Updated on May 8, 2020
The ukulele has become a hugely popular instrument in recent years. In 2013, sales of ukuleles jumped by over 50% having already hit over a million units sold in 2012.
The reason that the ukulele is so popular is that it is one of the easiest instruments to learn how to play and taking ukulele lessons can only make that easier!
Indeed, you only need to learn a few chords to be able to play a number of hugely famous ukulele songs.
So read on as we look at these 7 easy-to-play ukulele songs that you can learn in no time.
1. “Sweet Home Alabama” – Lynyrd Skynyrd
The first song in our top 7 list of beginner ukulele songs, is one of the most popular ukulele song choices, considered by many to be an absolute classic but is incredibly easy to learn. In fact, you will only need to know three chords.
The first chord you need for this song is D. To play a D chord you just need to hold down the top three strings on the second fret. If you have small hands, it’s easy enough to use one finger for each string. If you have big hands and a small ukulele, some people prefer to press down all three strings with the same finger.
The next chord as C which is even easier; you hold down the third fret on the bottom string only. The final chord is a G, which is the second fret on the second and fourth strings and the third fret on the third string. Guitar players will recognize this shape as how you play a D chord on the guitar.
Once you can play those three chords, this becomes a very easy ukulele song that even a beginner can master. The simplest pattern to play is two D chords, two C chords, and four G chords. Repeat this pattern for the verse and the chorus. You’ve just learned your first song on the ukulele!
2. “Just The Way You Are” – Bruno Mars
This simple ukulele song only uses three chords, and you already know one of them.
The first chord for this song is C, which we’ve already learned. Next up is A minor, which also only needs one finger. This time it holds down the second fret of the top string.
To play our final chord, F, you need to hold down the second fret on the top string, and the first fret on the third string. Here is a top tip: when you play the A minor chord, use your middle finger to hold down the top string. When you go from playing A minor to playing F, you can leave that finger where it is and use your index finger to hold down the third string.
Once you’ve mastered these chords, the song is really simple. Eight lots of C, eight lots of A minor, eight lots of F and eight lots of C. This pattern repeats throughout the whole song, for the verse and the chorus.
3. “Someone Like You” – AdeleSOMEONE LIKE YOU - ADELE UKULELE TUTORIAL
You could already call yourself a “seasoned” ukulele player since you already know all the easy chords we need for this next song. This beautiful ballad by Adele uses four chords compared to three for our first two songs, but is still very simple to play, as the pattern repeats throughout the song.
We start off with four lots of C, then four lots of G, four lots of A minor and finally four lots of F. Keep repeating this pattern for the verse, bridge, and chorus.
Once you have the pattern mastered you can experiment with different strumming patterns until you find one that you like.
4. “Let It Be” – The Beatles
Those same for chords are all you need to be able to play this beautiful song from The Beatles. This one has a slightly more complicated pattern though.
For the verse, you would play as follows: C, C, G, G, Am, Am, F, F, C, C, G, G, F, F, C, C. Play this pattern twice.
The chorus has a slightly different pattern: Am, Am, G, G, F, F, C, C, C, C, G, G, F, F, C, C.
5. “You’re Beautiful” – James Blunt
The same four easy ukulele chords are all you need here too.
The verse is C, C, C, C, G, G, G, G, Am, Am, Am, Am, F, F, F, F and then repeat the whole thing again. The chorus is F, F, G, G, C, C, C, C played twice.
Then you play F, F, G, G, C, C, Am, Am, F, F, G, G, Am, Am, Am, Am, F, F, G, G, C, C, C, C.
6. “Stand By Me” – Ben E. King
You’ve guessed it. It’s the same four chords for this classic too.
And the beauty of this song is that it’s the same pattern over and over throughout the whole song. Eight lots of C, eight lots of Am, four lots of F, four lots of G, eight lots of C. Before you long you’ll be able to play this one without even thinking.
7. “Love Yourself” – Justin Bieber
And finally, the last easy uke song we’ll covering today is “Love Yourself” by Justin Bieber. We’ll need one final chord to be able to play this song: D minor.
To play D minor, hold down the second fret of the top string with your third finger, the second fret of the second string with your fourth, and the first fret of the third string with your index finger.
The pattern for the verse is C, C, G, G, Am, Am, Am, Am, Dm, Dm, C, C, G, G, G, G. Repeat that whole thing again. The bridge section is Am, Am, F, F, C, C, C, C (played twice) then Am, Am, F, F, C, C, G, G, Am, Am, F, F, G, G, G, G.
Finally, for the chorus, we have the following pattern: C, C, G, G, Am, Am, F, F, C, C, G, G, C, C, C, C. Repeat it all again, and you’ve learned the whole song.
8. “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” – Israel Kamakawiwo’ole
Chords: C, Em, F, G, and Am
As a Hawaiian instrument adapted from the Portuguese machete, the ukulele is strongly associated with Hawaiian music. So, it stands to reason that one of the best songs to learn on the ukulele is this Israel Kamakawiwo’ole reworking of the classic ‘The Wizard of Oz’ ballad.
Thanks to the soft and gentle strumming of his ukulele, Kamakawiwo’ole really made this song his own. Listen to his version while you practice and you’ll be ready to play it for your friends in no time.
9. “Riptide” – Vance Joy
Chords: Am, C, G and F
This 2013 hit is one of the most popular songs ever for ukulele. And, thanks to its fairly simple four-chord structure, it’s also one of the best ukulele songs for beginners.
That said, Riptide’s bouncy tempo might pose a bit more of a challenge than some of the other songs on this list. Go slow at first and work your way up to a faster rhythm to make sure you get it right.
