News
The ukulele is quickly gaining popularity, and many are learning to play this instrument. Whether you’re looking to impress your friends, play for fun, or become a world-class ukulele player, you must start with the basics. Luckily for you, we can help you get started on your ukulele-playing journey. Think of this as your very first ukulele lesson!
Here are eight steps to learn how to play the ukulele. Follow the links in the text if you want to learn more about different topics, or jump straight into the Yousician app to bring your learning to a new level!
Table of contents
1. Choose the right ukulele for you
There is no one-size-fits-all method for learning how to play ukulele. That’s why choosing the right instrument for you and your needs is important. There are a few things to consider when learning to play: the ukulele size, price, and the type of ukulele you want to play.
Check out our ukulele buying guide for some good recommendations and things to look for.
Ukulele size
Although the ukulele is a beginner-friendly instrument, there’s one thing that may confuse many beginners: which ukulele size to choose. There are five main ukulele sizes. Here they are from smallest to largest:
- Soprano
- Concert
- Tenor
- Baritone
- Bass
Different ukulele sizes can also have slightly different tunings, which is why beginners should start learning with a ukulele size that uses the standard tuning. A soprano ukulele is a good option for younger learners and people with small hands. However, a soprano ukulele can be too small for some adult players. Depending on your age and size, choose either a concert or a tenor ukulele. Visit your local instrument store and test which size feels good and easy to play with.
If you want to learn more, check out our detailed guide to different ukulele sizes.
Price
What makes the ukulele an accessible and beginner-friendly instrument is its price. Ukuleles are very affordable, unless you go for a higher-end model. Usually, the smaller a ukulele is, the less it costs. However, no matter what size you choose, don’t try to go cheap, especially if you’re truly committed to learning.
Many ukuleles are manufactured using cheap materials, such as plastic. Paying a bit more gets you a ukulele made from durable wood or some other sturdy material. If you’ve decided to learn to play ukulele, you might as well find a quality instrument that will last for a long time.
You can get a good beginner ukulele for around $100. Pay less, and you’ll have to make some compromises when it comes to playability and quality. Cheaper ukuleles also tend to go out of tune quickly, which can be frustrating.
Acoustic or electric ukulele
Most players choose an acoustic ukulele, but remember that there are also electric ukuleles, just like acoustic and electric guitars. If you buy an electric ukulele, you can plug it into an amplifier and manipulate the sound using an effects pedal.
2. Familiarize yourself with ukulele parts
If you have played the guitar or bass, you’re already familiar with the different parts of a ukulele. Some of the most important ukulele parts to know include:
- body
- neck
- fretboard
- frets
- nut
- strings
- headstock
- tuning pegs
- bridge
Being familiar with these parts and what they’re used for helps you understand learning materials, other ukulele players, and music teachers. Following an online ukulele lesson or watching a tutorial is also much easier when you understand the different parts.
3. Learn how to hold a ukulele
Before you strum a single chord, make sure you’re holding the ukulele correctly. Some ukulele players prefer to play with a strap hanging around their neck. If you’re playing without a strap, use your fretting hand (typically the left hand) to hold the neck of the ukulele. Use your left thumb to support the back of the neck. This leaves the other four fingers free to play the strings.
Keep the back of the ukulele pressed close to your chest. This frees your strumming hand (in this case, the right hand) to strum the strings. When you look down from this position, the string closest to your face will be the G string.
Left-handed players can choose to hold the ukulele just like right-handed ukulele players. However, lefties can also flip the instrument, so they use their right hand to hold the neck and the left hand to strum.
4. Learn how to tune a ukulele
As with any stringed instrument, knowing how to tune your ukulele correctly is an essential part of playing. First, let’s look at the ukulele’s strings. From left to right, the ukulele strings are G, C, E, and A.
Unlike a guitar, for instance, the ukulele uses reentrant tuning, meaning the strings are not tuned in a linear descending order. The most common ukulele sizes use the standard G-C-E-A tuning, but variants like the baritone and bass ukulele use an alternative tuning.
There are a few different ways to tune your ukulele. More advanced ukulele players can tune the instrument by ear without any additional help. You can also tune a ukulele using another instrument, such as a piano, as a reference point.
The easiest way to tune a ukulele is by using a ukulele tuner or a tuner app on your phone. Ukulele tuner devices can be handy, but they are usually expensive. A free tuner app, such as GuitarTuna, helps you tune your ukulele wherever you are. The app uses your phone’s microphone to listen to you play, so you don’t need additional cords or equipment.
Check out our video lesson on how to tune a ukulele with a tuner app.
5. Play your first ukulele chord
Your instrument is now in tune, so it’s time to start learning your first ukulele chords. Just like on a guitar, you can read ukulele chords using chord diagrams or chord charts.
Reading chord diagrams
A tool that will come in handy when reading chords is the chord diagram. Reading a ukulele chord from a chord diagram is simple:
- The top of the chord diagram shows the name of the ukulele chord.
