Easy ukulele chords for beginners

Summary

Mix and match activities to create a fun lesson in which students will learn the easiest chords on the ukulele (C, Am and F) and practice playing them in a popular song. Integrate Solfeg.io in teaching the basics of ukulele playing.

💻 Materials:

• Solfeg.io web app best used with Chrome browser
• Projector or computer and access to WIFI
• Ukuleles
• Mobile devices with the Solfeg.io mobile app installed (optional)

🎲 Activities included:

• Learning the C chord
• Playing the C chord in a song
• Learning the Am chord
• Combining C and Am chords in a song
• Learning the F chord
• Combining C, Am & F chords in a song

Introduction to the song

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Get familiar with the chosen song
• Recognize instruments in a song
• Describe the characteristics of a song

🎶 Recommended Songs:

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🎲 Activity:

• Select a song that students like the best from the suggestion list.
• Project the song onto a screen. Click on 'Ukulele' under 'Tools' - 'Visuals' so that the ukulele chord diagrams are visible.
• Listen to a part of the song, for example, the chorus and shortly discuss it with the class.

What instruments do you hear?

Is there a ukulele played in this song?

What is the tempo, mood and genre of the song?

Chord diagrams

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Learn to read the chord diagrams

🎶 Recommended Songs:

🎲 Activity:

-Take a look at the chord diagrams at the bottom of the song player.

-Explain how to read them:

• The horizontal lines represent the strings. At the top you can see the string which is at the bottom when playing the ukulele - the A/1st string.
• The vertical lines indicate the frets.
• The dots indicate where the left hand fingers should be placed on the ukulele.
• The numbers inside the dots indicate which finger should be pressed:

1 - index finger

2 - middle finger

3 - ring finger

4 - pinky

-When the left hand fingers are pressed at the indicated places, all four strings should be strummed downwards with the right thumb.

Play the C chord

🕐 Time: 10 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Learn to play the C chord on the ukulele

🎶 Recommended Songs:

🎲 Activity:

• Distribute ukuleles to students. If there's one for each student - perfect! If you have less ukuleles than students, distribute one instrument to a small group of students - they will have to take turns when playing.
• Click on 'C' under 'Tools' - 'Chords' so that the Solfeg.io fretboard showing the C chord is visible.
• Tell your students to play the C chord on their ukuleles with their left hand. To play that chord, students should place their 3rd finger on the 1st string, 3rd fret. Then strum downwards with their right thumb.
• Let them practice the chord and get familiar with it!
• Play the intro of the song and listen to it with your students.
• Tell the students that they will now have to try to play the C chord in this song.
• The rules are simple - as soon as the C chord passes the red line - play it! Other chords should be omitted now.
• Press play and let them practice the C chord in indicated part of the selected song (you can also press the loop button in the controls so that the selected section would repeat multiple times):

drivers license: verse 1, verse 2 and/or verse 3

Savage Love: chorus 1 and post-chorus 1

Without You: chorus 1

Play the Am chord

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Learn to play the Am chord on the ukulele

🎶 Recommended Songs:

🎲 Activity:

• Click on 'Am' under 'Tools' - 'Chords' so that the Solfeg.io fretboard showing the Am chord is visible.
• To play the Am chord, students should place their 2nd finger on the 4th string, 2nd fret. Then strum downwards with their right thumb.
• Let them practice the chord and get familiar with it!

Combine C & Am chord

🕐 Time: 10 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Learn to play the C & Am chord on the ukulele

🎶 Recommended Songs:

🎲 Activity:

• Tell students that they will have to play the C and Am chords in this song.
• Look at the song and play C and Am chords when they pass the red line
• Play the indicated section of the song and let them practice the chords and get familiar with it! You can also press the loop button in the controls so that the selected section would repeat multiple times:

drivers license: verse 1, verse 2 and/or verse 3

Savage Love: chorus 1 and post-chorus 1

Without You: chorus 1

• Depending on the chosen song, take a look which chord students have to play first:

drivers license: C, then Am (leave out F)

Savage Love: Am, (leave out F), C (leave out G)

Without You: Am, (leave out F), C (leave G out)

Play the F chord

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Learn to play the F chord on the ukulele

🎶 Recommended Songs:

🎲 Activity:

• Click on 'F' under 'Tools' - 'Chords' so that the Solfeg.io fretboard showing the C chord is visible.
• To play the F chord, students should place their 1st finger on the 2nd string, 1st fret, then add 2nd finger on the 4th string, 2nd fret. Then strum downwards with their right thumb.
• Let them practice the chord and get familiar with it!

All chords together

🕐 Time: 10 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Play switching between easy chords in a song

🎶 Recommended Songs:

🎲 Activity:

• Now, each student will play all three/two chords in the song.
• Play the chord combination of the chosen song.

Explain that when switching between Am and F, you only have to add the index finger.

• Play the part of the song and invite students to play along.

If you need to slow down the song, press “﹣” on the left side of the “Play” button.

• If the song features the G chord, you can play it yourself or simply leave it out.

Switch chords

🕐 Time: 10 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Play easy chords in a song of choice
• Practice ensemble playing skills

🎶 Recommended Songs:

🎲 Activity:

• Divide the class into three groups.
• Assign a different chord (C, Am or F) to each group and explain that the students will have to strum only this chord when the chord symbol appears at the red line on the screen.
• Play the part of the song and invite students to play along.

If you need to slow down the song, press “﹣” on the left side of the “Play” button.

• Assign another chord to each group and play the part of the song again.
• If the song features the G chord, you can play it yourself or simply leave it out.

Reflection

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Reflect on the learning process

🎲 Activity:

• Ask these questions to the class and have a short discussion

What did you like the most in this lesson?

What was challenging in this lesson?

What other songs would you like to learn to play on the ukulele?

Homework assignment

🕐 Time: 3 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Practice combining easy chords on the ukulele
• Consolidate the concepts learned in the lesson

🎲 Activity:

Challenge students to go beyond the lesson by…

• Learning to play another song from the suggestion list.
• Learning the missing chord to play the full song

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