Ukulele Chords: Learn To Play Amazing Grace With Tablature

You will learn to sing Amazing Grace with your own ukulele accompaniment in the key of C-major. We will use tabs so you will not need to know sheet music notation.

First you will have to take a look at the way you have tuned your ukulele. Some people don’t care how they tune their ukulele as long as the strings are tuned together. It’s okey as long as you are not playing together with another instrument.

But, in order to play the chords in C-major we presupposes that the you first string is tuned to an A. If you can find middle C on a piano you can play the notes up to A. C D E F G A. Right, there it is!

We will first take a look at the C-major chord. With the tab notation we will use it will look like this:

C-major: 0/4 0/3 0/2 3/1

Now you will learn to interpret this notation. The digit before the slash indicates the fret to press down. The digit after the slash shows you which string to play.

3/1 means, press down the third fret on string one. To play the chords to the first line of lyrics you will have to learn one more chord. Here is F-major:

F-major: 2/4 0/3 1/2 0/1

With these two chords we can play the first line of lyrics:

A-(C)mazing Grace, how (F)sweet the (C)sound

The chords to play are written before the syllable in the text where you are to strum it. Another way to notate the chord progression to play will look like this:

C / / C / / F / / C / /

Strum once on every chord name and once more on the same chord for every following slash.

For the next line we need a third chord. Here is G7:

G7: 0/4 2/3 1/2 2/1

Time for the next line:

That (C)saved a wretch like (G7)me

or written like a chord progression:

C / / C / / G7 / / G7 / /

We will take the two last lines together as you now know how to read the chords:

I (C)once was lost, but (F)now am (C)found

Was (C)blind, but (G7)now I (C)see

And in ordinary chord notation:

C / / C / / F / / C / /

C / / G7 / / C / / C / /

To make music of the song with ukulele accompaniment it is important to be able to change between chords smoothly. I suggest that you work on the art of changing from one chord to another by choosing for exampel C and F.

Strum once on every chord and change to the next one until your fingers obey your command. To change from C to G7 I suppose that you play the C chord with your left hand ring finger. To get to G7 you can slide your ring finger to fret two on the first string.

After that you only have to place your left hand middle finger on the third string and your index on your second string.

What if I want to learn to play the ukulele?

I think the ukulele would be a cool hobby.
I’d like to teach myself from books and videos. I have a friend who also plays so he could help. No need for lessons.
How much is a ukulele and is there a really good type I should look for?

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Ukulele Chords: Learn To Play Chord Progressions In The Key Of C

The ukulele is a very nice istrument to use as you sing your songs. It is also fun to use just to strum chords. Today you will learn some common chords and patterns in the key of C.

We will use an easy ukulele tab notation so you will not have to know sheet music. Tablature or tab notation shows you by numbers what string to play and what frets to press down.

The most obvious ukulele chord in the key of C is of course the C-major chord. Let’s take a look at it:

0/4 0/3 0/2 3/1

The digit before the slash indicates which fret to press down and the one after the slash what string to play. In other words 3/1 means: Press down the third fret on string one.

String one is the string with the highest pitch, the string nearest the floor when you hold your instrument the ordinary way. In order for my descriptions of the chords to be applicable to your ukulele it is to be tuned the ordinary way with the first string to an A.

You will now learn the chord F:

2/4 0/3 1/2 0/1

The best way to practice ukulele chords is to play them in a progression so you have to change chords. That is the difficult part of playing chords so we will start with a chord progression with the chords you have learned so far:

C / / / F / / / C / / / F / / /

An easy way to explain the previous notation is that you strum the C chord once when the C letter occurs and continue to strum the chord once for every slash that follows. In other words, strum four times on the C chord, four times on the F chord and then repeat the sequence.

The important thing is to strum with your right hand evenly not slowing down as you change chords. If you find this too difficult you can practice changing chords by strumming once on the chord C, then changing to F and strum once on that chord and continue changing chords strumming once on the chords.

You have to do this slowly at first so you don’t make a lot of mistakes. Making too many mistakes pressing down the chords will tend to slow down your progression by confusing your muscle memory.

