Learn To Play the Ukulele: Your First Chords

So, you've got your uke, and you've been practicing how to hold it, right? Now we get to play chords!

I began teaching myself how to play the ukulele from the second I picked it up. After I tuned it, I flipped through the little instruction book of chords that came with it. There were six chords and about a dozen songs that used those chords. By the end of the day, I had memorized all of them and was ready to rock 'n' roll! (Har har har.)

I'll go into the theory about how chords are formed in other blogs, but for now, let's just start playing and make some music.

First thing to know when you're learning how to play the ukulele is how to press your fingers on the fretboard in order to get a clear tone from your uke. It might sound silly, but too much pressure will cause buzzing and too little pressure won't give you that beautiful clear sound you're looking for. So when you're pressing your fingers on the fretboard, aim for the center between the 2 frets, a little closer to the fret you're aiming for, and experiment with how much pressure you use in order to get the correct tone. 

There are times when you'll be resting your fingers lightly on the strings to get a more muted tone - but right now, we're just looking to make that uke sing out loud. 

How to Play the C Major Chord On the Ukulele

Let's start with a simple but useful chord on the ukulele: C major. With a ukulele tuned to G-C-E-A, just put the ring finger (third finger) of your left hand between the second and third frets, a little closer to the third fret. Press down hard enough so that you get a nice, clear tone. It should look and sound like this:

How to Play the G Major Chord On the Ukulele

Next up, we'll make a little jump to the next most useful chord on the ukulele, the G major. With your second finger on the second fret of the first string, move your third finger to the second fret of the second string, and place your first finger on the second fret of the third string. It should look and sound like this:

Moving From C Major to G Major

Now the fun begins! Practice moving seamlessly from the C major chord to the G major chord, strumming down on the strings twice for each chord. When you're playing the C major chord, put your second finger down on the second fret of that first string while you strum the C major chord. Then to move to the G major chord, all you have to do is shift that third finger over one string and gently reach over and plant your first finger on that second fret of the second string. Easy, peasy, right? Here's a quick clip of what that looks like:

As always, just play with these chords and movements. Remember to let the top of the neck of the uke rest at the bottom of the index finger in the little crook between the thumb and first finger.  And don't forget to PLAY!