Easy Hindi Songs on Guitar for Beginners: 15 Bollywood Songs and the 5 Chords You Need
Start Hindi songs on guitar with 5 open chords and a capo. 15 beginner-friendly Bollywood songs, strumming patterns, single-string tips and a 4-week plan.
10 November 20267 min read
Quick answer: The easiest Hindi songs on guitar are slow ballads built on four or five open chords, such as Tum Hi Ho, Kesariya and Apna Bana Le. Learn G, C, D, Em and Am first, buy a capo to match the singer’s key, and practise one strumming pattern until it’s steady. With those, most beginners can play a full Bollywood song within a few weeks.
You don’t need 30 chords for Bollywood. You need five, a capo, and the patience to play slowly before you play fast.
The 5 chords that unlock most beginner Hindi songs
Learn these shapes before you open a single song chart. Each line shows the fret for each string, from the thick low E string to the thin high e (x = don’t play, 0 = open):
| Chord | Frets (E A D G B e) | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| G | 3 2 0 0 0 3 | Strum all six strings |
| C | x 3 2 0 1 0 | Skip the low E |
| D | x x 0 2 3 2 | Strum only the top four strings |
| Em | 0 2 2 0 0 0 | The easiest chord on guitar |
| Am | x 0 2 2 1 0 | Same shape as E major, moved down a string |
The change from G to C and from D to Em will feel slow at first. Use our guide to changing chords smoothly and give each change five minutes a day.
Why you need a capo for Hindi songs
Most Bollywood songs are recorded in keys that suit the singer, not the guitar. A capo clamps across the neck and raises every chord, so you can keep playing easy open shapes and still match the recording. A chord chart that says “capo 2” means: put the capo on the 2nd fret, then play the shapes as written.
No capo? You can play the same shapes without one; the song will just sound lower than the original, which often suits male voices better anyway. See how to use a guitar capo.
Two strumming patterns that fit most of these songs
| Pattern | Count | Fits |
|---|---|---|
| D D U U D U | 1 2 & & 4 & | Most mid-tempo songs in 4/4 |
| D D U, D D U | 1 2 3, 1 2 3 (slow) | Slow ballads with a lilting, swaying feel |
Start with plain down strums, one per beat, until the chord changes are clean. Add the pattern after. Our beginner strumming patterns guide shows how to count both.
15 easy Hindi songs to learn on guitar
Songs are ordered roughly by how much people search for their guitar chords, then by how beginner-friendly the feel is. Search volumes are monthly searches in India from SE Ranking (October 2026) for “[song] guitar chords”, where measured.
How to read this table: chord names are shapes relative to the capo, in standard E A D G B e tuning. These are researched practice arrangements, not note-for-note transcriptions. The five opening chords are a starting point; several songs need F, Bm or other extra shapes. Start with Tera Ban Jaunga or Raataan Lambiyan if you want fewer changes. Where a row offers a transposition, the capo and every chord must change together to retain the sounding key.
| # | Song | Film / album | Searches for chords | Feel | Chords and capo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kesariya | Brahmastra (2022) | 590 | Mid-slow ballad | C, F, G, Am, Em; no capo. Fmaj7 and Cmaj7 are useful colour chords. |
| 2 | Apna Bana Le | Bhediya (2022) | 480 | Slow ballad | G, C, D, Em, Am, Bm; capo 2. Bm is an extra shape to learn. |
| 3 | Tum Hi Ho | Aashiqui 2 (2013) | 220 | Slow ballad | Em, Am, D, Bm, C, G; capo 1. Practise Bm before attempting the full arrangement. |
| 4 | Raabta | Agent Vinod (2012) | 180 | Mid-tempo | C, Am, F, G, Dm; no capo. Use the “Kehte Hain Khuda Ne” version from Agent Vinod. |
| 5 | O Saathi | Baaghi 2 (2018) | 170 | Slow ballad | G, D, Em, C, Bm, Dsus4; capo 1. Bm and Dsus4 occur beyond the basic changes. |
| 6 | Channa Mereya | Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016) | — | Slow ballad | Am, F, Dm, C, G; no capo. Fmaj7 and Dm7 add the softer sound of the linked arrangement. |
| 7 | Pehla Nasha | Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (1992) | — | Slow, gentle | F, Bb, C, Dm, Ab; no capo. A later choice: Bb and Ab need extra practice. |
| 8 | Kabira | Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013) | — | Mid-tempo | D, G, A, Bm; no capo. For C, F, G, Am shapes instead, transpose every chord down two semitones and use capo 2. |
| 9 | Tera Ban Jaunga | Kabir Singh (2019) | — | Slow ballad | G, Em, C, D; capo 4. Four open shapes make this a good first choice. |
| 10 | Kaise Hua | Kabir Singh (2019) | — | Slow ballad | Am, C, F, G, Em, E, Dm; capo 2. Learn the extra E and Dm changes gradually. |
| 11 | Hawayein | Jab Harry Met Sejal (2017) | — | Mid-tempo | D, G, A, Em; no capo. Start with the D–G–A changes. |
| 12 | Raataan Lambiyan | Shershaah (2021) | — | Mid-tempo | G, C, D; capo 3. A simplified three-chord arrangement. |
| 13 | Agar Tum Saath Ho | Tamasha (2015) | — | Slow ballad | D, G, A; capo 1. A simplified accompaniment rather than every chord in the recording. |
| 14 | Kal Ho Naa Ho | Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003) | — | Slow ballad | C, Em, F, G, Dm7, Gm7; no capo. The seventh chords make this a later learning step. |
| 15 | Baarishein | Anuv Jain (single) | — | Slow, acoustic | C, Am, F, G; capo 2. Transposed from the D, Bm, G, A arrangement to keep the same sounding key. |
Our tip: start with whichever of the first five you love most. Motivation beats difficulty; you’ll practise a song you care about twice as often.
