C
Ukulele · Standard0003
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Beginner ukulele chords
Four chords play a great many ukulele songs: C, Am, F and G. Learn them in this order, then four more, and at every step there is a progression made only of the chords you know, to play along with. The strings, top to bottom as you hold it: G, C, E and A.
1C and Am
Two one-finger chords to start: you can play along with a song on your first day.
Am
Ukulele · Standard2000
- C (0003): One finger: the ring finger on the A string at the third fret.
- Am (2000): One finger: the middle finger on the G string at the second fret.
C and Am
I | vi | I | vi
C to Am and back, four strums a bar.
2F
F is Am with one finger added, so the change from Am to F is only one finger.
F
Ukulele · Standard2010
- F (2010): Am with the first finger added on the E string at the first fret.
C, Am and F
I | vi | IV | I
C, Am, F, C: three chords and home.
3G
G is the first chord with three fingers. With it you have the four chords of a great many songs.
G
Ukulele · Standard0232
- G (0232): A small triangle: first finger on the C string at the second fret, middle on the A string at the second, ring on the E string at the third.
The four chords
I | V | vi | IV
C, G, Am, F: the loop of the four chord song.
4G7 and C7
Seventh chords pull to the next chord: G7 leads home to C, C7 leads on to F. Many old songs and Hawaiian tunes use them.
G7
Ukulele · Standard0212
C7
Ukulele · Standard0001
- G7 (0212): G with the ring finger lifted and the first finger on the E string at the first fret.
- C7 (0001): One finger: the first finger on the A string at the first fret.
C, C7, F and G7
I | I7 | IV | V7
C, C7, F, G7: each seventh pulls to the chord after it.
5Em and D
With Em and D the four chords move to G: G, D, Em and C, a key that suits many voices.
Em
Ukulele · Standard0432
D
Ukulele · Standard2220
- Em (0432): First finger on the A string at the second fret, middle on the E at the third, ring on the C at the fourth.
- D (2220): Three fingers in a row on the second fret of the G, C and E strings.
The four chords in G
I | V | vi | IV
G, D, Em, C: the same loop in G.
How to practise
- Tune first. An out-of-tune ukulele makes the right chord sound wrong: the ukulele tuner listens through your microphone.
- Practise the change, not the chord. Pick two chords and switch between them for one minute, counting the changes. Do it every day and keep the number: it climbs fast. The chord change trainer times it, counts it and keeps your scores.
- Fingertips, just behind the fret. Press with the very tips, close to the fret wire, knuckles bent so each finger touches only its own string.
- Slow and in time beats fast and stopping. Strum four down strums to a bar and change on the first, even if the new chord is not ready yet; then try the strumming patterns. The metronome keeps you honest; start at 60 beats a minute.
- A little every day. Ten minutes a day does more than an hour once a week, and is kinder to sore fingertips.
New to chord charts? How to read a chord chart explains the lines, dots and symbols, and how to read tab the numbers of tablature.
Print it
The beginner ukulele chord chart puts the first chords on one page to keep by your music stand, free as a PDF (A4 or US Letter). The chord chart maker makes a sheet of any chords you choose.
Where next
Play Christmas songs with the chords you know, bar by bar. Play the four chord songs in any key, see the chords in every key, use a capo to play these shapes in other keys, or browse chord progressions to play along with.
Questions
What are the first ukulele chords to learn?
C and Am, which need one finger each, then F and G. Those four play the four chord song and a great many others.
What is the easiest ukulele chord?
C: one finger on the A string at the third fret (0003). Am is as easy: one finger on the G string at the second fret (2000).
What are the four ukulele chords to learn first?
C, Am, F and G: 0003, 2000, 2010 and 0232.
How do I tune a ukulele?
The usual tuning is G, C, E, A, with the G string tuned high, above the C. The ukulele tuner on this site listens through your microphone and shows each string.
Why does my ukulele chord buzz?
A finger is too far from the fret or touching the next string. Press just behind the fret wire with the tip of the finger, and keep the knuckles bent.