- Each vertical line represents a string on the ukulele. The strings are G, C, E, and A, going from left to right.
- The horizontal lines represent frets. The top horizontal line stands for the nut (unless stated otherwise).
- A circle above the horizontal line means that the string is played open. An “X” means that the string is muted or not played.
- The numbered circles show the positions where each string is fingered. The numbers stand for each of the four fingers: 1 is the index finger, 2 is the middle finger, 3 is the ring finger, and 4 is the pinky finger.
- A numbered horizontal line across the fret represents a barre chord.
Don’t be intimidated by chords or think they’re too complex. A single finger is enough to play certain ukulele chords. One of these is the C chord, so let’s start with this basic ukulele chord.
Major C chord
The major C chord (or simply the C chord) is a great ukulele chord to learn as a beginner. All you need to do is use your ring finger to press the third fret of the highest A string. All other strings are played open.
After fretting the A string using your ring finger, strum all four strings starting from the lowest G string. For now, you can use the thumb of your strumming hand to play the strings.
Congratulations! You’ve just played your first ukulele chord, the major C chord.
To play the major C chord on the ukulele, you need to fret only the A string with your ring finger.
Minor A chord
After learning your first chord on the ukulele, let’s take a look at a simple minor chord. As opposed to major chords that have a bright and happy sound, minor chords tend to sound sad. The name of a minor chord includes a lowercase “m.” In this case, the minor A chord is written as “Am.” To play the Am chord, press the second fret of the G string with your middle finger. Play the other strings open.
The A minor (Am) chord is another basic ukulele chord that requires only one fretted string and three open strings.
Major F chord
You can now play ukulele chords using one finger on your fretting hand, but how about with two fingers? Just like the minor A chord, the F chord requires you to press the second fret of the G string with your middle finger. To create an F chord shape, press the first fret of the E string with your index finger.
Now, strum all four strings to play the F chord. Just make sure that your hand and the sides of your fingers don’t block the other strings from ringing. If you accidentally touch the other strings with your fretting hand, you may mute the strings.
Learn more basic ukulele chords
It’s amazing how just a few of the same chords allow you to play tens, if not hundreds, of songs! Some simple songs on the ukulele may require only two or three basic chords to play. Practice mastering the C, Am, and F ukulele chords and start to expand the number of chords in your arsenal. One great way to learn new ukulele chords is to play your favorite songs and look for chords you don’t know.
You can read more about ukulele chords and chord diagrams in our guide to basic ukulele chords.
6. Practice strumming the ukulele
The way you strum the strings affects the sound. For example, if you strum down using your thumb, the sound will be smooth and mellow. However, if you strum back up using the nail on your thumb, the sound will be sharper and brighter. It also matters how many fingers you’re using to strum. Strumming with more than just one finger almost makes it sound like multiple people are playing at once.
Instead of just strumming down, learn different strumming patterns to make your playing more interesting and rhythmic. A simple strumming pattern to practice is first strumming down and then back up while you hold the same chord. Instead of using just your fingers, you can choose to use a ukulele pick to strum and pick the strings.
Just like learning new chords, you can practice strumming patterns by listening to a song you like and playing along with the rhythm.
You can watch our video lesson, where our ukulele experts share their tips on how to strum the ukulele.
7. Find songs to play on the ukulele
As a beginner learning to play songs on the ukulele, choose songs that don’t use too many different chords. It’s best if you’re already familiar with all the chords in the song. Remember that even if your favorite song is not written for the ukulele, there’s a good chance that someone has mapped the chords or created ukulele tabs for the song. The internet has plenty of ukulele chords and tabs available for free.
Yousician uses intuitive notation consisting of chords and tabs, making it fun and easy to learn your favorite songs on the ukulele. Yousician’s interactive music-learning technology makes learning the ukulele rewarding and effective. The Yousician app listens to you play and gives feedback on your timing and accuracy.
You can also use Yousician’s song library to search for more great ukulele songs to play and practice. Don’t forget to check out our article, which lists 16 easy ukulele songs perfect for beginners. Some great ukulele songs for beginners include “Riptide” and “I’m Yours”.
8. Practice playing ukulele and have fun
One common mistake beginners make is going too quickly. Take things slow and learn the basics before moving on to more complicated chords, songs, and playing techniques. And most importantly, have fun!
In addition to in-person ukulele lessons, beginners can learn with Yousician. Our interactive online ukulele lessons help you on your ukulele journey as you get familiar with the ukulele and expand your musical knowledge. Learn ukulele chord shapes, strumming patterns, tablature, and much more. Learn the ukulele and other instruments while playing your favorite songs. Learn at your own pace, wherever and whenever you want.
You can download Yousician for your computer, iOS and Android mobile devices. Try Yousician for free today and get started on your musical journey!