The next ukulele chord will be G7:

0/4 2/3 1/2 2/1

Here’s a progression with these three chords:

C / / / F / / / G7 / / / C / / /

You will now learn a minor chord on your ukulele. It will be the A-minor chord:

2/4 0/3 0/2 0/1

The following chord progression can be used to play the first part of the old pop evergreen Diana with Paul Anka:

C / / / Am / / / F / / / G7 / / /

What about the fingers to use on your left hand?

The fingers on the left hand are usually numbered the following way:

Index: 1

Middle finger: 2

Ring finger: 3

Pinky: 4

The G7 chord fingering can be notated like this beginning with the fourth string:

0 2 1 3

The other chords as follows:

C: 0 0 0 3

F: 2 0 1 0

E: 2 0 0 0

The ordinary G chord can also be used in the key of C. It looks like this:

0/4 2/3 3/2 2/1 and the fingering like this 0 1 3 2

Here is a progression involving the G chord:

C / / / G / / / F / / / G / / /

Try to experiment and come up with your own combinations of chord progressions. At the same time you will learn to change chords and develop your ear and your musical abilities.

Ukulele Chords: Learn To Play Chord Progressions In C

Have you ever tried to play chords on an ukulele? Today I will show you how combine the most common chords to so called chord progressions that sound good.

The names of the chords we will play are dependent upon the tuning of the uke. In this ukulele lesson we will use the common tuning in C. This means that the first string of the ukukule is tuned to A. The first string of your uke is the bottom string when you play.

The second string is tuned to an E, the third string to C and the fourth string to G. All these notes can be found in the middle octave of a piano.

A chord progression consists of a series of chords played in a sequence. We will start with three common chords on ukulele. It will be the C-major chord, the F-major chord and the chord G7:

C: 04 03 02 31

F: 24 03 12 01

G7: 04 23 12 21

Every note to play in the chord is notated with two numbers. The first number tells you which fret to press down and the next number indicates the string. 31 for example means, press down the third fret on the first string. 04 means that you play the open fourth string, that is, without pressing down a fret.

The important skill when playing chords on an ukulele is to be able to change chords smoothly. To make it easier to change between chords i suggest the following:

1. Be careful how you finger the individual chords. For example, I suggest that you use your ring finger to press down the third fret of the chord C-major which will facilitate the movement from C to G7.

2. Take advantage of the fact that many chords share some notes. For example, when moving from F to G7 you can let your index finger remain on the first fret of the second string.

We will start to play an easy progression with the chords C and G7:

C / / / G7 / / / C / / / G7 / / /

To make it simple, strum once on every note name and then once using the same chord on every following slash.

When you move from the C chord to the G7 chord I suggest that you slide your left hand ring finger from the third to the second fret and then just add the index finger on the second string and middle finger on the third string. When you move back to the C chord again you just repeat this sequence the opposite way.

We will now add the F-major chord to make the following chord sequence:

C / / / G7 / / / F / / / G7 / / /

As you probably notice you you have the note 12 in common in the chords F and G7. That means that you can hold your index finger on this note as you change between the two chords making for a smoother chord change.

In the last chord sequence we will add the chord A-minor:

Am: 24 03 02 01

Here you have a very common chord progression:

C / Am / F / G7 / C / Am / F / G7 /

As you can see in this chord sequence you have one note in common in the A-minor chord and the F-major chord. I suggest that you keep your left hand middle finger down on the second fret on the fourth string as you move from Am to F.

As you learn the chords to a song on your ukulele it is very effective to practice the chord changes by concentrating on two chords at a time trying to move as effectively as possible between the chords.

I want to learn to play either the banjo or ukulele. What is easier to learn to play w/ no musical experince?

I really want to learn how to play an instrument like the banjo or ukulele. I really enjoy bluegrass music. I have zero musical talents or experience. I would throw the harmonica in the mix, but I hear it is very difficult to learn.
Any advice?

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Learn Your First Three Ukulele Chords

Many people when beginning to learn the ukulele get overwhelmed by the shear number of chords that can be played. They sometimes wonder how many chords they have to learn before they can start playing songs. The answer is just three.

It may surprise you to learn that there are a huge number of songs you can play with just three chords. Some of the most popular and famous songs in the world use only three chords. Songs such as Wild Thing, Louie Louie and Johnnie B Goode all use the same basic three chord pattern.