Can you play Hindi songs on a single string?
Yes, and it’s a popular way to start: you pick the melody note by note on one string instead of strumming chords. It’s great for ear training and for playing a tune people recognise in your first week. It won’t teach you chords or rhythm, though, so treat single-string melodies as a warm-up, not the whole plan. Try the single-string version in our Happy Birthday on guitar guide to see how it works.
How to tell if a chord chart is accurate
Free chord sites carry many versions of the same song, and plenty are wrong. Before you spend a week on one:
- Play along with the original recording. If your strum sounds clashing, the key or capo is wrong.
- Check the capo position. The most common mistake is a missing or wrong capo note.
- Prefer simplified versions that stick to open chords. A chart full of barre chords isn’t a beginner arrangement.
- Know the difference between a chord sheet and a tab. A chord sheet shows chord names over lyrics; a tab shows exact notes for riffs. Our guide to reading guitar tabs explains both.
A 4-week plan for your first Hindi song
| Week | Focus | Daily (20 minutes) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | G, C, D, Em, Am shapes | 2 minutes per chord, then slow changes G→C and D→Em |
| 2 | Down strums in time | 4 down strums per chord at 60 BPM, cycling through your song’s chords |
| 3 | Strumming pattern | D D U U D U on one chord, then with changes |
| 4 | The full song | Verse and chorus with the recording, capo on |
If you’re short on time, our 20-minute guitar practice routine fits this plan.
FAQ
Which Hindi song is easiest to play on guitar?
Slow ballads with four or five open chords are the easiest. Tum Hi Ho, Apna Bana Le and Kesariya are popular first choices.
How many chords do I need for Bollywood songs?
Five open chords (G, C, D, Em and Am) plus a capo cover a large share of beginner-friendly Hindi songs.
Can I play Hindi songs on guitar without a capo?
Yes. Play the same chord shapes without the capo; the song will sound lower than the recording but the chords still work together.
What strumming pattern do most Bollywood songs use?
D D U U D U fits many mid-tempo songs. Slow ballads often feel better with a gentle, swaying D D U pattern. Always check against the recording.
Where can I find accurate Hindi song chords?
Compare at least two chord charts, play along with the original recording, and check the capo position. A teacher can simplify a song for your level in minutes.
Learn the songs you love, at your level
Jam and Play’s Bollywood guitar lessons online are built around the Hindi songs you want to play, simplified for your level and taught one-to-one, in India or from anywhere abroad. Book a free 30-minute demo and bring the song you want to learn first.
Chord and capo references
The references below identify the arrangements used for each row. Kabira’s optional capo-2 version and Baarishein’s capo-2 version are transpositions of the linked chord sets. Use the linked lesson or chart for chord order and timing; the song table is a chord checklist, not a complete song chart.
Kesariya — chord arrangement reference
Apna Bana Le — chord arrangement reference
Tum Hi Ho — chord arrangement reference
Raabta — chord arrangement reference
O Saathi — chord arrangement reference
Channa Mereya — chord arrangement reference
Pehla Nasha — chord arrangement reference
Kabira — chord arrangement reference
Tera Ban Jaunga — chord arrangement reference
Kaise Hua — chord arrangement reference
Hawayein — chord arrangement reference
Raataan Lambiyan — chord arrangement reference
Agar Tum Saath Ho — chord arrangement reference
Want a clearer first step?
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