D, G and A are the I, IV and V chords of D major. Wikipedia lists the notes of D major as D, E, F#, G, A, B and C#, so D is the 1st note, G the 4th and A the 5th. Its page on three chord songs says those songs typically use the chords built on exactly those three steps. That’s why so many songs, from Neil Young to Taylor Swift, need nothing else.
The change to work on is G to D. Andy Guitar makes G the only new chord in his first lesson so you can master this change, and he says that if you do, “everything afterwards will be easier.” He adds that many players use the “Big G” here (he calls it the Oasis G, after Wonderwall) because it sounds nicer and the change is easier. Play that Big G with your 3rd finger on the 3rd fret of the B string, the same spot it holds in D, and GoodGuitarist’s advice applies: leave that finger pressed down while the others move.
Below are 30 songs that use only these three chords, each with the chord order for verse and chorus, the capo, the strum where Ultimate Guitar (UG) has one, a video and a chord sheet. I checked every song on UG and on a second chord site in October 2026. The 24 songs with no capo come first, roughly easiest first, then the 6 capo songs from the 1st fret up to the 3rd.
Want a guided path from your first chords to your first solo? My book, From First Chord to First Solo, adds a chord or two in each chapter, each with a real song to play, all the way to your first solo.
The Three Chords
The chart shows the three open shapes. D uses only the top four strings, so the low E and A stay silent; G rings on all six, and A skips the low E and lines up three fingers side by side on the 2nd fret. The G here is what Andy Guitar calls the standard way, with fingers 1, 2 and 3, so if the change to D drags, try his Big G.
A7, Asus2, Asus4, Dsus2 and Dsus4 count as the same chords in this list. The sus chords are the D or A shape with one finger lifted or added, and A7 stands in for A in a few songs. For the D to A7 change, NYC Guitar School’s tip is to move your first two fingers together as one chunk, over one string. Each song below says where these chords turn up, and where the chord sites allow it, that the plain chord works too.
Helpless – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Neil Young wrote Helpless, and it came out in 1970 on Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s album Déjà Vu. The song has no chart line of its own on Wikipedia, but Rolling Stone ranked the album No. 148 on its 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2003.
Start here. One loop of D, A and G runs from the first verse to the last chorus, and it’s in D with no capo, so once that D to A to G change is smooth you can play the whole song.
The Middle – Jimmy Eat World
The Middle is from Jimmy Eat World’s 2001 album Bleed American. It went to No. 1 on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks and No. 5 on the Hot 100.
Verse and chorus are both D, A, G, D, in D with no capo. UG’s strum for the intro and verse is muted downstrokes on every eighth note at 162 bpm, so start well below that speed. Even the guitar solo stays on these chords, just shuffled: A, D, A, D, G, D, A.
Franklin’s Tower – Grateful Dead
Franklin’s Tower is on Blues for Allah, the Grateful Dead’s 1975 album. In 2024 Paste’s Matt Mitchell put it at No. 13 on his list of the 20 greatest Grateful Dead songs.
One four chord loop, A, G, D, G, covers the verses, the choruses and the solos. There’s no capo.
Franklin’s Tower Guitar Chords
Safari Song – Greta Van Fleet
Safari Song is on From the Fires, which Greta Van Fleet released in 2017. It reached No. 44 on Billboard’s Hot Rock Songs chart.
Verse and chorus loop the same A, G, D cycle, and the bridge flips it round to G, D, A. It sounds in A with no capo. The chords move like a riff, so the video above is your best guide to the rhythm.
You Need to Calm Down – Taylor Swift
You Need to Calm Down is from Taylor Swift’s 2019 album Lover. It peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The verse only swaps D and G, and the chorus does the same: D, G, D, G, D. A shows up in the pre chorus (D, G, A), so that’s the one change to have ready. No capo; it sits in D.
