10 Easy Ukulele Songs: Perfect for Beginners
Janvi Arora
- 16 September, 2024
- 9 min read
Table of Contents
The ukulele, often called the guitar’s cousin, has been gaining popularity for some years now- for all the right reasons. It’s one instrument that even non-musicians can play with very little practice! Super portable ukuleles have become a popular social media trend today.
Everyone seems to post pictures with a ukulele because of its aesthetic appeal. While there’s nothing wrong with appreciating the look of the ukulele, why not take it a step further and learn to play some easy ukulele songs? Not only will you gain enjoyment from playing, but you might also impress your followers with your soothing ukulele tunes!
In this blog, I will take you through 10 easy songs you can learn to play on your elegant 4-stringed instrument. They should all be easy for complete beginners to pick up and master. Moreover, they’re perfect for developing your skills if you are an advanced player. So, let us begin!
Easy Ukulele Chords that will help to learn these songs
Let’s lay a strong foundation for your ukulele-playing journey. Before we delve deeper into the beautiful tunes of the ukulele, we must first know the basic chords one should learn that repeat in many ukulele songs. The more chords you learn, the more songs you can play. So, the more, the merrier! Begin by learning at least the following chords first and then start expanding your repertoire as you progress.
Keep in mind that a ukulele is tuned to G-C-E-A.
Luckily, these common chords are super-duper easy and don’t require too many fingers, and none of them are barre chords, so everyone’s happy! However, you must ensure that your fingertips don’t touch the strings with white circles drawn above them as they are open strings. The numbers- 1,2,3- represent the finger that you need to press the string with; 1 means the index finger, 2 means the middle finger, and 3 means the ring finger.
Learning to play songs is crucial in progressing your ukulele-playing journey because that’s when you put your theory to use, right? So, let’s discuss some easy ukulele songs for beginners now.
Easy Ukulele Songs in English
i. All Apologies by Nirvana
If you’re a fan of the Nirvana band, you must be aware of the craze behind this song. If you have always loved listening to this song, I have good news for you- you can now learn how to play this song on the ukulele. Luckily, you only need to play 3 chords- C, F, and G- while playing this song on the ukulele. While this song isn’t originally a ukulele song, it can be adapted well to it and is thus gaining popularity among ukulele players. It has gained popularity as a ukulele song because, unlike most Nirvana songs with distorted guitars, it has a softer side to it and thus lends itself to a more acoustic ukulele rendition. The core strumming pattern used for most of the song is downstrokes.
ii. Counting Stars by One Republic
“Counting Stars” by One Republic is one of the easy ukulele songs that you can learn as a beginner. It is so because it uses only four basic chords- Am, C, G, and F. Having only open chords makes it easier to play, ensuring smooth switching between the chords. You can do the basic Down-up-down-up strumming pattern on this song and you will be good to go!
iii. Hello by Adele
Do you remember how everyone kept singing “Hello, from the other side…” when the song “Hello” was released? It was a massive global success. Now imagine how great it would be to strum your ukulele to the beats of this song while you’re with your friends and they are singing along with your ukulele tune. Sounds great, right?! And what if I tell you that you can play this song on ukulele just with 4 chords- Em, G, D, and C? We’ve already discussed how to play Em, G, and C chords, so let’s now see how you can play the D chord on Ukulele. Don’t worry, it’s not difficult at all!
iv. I’m Yours by Jason Mraz
If we’re talking about ukulele songs, there’s no way we can forget the truly amazing “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz. The best thing about this song is that it was originally written and performed with a ukulele, so it has to be one of the songs you learn to play if you’re looking for some easy ukulele songs. Another great thing is that this song can be played both with basic chords that we have discussed so far- C, G, Am, F, and D, and also with some complex chords like the barre chords. So, you can choose which route to take based on your experience and skills and get set playing!
v. With or Without You by U2
“With or Without You” is one of the beginner ukulele songs that you can learn in a short time. It’s one of the most loved songs of the band U2, which set their way to global success. You can play this melancholically beautiful song with just four basic chords- C, G, Am, and F. The strumming pattern is straightforward as you need to strum each chord four times, always downwards. Another aspect that makes this song easy to learn on the ukulele is that the chord progression remains the same. Easy-peasy!
