The ukulele, a member of the lute family, is extremely easy to play. If anyone wants to learn how to play the guitar, they should start by learning how to play the ukulele. The ukulele has four nylon strings, which makes it very simple to learn and lets the ukulele player play the basic chords.

Today, we will show you some easy ukulele songs for beginners that you can try out. Maybe the simplicity of these songs will motivate you and give you the push you need to start learning how to play the ukulele.

Some easy ukulele songs can help you understand the chords of the ukulele. Besides, one thing is for sure: Once a person learns to play the basics, the rest of the learning process feels like a piece of cake.

For a beginner, we want to tell you one thing. While learning the strumming pattern, it will always be written using the symbols D, U, and –. Here, the “D” represents down strum, “U” represents up, and “–“ is for a pause.

So, let us start exploring the world of the ukulele and the easy songs to play on the ukulele that you can learn as a beginner.

8 Easy Ukulele Songs For Beginners

1. I’m Yours by Jason Mraz

This is a charming song with a groovy vibe to it. We added this song to the list because you will understand when to transition from one chord to another when you learn how to play this basic ukulele song. You will also know how you will have to play the strings with a bit of a transition between strong and loose finger strokes, technically known as the strum.

If you watch the tutorial to this song, you will understand when to go for the strong strum and the loose strum. Besides that, the understanding of the rhythm of the strong and loose strum will also become clear to you. Once you understand the chords to use and the strum pattern, playing it on the ukulele is easy! So, what do you think, should we give this song a try? If the answer is yes, here is a tutorial to it:

Chords Used

There are four chords used in this song. The chords are “Am,” “C,” “F,” and “G.”

2. Happy Birthday Song

Just like everyone can sing the Happy Birthday song, everyone who has access to a ukulele can play the Happy Birthday song on it. It is that simple! People always get delighted when you sing them the Happy Birthday song, but what will make it unique is when you play it on a musical instrument along with singing it.

For a beginner, singing and playing the ukulele might seem like a challenge. That is why you need to practice playing the song on the ukulele and later practice singing along to it.

Learning the strum pattern and the chords used in it is easy. The bonus point will be if you have learned how to play the chords. The ukulele doesn’t have many chords. Once you master playing those chords, not only the Happy Birthday song, but all songs will be easy for you to play. You will just need to understand and practice the strum pattern.

For the whole happy birthday song, there is only one strumming pattern that will be repeated on different chords, and that pattern is D – D U D U. Isn’t that simple! The tutorial for this song is:

Chords Used

There are three chords used in this song: “C,” “G,” “F.”

3. Ocean Eyes by Billie Eilish

Billie Eilish is very popular because of her songs. I am telling you this because she might be of interest to you since you like to play the ukulele. She wrote many of her songs while playing the ukulele. That is why most of her songs can be easily played on the ukulele. She has performed the song Ocean Eyes while playing the ukulele. The tuning you need on your ukulele for playing this song is the standard tuning of G – C – E – A.

The chords used in this song are very simple, as are the strum patterns. There are two different sections of these songs which have a different core progression. The core progression for the intro, verses, and chorus of the song for the first section is slightly different from the second section. If you are interested in learning how to play Ocean Eyes by Billie Eilish, we have found the perfect tutorial for you to learn from. The link to it is:

Chords Used

This song uses four chords as well. The chords are: “C,” “D,” “Em,” “G.”

4. Can’t Help Falling in Love With You by Elvis Presley

Can’t Help Falling in Love With You is another one of the slow and relaxing songs. Not only is this song an emotional one and touches the hearts of people when singing, but it is also a very sensitive song to play on the ukulele.

The song reminds people of their loved ones and how they have a significant impact on one’s life. The thing about slow and soft songs is that you can play them very quickly on the ukulele, and it sounds beautiful beyond comparison to any other song.

By learning a few chords, the strum pattern, and the core progression of this song, you can sing this song to your lover at a romantic dinner and surprise them. I am sure they will be in awe of you after this romantic gesture.

Following a simple tutorial at first and only practicing it with a ukulele and then learning to sing along while playing the ukulele, that is all you need to make a person fall in love with you all over again! Here is a tutorial for playing this song on the ukulele:

Chords Used

There are four basic chords used in this song. They are “C,” “G,” “Am,” and “F.”