You Need to Calm Down Guitar Chords
Two Tickets to Paradise – Eddie Money
Two Tickets to Paradise is on Eddie Money’s self titled 1977 album. Released as a single in June 1978, it reached No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The verse rocks between G and A without touching D, and the chorus finally lands on D and climbs D, G, A. It’s in D, no capo. UG’s main pattern at 130 bpm is down, pause, down up, played twice in each bar of eighth notes.
Two Tickets to Paradise Guitar Chords
You’re the One – Greta Van Fleet
You’re the One is on Anthem of the Peaceful Army, Greta Van Fleet’s 2018 album. In March 2019 it went to No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Songs chart.
The verse cycles D, A, G; the chorus drops A and swings between D and G. No capo, key of D. UG puts the verse on down ups for every eighth note at 170 bpm and the chorus on the same pattern as Two Tickets to Paradise just above.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s – Deep Blue Something
Breakfast at Tiffany’s is from Deep Blue Something’s album Home and became a hit as a single in 1995. It reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and went all the way to No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart.
The verse goes D, G, A, and the chorus swaps the last two for D, A, G, with no capo. This chart adds Dsus2, Dsus4 and Asus4 as fills, but two other chord sites write plain D, G and A, so those work too. I linked this version because the most voted UG chart uses G/B and A/C# instead. This one’s strum is a busy sixteenth note pattern at 110 bpm.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s Guitar Chords
Keep on the Sunny Side – The Carter Family
Ada Blenkhorn and J. Howard Entwisle wrote Keep on the Sunny Side in 1899. The Carter Family recorded it in 1928, and Wikipedia says it became their radio theme song.
The verse runs D, G, D, A, D, and the chorus stretches that to D, G, D, A, D, G, D, A, D. No capo. The most voted UG chart is written in E shapes with a capo on the 7th fret, so the link below goes to a version in D, G and A.
Keep on the Sunny Side Guitar Chords
Nebraska – Bruce Springsteen
Nebraska is the title track of Bruce Springsteen’s 1982 album. It went out as a promotional single, and Wikipedia gives it no chart position.
There’s no chorus. One verse pattern repeats, A, D, A, D, G, D, A, D, with harmonica breaks over A and D, in D with no capo. The pattern is long, so learn it one line at a time.
If you want three chords in the key of A instead, check out my other post 45 Songs Using Just A, D And E Chords, Tabbed
One More Last Chance – Vince Gill
One More Last Chance is on Vince Gill’s album I Still Believe in You and came out as a single in 1993. It went to No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles & Tracks.
The verse is D, G, D, A, D, G, D, A, D, and the chorus goes D, G, D, A, D, G, D, G, D, A, D, with no capo. UG’s strum is plain down ups on every eighth note, but at 176 bpm the changes come quickly.
One More Last Chance Guitar Chords
Tear My Stillhouse Down – Gillian Welch
Tear My Stillhouse Down is from Gillian Welch’s 1996 album Revival. That album was nominated for the 1997 Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album.
The verse uses the same order as One More Last Chance, and the chorus starts on G: G, D, then G, D, A, D. It’s in D with no capo. UG counts the strum in sixteenth notes at a slow 70 bpm, two downs with a gap after each, then down up down up.
Tear My Stillhouse Down Guitar Chords
Cold, Cold Heart – Hank Williams
Hank Williams released Cold, Cold Heart on February 2, 1951, as the B side of Dear John. It still reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts and spent 27 weeks on the chart.
Here A7 takes the place of A all the way through: D, A7, D, G, A7, D, over four verses and no chorus. No capo. UG gives it a triplet feel at 114 bpm: down, rest, rest, then down, rest, up.
Cold, Cold Heart Guitar Chords
Shake, Rattle and Roll – Bill Haley & His Comets
Jesse Stone wrote Shake, Rattle and Roll, and Big Joe Turner recorded it first. Bill Haley & His Comets put out their version in August 1954, and it reached No. 7 on the Billboard singles chart and No. 4 in the UK.
It’s a 12 bar blues in D, the same for verse and chorus: D for 4 bars, G for 2, D for 2, then A, G, D. No capo. If you’ve never played a 12 bar blues, this is a clean one to learn it on.
