A staple on American radio waves for the past 50 years, Eagles are synonymous with rock music. Their songs have dominated the charts for the duration of their career, sending "Their Greatest Hits" to the number one best-selling album in the United States. The centerpiece of their signature sound, aside from ear-pleasing vocal melodies and harmonies, is the complementary guitar stylings of Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Joe Walsh, Bernie Leadon, and Don Felder -- all of whom contributed their own unique skills to the band throughout the years.
With that long list of influential guitarists in mind, it's easy to think that you might need to be a pro to nail the Eagles sound, but we've got a list of songs that we think you can learn today -- no matter your skill level.
Hotel California
Arguably their most popular song, Hotel California by Eagles features a blend of acoustic and electric guitars, rippin' solos and a wealth of harmonized rhythm and lead parts. While you'd need a whole crew of guitarists to recreate every layer, our instructor Mike Olekshy has created this beginner-friendly arrangement so you can waste no time getting to the essence of the song. Once you've mastered that, you can dive into the full lesson with instructor Anders Mouridsen.
Seven Bridges Road
This Eagles song kicks off with an iconic harmonized a cappella vocal intro before giving way to a steadily strumming acoustic guitar. This "Made Easy" lesson breaks down the progression to open chord shapes and a simple strumming pattern so you can start playing along in no-time. Who knows, once you've got the chords down, you might even be able to call-up some friends to chime in on the 5-part vocal harmony.
The Disco Strangler
Featuring some interesting and distinctive riffing, as well as a Dropped D tuning, The Disco Strangler is a fun tune to learn when getting more acquainted with Eagles' lead guitar playing style. In this lesson, instructor Mike Olekshy goes in-depth on double stops, dropped tuning power chord shapes, and syncopation -- all of which contribute to that classic Eagles sound.
Already Gone
This one's quite a workout for guitar players of any level, so you may need to take it slow, but if you've progressed through the rest of the Eagles catalog, this is a great graduation point. Already Gone is packed with intricate guitar playing, but it features the same basic three-chord progression throughout the song, so beginners won't be left out. This song incorporates almost every guitar technique you can imagine in a rock context, and Guitar Tricks instructor Anders Mouridsen breaks down every note. Enjoy!
Get more tips
