How to Play “Riptide” on Ukulele
by Jonas
Riptide by Vance Joy is the ukulele song, three chords and a strum you can learn tonight. Here is exactly how to play it, the one bit that trips people up and how to sound like the record.
If there is one song that belongs to the ukulele, it is Riptide. Vance Joy built his 2013 breakout hit around a strummed uke, so unlike most songs you learn, this one sounds exactly right on four strings, no compromises. It is also gloriously simple. If you can hold three chords, you can play Riptide tonight.
What chords do you need for Riptide?
Three carry the whole thing. The verse and chorus cycle through Am, G and C. The chorus adds an Fmaj7, and there is a single A major in one spot. Fmaj7 is the one shape here that gives beginners trouble, so if it fights you, play a plain F instead. It sounds right and it is exactly what the song page’s simplify button swaps in.
Main chords in this song: Am – G – C – Fmaj7 (or F) – A
The song page has the full lyrics with the chords in the right spots, plus diagrams and auto-scroll. New to these shapes? The basic chords guide gets Am, G and C under your fingers in an evening.
What is the strumming pattern?
The song page suggests the island strum, the classic ukulele rhythm that makes Riptide sound like the record. Tap “hear it” on the sheet to play it back and strum along. If that is too much while you are still finding the chords, the sheet also gives you a simpler down-up (d u d u), start there and add the island strum once the changes are smooth. Do not chase the fancy pattern before the chords are clean, a steady simple strum beats a fussy one that keeps stalling. There is more on feel in the ultimate strumming guide.
What is the tricky part?
Two small things. The verse moves Am to G to C over and over, fairly quickly, so the song lives or dies on clean, fast chord changes, which happens to be the most useful skill on the ukulele and Riptide is the perfect drill for it. The other is the Fmaj7 in the chorus, the one shape that trips beginners up, so swap in a plain F while you build up to it. Practice the Am-G-C loop slowly until your fingers stop thinking; the faster chord changes guide speeds it up.
Can a beginner learn it?
Absolutely, it is one of the first songs I recommend to anyone. Three easy chords, a repeating pattern and a melody you already know. If Riptide is your first-ever song, you have picked well. When you land it, the whole easy ukulele songs archive opens up, because the Am-G-C move powers a hundred other tunes.
Frequently asked questions
What are the ukulele chords for Riptide?
Am, G and C run through the verse and chorus, with an Fmaj7 in the chorus and a single A major. Fmaj7 is the trickiest, so a plain F works as an easy swap. The full sheet is on the Riptide song page.
Do you need a capo to play Riptide on ukulele?
Not for the sheet as written. The UkuTabs arrangement is in Am for easier chords, which sits one half step below the recording, so to play along with the actual track, hit +1 on the transposer or capo the 1st fret. The song page notes this too.
Is Riptide a good first ukulele song?
One of the best. It was written on a ukulele, it uses three easy chords and the repeating changes are exactly the skill every beginner needs to build anyway.
Why does Riptide sound so good on ukulele?
Because it started there. Vance Joy wrote and recorded it around a strummed ukulele, so playing it on a uke is playing the real arrangement, not a stripped-down cover.
That is genuinely all there is to it. Loop those three chords until the changes are smooth, add the strum, and you are playing one of the defining ukulele songs of the last decade. Then go find your next one in the easy songs.
