5 ukulele songs for a beginner to learn

In the last post, we talked about and diagrammed 5 chords on the ukulele that I consider to be the most important building blocks in your ukulele journey.  Those chords are C, Am, F, G, G7.  If you missed that post, check it out here.

Now that you have the groundwork laid down with those 5 basic chords, you can start to put 'em to use and strum along with a few songs.  Here's 5 songs that you can start to work on with just those 5 ukulele

Ukulele Dm7 chord - tips and alternatives

courtesy of ukulele-chords.com

That pesky Dm7 chord shows up in a lot of ukulele tunes.  It's especially prevalent in songs in the key of C.  It can be hard to transition to this chord due to the crowded space.

From everything I've seen, the suggested fingering method for the Dm7 is to place your middle finger on the G string (2nd fret), your ring finger on the C string (2nd fret), your index finger on the E string (1st fret), and your pinky on the A string (3rd fret).

However, a lot of people (myself included) have learned to play this troublesome chord with that same structure, only with the placement of the middle and ring fingers reversed (so that the ring finger takes the lead on the G string 2nd fret).  Really, it all comes down to how you've learned to finger the Dm chord, which is the same placement minus the pinky finger (the A string is open - 2210).  Coming

Happy Birthday ukulele chords

Happy Birthday!
Ever uke player needs to know this one!  It's a great
beginner practice piece, but it's also great to know for
celebrating all those special folks in your life!

C                 G         
Happy birthday to you

                  C
Happy birthday to you

                       G  F
Happy birthday to dear name

F     C        G  C
Happy birthday to you

Old Macdonald ukulele chords

Old Macdonald

Alright, so it's not the most exciting song of all 

time, but it's a good beginner ukulele song. 

C             F     C     C   G7  C
Old MacDonald had A farm, E-i-E-i-o
    C               F        C       C   G7  C
And on this farm he had some chicks, e-i-e-i-o
       C
With a chick, chick here and a chick, chick there
C
Here a chick, there a chick, everywhere a chick, chick
C             F     C     C   G7  C
Old MacDonald had A farm, E-i-E-i-o

Jason Mraz - I'm Yours ukulele chords

Once again, I found myself greatly indebted to the fine folks at ukulelehunt.com for putting together a nice pdf of this Jason Mraz tune.  Grab that ukulele and start strummin'.

Click here for the chords

Hey Soul Sister ukulele chords

I'm always thankful when someone does the work for me!  

Here's a couple versions of this song in the key of C....

Hey Soul Sister - via ukulele-tabs.com

Hey Soul Sister - via ultimate-guitar.com

Amazing Grace ukulele chords

Amazing Grace - from www.liveukulele.com 

Go check out their site and tell them how awesome they are! 

 C                  F         C
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound 
                         G7
that saved a wretch like me! 
  C                  F      C
I once was lost, but now am found; 
               G7    C
was blind, but now I see. 


C                  F         C
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, 
                         G7
and grace my fears relieved; 
  C                  F      C
how precious did that grace appear 
               G7    C
the hour I first believed. 


C                  F         C
Through many dangers, toils, and snares, 
                         G7
I have already come; 
  C                  F      C
'tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, 
               G7    C
and grace will lead me home. 


C                  F         C
The Lord has promised good to me, 
                         G7
his word my hope secures; 
  C                  F      C
he will my shield and portion be, 
               G7    C
as long as life endures. 


C                  F         C
Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail, 
                         G7
and mortal life shall cease, 
  C                  F      C
I shall possess, within the veil, 
               G7    C
a life of joy and peace. 


C                  F         C
When we've been there ten thousand years, 
                         G7
bright shining as the sun, 
  C                  F      C
we've no less days to sing God's praise 
               G7    C
than when we first begun.