Choosing the perfect next song on guitar isn’t easy – especially when every player’s experience is different. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to “What song should I learn on guitar?” because song difficulty is subjective. A riff that’s a breeze for one player might be frustrating for another. Likewise, a song deemed “easy” in a book might feel hard in practice. Experts note that difficulty ratings have a “relative component” – what matters is the most iconic part of the song and the player’s style. In short, many guitarists find it hard to assign objective difficulty ratings across all songs and players.
This is where Riff.quest comes in. Riff.quest is a free guitar practice and song discovery platform that helps you browse thousands of songs by actual difficulty levels. Its song library categorizes tracks into skill tiers and shows a difficulty rating for each song, based on real player feedback (not just theory). Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced shredder, Riff.quest lets you filter songs by difficulty tier (Tier 1 = easiest up to Tier 5 = hardest) so you can find pieces that truly match your level. In this post, we’ll explain why picking your next song can be tricky, why difficulty is personal, and how Riff.quest’s community-rated system solves the problem.
Why Picking Your Next Guitar Song is Tough
Picking a new song to learn involves more than just liking the tune – you have to match it to your current skill. If it’s too easy, you’ll get bored; too hard and you’ll get frustrated or quit. Many guitarists know this first-hand. One guitarist wisely advises: “Make sure you play songs that match your skill level at first, then start challenging yourself (it’ll be frustrating)”. In other words, beginners should start with songs within their reach and only gradually move up. Without guidance, trial-and-error selection leads to wasted practice time and aggravation.
The challenge is compounded by the subjective nature of song difficulty. Every player has different strengths (fingerpicking vs. strumming, speed vs. feel) and different musical tastes. As Guitar Tricks instructors explain, “Different standards are used to label different styles and different songs… it’s difficult to assign difficulty ratings objectively across the board for all songs & all players”. For example, a complex fingerstyle ballad might be easy for a classical player but hard for a rocker, while a fast rock riff may feel simple to a metal fan but tough to a beginner. Even within a single song, the iconic part matters: if the main riff is simple, instructors rate the whole song “beginner” or “easy,” even if it has a tricky solo.
Because of this, many guitarists searching “what guitar song should I learn next?” or “how hard is [song name] on guitar?” find conflicting answers. One tutorial might list a song as intermediate, another as advanced. We’ve all seen lists of “easy songs for beginners” or “hardest guitar solos” that don’t match our own experience. In the end, guessing song difficulty alone is risky – it often leads to frustration. For instance, beginners commonly feel discouraged when progress is slow, and tackling an overly ambitious song can make it worse. As Martin Guitar’s blog notes, improvement “takes time and patience,” and setting realistic goals (like starting with suitable songs) is key to staying motivated.
Songs by Difficulty: How One Size Doesn’t Fit All
Because of the above, guitarists often wish for a “map” of songs by difficulty. A helpful tool would let you pick from Tier 1 (easy) up to Tier 5 (advanced), instead of blindly guessing. In practice, some sites and teachers do try to label songs, but inconsistently. Guitar Tricks, for example, assigns a difficulty rating to each tutorial, but even they admit it can be subjective and style-dependent. One instructor warns that what’s “easy” in classical is very different from “easy” in rock, so ratings are relative.
Unfortunately, many song lists on the web only give general labels like beginner, intermediate, or advanced, often based on theoretical criteria (number of chords, speed, time signature, etc.). These may not reflect how you feel playing the song. A chord chart might say “3 chords, simple strumming” for a song, but maybe that guitarist uses tricky finger movement or capos in ways that feel hard. Conversely, a legend might call a punk riff hard because it’s fast, while if you’ve been playing punk for years it could be easy for you.
This mismatch is why Riff.quest’s community approach is valuable. Instead of just analyzing a song’s structure, Riff.quest lets real users rate each song after practicing it. The result is a dynamic difficulty rating that reflects actual player experience. On Riff.quest, every song entry shows a difficulty score (0–10) tallied from user feedback. For example, the site’s song library illustrates that Metallica’s Master of Puppets has difficulty 8.9, while Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here is only 3.5. These aren’t arbitrary – they come from guitarists like you who practiced the tracks. This way, you see at a glance: “Master of Puppets is really tough (9/10), but Wish You Were Here is beginner-friendly (3/10).”
