50+ Three-Chord Songs To Play For Your Kids

If you've been following along with our tutorials on harmonizing children's songs on the guitar here, here, and here, you're ready for the three chord song list. If the D major chord set hasn't been working for your vocal range, try playing these with the A major chord set (A, D, and E) or the C major chord set (C, F, and G). There are chord charts available all over the internet and several good apps that teach guitar chords as well.

Here's a table to help you change keys (chord sets). To change what you've been playing in D major to another key, just use choose your chord set, and replace the chord from the D major chord set with the chord from your key in the same column. If you're changing from D major to A major, you would replace D chord with A, G with D, and A with E.

Chord Roman Numerals	I	IV	V
D Major Chord Set	D	G	A
C Major Chord Set	C	F	G
A Major Chord Set	A	D	E

And now for your three chord strategy and song list...

50+ Two-Chord Songs to Play for Your Kids

Here they are: lists of one and two chord songs. If you don't know where to start, try the guitar basics tutorial here and the harmonizing two chord songs tutorial here.

The video below will explain how to find the starting pitch for the melody you're singing.


How many of these songs can you play and sing?

One Chord Songs

1. Frère Jaques/Are You Sleeping/Where is Thumbkin
2. Row, Row, Row Your Boat
3. Three Blind Mice
4. Roll Over
5. The Farmer in the Dell
6. Mister Frog Went A-Courtin'

 Two Chord Songs

1. Allouette
2. Apples and Bananas
3. Bluebird
4. Bridge of Avignon
5. Buffalo Gals
6. Clementine
7. Cuckoo/An Austrian Went Yodeling
8. Did You Ever See A Lassie?
9. Down By the Station
10. Down in the Valley
11. Ezekiel Saw the Wheel
12. Go In and Out the Window
13. He's Got the Whole World In His Hands
14. Hush Little Baby
15. It Ain't Gonna Rain No More
16. Jambalaya
17. John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt
18. Laredo
19. London Bridge
20. Looby Loo
21. Make New Friends
22. Mango Walk
23. Mary Had  Little Lamb/Merrily We Roll Along
24. Michael Finnegan
25. My Hat (Mein Hut)
26. Oh Dear, What Can The Matter Be?
27. Over My Head
28. Paw-Paw Patch
29. Polly Wolly Doodle
30. Rig-a-jig-jig
31. Ring Around the Rosie
32. Rock-A-Bye Baby
33. Rocky Mountain
34. Row, Row, Row Your Boat
35. Shoo, Fly
36. Shortnin' Bread
37. Simple Gifts
38. Skip to My Lou
39. Singing In the Rain
40. Six Little Ducks
41. Still, Still, Still
42. The Itsy Bitsy Spider
43. The More We Get Together
44. The Wheels on the Bus
45. There's a Hole in the Bottom of the Sea
46. There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly
47. This Old Man
48. Three Blind Mice
49. Tideo
50. Throw It Out The Window
51. Tom Dooley
52. Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone?

Harmonizing Two Chord Songs on the Guitar

I hope you're having a good week! Here is the second tutorial for learning guitar with kids songs.

If you missed last week's tutorial, find it here.

As always, feel free to ask any questions.




Also, happy Halloween! Here's a fun playlist of kids Halloween music (put together by someone else). I hear Pandora has Halloween Party Radio as well.

How are you celebrating?

I think music will be the extent of our celebration today. We already did a trunk-or-treat earlier this week, and I'm a major Scrooge when it comes to Halloween. I do enjoy dressing my kids up and taking pictures, and I have great memories of Halloween parties at my aunt's as a kid. Still, I could do without the late bedtimes, and the tantrums, and the huge amounts of candy, and the constant begging for more candy, and the attempts to negotiate for more candy.

It did kind of melt my heart when Gummy wanted to share his candy with me, though. The conversation went like this:
Me- "Gummy, did you know that mommies don't get any candy on Halloween? Isn't that sad?"
Gummy- "Oh I know, I will get you a new toy and you will be happy."
Me- "Oh that's very nice Gummy, thank you. Maybe you can just share one candy with me."
Gummy- "OK Mommy. I will share with you."

And then he gave me something chocolate! Chocolate! I never would have handed my chocolate over so willingly.

Now, if I could just get him to share with his brother...

Getting Started on the Guitar With 1 Chord Songs

Last week I posted this list of 15 reasons every mom should play the guitar. I don't know why I thought I wanted to post myself giving guitar tutorials because I have almost no kid-free time and I REALLY don't like watching myself on video. I guess I just want people to see how simple it can be to play and sing a huge number of songs if you already have a musical ear.

Here is the first tutorial in my method for practicing with kids around. It covers the basics of strumming and playing chords, and gives you a couple of kids songs to play with just one chord. You don't have to know the strings on the guitar. You don't have to read music. Here is what you do need:

1) A guitar that is in tune (see this detailed tutorial or download a tuning app)

2) The ability to carry a tune

3) The ability to tell when you are singing in tune with the chords.

If you don't have these abilities now, I plan to post on them in the future.


Let me know if you have any questions.

15 Reasons Every Mom Should Play the Guitar

Image courtesy of Jomphong /FreeDigitalPhotos.net

1. You've found it tough to keep up with old hobbies.

2. You need a new hobby that requires little concentration and minimal time investment.

3. With three chords and a little singing, you can play hundreds of songs.

4. Even though you're really just playing the same three chords over and over, you feel like you're developing a real talent.

5. Remember those three chords? Now you can use them to write your own songs.

6. Your kids think you're playing for them, but really it's for you.

7. It can change your mood.

8. It can change your kids' moods. Pick up a guitar, play your toddler's favorite song, and just wait for him to start dancing and stop whining.

9. Guitars can be packed in a car, taken to the park, or hung out of reach on the wall.  Unlike the ukelele (another decent choice), it's too big to be adopted as a toddler's own instrument and can't be carried off without attracting attention.

10. Playing and singing kids songs is a great activity for play school and play dates.

11. Hearing you practice is a great example for your kids.

12. It brings the family together.

13. It keeps your brain going.

14. It gives you a creative outlet.

15. It's a great emotional release.  It makes you feel young, free, and even a little rebellious. Which, let's be honest, we all need.

Coming soon: Beginning Guitar Method for Moms by video tutorial. You've got two weeks to dig that guitar out of that closet at your parents' place.

Also, last day to enter the CD giveaway.