Easy Ukulele Songs in Hindi
Now, for all the Bollywood fans, we have some great yet simple ukulele songs for your Bollywood jamming session nights!
i. Raabta from Agent Vinod
“Raabta” is a romantic ballad with a touch of Sufi influence. It is an evergreen romantic song that people still dance to with their loved ones. The song’s soft melody and heartfelt lyrics resonate with those who enjoy love songs. Therefore, if you and your friends love singing such songs, playing the ukulele along with it would be the icing on the cake. To play this easy ukulele song you can put a capo on the first fret. This song requires the following chords- C, Am, F, and G and the strumming pattern for the song is D DU UDU
ii. Sham from Aisha
This crowd-pleaser song from the movie Aisha is a catchy and playful song that you must add to your repertoire. It’s the perfect song to play when you’re sitting around the bonfire with your friends because it has that comforting vibe. This song has made it to my beginner ukulele songs list because it has a fairly simple chord progression consisting of just four chords- C, Am, F, and G. Moreover, it incorporates a fairly simple strumming pattern of DD UU DU, making it an ideal song to play on the ukulele if you’re a beginner.
iii. Give Me Some Sunshine from 3 Idiots
The song “Give Me Some Sunshine” from the iconic movie 3 Idiots appeals to a broad audience, especially younger listeners who enjoy contemporary music. This song developed a strong cult following among fans because of its relatable lyrics and rebellious spirit. If you are also a big fan of this song, you should definitely learn this 3-chord wonder, with chord progressions constituting just C, G, and F. The strumming pattern used to play this song is DD UUU DUDU.
iv. Kahin To Hogi Woh from Jaane Tu Ya Jaane na
“Kahin To Hogi Woh” may not be as popular as other songs from the movie. However, it is a beloved track amongst this movie’s fans, especially those who are old-school at heart. This well-crafted and introspective track is the ideal song to play during get-togethers with friends and spark singalongs and shared memories. This song can be played with or without a capo and uses just four basic chords- C, Am, F, and G. The strumming pattern in this song is D DU UDU. The slow tempo of this song makes it one of the easy songs to learn on ukulele.
v. Heeriye by Arijit Singh
Heeriye is one of the recent tracks that had everyone swooning at the beautiful tunes of the song and, of course, the melodious voice of Arijit Singh. It is also one of the easy ukulele songs for beginners. There are two ways in which you can play this song. However, I would suggest you opt for the easier way if you’re a beginner and play the song using the following 4 chords- Em, C, D, and G. When you’re playing these chords, you need to put the capo on the second fret and strum in the DUX DUX pattern (where X means mute). Just follow these simple steps and create magic with your 4-stringed instrument!
This concludes our list of the easy songs to play on the ukulele. Even if you are new to playing ukulele, you can play these simple ukulele songs and be the life of the party! So, now you have a list of 10 easy songs to play on the ukulele, all requiring a maximum of 4 chords. You can watch play-along videos on YouTube for these songs and amaze everyone with your harmonious tunes at the next get-together! All the songs we discussed today are easy to learn on ukulele and with a little practice, you will be strumming your favourite tunes on the ukulele in no time!But wait, there is more! Here at Torrins, we’re passionate about making music accessible to everyone. For now, we have a wide variety of lessons on guitar songs, bass songs, and piano songs for learners to explore. To help you strum your way to musical mastery, we’re thrilled to announce that we’ll soon add ukulele lessons to our growing course library alongside our existing guitar lessons, bass lessons, and piano lessons! Stay tuned for the launch, and get ready to take your ukulele playing to the next level!
