... Or rather learn the five most commonly used chords - and with a little practice, you'll quickly be ready to play the biggest hits ukulele-style.

What is a ukulele?


Ukulele is a compact string instrument originally from Hawaii. Due to their size and price, they are popular among children and adults - and even the gloomiest song becomes a bit cozy on a ukulele.


The most well-known and popular ukulele is the soprano ukulele, but it's actually the smallest of the ukulele sizes. If you want an instrument with a bit more resonance and better finger space, you can advantageously use a concert ukulele, which is slightly larger. They sound fuller, and if you have large hands, it's easier to get finger space on the fretboard. There are also tenor and baritone ukuleles, which are larger, but they are not as popular here at home.


A ukulele uses nylon strings like a Spanish guitar, so it doesn't require much pressure to press them down. Unlike a guitar, however, a ukulele has only 4 strings and they are tuned completely differently - so the chords are also different. 

How to Tune a Ukulele?

A ukulele tunes to the notes gCEA, but unlike a guitar, where the strings are arranged from lowest to highest, the first string is the second highest in tone. This is among other things what gives the ukulele its bright sound. 
It's much easier to tune the ukulele with a clip-on tuner than with your ears, so it's a good idea to get a tuner along with the ukulele.

Five Easy Ukulele Chords

The five chords you get in this guide are C, A minor, F, Em7, and G. The first two can be managed with one finger, F and Em7 require two fingers, and for G, you need three fingers in action. At the same time, it's lucky that the five chords go well together, so you can use them to play a lot of songs!


The chord diagrams below are read as a 'picture' of the ukulele fretboard (where you place your fingers). The horizontal lines are the ukulele's frets (the metal bars under the strings) and the vertical lines are the strings. If there's a dot on the string, it should be pressed down - a good tip is just to go for it - the first couple of chords are pretty easy to make sound good!


1. C Chord (C Major)


Basic finger position for the C chord on ukulele is to place the ring finger on the second fret of the A string - the one that points down towards the floor. You can also start with using the index finger, but in the long run, it's easier to switch to the other chords if you use the ring finger.


2. Am Chord (A Minor)

Here, you get to use just one finger again - enjoy it while it lasts ;) The most used finger for Am is the ring finger, but again, you can start with the index finger.

3. F Major Chord

With F Major, you'll need to use two fingers. Use the ring finger for the 2nd fret on the G string and the index finger for the 1st fret on the E string (here it starts to make sense why you use the ring finger for the A minor chord).


4. Em7 Chord (E Minor 7)

Em7, like F Major, uses two fingers. Here, you need to use the index finger for the 2nd fret on the C string and the ring finger for the 2nd fret on the A string.


5. G Chord

As the last chord in this beginner's guide, you'll need to get three fingers in play. First, you reuse the fingers from Em7 - 2nd fret on the C string and ring finger on the 2nd fret on the A string - and finally, you need the index finger on the 3rd fret on the E string. Initially, it can be difficult to get all the strings to sound correctly - especially on a soprano ukulele, there isn't much space, but with practice, it's possible - even for the largest hands!

Tips for Learning Ukulele Chords


Once you've got the chords under your fingers, the next step is to practice switching between them quickly. It's just a matter of practice, as your fingers need to get into muscle memory where the different chords are located. The good thing is, as you get chords in place, it becomes easier and easier to learn new chords.


From here, we wish you enjoyment with playing the ukulele! As mentioned, there are incredibly many songs you can dive into with these five chords. Many chord websites allow you to transpose songs - if you transpose to the key of C major or A minor, it matches the five chords in this guide. The last chords in the key are B minor and D minor - you can quickly find a chord chart online when you're ready to move on with more chords - but it's a good idea to get the first five in place first, as it makes it much easier to move on!