Shake, Rattle and Roll Guitar Chords
The Midnight Special – Creedence Clearwater Revival
The Midnight Special is a traditional song that Creedence Clearwater Revival recorded for Willy and the Poor Boys in 1969. Rolling Stone ranked that album No. 193 on its 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2020.
The verse goes D, G, D, then A, A7, D, and the chorus is G, D, A, A7, D, G, D, A, A7, A, D. It’s in D, no capo. The chart ends with a list of chords for other keys, which you can ignore.
The Midnight Special Guitar Chords
Dead Flowers – The Rolling Stones
Dead Flowers is on Sticky Fingers, the Rolling Stones’ 1971 album. It was never a single, so Wikipedia has no chart line for it.
The verse loops D, A, G, D, and the chorus comes in on A, D, then G, D, ending D, A, G, D. The Dsus4 and Dsus2 fills only lift or add a finger on the D shape, and the two other chord sites I checked leave them out, so plain D is fine. UG’s strum at 129 bpm is down, gap, down up, gap, up down up in the verse and down, gap, then down ups in the chorus.
End of the Line – Traveling Wilburys
End of the Line is on Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 from 1988 and came out as a single in 1989. It reached No. 63 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 52 in the UK.
The verse is D, G, D, G, D, A, and the chorus runs D, A, G, D, A, D, A, G, D, A, D, G, with no capo. The intro and outro add G/D and A/D: only the bass note changes to D, the shape stays G or A, and plain G and A work too. UG uses the same triplet strum as Cold, Cold Heart, only faster, at 167 bpm.
Up Around the Bend – Creedence Clearwater Revival
Up Around the Bend is on Cosmo’s Factory, Creedence Clearwater Revival’s 1970 album. It reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 3 in the UK.
The verse is D, A, A7, D, and the chorus runs G, D, A, G, D, A, in D with no capo. A second chord site writes plain A where this chart has A7, so either works. The most voted UG version adds a D/F# in the instrumental, so I linked this one, which also tabs the intro riff over D and A.
Up Around the Bend Guitar Chords
Get Back – The Beatles
Get Back came out in 1969 and is on the Beatles’ album Let It Be. It went to No. 1 in both the UK and the US.
The verse sits on A, flicking to A7, then goes D, A at the end of the line. The chorus is A, A7, A, A7, then a quick D, A, G, D turnaround. It sounds in A with no capo, and the list of other keys at the end of the chart isn’t part of the song.
Time for Me to Fly – REO Speedwagon
Time for Me to Fly is from REO Speedwagon’s 1978 album You Can Tune a Piano, but You Can’t Tuna Fish. It reached No. 56 on the Billboard Hot 100 back then, and much later climbed to No. 15 on Hot Rock Songs after the show Ozark used it.
The verse runs D, A, G, D, G, D, A, G, D, and the chorus G, D, G, D, A, D, G, A, G. The Asus4 is your pinky added to the A shape, and two of the three other chord sites I checked write plain A, so that works too. No capo; it’s in D.
Time for Me to Fly Guitar Chords
If you want three chords in the key of G, check out my other post Top 45 Easy Guitar Songs With G, C, D Chords – Tabs Included
Rip This Joint – The Rolling Stones
Rip This Joint is on the Rolling Stones’ 1972 album Exile on Main St. Wikipedia gives it no chart position and files it under rockabilly songs.
The verse bounces from D to A and back, then finishes G, D, A, D, and the UG chart has no separate chorus. No capo. That chart has only 39 votes, but a second chord site agrees on D, A and G.
Happy Jack – The Who
Pete Townshend wrote Happy Jack, and the Who released it in 1966. It reached No. 3 in the UK, No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 in Canada, and in the US it gave its name to the American version of the album A Quick One.
The verses swing between D and A7 (D, A7, D), and the “Happy Jack” section goes G, A, G, Asus4, A. The Asus4 and a Dsus4 are one finger additions to shapes you already know. No capo.
