Ed Sheeran’s soulful voice has made him a favorite among music lovers of all ages. Luckily for us, most of his songs are relatively easy to play on guitar.
If you’re looking for some Sheeran tunes to add to your repertoire, look no further. Here are 22 easy Ed Sheeran songs to play on guitar that will surely impress anybody who hears them!
Contents
- 1. “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran
- 2. “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran
- 3. “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran
- 4. “The A Team” by Ed Sheeran
- 5. “Castle On The Hill” by Ed Sheeran
- 6. “Happier” by Ed Sheeran
- 7. “Give Me Love” by Ed Sheeran
- 8. “Afterglow” by Ed Sheeran
- 9. “River” by Eminem ft. Ed Sheeran
- 10. “All of the Stars” by Ed Sheeran
- 11. “Supermarket Flowers” by Ed Sheeran
- 12. “Don’t” by Ed Sheeran
- 13. “Galway Girl” by Ed Sheeran
- 14. “I See Fire” by Ed Sheeran
- 15. “I’m a Mess” by Ed Sheeran
- 16. “Lego House” by Ed Sheeran
- 17. “Tenerife Sea” by Ed Sheeran
- 18. “Photograph” by Ed Sheeran
- 19. “Afire Love” by Ed Sheeran
- 20. “Kiss Me” by Ed Sheeran
- 21. “Sing” by Ed Sheeran
- 22. “Bad Habits” by Ed Sheeran
- Final Thoughts
1. “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran
This is probably every Sheerio’s earlier favorites. “Perfect” is a beautiful love song that’s perfect for serenading your special someone.
The chords are very basic and it’s played in standard tuning. You can add some pizzazz to the song by adding a few simple strums. There are several tutorials on YouTube that can show you how.
2. “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran
The list won’t be complete without the Grammy-winning “Thinking Out Loud.” The challenge in this song is the slide guitar riff in most parts of the song, but other than that, the chords are pretty easy to play. This catchy tune is perfect for beginners who want to slowly transition to more complex songs.
3. “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran
“Shape of You” is probably one of the most popular songs in recent years. It’s perfect for parties and get-togethers, and you will intermediate level guitar skills to play this song.
Slowing down the tempo can help you keep up with the beat if you’re singing along while playing chords. This track won various awards and has been covered by several artists over the years.
4. “The A Team” by Ed Sheeran
“The A Team” is a beautiful ballad about drug addiction and prostitution. It’s one of Ed’s first breakthrough hits, and it earned him a lot of recognition.
The song is played in standard tuning with basic chords, so it’s perfect for beginners who want to try something a little more challenging than the usual three-chord songs.
5. “Castle On The Hill” by Ed Sheeran
From his award-winning album ÷ (Divide), this is one of Ed’s more personal songs. It’s a tribute to his hometown, Framlingham in Suffolk, England, and reflects on his teenage years growing up there.
It has a more upbeat tempo than some of his other songs, making it a great song to jam out to on the guitar with your friends on a campfire night.
6. “Happier” by Ed Sheeran
“Happier” is a ballad about a past relationship. It’s a beautiful and emotional song that will tug at your heartstrings, especially if you can relate to the lyrics about your ex.
The guitar chords are simple and easy to play, so even beginners can join in on the jam session. You will only need to learn a series of simple strum patterns and a few basic chords to nail this one.
7. “Give Me Love” by Ed Sheeran
Here’s another Sheeran track that’s perfect for beginners. “Give Me Love” has a simple strum pattern and chords that are easy to switch between.
It’s repeated throughout the song, so once you’ve got it down, you can really focus on nailing the timing and playing with feeling. The lyrics will tug at your heartstrings, but the message is one that a lot of us can all relate to.
8. “Afterglow” by Ed Sheeran
From his latest album, equal (=),” “Afterglow” is a stripped-back, acoustic track that sounds like it was recorded in one take.
The guitar chords are simple and pretty basic so it’s also a great song for beginners. The lyrics are about a couple who have been through some tough times but are still in love with each other.
9. “River” by Eminem ft. Ed Sheeran
Eminem and Sheeran in one song? Yes, please! This track is from Eminem’s album Revival and it’s about a relationship that went south because of infidelity.
One might think that the chords would be complicated because of the rap parts, but they’re actually not too bad! It only has a basic strum pattern that is repeated throughout the entire song, even in Eminem’s parts.
10. “All of the Stars” by Ed Sheeran
Featured in the famous movie, The Fault in Our Stars, this song is about two star-crossed lovers. The lyrics are incredibly beautiful and the guitar chords are not too challenging either.
