Everybody’s birthday song can be easily played on a ukulele with just two simple chords! Play this tune at parties and witness everyone’s surprise at your performance!
Reggae music is another genre that pairs beautifully with the ukulele, thanks to its slow tempo and simple chord progressions that provide beginners with an opportunity to increase their strumming skills.
How Many Songs Can You Play on a Ukulele?
Beginners or experienced players alike can play many songs on a ukulele. Not all songs are the same though, and you should focus on learning chords that suit your skill level – the easiest songs are ones using only four chords (C, G, Am and F) but once these have been learned it will open up more challenging songs for exploration.
Numerous popular songs across various genres use beginner chords. Rock music features many songs with only beginner chords used – for instance “Havana” by Camila Cabello and Lynyrd Skynrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama.” Additionally, folk genre songs often contain easy ukulele songs to learn with mixed major and minor chords that are easier for beginners.
Uke Hunt offers an expansive list of three chord songs for your ukulele that only use three chords, including demo searches by clicking any button on their website. They boast over half a million songs to search by chord and genre – you can even run one yourself!
For those looking for more advanced songs on their ukuleles, there are a variety of four chord songs which only require four chords to learn and master. While they may prove challenging for beginners to grasp at first, once learned they will help develop your skills as an ukulele player. One such tune by Red Hot Chili Peppers’ is “Hey Soul Sister”. While this song requires both minor and major ukulele chords – beginners may be able to start out using just C, G and Am chords alone!
Soprano Ukulele
Soprano ukuleles feature smaller bodies and fewer frets than concert and tenor instruments, making it easier for beginners to play melodies on a shorter instrument without exerting hand strength to press down on strings. On the other hand, larger scale lengths create greater spacing between frets which makes adult players or those with larger hands feel less congested when fretting melodies.
Three Little Birds by Bob Marley is one of the first songs beginners should learn when starting to ukulele, offering four simple chords (C, F and G) strung downstroke by downstroke with each beat. It provides beginners with a great opportunity to practice finger positioning and timing on fretboard as well as introduce counting rhythm.
Hey There Delilah by Plain White T’s presents more advanced chords, as well as barre chords (C#m and Bm). Though this song might initially seem challenging for beginners, these techniques can be learned over time through playing easy songs like Three Little Birds.
Be mindful that mastery of the ukulele requires dedication and time. Committing just five minutes a day to practicing will help develop rhythm and timing needed for faster-paced music, so set aside time each day to dedicate to your ukulele and you will soon witness your skills blossom!
Concert Ukulele
Beginners to concert ukulele can find many songs easy to pick up quickly on this instrument, as many only require four chords and an accessible strumming pattern – such as Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds.” Here C, F, and G chords are used with only downstrokes required in its strumming pattern. Another classic tune perfect for beginners to learn is “Happy Birthday”, sure to please any audience at a party or other special event.
Some songs may be challenging for beginners due to requiring complex chord changes or rhythm, but these obstacles can be overcome with patience and practice. Listen to the music while strumming to its beat before working on chords and lyrics.
Chord changes may seem daunting to beginners, but practicing is key for becoming adept at changing chords quickly and without issue. Repetition will lead to faster playing of changes on guitar; also keep in mind that most chord changes can be moved up or down fretboard depending on your needs, so don’t panic if it takes you some time to transition from D to A – this is common among new guitarists, and will only improve over time.
If you love rock music, the ukulele offers many easy songs to learn and is perfect for oldies tunes – as most songs based on three chords have simple arrangements that work perfectly on this instrument.
Tenor Ukulele
Tenor ukuleles are larger than their soprano and concert counterparts, producing a deeper sound with each note played. Their wider fretboard makes reaching higher frets easier; making this an invaluable asset for beginners. Some tenor models also include Low G strings that create deeper tones than standard models equipped with High G strings.
Most ukuleles are tuned to GCEA, similar to guitar tunings. Some models also offer low G strings that change tuning to DGBE; this option may appeal to advanced players but beginners should avoid it as it may take time getting used to this new set-up.
One effective way to sharpen your ukulele skills is through practicing songs with straightforward chord progressions. There are countless easy ukulele songs online containing four or fewer chords; it’s essential that you practice these tunes until they can be performed without making mistakes.
Start by consulting a ukulele chord chart to identify the appropriate strum patterns for each chord, practicing them slowly at first before speeding up as your confidence builds up – this will enable you to master songs more quickly and accurately.
Beginners often struggle with complex chord changes and fast paced songs on their ukuleles, yet these issues can easily be overcome through repetition and simple chords. For example, if songs require you to quickly switch chords it might help to loop sections of them until they become second nature – it might take longer but will definitely pay off in the end!
Baritone Ukulele
As a beginner to ukulele playing, soprano or concert sizes might be suitable. But for music that requires more notes and chords to play well, tenor or baritone ukuleles would likely make for the better choice.
The baritone ukulele is tuned D G B E and features a wider fretboard than soprano or concert ukuleles, enabling you to play songs that may be difficult on other ukulele sizes – especially the standard GCEA tuning – more easily. Furthermore, its distinct strumming pattern challenges newcomers but will become easier over time.
Discovering songs to play on ukulele can be fun for beginners as well. “Happy Birthday” is one such song you should learn quickly; it makes a perfect party song!
Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” is another enjoyable song to learn on ukulele, featuring chords C, F and G for easy learning and performance. Perfect for parties with audiences of any kind!
Country and folk songs sound fantastic on the ukulele, with plenty of beginner-friendly tunes available to learn quickly. To quickly locate songs that are simple to learn on the ukulele, use any of the buttons below; each button will run a search using your chord input for songs that use that chord set; additionally you can search by name, artist name or genre name and even create custom song lists to store your favorites!