Which guitar chords play the most songs?
In Fretwork’s library of 87 traditional and public-domain songs, five chords (G, C, D, Em and Am) are enough to play 52 songs, 60% of the library. Adding F takes it to 59 songs (68%), and eight chords (adding E7 and A7) cover 72 songs (83%).
Updated · Written by the Fretwork team · How we check
How many songs each number of chords unlocks
| Chords you know | Best set | Songs playable (of 87) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Em | 0 (0%) |
| 2 | D, G | 3 (3%) |
| 3 | C, D, G | 25 (29%) |
| 4 | C, D, Em, G | 30 (34%) |
| 5 | Am, C, D, Em, G | 52 (60%) |
| 6 | Am, C, D, Em, F, G | 59 (68%) |
| 7 | Am, C, D, E7, Em, F, G | 65 (75%) |
| 8 | A7, Am, C, D, E7, Em, F, G | 72 (83%) |
| 9 | A7, Am, C, D, E7, Em, F, G, G7 | 77 (89%) |
“Best set” = the combination of that many chords that plays the most songs, found by checking every combination of the 13 chords the library uses. Ties go to the set with the lower total difficulty score.
How often each chord is used
| Chord | Songs that use it (of 87) | Easiest shape | Difficulty (0–100) |
|---|---|---|---|
| G | 82 | standard open shape (320003) | 19 |
| C | 81 | standard open shape (x32010) | 26 |
| D | 61 | standard open shape (xx0232) | 25 |
| Am | 41 | standard open shape (x02210) | 24 |
| Em | 35 | standard open shape (022000) | 11 |
| F | 18 | small F, top four strings (xx3211) | 43 |
| E7 | 14 | standard open shape (020100) | 15 |
| A7 | 7 | standard open shape (x02020) | 14 |
| E | 6 | standard open shape (022100) | 21 |
| G7 | 5 | standard open shape (320001) | 23 |
| Dm | 4 | standard open shape (xx0231) | 29 |
| B7 | 2 | standard open shape (x21202) | 40 |
| D7 | 1 | standard open shape (xx0212) | 26 |
Difficulty is the Fretwork Chord Difficulty Index score for the chord’s easiest shape (lower is easier).
What this means for a beginner
- Learn G, C, D, Em and Am first. Together they open more than half of these songs, and all five score 26 or lower on the difficulty index.
- Then learn F. It is the hardest of the common chords, but it adds 7 songs. The small four-string F scores 43, against 62 for the full barre.
- E7 and A7 come next. Both are among the easiest chords (15 and 14) and they finish off most of the folk and blues songs.
Limits of this data
- The songs are traditional and public domain only: folk songs, spirituals, carols, shanties and early blues. Modern pop may use different chords.
- Fretwork arranges songs in keys that suit beginners, so 54 of the 87 songs are in G. In other keys the same songs need other chords; a capo lets you keep these shapes.
- A song counts as playable only if every chord in our arrangement is in the set.
Data and reuse
Download the numbers: fretwork-chord-coverage.csv. The song list comes from the Fretwork Guitar Dataset (CC BY 4.0). You may reuse these figures with credit and a link to this page.
Questions
What are the most useful guitar chords for beginners?
G, C, D, E minor and A minor. In Fretwork's library of 87 traditional songs, those five chords play 52 songs (60%).
How many chords do you need to play songs on guitar?
Three chords (G, C and D) already play 25 of 87 traditional songs. Five chords play 60%, and eight play 83%.
Is F worth learning if it is hard?
Yes. F is the next most useful chord after the first five, adding 7 songs. Start with the small four-string F, which scores 43 on the difficulty index against 62 for the full barre.