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Let’s face it, learning how to play the guitar is hard. However! Who doesn’t want to have fun playing dozens of songs on a ukulele with just 4 basic ukulele chords?
One of the biggest appeals of a ukulele for beginners is just how simple it is to learn how to play it. Anyone with or without experience can learn how to play the ukulele with just a little bit of practice. Luckily, there are good sources where you can learn to play, for example this one – Ukulele tabs & chords.
The four ukulele chords you will be learning in this article are the G, C, D, and Em chords. That being said, the first thing you will need to do before you start playing is to make sure that your ukulele is properly tuned. Don’t know how to tune your ukulele?
No ukulele lessons needed! You can use the Pocket Ukulele Tuner to perfectly tune your ukulele which even includes a how to tune guide for beginners.
Now that your ukulele is properly tuned, are you ready to learn how to play 10 new songs?
Don’t worry, even if you are a beginner, after reading this article along with some practice, you are going to have learnt how to play 10 of the easiest and most popular songs with just 4 ukulele chords in 4 simple steps.
Learn the Chord Shapes and a Simple Down-strum Pattern
The first thing you are going to be learning is the chord shapes and getting your hands accustomed to those shapes:
Now it might take more than a minute or two to memorize those chords and getting your hands used to being in those shapes and positions. That being said, don’t get frustrated! It’s definitely worth the effort once you start playing your first song.
After learning these 4 basic chords you want to take your strumming finger and slide it down the strings and repeat without hitting the strings on your way back up so it would be: Down-Down-Down-Down. As you start gaining more experience you will be learning more strumming patterns and it will Also feel like second nature to play them.
Keep in mind, when you are playing your Ukulele, it’s easier for you if you just use your wrists rather than your whole arms which can get tired pretty quickly.
Optional Rhythmic Strumming Pattern
After practicing with each chord using the simple down-strum pattern, you can try different patterns and choose the best one that works for you. You can try other simple patterns such as:
- Down-Up-Down-Up
- Down-up-Down-Down
- Down-Down-Up-Down
Keep in mind, some strumming patterns may be required or better suited for specific songs. Furthermore, there are no wrong strumming patterns, you can get creative with the chords that you have learnt and switching between them and create a rhythm that sounds just right for you. Hint: A good musical rhythm is what gets your feet to start tapping as if you are dancing to it.
Now, Pick an Easy Ukulele Song!
Now that you have practiced the four chords G, C, D, and Em and you are getting used to switching between them while practicing with some strumming patterns, it is time to pick your favorite song to start with:
1. The Cranberries – Zombie
There is a reason we put Zombie by The Cranberries at number one on our list. It is not just a fun song to play and listen to, it is one of the easiest songs to start with as a beginner. The song just follows the same order of Ukulele chords in repetition throughout the entire song and the chords go in the order of Em-C-G-D.
2. Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe
3. Adele – Someone Like You
4. Lynyrd Skynyrd – Sweet Home Alabama
5. Lorde – Royals
6. Taylor Swift – 22
7. Lukas Graham – 7 Years by
8. Green Day – When I Come Around
9. Neil Young – Heart of Gold
10. John Legend – All of Me
Regardless of the song you choose to start with just make sure to listen to each of them attentively while trying to follow up with your Ukulele.
Practice Makes Perfect
As a beginner with playing the Ukulele, the most important factor which is going to improve and develop your skills is simple-old practice. After some time, you will come up with or find the practice routine that works best for you. That being said, here are some practice tips and techniques to get you started with your Ukulele and can be used with any String instrument as well:
- Stretching: Make sure to stretch your hands and fingers before playing
- Practice different strumming patterns
- Practice switching between Ukulele chords in different orders so that your movements become smoother and more fluid
- Warm up with a simple song that you know
- Work on creating and practicing your own song and/or rhythm which can rapidly develop your skills.
Conclusion
And there you have it, with the 4 basic ukulele chords G, C , D, and Em together with some practice you should be able to play any of the 10 songs on our list. Also, these 10 songs can just be the beginning of hundreds more that you will learn to play in the future, and hey maybe even some of your own ;).
Lastly, don’t forget to comment your thoughts down below and tell us which one of the 10 songs is your favorite!
