Capo can help change the chord pattern of a song to accommodate for your vocal range without needing to learn an entirely new chord chart. This technique is especially helpful for beginners when working on songs with many barre chords on their ukuleles.
Sheeran offers another acoustic love song that’s simple to play: this time using only G-D-Em-C as its chord progression in verse and prechorus.
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran’s acoustic brilliance and quickfire lyrics translate perfectly to the ukulele, as his two studio albums, + and X, feature numerous catchy tunes that’ll keep you strumming for hours! This chord songbook covers 35 of Ed’s greatest hits such as ‘The A Team, All Of The Stars, Lego House and Thinking Out Loud”.
“Hakuna Matata” is an essential Disney classic that every ukulele player should have in their repertoire. This upbeat song requires only three chords: Am, C and G – easy enough for beginners! However, the trick lies in finding its rhythm; try playing chords in an upbeat strum pattern that mimics its beat or adding some percussive effects with a palm mutes for some percussive effect in between strums for optimal results.
Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ In The Wind,” one of his Grammy Hall-of-Famer classics, makes an excellent ukulele song to sing along to. This Grammy Hall of Fame piece offers an easy strum that fits seamlessly with your music library and provides a fun opportunity to practice strumming techniques or sing with friends!
Vance Joy’s popular track, “Riptide”, can be easily learned with only three chords: Am, F, and G. This pop rock song can be played up tempo or slow, giving you lots of flexibility with how and when you strum. Feel free to experiment with various speeds and intensities in your strums for a unique ukulele cover of this track – finger picking can give it more traditional reggae sound and help capture that light bouncy vibe of this tune!
OneRepublic
OneRepublic is a popular pop band known for their light, catchy tunes. One of their catchy ukulele songs, “Ukulele Song,” is relatively straightforward to learn and plays well on any level ukulele. Try mimicking its original recording by practicing various dynamics and intensities within your strumming pattern – for instance you could experiment with an up/down/mute strumming pattern to bring out its lively charm!
This laid-back Grammy-nominated song provides beginner ukulele players with an excellent challenge. Although more chords than most on this list are required, their chord progression is relatively straightforward and strumming pattern should not present too many difficulties; try using downstroke strumming for verse and chorus before adding in upstrokes to form bridge strum pattern.
This rock classic from CCR makes an excellent ukulele tune. Only three chords are needed to perform it, and you can join in the band by following an easy pattern of UD on C, DD on G and then quick successions of downstrums on F.
Mumford and Sons’s “Ukulele Song” presents more of a challenge for novice ukulele players, but is still enjoyable as a learning exercise. While the chords shouldn’t be too challenging, keeping track of its lyrics could prove challenging without practice; practice practicing its different themes until it comes naturally!
U2
U2 can be daunting to new ukulele players. Their songs often feature complex strum patterns or chord progressions that might seem impossible for beginners to play on the ukulele; but with practice these songs become easier to play on your instrument. In many instances they also follow an easily learned structure consisting of an introduction, verse 1, chorus verse 2 and outro structure that make these songs accessible even for novice players.
Imagine, written by John Lennon and composed in 1961, is a timeless classic and an ideal way to fill out your ukulele repertoire with emotion and hope. The chord progression for “Imagine” is C – Cmaj7 – F – G; use a DDUU strumming pattern when learning this piece on ukulele. Beginners especially will find this song easy and rewarding to learn; playing it will build confidence while learning chords!
“Stand By Me” by U2 is another iconic track with an unforgettable melody and classic rock sound that can be fun to play on your ukulele. Using only G chord and simple strumming pattern (you could add 7th chord for extra spice!), this tune makes an excellent piece for beginners learning the instrument.
“Otherside,” another U2 song that can be easily played on the ukulele, is another simple tune to master and only uses the standard G chord. Additionally, its chord progression mirrors that of “Hallelujah,” making it easy for listeners familiar with that track to pick it up without too much practice; once memorizing each section’s specific chord progression it should become straightforward to complete the full song.
Hakuna Matata
Shakira’s 2010 hit from the FIFA World Cup was one of the most beloved ukulele songs ever. Stadiums full of soccer fans danced along to this fun beat and stadiums full of young ukulele players reveled in it too! With basic chords like Am, F and C used in an easy I, IV, V and VI pattern it is perfect for new ukulele players to learn with!
This love song is an ideal starting point for new ukulele players. With only four easy chords and a straightforward strumming pattern of down-up-down-up, this beginner-friendly tune can also be played slowly for added beginner-friendliness. Fingerpicking will add even more dimension to this classic tune.
Many ukulele players were first exposed to this timeless piano ballad from Adam Sandler’s performance of it in 2004’s romantic comedy 50 First Dates, when trying to win over Drew Barrymore. It features an unforgettable melody with romantic undertones; while its arrangement for ukulele allows much simpler chord progression and strumming patterns than its original form.
This ballad is an irresistibly romantic love song that would make any modern Romeo or Juliet fall in love. With only three chords to learn quickly, beginners should use this song as it will strengthen finger and wrist muscles while potentially decreasing joint-related problems in later years.
Red Red Wine
Neil Diamond’s classic ballad “Red Wine and Roses” expresses how drinking red wine can help heal broken hearts, making this song ideal for beginner ukulele players who use two chords or less. Furthermore, many popular songs that utilize simple chords today have been transposed into keys appropriate for playing on an ukulele; additionally many reggae songs feature four simple chords making them particularly suitable options for newcomers to the instrument.
Downloadable Sheet Music of Red, Red Wine by Neil Diamond with Ukulele Chords Format is only available as digital-only download.