1. Iron Man (Black Sabbath)
Iron Man tab
Iron Man audio (Spotify)
This is a great one for beginners - the song primarily uses a bunch of power chords slid around to different frets, combined with single note lead parts. The tempo is slow, so it should give you time to move around the fretboard. Tony Iommi's short solo is going to be too ambitious for the real beginner, but you might try playing parts of it at a slower tempo.
2. You Shook Me All Night Long (AC/DC)
You Shook Me All Night Long tab
You Shook Me All Night Long audio (Spotify) (cover band)
As is the case with many AC/DC songs, "You Shook Me All Night Long" employs basic open chords and open-string riffs. Nothing too challenging in this great hard rock classic. Even the guitar solo should be conquerable for the novice, with some practice.
3. Smoke on the Water (Deep Purple)
Smoke on the Water tab
Smoke on the Water audio (Spotify)
This is one you are absolutely required to know - the good news is "Smoke on the Water" is simple to play. Just a few power chords, played at a relatively slow tempo. The solo is another matter, but feel free to take a whack at it. This is actually a great one for novice bands to play - the bass part is fairly simple but a lot of fun.
4. Breaking the Law (Judas Priest)
Breaking the Law tab
Breaking the Law audio (Spotify)
Again, heavy use of power chords here, with a moderate tempo. You'll need to practice your palm muting - a fundamental technique of heavy metal rhythm guitar - as there is a lot of that here (listen for it during the chorus, underneath Rob Halford singing "breaking the law... breaking the law"). Be sure to play these parts using all downstrokes.
5. We're Not Gonna Take It (Twisted Sister)
We're Not Gonna Take It tab
We're Not Gonna Take It audio (Spotify)
Pretty simple stuff - power chords, palm-muting, and basic single note lines. Even the guitar solo is pretty basic, although you'll need a whammy bar to faithfully replicate the original.
6. Rock And Roll All Nite (Kiss)
Rock And Roll All Nite tab
Rock And Roll All Nite audio (Spotify)
It might be a stretch to call this one "heavy metal" - the guitar part in particular reminds of something that might have been recorded by Faces - but it's got some great riffs worth learning. No solos or other tricky bits to learn here.
7. Back in Black (AC/DC)
Back in Black tab
Back in Black audio (Spotify) (cover band)
Lots of open chords here - if you've learned your basic open chords, you'll be in good shape. The little riff in between chords might take some practice to get up to speed and in time - try slowing the whole song down, playing everything accurately, and then speeding it up little by little.
8. Poison (Alice Cooper)
Poison tab
Poison audio (Spotify)
A straightforward riff and some power chords is all you'll need to learn in order to play "Poison". Pretty simple stuff.
9. Slither (Velvet Revolver)
Slither tab
Slither audio (Spotify)
Beginners may have initial trouble getting this one up to speed, but once you've got the main riff mastered, you basically know the whole song. Pay attention to the partial string muting that is sometimes used when playing the main riff.
10. Living After Midnight (Judas Priest)
Living After Midnight tab
Living After Midnight audio (Spotify)
This one is pretty simple - if you can play power chords, you can play "Living After Midnight". Even the guitar solo should be possible by beginner guitarists, with a little work on their string bends.
