“Tell the truth and then run”
- Croatian Proverb
It's often attributed to different people, but songwriter Harlan Howard (I Fall to Pieces) was the man who said it first, “Country music is three chords and the truth.” It doesn't need to be complicated to be truthful and good. It's true for country music but it's also true for rock and roll which was born of three chords. It didn't take much for a kid to learn three chords on the guitar and then rock his heart out.
Well, if three chords is all you need, what about two chords? Can you tell the truth with just two chords? You betcha. You might be surprised to know how many great, iconic songs are just two chords. What about one chord? Yep, you can do that too, make a legendary song with just one chord. Look some up if you like, but I'll give you a sampling of three each.
I'll start with one and move to two:
Two Chords: