35 Best Taylor Swift Songs On Guitar – With Tabs
Contents
“I Knew You Were Trouble”
If there’s one thing to be learned about Taylor, it’s that she’s an artist who applies vision to her craft. While her music can be incredibly simplistic, she has a penchant for storytelling that elevates beyond the music’s simple form.
This same vision is often applied to her music videos, which often come across like watching a short film. I Knew You Were Trouble is a classic example of incorporating her vision into a cinematic delivery full of symbolism.
“Dear John”
What would the result be if the essence of John Mayer’s musicality was blended into Taylor Swift’s music? In my opinion, Taylor’s song, Dear John, is probably a close result of what would actually happen.
The song incorporates some powerful simplicity in both the chord structure and the melodic lead guitar passages. After all, John Mayer is also known for being somewhat simplistic, and he would be at home playing these leads.
“Haunted”
With the song Haunted, the queen of 4-chord progressions proves yet again how powerful simplicity can be. Haunted has a sort of elevating feeling with a hint of cinematic spookiness.
Considering the chronology of this song’s release, this track hints at the diversity that Taylor would soon explore. Plus, the song features bluegrass flatpicking phenom, Bryan Sutton, on the acoustic guitar.
Many fans consider this to be one of the pinnacle tracks from Taylor’s long and decorous career.
“You’re Not Sorry”
The track, You’re Not Sorry, is a somber 4-chord ballad that serves as a melodramatic soundboard about unmet expectations. Although the song features prominent piano, the part can be easily adapted to the guitar.
The main part of the song is focused around the chords D# minor, B, F#, and C#. Plus, the best part is that once you know those chords, you’ve pretty much learned the entire song.
It’s kind of a rare occurrence to hear a pop song playing one single progression without a bridge. Taylor proves, once again, that anything can be done.
“Crazier”
Kick it back to the old days of Taylor’s career with Crazier, a song she wrote as a young teenager. For many fans, Crazier is the sound of nostalgia, especially if they grew up watching the Hannah Montana movie.
Can you guess what the chordal foundation of this song consists of? If you guessed a 4-chord progression of E, B, C# minor, and A, you would be correct.
“Treacherous”
Do you have a capo and basic understanding of how to play C, A minor, F, and G? If so, you’re more than equipped to play Taylor’s track, Treacherous.
General consensus seems to agree that Treacherous is an underrated selection in Taylor’s song catalog. If you’re going to be playing guitar in front of some Swifties, this isn’t a bad option to throw in.
“Teardrops On My Guitar”
Country music and the trope of teardrops have gone hand-in-hand since the beginning of the genre’s roots. The most famous instance has to be a track involving tear drops falling into a glass of beer.
Considering her age at the time of writing it, Taylor used this theme for Teardrops On My Guitar. This track is all about that funny, melodramatic high school feeling where things in the love department aren’t quite right.
“Blank Space”
When Taylor came onto the scene with Blank Space, it was clear that country sound was nowhere to be found. Blank Space is a pop song through and through, with little in the way of a guitar to be found.
Unlike many pop songs, Blank Space doesn’t seem as if it has any dated qualities. Instead, Blank Space hits just as hard today as it did when Taylor released it in 2014.
There’s a reason this song has over 3 billion plays on YouTube!
“Enchanted”
Taylor’s track, Enchanted, combines a pulsing chord progression against the backdrop of some synthesizer for a fairy tale effect. By utilizing a looper pedal, you can also simultaneously play the single-strummed chords for a full sound.
“Christmases When You Were Mine”
This list of Taylor Swift songs would be incomplete without mentioning at least 1 Christmas song. Her recording of Christmases When You Were Mine features some sublime fingerpicking on the acoustic guitar.
If nothing else, take care to study the use of melody within the guitar part. It somehow manages to provide both rhythm and lead concepts without crossing the line into one or the other.
“Better Than Revenge”
Taylor’s song, Better Than Revenge (from Speak Now) sounds as if it’s inspired by 2000s emo-punk. The track is saturated with distorted guitars and some tasteful drum fills helping to provide a heavy edge.
If you feel like your ears could use some practice, Better Than Revenge is fairly simple to pick out. The main chord progression is based around B minor, G, D, and A, utilizing both barre and open chords.
Better Than Revenge has some wicked guitar leads for a Taylor Swift song, which does follow the main progression.
Best Taylor Swift Songs On Guitar, Final Thoughts
You don’t have to be a Taylor Swift fan to acknowledge and appreciate her accomplishments as an artist. She has achieved and realized the greatest dream a musician could have while staying relevant throughout the years.
What’s even more astonishing is how she has made so much from songs primarily built from 4-chord progressions. Despite tired relationship lyric tropes and similar chord progressions, Taylor remains considerably fresh in her approach.
