Learn to play a Ukulele for beginners is a very common question. Actually, Ukulele is one of the rising string instruments which is now known as a serious one, as many people have started playing it.
If you are one of those who wants to learn Ukulele as a hobby or to simply impress someone, here is our short yet detailed guide on how to play a Ukulele for beginners for complete beginners which covers the basics of playing Ukulele.
Moreover, you will truly love reading this article and side by side learning Ukulele. Therefore, do read this article carefully and till last. Besides that, if you still don’t own one, check out this list of top 10 best Ukulele of 2024 so you would never regret your choice.
Knowing the basics of Ukulele-Ukulele for beginners
Firstly, we should pay attention towards the basics of playing Ukulele because no one in this world can learn anything without having any prior knowledge about it. Therefore, it’s important to learn the basics which are given below in this article.
Body structure Learning to Play
The body structure of the Ukulele consists of three major parts which are the body and neck. However, there are many more parts which are responsible for the sweet sound we have distinguished them further.
- Body
The body can be of any shape, mostly it’s the 8 shape but if you don’t like it, you can go for the box shape or the pineapple shape. The body consists of the sound hole, saddle and the bridge on which the strings are attached.
- Neck
The neck is the long part of the Ukulele which has strings on it. It has the fretboard and frets too which help in creating different notes. Moreover, at the top of the neck you will find the tuners which are used for loosening or tightening the strings.
We intend to solve your queries regarding how to play a Ukulele for beginners in short span of time. However, you will get a detailed post in coming few days.
Types of strings for easy playing of Ukulele
There are 4 types of strings on a Ukulele which are named G, C, E and A. They are not in alphabetical order but the G string is the closest one to the player and A string is the last one and far from the player. Here you will also learn how to tune a best ukulele for beginner. Similarly, you will come across the terms like “How to Strum a Ukulele”.
Your posture while learning ukulele (Very Important)
Here we are going to give you some tips by which you can easily learn Ukulele as posture makes a lot of difference while playing. If you don’t have a good posture, you won’t be able to play finely.
- Firstly, use your dominant hand, which is mostly right, to hold the neck. You have to hold it in such a way that it rests on your palm and your 4 fingers are free for pressing the strings.
- Bring the body of the Ukulele close to yours and gently press it as your left hand is free for plucking the strings.
- However, if you are a left-handed person, you can change the strings on the other side if you prefer.
Chords in Ukulele for Beginners – Learn to Play
There are in total 180 chords in Ukulele. However, it’s not possible to cover all of those in one blog and you will be left confused. Therefore, here are some of the basic majors and minors ukulele chords for beginners.
Also, you can learn how to make them. It will further help you to understand how to play the ukulele for beginners completely free.
Majors in Ukulele
- The C major is the easiest chord in Ukulele which can be played by pressing the third fret of A chord which is the farthest.
- The second easiest chord after C is the F major, which is played using the first fret of the E chord using your middle finger and second fret of the G chord using your pinky finger
- After these, here is a somehow easy yet difficult for beginners G major chord which is played pressing the second fret of the A chord as well as the C chord and the third fret of the E chord together.
Minors in ukulele
- The A minor chord is the easiest of all minors, you have to simply press the second fret of the G string
- For E minor press the second fret of the A string and fourth fret of the C string
- The B minor might be slightly tricky as you have to use all your 4 fingers and press the second fret of the C, E and A strings. Moreover, press the fourth fret of the G string.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the four basic chords in Ukulele?
The four basic chords in Ukulele are G, C, D and Em which will let you play hundreds of songs. Also, they are easy to remember and that’s why Ukulele is easy to learn as well.
How difficult is the Ukulele?
We will say the Ukulele is not at all difficult, in fact, it’s the easiest string instrument and you can easily learn it as compared to a guitar. The reason for it is the small size and easy handling of Ukulele.
Can I teach myself to play the Ukulele?
Absolutely yes, you can learn to play the Ukulele on your own if you have a good internet connection at your home. There are many free online tutorials available online which can help you in playing Ukulele.
What Ukulele should a beginner buy?
Beginners can do so for a soprano or a tenor Ukulele as they are small in size and the strings can be easily handled by people with small hands. Moreover, you can check out our article on the top 10 best Ukulele for beginners of 2024.
Conclusion
So that’s how you start playing a Ukulele. You might have understood that it’s easy to play one even if you don’t have any prior knowledge.
However, you should understand and remember the differences between the sounds of the chords and that’s how you will learn more about how to play a ukulele.
Lastly, we hope that this blog was helpful for you and you have understood the basics of playing Ukulele. We have put a lot of effort while writing it so we would like some appreciation from your side.