How to Play A C Chord on the Ukulele

C is probably the first chord everyone learns on the ukulele. It’s very simple to play.

First, find the a string on your ukulele (hint: it’s the one nearest the floor). Press your ring finger on the string just behind the third metal bar on the neck of the ukulele (this is known as the third fret). Try playing this string by itself. Can you hear the note clearly? If not, try adjusting your finger a little and pressing down harder until you get a sound you are happy with. Take the ring finger of your fretting hand a place it on the A string (the one nearest the floor) at the third fret. Strum all of the four strings. There you have it, your first ukulele chord.

How to Play An F Chord on the Ukulele

The F chord is a little trickier since it requires two fingers to play. Firstly, take your index finger (or your pointer finger if you prefer) and press down on the E string (that’s the second one up) at the first fret. Next, take your middle finger and put it on the G string (the one nearest your head) at the second fret. You need to be very careful here that the underside of your middle finger doesn’t touch any of the other strings. Make sure it’s arched above them so that they ring out clearly when you strum.

How to Play A G Chord on the Ukulele

The G chord is a little harder still. It takes three fingers to play it. First use your middle finger to hold down the A string at the second fret. Then take your index finger and place it at the second fret of the C string (the third string up). Finally, use your middle finger on the third fret of the E string. Once you’ve got these three chords under your belt, you’ll be well on your way to mastering ukulele chords.

Ukulele Tab: Learn To Play Yankee Doodle

An ukulele is very effective for strumming chords to songs. You can also use this instrument to play melodies. Let’s learn a melody with ukulele tab and without sheet music!

Here is the first verse and refrain of Yankee Doodle, as often sung today:

Yankee Doodle went to town

A-Riding on a pony

He stuck a feather in his hat

And called it macaroni

Yankee Doodle, keep it up

Yankee Doodle dandy

Mind the music and the step

And with the girls be handy

Well, it’s time for you to pick up your ukulele and play this melodi!

Here is the first line of lyrics and corresponding melody with ukulele tab:

Yankee Doodle went to town

0/1 0/1 2/1 4/1 0/1 4/1 2/1

Now I guess you ask: What does the numbers and slashes mean?

This is a special form of ukulele tab notation with numbers that indicate what fret to press down and what string.

4/1 for example means: Press down fret 4 on string 1. Number 0 means that you play on a string without pressing down a fret. This is also called an open string.

On my site you will find a more common ukulele tab notation with staffs but the notation I use here works better on article sites.

I hope you understand my ukulele tab notation now so here is the next part of the melody:

A-Riding on a pony

0/2 0/1 0/1 2/1 4/1 0/1 4/2

You can use your right hand thumb to play the strings or alternate between your right hand index and middle finger or thumb and index.

Time for the next line:

Mind the music and the step

0/1 0/1 2/1 4/1 5/1 4/1 2/1

One more ukulele tab to go for the verse:

And called it macaroni

0/1 4/2 0/2 2/2 4/2 0/1 0/1

What about your left hand?

If you want to you can play the melody using a professional fingering like this:

Press down the notes on the first fret with your index finger, the second fret with your middle finger, third fret with your ring finger and fourth and fifth fret with your pinky.

Maybe a little bit tricky at first but when you get used to it you will find that it is much easier to play this way!

Now when you know how to read this ukulele tab notation I will give you the refrain in one chunk:

Yankee Doodle, keep it up

2/2 4/2 2/2 0/2 2/2 4/2 0/1

Yankee Doodle dandy

0/2 2/2 0/2 2/3 1/3 0/2

Mind the music and the step

2/2 4/2 2/2 0/2 2/2 4/2 0/1

And with the girls be handy

2/2 0/2 0/1 4/2 2/1 0/1 0/1

This is the melody and here are the chords your ukulele playing friend can use assuming that you use C tuning on your soprano. That means that the third string is tuned to C and the first string to A:

A major: 2/4 1/3 0/2 0/1

D major: 2/4 2/3 2/2 0/1

E7: 1/4 2/3 0/2 2/1

And the chord changes:

verse:

A / / / A / E7 /

A / / / A / E7 /

A / / / D / / /

E7 / / / A / / /

refrain:

D / / / D / / /

A / / / A / / /

D / / / D / / /

A / E7 / A / / /

Ukulele Chords: Learn To Play Morning Has Broken

In this ukulele lesson you will learn to play a popular song with chords on your ukulele. I will show you with easy ukulele tablature notation how to play the chords. Let us start with the C-major chord!