If you’re a beginner, you might have to practice the strumming pattern and quickly interchanging between the chords. But once you get the hang of it, it’ll be a breeze!
11. “Supermarket Flowers” by Ed Sheeran
Another song that will tug at your heartstrings. This one is from Ed’s album ÷ and it’s about his late grandmother.
The only difficult part while playing this on your guitar is holding back your tears! You won’t need to learn any fancy chords for this one.
12. “Don’t” by Ed Sheeran
“Don’t” is a song from Ed’s second album, x. It’s about a past relationship that didn’t work out because of infidelity (similar to “River”).
The guitar chords are pretty simple and the strumming pattern is quite straightforward as well. You might need to practice transitioning between the chords smoothly, but other than that, it should be a pretty easy song to play.
13. “Galway Girl” by Ed Sheeran
If you’re looking for the perfect Ed Sheeran song to dedicate to your “Galway Girl,” look no further. This track is from Ed’s 2017 album ÷ (Divide) and is a collaboration with the Irish band Beoga.
An added bonus? The song features traditional Irish instruments like the bodhrán and fiddle. Playing this on your guitar won’t be too difficult, as the chords are mostly basic open shapes.
14. “I See Fire” by Ed Sheeran
This song also has pretty basic chords that you can easily play on your guitar. The chorus does have a little bit of a different chord progression than the verses, but it’s nothing too complicated.
“I See Fire” is from the soundtrack to The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, and it’s a beautiful ballad with some great fingerpicking.
15. “I’m a Mess” by Ed Sheeran
“I’m a Mess” is one of my personal favorite Ed Sheeran songs. It’s from his 2014 album x (Multiply) and it’s an easy track to play on guitar. The chords are repeatedly strummed throughout the song, with only a few changes.
The lyrics are honest and heartfelt, and they capture that feeling of being a mess. You can watch tutorials for “I’m a Mess” on YouTube.
16. “Lego House” by Ed Sheeran
Another fan favorite, “Lego House” is a rather simple song to learn on guitar. The chords are easy and the strumming pattern is simple as well, mostly single down strums with an occasional up strum. The song is about a relationship that’s falling apart, and how the protagonist is trying to save it.
17. “Tenerife Sea” by Ed Sheeran
This is also one of my personal favorite Ed Sheeran songs. It just has such a catchy beat and is really easy to play on guitar. The level of difficulty for this song is probably a 3 or 4 out of 10.
You don’t have to add fingerpicking but it does sound really good if you do. The song is basically just Ed Sheeran talking about how much he loves this girl and how perfect she is.
18. “Photograph” by Ed Sheeran
Here’s another really popular Sheeran song that is super easy to play on guitar. The song is about how Ed Sheeran is going to keep a photograph of his significant other and how he will never forget her.
It also has a few fingerpicking sections which sound really cool if you can do them. There are a lot of tutorials on YouTube that you can watch to learn how to do them.
19. “Afire Love” by Ed Sheeran
“Afire Love” is a beautiful and sad song. It’s about Ed Sheeran’s grandfather who passed away and how much he loved him. Playing this on the guitar is also pretty easy.
The chords all simple and beginner-friendly. You can stream it on all the music platforms out there.
20. “Kiss Me” by Ed Sheeran
Next on the list is “Kiss Me”, which was released in 2011 for his + album. Making it sound good on the guitar is pretty easy as well.
The chorus is the only part that might give you a little trouble since it’s fast-paced. But other than that, it’s a pretty straightforward song. You can find it on all streaming platforms.
21. “Sing” by Ed Sheeran
The acoustics in this song are what make it so great. Sheeran’s voice is in top form and the intense strum patterns make for a perfect sing-along. If you can play this one, you’re in for a good time. This is one of the easier Ed Sheeran songs on guitar despite of how fast-paced it is.
22. “Bad Habits” by Ed Sheeran
Wrapping up the list is “Bad Habits”. This one is a bit more mellow than the rest on the list. The lyrics are about being addicted to someone and not being able to quit them no matter how hard you try.
Learning the chords for this song will be a breeze with a little bit of practice and guidance from the many tutorials online, particularly on Youtube.
Final Thoughts
With these 22 easy Ed Sheeran songs to play on guitar, you’ll be able to improve your skills while having a great time. If you’re a fan of Ed Sheeran or just looking for some new songs to play, these are perfect for you.
And, who knows? Maybe you’ll even be able to play one of his more complicated songs after working on these. Either way, have fun and enjoy the process of learning guitar!
Ed Sheeran Featured Image by: Drew de F Fawkes, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
