Over the next few weeks, I want to be able to master a four chord song on the acoustic guitar. When I was in elementary school I used to take guitar lessons from my choir teacher before school, but I never learned much from those lessons. The other students I played guitar with had all been playing for at least two years when I first started, so the teacher was always so focused on advancing their skills that I always got left behind. After months of lessons all I could strum was a C so I got frustrated and gave up.
Now that I'm older and still have a passion for music, I'd really love to actually be able to play a song on the guitar. The "Axis of Awesome" is a grouping of the simplest 4-chord songs written. With just four simple chords you can play any of these songs:
• Journey-Don’t Stop Believing
• James Blunt-You’re Beautiful
• Alphaville-Forever Young
• Jason Mraz-I’m Yours
• Mika-Happy Ending
• Alex Lloyd-Amazing
• The Calling-Wherever You Will Go
• Elton John-Can You Feel The Love Tonight
• Maroon 5-She Will Be Loved
• The Last Goodnight-Pictures of You
• U2-With or Without You
• Crowded House-Fall At Your Feet
• Kasey Chambers-Not Pretty Enough
• The Beatles-Let It Be
• Red Hot Chili Peppers-Under the Bridge
• Daryl Braithwaite-The Horses
• Bob Marley-No Woman, No Cry
• Marcy Playground-Sex and Candy
• Men At Work-Land Down Under
• Banjo Patterson’s Waltzing Matilda
• A Ha-Take On Me
• Green Day-When I Come Around
• Eagle Eye Cherry-Save Tonight
• Toto-Africa
• Beyonce-If I Were A Boy
• The Offspring-Self esteem
• The Offspring-You’re Gonna Go Far Kid
• Pink-U & Ur Hand
• Lady Gaga-Poker Face
• Aqua-Barbie Girl
• The Fray-You Found Me
• 3OH!3-Don’t Trust Me
• MGMT-Kids
• Tim Minchin-Canvas Bags
• Natalie Imbruglia-Torn
• Five For Fighting-Superman
• Axis of Awesome-Birdplane
• Missy Higgins-Scar
If you don't believe me then go ahead and watch this Axis of Awesome YouTube clip:
I plan to teach myself to play the guitar by watching YouTube tutorials and practicing after school every day and on the weekends. This will challenge me because it’s been about seven years since I last took guitar lessons and even back then I didn’t know much, so it will take some time for me to be able to learn the chords and to be able to play a song to speed. Being able to play a song on the guitar will prove to myself that I should never give up on my dreams and that anything is possible with hard work and time.