First of all, we will use the C-tuning in this ukulele lesson. This means that your first string will be tuned to an A, your second string to an E, the third string to C and the fourth string to G.

The first string is the string with the highest pitch, that is, the bottom string when you play.

I will use a form of ukulele tab notation that tells you how to put your fingers in order to play the chords. Every number pair tells you which fret to press down and which string to play. Here is the C-major chord:

C: 04 03 02 31

These four number pairs indicate where you are to put your fingers on your four strings to strum the C-major chord on your ukulele. 04 means, play the open fourth string. An open string is a string you play without pressing down a fret. 31 means, press down the third fret on the first string.

I will put the chord names in bracket before the syllable where you are to change to the new chord. Time to take a look at the lyrics and start to sing!

You will sing the song in the key of C. In this song it means that the song starts with a C. Play your third string, the C string, to find your starting tone.

Time for the first line of lyrics:

Morning has (C)bro(Dm)ken, (D7)like the first (F)mor(C)ning

As you can see you will need more ukulele chords to sing and play the song. Let us take a look at the D-minor chord:

Dm: 04 23 32 11

Now it is time to take a look at the G7 chord and F-major chord:

G7: 04 23 12 21

F: 24 03 12 01

Let us continue with the song:

(C)Blackbird has (Em)spo(Am)ken, (D7)like the first (G7)bird

Yes, I am sorry, but it is time for three more ukulele chords, E-minor, A-minor and D7:

Em: 04 43 32 21

Am: 24 03 02 01

D7: 24 03 22 01

Now it is time to finish the first verse:

(C)Praise for the (F)singing, (C)praise for the (Am)mor(D7))ning

(G7)Praise for the (C)sprin(F)ging (G7)fresh from the (C)word

I admit that it is a lot of chords to learn on your ukulele and many chord changes. I suggest that you learn the song one line at a time. You can also devout a bit of your practicing time to changing between chords the way they appear in the song. For example:

C – Dm, Dm – G7, G7 – F, F – C and so on!

Here are two more verses of the song to practice when you have mastered the first verse:

Sweet the rain’s (C)new (Dm)fall, (G7)sunlit from (F)hea(C)ven

Like the first (Em)dew(Am)fall, (D7)on the first (G7)grass

(C)Praise for the (F)sweetness (C)of the wet (Am)gar(D7)den

(G7)Sprung in com(C)plete(F)ness (G7)where his feet (C)pass

Mine is the (C)sun(Dm)light, (G7)mine is the (F)mor(C)ning

Born of the (Em)one (Am)light, (D7)Eden saw (G7)play

(C)Praise with e(F)lation, (C)praise every (Am)mor(D7)ning

(G7)God’s recre(C)a(F)tion (G7)of the new (C)day

Ukulele Tab: Learn To Play Happy Birthday To You

An ukulele can be used to play chords when you sing but you can also play melodies. It’s fun and quite easy to learn melodies on your uke with ukulele tab. Let’s learn to play Happy Birthday To You!

As many people know “Happy Birthday to You” is a song which is sung to celebrate a person’s birth. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, “Happy Birthday to You” is the most popular song in the English language.

Here is the most common lyrics. “Peter” is to be replaced by the name of the celebrating person.

Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday dear “Peter”,
Happy birthday to you.

I use my own form of ukulele tab for articles like this to be sure that the tabs are readable on article sites. The more common ukulele tab staff notation can be found on my site with ukulele tabs and free sheet music.

The string with the highest pitch is usually an A and is called the first string. The first string is the string nearest your feet when you play your uke.

The first notes in the song are on the third string.

The first number indicates the fret. The second number after the slash tells you which string to play. Here is the first line of lyrics and the ukulele tab:

Happy birthday to you,

0/3 0/3 2/3 0/3 1/2 0/2

0/3 indicates that you play the third string with your right hand thumb for example without pressing down any left hand finger. It is called to play on the open third string.

This type of ukulele tab doesn’t indicate the length of the notes. I guess you hear that the first two notes are short and the last note long.

