This 2nd Ukulele lesson is meant to be for ukulele players that have already checked out my first Ukulele lesson – the basics.
We will be using many of the open chords to play a bunch of songs , and there is some single note melodies to play as well. So let’s get started!
La Bamba – Richie Valens
This famous song is great because it’s easy to just play the chords, but as you get better you can add in the melodic part as well. Below are the chords that happen for the whole song – C , F , and G. Below that combines the melody and the chords at the same time. At first practice just the chords and then add in a little strumming to fill things out.
Happy Birthday
This classic melody is nice to learn because everyone knows how it goes- and there’s always someones birthday coming up for you to play for them!
You can play this melody in any key but I chose ‘A Major’ for its ease on the Uke. The video is in the same key for your reference.
Let It Be – The Beatles
This is a great song for a beginner. Its slower tempo make it a great piece to work on.
You’ll have to have your G chord pretty good but besides that it’s smooth sailing.
Start by playing whole notes to give you more time to switch the chords but then try and fill out the rhythm once you are able to.
Brown Eyed Girl – Van Morrison
Here’s another oldie but a goodie.
The melody at the beginning is really fun and easy to play, and it’s a pretty famous melody as well. Use this melody to practice using different fingers- I use my first, 3rd and pinkie to play this.
The chord work for the verse and chorus are pretty straight forward. The verse is 3 chords and repeats many times, as they tend to do. It’s a good workout for your open G chord, so you’ll need to have that shape down.
Also the D major open chord is a little tricky, but do your best.
The chorus uses the same chords as the verse but adds E minor into the mix, which is not too hard to play at all.
Once you are a pro at switching you can start to add some strums to fill out the rhythm.
The Sailors Hornpipe – Folk Melody (excerpt)
This is a familiar melody and I’ve always liked it for its light and lively nature.
I have altered the key and the phrasing from this recording to make it a little easier for the beginner / intermediate player.
Most people know this one, so it’s fun to play it for people – it will give them a smile!
My Girl – The Temptations
Once again, a familiar melody for the intro and verse. Like Brown Eyed Girl, this is a good practice of playing single notes.
During the intro the guitar plays the phrase on ‘C’ twice before starting the verse melody below.
If getting the melody is a stretch you can play the chords written about the melody – that will get you going on this song.
During the pre chorus and chorus the melody goes away, so you can play these chords.
As with all the other examples fill out the rhythm once you can make the changes easily. Copy the rhythms you hear in the recording and strive to be able to play with the recordings.
Thanks so much for learning with me! I hope you found some things to play in this lesson. I have another Ukulele lesson on moveable shapes and there are some more songs to play in that lesson as well.
Here’s a video where I go through all the TAB examples.