a super easy 50's hit for guitar?

[Bombadil]

F is the chord that took me about 3 months to be able to play cleanly, but it's worth starting fairly early with it.

Nah, you just need to work a bit on your F-chord workaround...

If I'd only known!

Fmaj7 is a good start. If you can teach the kid to play an E with middle, ring finger, and pinky, then it's fairly straightforward to moving that up a fret and barring it. It will take practice, of course, to build up the requisite strength in the left hand. I would also teach him to play a G with those 3 fingers, and an Am.

[planetearth]

Almost anything by the Everly Brothers, Richie Valens or Chuck Berry could work. Berry tended to use sevenths and had a unique strumming style, but you can simplify the chords and/or strumming and you can re-key any song to avoid F, Bb and B chords, which can be difficult for beginners.

Steve

[Zombie Queen]

Yea, he likes Chuck Berry (the kids today!), Rock'n'roll music has nice chords A7, D7, E7 mostly just two fingers... Thanks.

[vurt]

It's not me who's learning. I want a hooking start for me kid.

batman theme! screw chords!

[NAD]

For House of the Rising sun play an Fmaj7 (xx3210). Should be easier and IMO more accurate.

[Zombie Queen]

batman theme! screw chords!

If we screw chords, screw batman. Bond theme!

[vurt]

fair enough
let's do it!

[vurt]

how about some link wray?
add some reverb and trem to even just a lazily strummed d, hes hooked for life!

[vurt]

[Zombie Queen]

Good one, even the original sounds like a first guitar lesson. And still it's cool.

[vurt]

yup, dunno how old your kid is, but playing that at some school talent show.
automatic coolest kid in school!

[Zombie Queen]

14, there's no talent show, but I don't think he cares

[vurt]

well that's because hes already cool