Let’s play the next line:

Happy birthday to you,

0/3 0/3 2/3 0/3 3/2 1/2

3/2 means that you press down a left hand finger on the third fret of the second string. I haven’t told you anything about which left hand finger to press down on the frets on your ukulele.

You can use your first finger for all the notes but a more professional approach is to play the notes on the first fret with your first finger, the notes on the second fret with your long finger and the notes on your third fret with your ring finger.

Maybe it’s difficult at first but with practice it will be easier for you to find the right notes. You don’t even have to look at your fingers to find the right fret if you get accustomed to this way of playing.

The next line comes now:

Happy birthday dear “Peter”,

0/3 0/3 3/1 0/1 1/2 0/2 2/3

You know what the ukulele tab above tells you by now.

The last line comes here:

Happy birthday to you.

1/1 1/1 0/1 1/2 3/2 1/2

Now you can play Happy Birthday To You on your ukulele and you are prepared for the next birthday party!

Actually you can play this melody with the use of the above ukulele tab notation on a guitar also. The first three strings are tuned the same way but not in the same pitch.

The ukulele tab notation I have used is good for finding the notes but I recommend you to learn the melody by heart so you can play it anytime and anywhere!

Ukulele Chords: Learn To Play White Christmas

In this ukulele lesson you will learn to read easy tab notation. Even if you cannot read sheet music you will be able to read ukulele chords and melodies with this type of tabs. We will use the Christmas song White Christmas as a learning tool.

In sheet music you will find notes placed in a staff with five lines. The placement of the notes in the staff determines which note it is. However, the sheet music notation does not tell you how to play the note on your instrument, in this case, your ukulele. You will have to learn this by yourself.

Tablature notation, on the other hand, tells you how to place your fingers to play a melody or something else. Ukulele tabs show which frets to press down and which strings to play. As soon as you understand the system you can use it to play melodies and chords on your uke.

You can find a few different types of tablature notation on the Internet. In this lesson you will learn a form of ukulele tabs with numbers telling you which fret and string to play.

I suppose that you have tuned your ukulele in C. This means that you first string, that is the bottom string when you play, is tuned to an A, the second string is an E, the third string a C and the fourth string a G.

In the ukulele tab notation we will use all frets you are to press down on your ukulele is shown by two numbers. The first number tells you which fret to press down, the second number what string to play. Here is an example:

12 01

The first number pair tells you to press down the first fret on the second string. The second pair means that you shall play the first string without pressing down a fret. This is called to play an open string.

It is time to take a closer look at the song we will use to learn tab notation. I will write down the lyrics, one line at a time, and the ukulele chords you can use in the key of C-major:

(C)I’m dreaming of a (Dm)white (G7)Christmas

The song starts on the note 02 which is the note E if you want to sing the song. Here are the chords that I have written in brackets before the syllable where you are to play them:

C: 04 03 02 31

Dm: 24 23 12 01

G7: 04 23 12 21

Here are the next line:

(F)Just like the (Dm)ones I (G7)used to (C)know

The chord F-major can be played as follows:

F: 24 03 12 01

Where the (C)treetops (C7)glisten and (F)children (Fm)listen

The uke chords C7 and F-minor are played like this:

C7: 04 03 02 11

Fm: 14 03 12 31

The chord Fm is a little bit tricky to play. Use your left hand index for string four, your middle finger for string two and your pinkie for the first string.

Here comes the last line of verse one:

To (C)hear (Am)sleigh bells in the (Fm)snow (G7)

The second verse starts with the same melody and the same chords:

(C)I’m dreaming of a (Dm)white (G7)Christmas

(F)With every (Dm)Christmas (G7)card I (C)write

Now comes a different melody and new ukulele chords:

May your (C)days be (C7)merry and (F)bright (Fm)

And may (C)all (C#dim)your (Dm)Christma(G7)ses be (C)white

C#dim can be played:

C#dim: 04 13 02 11

I suggest that you learn the song by memorizing one line at a time. The best way to learn to play the ukulele chords is to practice two adjacent chords at a time. Practice changing between the chords smoothly by strumming once on every chord, repeating the procedure slowly until you can play the chords without looking. Then, move to the next chords!

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