Ukulele Song Tutorials: Chords, Strums and Picking
To learn a song on ukulele, practice the chord changes first, then the strum, then put them together slowly with the words. These step-by-step tutorials teach three public-domain waltzes – Amazing Grace, Home on the Range and Silent Night – using C, C7, F, G7, Am and G, with a strum-along and a fingerpicking pattern.
Updated · By the Classfern Music Department
Works in the UK and the US. This version uses US music words (measure, quarter note, staff); the UK version uses bar, crotchet and stave. · UK version of this page
Key facts
- 3 tutorials: Amazing Grace, Home on the Range and Silent Night, all public domain and all in 3/4 waltz time.
- Chords: C, C7, F, G7, plus Am and G in Amazing Grace.
- Strumming: a waltz strum – down, down-up, down-up; Silent Night also gets a fingerpicking pattern.
- Tuning: standard G C E A.
How do you learn a song on ukulele?
Learn a ukulele song in three layers: first the chord changes on their own with one down-strum each, then the strumming pattern on one chord, then both together with the words. Play along slowly with the strum-along, and only speed up when every change lands on time.
- List the chords and check you can play each one cleanly.
- Practice the changes in the order they come, four slow strums each.
- Learn the strum on one chord.
- Put it together with the strum-along at 60 beats a minute.
- Add the words once your hand keeps going without stopping.
Chord boxes and strum-along
Sounds are made in your browser. This tool never uses the microphone.
Every chord on this page, for standard G C E A tuning. The strum-along plays the song’s chords one measure each, with drums and bass, at a speed you choose. Pick a song from the list or press a “Strum along” button.
| Chord | G C E A |
|---|---|
| C | 0 0 0 3 |
| C7 | 0 0 0 1 |
| F | 2 0 1 0 |
| Am | 2 0 0 0 |
| G | 0 2 3 2 |
| G7 | 0 2 1 2 |
How do you play Amazing Grace on ukulele?
Play Amazing Grace on ukulele with six chords – C, C7, F, Am, G and G7 – in 3/4 waltz time, one chord per measure. The song starts on C, moves to C7 on “grace” and F on “sweet”, and ends G7 to C on “now I see”.
Amazing Grace
A[C]mazing [C7]grace, how [F]sweet the [C]sound
That saved a [Am]wretch like [G]me. [G7]
I [C]once was [C7]lost, but [F]now am [C]found,
Was [Am]blind, but [G7]now I [C]see.
Strum: waltz – “1 2 3”: down on 1, down-up on 2 and 3. Start with three down-strums a measure.
Chord order, one per measure: C – C7 – F – C – C – Am – G – G7 – C – C7 – F – C – Am – G7 – C – C.
How do you strum a waltz on ukulele?
To strum a waltz on ukulele, count “1 2 3” in each measure and strum down on 1, then down-up on 2 and down-up on 3. A simpler start is three down-strums with a stronger first one. Waltzes such as Amazing Grace, Home on the Range and Silent Night all use this.
In the strum-along choose Waltz (3/4) as the beat (the song buttons do this for you), then pick a strumming pattern. Keep your wrist loose and move your hand down and up all the time.
How do you play Home on the Range on ukulele?
Home on the Range uses four ukulele chords – C, C7, F and G7 – in waltz time. The verse goes C, C7, F, then C and G7; the chorus starts on G7 (“Home, home on the range”) and returns to C. The words are by Brewster Higley (1872), so the song is public domain.
Home on the Range
Oh, give me a [C]home where the [C7]buffalo [F]roam,
Where the [C]deer and the antelope [G7]play,
Where [C]seldom is [C7]heard a dis[F]couraging word,
And the [C]skies are [G7]not cloudy all [C]day.
[G7]Home, home on the [C]range,
Where the deer and the antelope [G7]play,
Where [C]seldom is [C7]heard a dis[F]couraging word,
And the [C]skies are [G7]not cloudy all [C]day.
Strum: waltz, as for Amazing Grace. The chorus starts on G7 – change before “Home”.
How do you play Silent Night on ukulele?
Silent Night on ukulele needs three chords – C, F and G7 – and is played in 3/4 time. Start on C, change to G7 on “All is calm”, to F on “Round yon virgin”, and finish with G7 to C on “heavenly peace”. It sounds lovely fingerpicked.
Silent Night
[C]Silent night, holy night,
[G7]All is calm, [C]all is bright
[F]Round yon virgin [C]mother and child.
[F]Holy infant so [C]tender and mild,
[G7]Sleep in heavenly [C]peace,
Sleep in [G7]heavenly [C]peace.
Fingerpick: thumb (4th string), index (3rd), middle (2nd), ring (1st), middle, index – 6 plucks a measure, two for each beat.
English words by John Freeman Young (1859); tune by Franz Xaver Gruber (1818).
Practice lesson: Amazing Grace on ukulele
A short practice lesson on the Classfern lesson engine. Each step says how it is assessed:
- Self-assessed – the playing steps and the “I can” checklist.
- Judged by a teacher or parent (rubric) – a three-line rubric for a grown-up who listens.
- Evidence kept at home – a recording on your own device; Classfern only keeps a list.
Why are some popular songs not taught here?
Classfern only prints chords and words for songs in the public domain. Most popular songs from films, radio and the charts of the last hundred years are still in copyright, so learn those from a licensed songbook. The skills on this page – changing chords on time, the waltz strum and fingerpicking – carry straight over. Classfern’s free ukulele tutorials on lessonplanner.info run in your browser.
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