10. “One Love” – Bob Marley
Chords: C, F, G and Am
This Bob Marley classic is a sing-a-long favorite song that is sure to bring everyone together at a party. And, thanks to its easy chords, it’s a great song to help you learn the reggae strum pattern and master your timing. Plus, you’ll soon find that it’s a lot of fun to play!
11. “I’m Yours” – Jason Mraz
Chords: C, F, G and Am
This Bob Marley classic is a sing-a-long favorite song that is sure to bring everyone together at a party. And, thanks to its easy chords, it’s a great song to help you learn the reggae strum pattern and master your timing. Plus, you’ll soon find that it’s a lot of fun to play!
12. “Hallelujah” – Leonard Cohen
Chords: C, Am, F, G, and EM
This song, written by Leonard Cohen was adapted for John Cale. It differs from the original and has extra verses. In 1994, Jeff Buckley covered “the Cale version” on his Grace album. Although the John Cale performance of
13. “Island In The Sun” – Weezer
Chords: Em, Am, D, G, and C
“Island in the Sun” is a 2001 single by Weezer. It is the second single from the band’s album, Weezer (The Green Album). “Island in the Sun” wasn’t originally planned to be on the album, yet producer Ric Ocasek fought for the song and it ended up on the final product. It was a successful radio single and perhaps the band’s biggest hit ever outside of the United States. In late 2001, the band reworked the song’s solo for their live show.”
14. “Hey Soul Sister” – Train
The song is very similar in structure to “I’m Yours.” Now I’m not saying Train copied Jason Mraz – well, maybe I am. I think the legal term is “heavily influenced.”
Essentially, if you can learn “I’m Yours” and transpose it to the key of G, you’ll have this song down. In G, the chord progression will be G, Em, C, and D.
15. “What A Wonderful World” – Israel Kamakawiwo’ole
This is a beautiful tribute to ukulele great Israel Kamakawiwo’ole. Practice makes perfect! Listen to Israel’s version as you work on your own stylings, and you’ll soon be ready to show off for friends.
https://www.merriammusic.com/school-of-music/music-lessons/guitar-lessons/Have You Enjoyed Learning These Easy Ukulele Songs?
If learning these fun ukulele songs has given you the musical bug, then you’re in the right place. Learn how to play the ukulele by taking ukulele lessons with us at Merriam School of Music.
We have a whole range of great articles to help you along your musical journey. Whether you’re looking for advice on playing the piano, guitar, or more, we have plenty of information that can help.
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Resources: Online Ukulele Tuners & Ukulele Tuning Apps (For Android & Apple iOS)
In addition to providing you with a list of songs we want to help make your experience learning the ukulele as easy and enjoyable as possible. Here is a list of the top online ukulele tuners and ukulele tuner apps for both Android and Apple iOS. These apps will help you easily tune your ukulele by providing pitch reference making it so much easier to get your ukulele in tune.
Top 5 Online Ukulele Tuners
- Ukulele Tuner by UkuTuner
- Web-Based Ukulele Tuner by UkeBuddy
- Free Online Ukulele Tuner by Uke Tuner
- Another Free Online Ukulele Tuner by Ukulele Tabs
- Online Ukulele Tuner by Ukulele Tricks
Top 5 Ukulele Tuner Apps for Android
Top 5 Ukulele Tuner Apps for Apple iOS
Resources: Online Ukulele Chord Charts & Tabs
Getting started learning a new instrument is always difficult and it’s easy to lose motivation during the process. All of our articles try to provide as many resources as we can to help make the learning process as easy, and most importantly as fun as it can be. Below you will find links to the best 5 best sources for online ukulele chord charts and diagrams that we have been able to find.
Top 5 Online Ukulele Chord Charts
- Basic Ukulele Chords For Beginning Players by UkuGuides
- Complete Ukulele Chord Charts in Standard Tuning by UkuChords
- Ukulele Chord Diagrams by UkuChords
- Ukulele Chord Chart by TrueFire
- Ukulele Chords: Charts w/Diagrams & Pictures by Live Ukulele
Top 5 Online Ukulele Tabs
More Easy Ukulele Songs with Uke Chords & Tabs
In addition to the 7 easy and fun ukulele songs we have listed above, we decided to provide a list of 26 more that we just couldn’t fit into our article. Check them out and we are sure you will have a blast learning how to play these great songs on the ukulele.| Song | Artist | Ukulele Chords |
|---|---|---|
| Over the Rainbow | Israel Kamakawiwoʻole | Chords |
| I’m Yours | Jason Mraz | Chords |
| House of Gold | Twenty One Pilots | Chords |
| Party Favor | Billie Eilish | Chords |
| Riptide | Vance Joy | Chords |
| Can’t Help Falling in Love | Twenty One Pilots | Chords |
| Hey There Delilah | Plain White T’s | Chords |
| Here Comes the Sun | The Beatles | Chords |
| The Lazy Song | Bruno Mars | Chords |
| Someone Like You | Adele | Chords |
| Little Talks | Of Monsters and Men | Chords |
| Sunday Morning | Maroon 5 | Chords |
| Brown Eyed Girl | Van Morrison | Chords |
| You Are My Sunshine | Johnny Cash | Chords |
| Blackbird | The Beatles | Chords |
| Fireflies | Owl City | Chords |
| Banana Pancakes | Jack Johnson | Chords |
| Fly Me to the Moon | Frank Sinatra | Chords |
| Octopus’s Garden | The Beatles | Chords |
| Sweater Weather | The Neighbourhood | Chords |
| I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For | U2 | Chords |
| The Lion Sleeps Tonight | The Tokens | Chords |
| Ocean Eyes | Billie Eilish | Chords |
| Stitches | Shawn Mendes | Chords |
| This Is Home | Cavetown | Chords |
| Stand by Me | Ben E. King | Chords |
