Very simple songs for teens - help!

[Musicologo]

Well, I found these amazing Portuguese song very useful for my students:

It's fast, jolly, they will like it. But mostly: it's very easy because it only has TWO chords.



Am I mistaken?

All I can hear is i-VI-i-VI-i-VI-i-VI the whole time...
Bbm and Gb.

Can someone confirm me this? I want to have my regular school students not only to sing but to play a song in instruments, and they are very basic. They don't have whatsoever knowledge of music theory. I guess starting to make an arrangement in Orff of a 2 chordal song would be a good idea. I'm thinking in transposing it half tone down also to get it to Am-F.

Anyone can help me with remarks? Are there more chords or progressions that I am not seeing in here?

Do you know other very simple, yet, jolly songs to teach to teenagers who like pop/rock music but who barely can read music?

I have to say that I teach music in a public school, so they only have 1,5 hours of music per week along with chemistry, maths, english, french, portuguese, geography, etc, so they don't really waste time at home studying music. All they learn is in my class, that's why I can't push them very further...

[buckshead]

Thats what the accordian player appears to be playing, look at the right hand chords.

[llatham]

Can someone confirm me this? I want to have my regular school students not only to sing but to play a song in instruments, and they are very basic. They don't have whatsoever knowledge of music theory. I guess starting to make an arrangement in Orff of a 2 chordal song would be a good idea. I'm thinking in transposing it half tone down also to get it to Am-F.

Anyone can help me with remarks? Are there more chords or progressions that I am not seeing in here?

Why does it matter? Is this a song that these kids with "no knowledge of music theory whatsoever" will be so familiar with that when you accidentally leave out a chord they be able to go "AHA! you missed a chord in the third bar!" ?

If you're *arranging* it for them, then go ahead an *simplify* it if you need to. It's a time-honored tradition.

As to your other question - how old are the kids? You said teenagers - I found, when teaching guitar, the kids in the 9-12 range were most knowledgable with music from video games! (oh, I weep for the future). Nowadays, I'd be familiar with the songs from "Guitar Hero" and things like that. Kids in the 13-18 range typically were more into the "rebellious" kind of music - from Green Day to Slipknot - and nowadays with the internet, it seems the more off the beaten track you get, the better in their eyes.

However, I've found that even with those older, more rebellious kids, the best things to teach were those songs that they were SUPER familiar with - things you've heard a million times. Thinfs like "Louie Louie" by the Kingsmen - A - D - em - D throughout the song. Plus, it's very easy to sing along (and since the lyrics are unintelligible in the original, you can challenge them to write their own).

There are thousands, if not millions of "3 chord" rock songs - it's even become a cliche.

I would go to the store and check out stuff like "High School Musical", Hannah Montana things, or Kidz Bop for the early teens - you can find a lot of "classic" songs redone over and over - these are good because they'll be familiar with them from their parents, from hearing them around town, and they may have listened to them on one of these types of albums. Older teens are going to find the Hannah Montana stuff a little childish (and really, it's probably more the 9-12 girls who are into that) and be more into the Guitar Hero stuff. If they know AC/DC - again, plenty of 3 chord songs. Kids could play the background to "Back in Black" all day - E - D - A, etc. "What I Like About You" by the Romantics - E - A - D - A throughout (note, when I say "throughout" hereafter, I mean large parts, if not all of the song - sometimes there are little changes but you can arrange them out). "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves" is similar - A - D - E - D throughout (which is also "Always Have to Steal My Kisses from You" by Ben Harper). "Mony, Mony" by Tommy James and the Shondells (redone by Billy Idol) is an easy three-chorder - E, A and B - and it stays on each chord for a longer period of time which gives those students who are not "on it" a chance to catch up. "Gloria" by The Doors is E-D-A throughout (plus it's got the "sing along" thing with spelling the name, which can be other words you make up - Mony, Mony, is good sing-along too).

Sweet Home Alabama is D-C-G throughout and was redone as a mix of Sweet Home Alabama and Werewolves of London by Kid Rock. Kids will know the Kid Rock version, maybe the Lynyrd Skynyrd song - I doubt they know Werewolves of London though.

Then there another set of millions of "4-chorders" that use I, IV, V, and vi in various patterns.

When all else fails, ask the kids what they like.

Good Luck,
Steve

[Musicologo]

Many thanks for you clever hints Steve! The kids are 12-14. Their idols are some Portuguese not-known artists to you, and in foreign artists they like Linkin' Park and stuff like that.

But I have showed them some other stuff and they liked it. I started with "Otherside" by Red hot chili peppers and they loved it, however it is a "complex" song because it has 5 chords and not equal all time:

Refrain - Am, F, C, G
Verse - Em, Am...

See... if they find this complicated to do, then I had to ask myself... humm! I need even more simple!

I'll start with this Portuguese 2 chord song, and then move to one of your 3 chord suggestions.