can easily by transitioned onto the acoustic guitar. Learn how in my articles below:
If you are an electric guitarist looking to transition to acoustic, then I recommend checking out my 10 favorite acoustic guitars for beginners on a budget.
Or if you want a resource-packed acoustic guitar buyer’s guide, where I walk you through every step of the process, from deciding what kind of wood you want, what the best guitar strings are, and how to maintain your guitar for years to come, you might want to grab my ultimate acoustic buyer’s guide (now available on Amazon).
But now that we’ve got the guitar details figured out, let’s jump into these 25 Best Rock Songs for Acoustic Guitar:
- Free Fallin – Tom Petty – Chords + Tabs – Video Lesson
- Ring of Fire – Johnny Cash – Chords
- Feelin’ Alright – Joe Cocker – Chords + Tabs – Video Lesson
- Can’t You See – Marshall Tucker Band – Chords
- The House of the Rising Sun – The Animals – Chords + Tabs – Video Lesson
- Every Rose has It’s Thorn – Poison – Chords + Tabs – Video Lesson
- Paperback Writer – The Beatles – Chords + Tabs – Video Lesson
- No Rain – Blind Melon – Chords + Tabs – Video Lesson
- Ripple – The Grateful Dead – Chords+Tabs – Video Lesson
- Take It Easy – The Eagles – Chords + Tabs – Video Lesson
- Have You Ever Seen the Rain? – Creedence Clearwater Revival – Chords + Tabs – Video Lesson
- Born in the USA – Bruce Springsteen – Chords + Tabs – Video Lesson
- What I Got – Sublime – Chords + Tabs – Video Lesson
- Two Tickets to Paradise – Eddie Money – Chords + Tabs – Video Lesson
- Horse with No Name – America – Chords + Tabs – Video Lesson
- Brown Eyed Girl – Van Morrison – Chords + Tabs – Video Lesson
- Stand By Me – Ben E. King – Chords + Tabs – Video Lesson
- I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – U2 – Chords + Tabs – Video Lesson
- For What It’s Worth – Buffalo Springfield – Chords + Tabs – Video Lesson
- Dead Flowers – The Rolling Stones – Chords + Tabs – Video Lesson
- Wild Horses – The Rolling Stones – Chords + Tabs – Video Lesson
- Old Man – Neil Young – Chords + Tabs – Video Lesson
- Heart of Gold – Neil Young – Chords + Tabs – Video Lesson
- Three Little Birds – Bob Marley – Chords + Tabs – Video Lesson
- Bad Moon Rising – Creedence Clearwater Revival – Chords + Tabs – Video Lesson
Need More Help Learning These Rock Songs?
To find the best guitar courses, with experts walking you through each step of the learning process, check out my recommended lessons, courses & teachers.
If you’re still looking for more free guitar lesson resources, I’d recommend subscribing to some of the awesome acoustic guitar YouTube channels out there. The only trouble is – it can be hard to find the right channels, and to know who’s really putting out good information.
That’s why I wrote up a whole guide post on my 8 favorite YouTube channels for learning acoustic guitar.
If you really want to take things to the next level, though, you’ll get a lot more out of a paid guitar course / lesson platform than you will out of YouTube. That’s because these platforms and lesson programs put everything you need in one place, and tell you exactly what order to learn things in.
If you’re looking for the best guitar courses, with experts walking you through each step of the learning process, check out my recommended lessons, courses & teachers.