All Right Now – Free
All Right Now is from Free’s 1970 album Fire and Water. It went to No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The riff goes from A to D, with a Dsus2, and back: A, D, A, Dsus2 in the verse. The chorus is A, D, G, then G, D, A, and the song sits on A with no capo. UG’s chart has a single E chord, right at the end of the guitar solo and nowhere in the verse or chorus.
Dream On – Nazareth
This is Nazareth’s Dream On, not the Aerosmith song. It’s on the 1982 album 2XS and reached No. 2 in Switzerland and No. 4 in Austria.
The verse repeats A, G, D with Dsus4 and Dsus2 fills on the D, ending A, G, A, and the chorus goes D, G, D, G, D, A. The Asus4 and the D fills all sit on shapes you already have. No capo; it’s in D.
My Maria – Brooks & Dunn
My Maria is Brooks & Dunn’s cover of B.W. Stevenson’s 1973 song, from their 1996 album Borderline. It went to No. 1 on Billboard’s country chart, was Billboard’s No. 1 country song of 1996 and won a Grammy.
Put a capo on the 1st fret and the D shapes sound in E flat. The verse is D, A, G, and the chorus runs D, A, G, D, G, A, D. The bridge turns it round to A, G, D.
Little Bitty – Alan Jackson
Little Bitty is from Alan Jackson’s 1996 album Everything I Love. It went to No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles & Tracks.
With the capo on the 2nd fret it sounds in E. The verse uses only D and A, ending on D, and G arrives at the start of the chorus: G, D, A, D. UG rates the chart Absolute Beginner, and its strum at 163 bpm is the same shape as Tear My Stillhouse Down’s, only in eighth notes.
Swinging Doors – Merle Haggard
Swinging Doors is on Merle Haggard’s 1966 album Swinging Doors and the Bottle Let Me Down. It reached No. 5 on the Billboard country chart.
Capo 3 puts the D shapes in F. Every section uses the same turn, D, G, D, A, then D, G, D, A, D. UG marks the strum as a triplet feel at 123 bpm, so count it in threes: a down on one beat, then a down and an up on the next.
I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow – The Soggy Bottom Boys
Dan Tyminski sang I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow for the Soggy Bottom Boys in the film O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and it’s on the 2000 soundtrack. It won the CMA’s Single of the Year in 2001 and a Grammy for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals in 2002, and it reached No. 35 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs.
Capo 3, sounding in F. There’s no separate chorus, just five verses on one pattern: D, G, A, D, G, A, D, A, D. UG files the chart under the artist name Misc Soundtrack, which is why the link looks odd.
I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow Guitar Chords
The Unicorn – The Irish Rovers
Shel Silverstein wrote The Unicorn in 1962, and the Irish Rovers made it the title track of their 1967 album. It reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 5 on the Irish Singles Chart and No. 4 in Canada.
With the capo on the 3rd fret the D shapes sound in F. Verse and chorus share one pattern, D, G, A, D, D, G, D, A, D, and the Dsus2 on the fourth chord is a quick lift of one finger off the D.
No Surrender – Bruce Springsteen
No Surrender is on Bruce Springsteen’s 1984 album Born in the U.S.A. It reached No. 29 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart.
Capo 3 again, so it sounds in F. The verse loops D, A, G, D, and the chorus turns it round to G, A, D. Another chord site writes the song in F, C and Bb, the key you hear on the record, so the capo is what lets you keep the three open shapes.
Conclusion
These 30 songs work the same three shapes over and over, D to G, G to A and A back to D, in different orders and at speeds from 70 bpm up to 176. Once the changes feel easy, try a new feel with the same chords: the triplet strum of Cold, Cold Heart, then the driving eighth notes of The Middle.
If strumming is what holds you back now, my post 13 Easy Guitar Strumming Patterns From Well Known Songs has patterns taken from songs you’ll know. Keep at it every day, even while the G to D change still feels slow.
Good luck and keep on rockin’!
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