5. Lovely by Billie Eilish

Here are another one of the slow and easy songs to play on the ukulele. Billie Eilish has made masterpieces when it comes to music. Lovely is one of her most popular songs. This song has a depth of emotion to it. People would like this song for the emotions and the relaxed rhythm of the music. What would increase the attraction of this song is if it is played on a ukulele. And we have good news for you! As a beginner, you can master this song very quickly.

All you need to do is go through the chords a few times, learn the strum pattern, and then the core progression. This is all it takes to master the song. This song is so easy to play. The tutorial we found for you to learn this song has some fingerpicking patterns in it as well. This will help you to learn how to play this song with the strumming pattern as well as the fingerpicking pattern. The tutorial is as follows:

Chords Used

There are three chords for playing this song. The chords are “C,” “Em,” “Bm.”

6. Fret Trainer

Next up on the list of easy ukulele songs for beginners is Adore You by Harry Styles. This song will impress all the One Direction fans if you play it in front of them, especially the girls. It is extremely easy to learn and to play! With the help of a simple tutorial, you will play this song effortlessly on your ukulele. You simply need your ukulele to be in the standard tuning of G – C – E– A.

The strum pattern is very easy for this song as well. It does not have any ups in it. The strum pattern is D – T D – D T D. There is no variation in the strumming pattern for verses, chorus, or intro. The entire song has only one strumming pattern that I have mentioned above.

Playing this song on the ukulele is a very fun and enjoyable feeling. Once you learn to play this song, you will be able to take one step forward in learning the ukulele.

After learning this song, you can even go for the medium-level ukulele songs. As I mentioned before, the right tutorial can help you learn this song. Here is a tutorial for you:

Chords Used

There are three chords used in this song. The chords are “Am,” “C,” “F.”

7. Changes by XXXTentacion

Although the ukulele is mostly used to play happy songs that are filled with joy and sometimes romance, playing Changes by XXXTentacion on the ukulele is something you must try out even though it is a sad song. Trust me. You will learn a lot about playing the ukulele. You will specifically learn and practice strong strums and normal strums. The tuning required for this song is the standard G – C – E – A here, just like all the other songs we have mentioned above.

Change is something one always needs. Playing a sad song on the ukulele will not only help you enjoy the experience but will also provide you with the opportunity of learning. The basic strum pattern of this song consists of only down strums with a variety of strong and regular strums.

The core progression of this song is also very easy, as there are only three chords involved in this song. If you are interested in playing this song, but you don’t know which tutorial can help you learn this song, I have got you covered on this one as well. Here is the tutorial to Changes by XXXTentacion:

Chords Used

The three chords used in this song are “C,” “Am,” and “Em.”

8. Demons by Imagine Dragons

A little bit of an enthusiastic song that fills people with energy is the Demons by Imagine Dragons. It would help if you tried this song out for learning purposes. Music from different genres will help you develop your ukulele playing skills.

The original song Demons by Imagine Dragon has very loud music that overcomes the listener. Yet, the ukulele version of this song may want the people who have a taste for softer music like this song. As a beginner, you can learn the ukulele playing art as well as explore different genres of music after trying out many variations of happy, slow, soft, romantic, and funloving songs.

Again, the ukulele has to be in the standard tuning of G – C – E – A for this song as well. The core progression for this song is the same uniform pattern throughout the song, which makes it very easy to practice and play. To make this song easier, the strumming pattern for this entire song is the same as well. You don’t need to learn two or more different strums for a single song.

Just practice the song on the ukulele first and then sing along while playing it. Here is a tutorial link for this song:

Chords Used

There are four different chords used for playing this song. The chords are “C,” “G,” “Am,” “F.”

Conclusion

If you have a ukulele, but you didn’t know where to start learning, we have solved that problem by showing you the easy ukulele songs for beginners. Now, grab your ukulele and start learning from these tutorials and impress the people around you with the attention-grabbing music.

If you are still looking for a ukulele, do check our ukulele 101 guides featuring all the different ukulele brands or the best ukuleles review by our team.

Nothing can stop you from learning now. Start with the basic ukulele songs. Once you master the easy songs to play on the ukulele, you can move towards the more difficult songs and develop your ukulele playing skills.

We hope you will have learned to play the ukulele before this Christmas and will play the ukulele for your whole family on the happy occasion of Christmas.