There are two important things you should do prior to attempting to play guitar songs. Firstly, you should make sure your guitar is tuned properly as the song you are trying to play will not sound good if its not. Secondly, you will need a basic knowledge of know how to read guitar tabs.

Of course, learning to play guitar songs, is about training your ear when you hear a song as well as being able to read guitar tabs. First of all, you should listen to the song you wish to play on your guitar. It's advisable to stick with simple songs, using three simple chords to begin with when you are still at the novice stage of guitar playing.

Whilst listening to the song, pay particular attention to the rhythm and the timing of the chords and strums you hear being played on the guitar. When you have listened to a song a few times, have a go at following along with the song by reading the guitar tab at the same time as the song is being played. Do this a few times and as you do, make a mental note of the rhythm and timing you hear.

When you have heard the song a few times and followed along on the guitar tab, it is time to take up your own guitar and strum along with the song as it is playing. Remember to play your guitar softly so you can still hear the music you are trying to copy in the background.

When you fully understand the timing and style of the strumming, you can begin to play the songs on your own, without the song being played in the background. If you forget what you are supposed to be playing, you can always go back a step and listen to the song again before having another try at playing it on your own. Make sure you work on one song at a time by practicing it on your guitar over and over again until you can sing the song at the same time as playing it. When you have mastered your first song, then you can introduce new songs to your practice sessions.

If you have a video recorder you may even want to film yourself playing. When you are finished playing, you can watch the video. This will help you to correct any errors you may be making in regard to proper technique.

Discovering how to play guitar songs is not as difficult as you may first think. All you need is passion and patience. If it takes a while and you make many errors, don't worry about it too much as this will only lead to you making more mistakes. If you just can't seem to get it right and become frustrated put down the guitar for a while and go off and do something else. But remember to pick up your guitar later on and get back to practicing how to play guitar songs until you get it just right.