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Easy ukulele songs for beginners

The fastest way to enjoy a new ukulele is to play a real song as soon as you can. These are grouped by how many chords they ask for — start with two, get comfortable, then add one shape at a time. Every chord is drawn for you and links to the full chord chart.

How to use this list

  1. Pick a two-chord song you actually know the tune of — humming along makes the timing obvious.
  2. Drill the change between its two chords with the one-minute switch trainer until it feels automatic.
  3. Strum a steady down-beat and sing or hum. Don’t chase a fancy strum yet — keep the chords landing on time.
  4. When two chords feel easy, move down to the three- and four-chord lists. Same songs, more colour.

Two-chord songs

The whole point of two chords: you only ever make one switch, over and over. Get C and G7 changing cleanly and this entire list opens up.

Chords you’ll need:

  1. Iko IkotraditionalC F
  2. Achy Breaky HeartBilly Ray CyrusC G7
  3. Tom DooleyKingston TrioC G7
  4. Jambalaya (On the Bayou)Hank WilliamsC G7
  5. Buffalo GalstraditionalC G7
  6. Row, Row, Row Your BoattraditionalC G7
  7. He's Got the Whole WorldtraditionalC G7
  8. Shoo Fly, Don't Bother MetraditionalC G7

Three-chord songs

Add one more shape and you’ve unlocked a staggering amount of music. C – F – G is the holy trinity of folk, blues and early rock’n’roll.

Chords you’ll need:

  1. Three Little BirdsBob MarleyC F G
  2. Twist and ShoutThe BeatlesC F G
  3. La BambaRitchie ValensC F G
  4. Brown Eyed GirlVan MorrisonC F G
  5. You Are My SunshinetraditionalC F G7
  6. Bad Moon RisingCreedence Clearwater RevivalC F G
  7. Ring of FireJohnny CashC F G
  8. RiptideVance JoyAm G C
  9. Leaving on a Jet PlaneJohn DenverC F G

Four-chord songs

The famous “four chords” — C G Am F — are behind an almost unfair number of pop hits. Learn this loop and you can fake your way through songs you’ve never practised.

Chords you’ll need:

  1. Let It BeThe BeatlesC G Am F
  2. No Woman, No CryBob MarleyC G Am F
  3. With or Without YouU2C G Am F
  4. I'm YoursJason MrazC G Am F
  5. Someone Like YouAdeleC G Am F
  6. Stand By MeBen E. KingC Am F G
  7. Hey, Soul SisterTrainC G Am F

A note on keys & capos

The chords listed here are the easiest beginner key for each song, which won’t always match the original recording — artists pick keys to suit their voice, not your fretting hand. If a song sits too high or low for you to sing, that’s normal. The shapes still teach you the song; matching the record exactly can wait.

Ukuleles don’t commonly use a capo, so everything above is playable with open chords straight out of the box.

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