How to Play the Ukulele

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Pin ItArticle EditDiscussThe ukulele is a Hawaiian instrument with a carefree, jaunty sound. It is pitched a fourth higher than the guitar (two and 1/2 steps). This guide will enable you to play the soprano, concert, or tenor ukulele in GCEA tuning.

Edit Steps

Choosing a Ukelele1Obtain a ukulele. An affordable, but not cheap ukulele will have a nice sound quality that will encourage practicing. Ukeleles come in four basic sizes, and the size correlates to: soprano, concert, tenor and baritone (with soprano being the smallest and baritone the largest).

The smallest ukelele, the soprano, is considered to be the standard ukelele.Test the fret spacing to see which you feel most comfortable with. Also, ask the retailer to play each one for you, to help you identify which sound you like the most.

Holding the Ukelele1Hold the ukulele properly. A good hold will be achieved as follows:

Place your thumb on the middle of the back of the neck, so you can easily slide it up and down for chord changes.Balance the ukulele on your stomach or your thigh if you are sitting.2Curve your fingers. When forming chords, you want to use curved fingers and the fleshy part of the tip of your finger, so you press down only the strings you want to press down. This also requires cutting your nails to avoid scratching the fretboard.

Tuning the Ukelele1Learn how to tune your ukulele. From the vantage point above the ukulele, the strings are G, C, E, and A. You can either download a tuning application from online, use a handheld tuner, or use a pitch pipe or online tuners to adjust these strings so they are the correct pitch.

Turning the key so that a string is tightened make the pitch higher, while loosening the string will make it flat.If you are comparing to a heard sound, you should hear no wavering while plucking a string for it to be in tune.

Starting Out with Chords1Learn to play chords. Chords are a combination of notes played at the same time. Right-handed players use their left hand for fretting and use their right hand for picking and strumming. The frets are the metal strips that run perpendicular to the strings. You actually press your finger down between the metal strips, not on them.

For example, if you're playing the third fret, you place your finger on the string between the second and third metal strip. The first fret is usually reserved for your first finger, second fret for second finger and so on. Place your finger as close to the fret as possible to create a good sound.2Keep testing positioning for your fingers. When you hold down multiple strings at once at different frets (to play chords), it can be a little tricky (especially if you have short, inflexible fingers). There are usually several different ways to position your fingers for the same chord, so research them and experiment to find which one feels most comfortable for you.3Practice chords from sight first. It's useful to buy a pocket chord book, until you have committed the more common to memory and even afterward it's will be a good reference for less common chords.Keep in mind that every time you move from one fret to another, the resulting pitch will be half a step higher or lower (i.e. "sharp" or "flat"). This is important for if you want to eventually read and play from sheet music.4Strum with your other hand. This motion can be very difficult to coordinate, and requires some practice. Every beat of a song can be divided into two--the beat and the offbeat. Use a downstroke on the beat and an upstroke off the beat. Strumming consists of patterns of these. (Keep in mind that you can choose not to strum at times but still make the downward or upward motion in order to keep time.) Make an effort to sweep across all of the strings with even pressure and steady speed.

You can use your thumb, index finger, or a felt pick to strum the ukulele. Fingernails or guitar picks will wear out plastic or gut strings very quickly.

Progressing to Songs1Learn to play a few songs. Once you're comfortable with chords, try actual songs. Start with a few very simple ones.Practice playing chords with a good sound, strumming with good rhythm, and switching smoothly from chord to chord. Begin at a slow tempo, and then bring the pitch up to speed.Many easy tabs for ukulele songs (or guitar songs arranged for ukulele) can be found on the internet.

Edit Video

This video will teach you some basics about ukulele nomenclature and how to play the song "White Sandy Beach".

Edit TipsDepending on written or video tutorials without the help of lessons from an experienced teacher could lead to bad habits that are difficult to reverse. While you may learn just as effectively without formal lessons, proper guidance from an experienced player may be useful to correct any personal playing problems.Ask a local music store for the best songs and for advice about suitable teachers.New strings that have not been stretched out are prone to going out of tune quickly. To avoid this, try leaving your ukulele strings very tight overnight to stretch them out.

Edit WarningsUkuleles are not to be played with guitar picks because these will wear out the strings. Use your fingers or a felt pick instead.Be careful not to drop your ukulele. It's fragile! Use a case for transporting it about.

Edit Things You'll NeedUkuleleTuner (optional)Felt pick (optional)

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