Riff.quest: A Community-Rated Song Library for All Levels
Riff.quest solves the “what should I learn next?” problem by offering a searchable database of thousands of songs sorted by difficulty tier and real user ratings. Its song library covers rock, pop, metal, jazz – any genre. Each song entry shows its title, artist, and a difficulty rating based on the average of users’ feedback. You can filter songs by level: look for Tier 1 (easiest) songs if you’re starting out, or browse Tier 5 for a challenge as an advanced player.
- Explore by Difficulty Tier: Riff.quest assigns songs to five difficulty tiers (Tier 1 = very easy up to Tier 5 = very hard). You can jump straight to your tier of choice and see only songs rated at that level or below.
- Community-Rated Scores: After you add a song to your practice library and finish learning it, Riff.quest asks you how hard it felt. Your rating joins others’, so the displayed difficulty is always the crowd-sourced score. This reflects practical experience, not just theory.
- Avoid Frustration: By filtering for your skill level, you avoid wasting time on songs far beyond you. If a song’s rating is too high, you’ll see it’s “not for me…yet.” Conversely, you can find moderate songs that you know you can play, which keeps motivation up.
- Level Up Gradually: Start with songs firmly in your tier to build confidence. Once you master enough Tier 1 pieces, try a couple from Tier 2, and so on. This follows the advice to match songs to your skill first, then slowly raise the bar.
- User Progress Tracking: Riff.quest is also a practice tracker. It logs your practice sessions, helping you keep a daily habit (consistent practice is key). When you tag songs as “learned,” Riff.quest remembers your progress and ratings, painting a clear picture of how you’re improving.
Together, these features make Riff.quest more than just a static list of easy songs – it's a living, community-driven map of guitar material. Instead of trying random lists or relying on someone else’s “beginners” list, you get personalized guidance. If you’re wondering “How hard is [Song] on guitar?” you’ll get a concrete number and explanation on Riff.quest. For example, you might look up Wish You Were Here and see it’s rated very low, or search for Sweet Child O’ Mine and find a mid-range score, helping you decide if it’s worth learning now or later.
Add Your Voice: Rate Songs and Refine Difficulty
One of the strengths of Riff.quest is its community aspect. Once you sign up (it’s free), you can not only search and filter songs but also contribute your own ratings. After practicing a song, Riff.quest prompts you to rate how hard it was. Each new rating fine-tunes the community difficulty score. In this way you help fellow guitarists: your honest feedback ensures the site’s difficulty tiers stay accurate.
Every additional user rating makes the system smarter. Over time, obscure or miscategorized songs get corrected by consensus. If a song’s difficulty feels off (say a “beginner” tune actually contains a tough solo), users can flag that by rating it higher. Riff.quest then adjusts its tiers. This crowdsourced method means the library reflects real-world practice challenges, helping everyone avoid the traps of misleading “easy chord charts.”
How to Use Riff.quest to Find Your Next Song
Using Riff.quest is straightforward. Think of it as your personal song-finder:
- Set Up Your Profile: (Free) account creation only takes a minute. You can indicate your skill level or goals if you like.
- Browse the Song Library: Look for songs you’re interested in. You can sort or filter by difficulty tier, artist, genre, or even specific challenges (like needing only open chords vs. barre chords).
- Check Difficulty Ratings: For any song, see the average difficulty rating (1–10) and how many users have rated it. A low rating means it’s generally easy; a high rating means it’s harder.
- Plan Your Practice: Add the song to your practice list. Riff.quest will track your practice time and integrate it into your routine.
- Practice and Rate: Learn the song at your own pace. When you feel you’ve got it down, rate how hard it was. This updates the community rating.
By repeatedly doing this – filter, select, practice, rate – you steadily build both your skills and a curated list of songs you’ve mastered. You also benefit from others’ experience: if you’re unsure about a song’s difficulty, check Riff.quest before spending hours on it.
Ready to Find Your Next Song?
Learning guitar should be fun and rewarding, not frustrating. With Riff.quest, you can finally answer “What song should I learn next?” by letting data and community feedback guide you. The site’s difficulty tiers and ratings mean you’ll spend more time playing songs you love and are ready for. Beginners can confidently pick their first acoustic track, intermediate players can explore more advanced riffs without guesswork, and veterans can challenge themselves with songs marked in the top tier.
Give Riff.quest a try and take the guesswork out of song selection. It’s free to join – no credit card needed – and you’ll immediately see the benefit of searching by difficulty. Find your next guitar song by skill level, track your progress over time, and contribute to the guitar community by rating songs yourself. Avoid frustration and keep the music flowing!
Ready to discover your next guitar song? Try Riff.quest today and unlock a world of music matched to your true difficulty level.
