Ukulele Guides
Explore 43 free ukulele guides, from your first chords to strumming, fingerpicking, music theory and instrument care. Start with a complete beginner lesson or find help with one skill below.
New to ukulele? Start here
Learn to hold and tune your ukulele, read chord diagrams and start playing “Lava” with C, F and G7. Keep your ukulele nearby and work through the lesson at your own pace.
Explore the seven-step beginner path
Want more help with a step? Follow these guides in order or jump to the skill you need.
- How to hold a ukulele Find a comfortable position that leaves your hands free to move.
- Tune your ukulele Learn GCEA tuning and how to check each string.
- Read chord diagrams Understand the strings, frets, dots and finger numbers.
- Ukulele chords for beginners Build C, Am, F and G, then add more useful shapes.
- Ultimate strumming guide Practice the motion and hear the rhythm patterns.
- Play your first song Choose a song and work through its chord changes.
- Easy ukulele songs Find a familiar song with chords you know.
Find a ukulele guide
Getting started
Your ukulele just arrived. Get oriented, in tune and ready to play.
How to play ukulele
Learn to tune, play your first chords and start a song in one beginner lesson.
Top 10 beginner tips
The things every new player should know on day one.
Parts of the ukulele
Nut, saddle, frets, bridge: what each piece does.
How to hold a ukulele
Find a comfortable position that leaves your hands free to move.
Tune your ukulele
Learn GCEA tuning and how to check each string.
Warm-up exercises
Five easy stretches to loosen stiff fingers before you play.
Sore fingers & calluses
Why fingertips hurt at first and how long it lasts.
Play your first song
Go from a few chords to a whole song, start to finish.
Chords
Read, build and switch the chord shapes behind every song.
Read chord diagrams
Understand the strings, frets, dots and finger numbers.
Basic chords to know
Build C, Am, F and G, then add more useful shapes.
Simplify hard chords
5 tricks to skip the tough shapes and still sound right.
Faster chord changes
Five techniques to switch chords smoothly and in time.
Play bar chords
Technique and exercises for clean, ringing bar shapes.
How to play the E chord
The chord that scares everyone, broken down.
Seventh chords
The three 7th families, with the easy shapes that pay off fast.
Playing the ukulele
Strumming, picking and the skills that turn chords into songs.
Ultimate strumming guide
Patterns, technique and sound examples for every level.
Sing and play at once
Get past the wall of strumming and singing together.
Ultimate fingerpicking guide
Patterns, technique and practice tips for clean, expressive fingerpicked playing.
Read ukulele tablature
Unlock thousands of melody arrangements that chord sheets cannot capture.
Ukulele capo guide
When, why and how to use a capo to unlock new keys.
Practice with a metronome
Build steady time without making practice boring.
Ukulele harmonics
Bell-like tones produced with a feather-light touch.
Theory
Keys, scales and tunings: understand what you are playing and why.
Songwriting with keys
Pick chords that fit a key and write your own songs from scratch.
Transposing to any key
Move any song into a key that suits your voice or your hands.
Unlock scales for soloing
Scales, melody and your first steps into improvising on the fretboard.
Different tunings
Low-G, baritone, slack: what each one does and when to use them.
Low-G vs high-G
What changes, how each one sounds and which tuning to pick.
Strings & care
Keep your ukulele sounding and feeling its best.
Take care of your ukulele
Cleaning, humidity and storage habits that add years of life.
Fix buzz or rattle
Diagnose the buzz from nut, saddle, frets or fingering.
Why it won't stay in tune
Six reasons your uke drifts sharp or flat, and the fixes.
Best ukulele strings
Which strings to buy for soprano, concert, tenor and baritone.
Restringing your ukulele
Step-by-step from old strings off to new ones in tune.
Buying a ukulele
Picking the right uke for your budget, size and goals.
Ultimate buying guide
Sizes, woods, brands and prices: everything you need to know before you buy.
Ukulele sizes compared
Soprano vs concert vs tenor vs baritone, side by side.
Best cheap ukulele
Solid budget options that punch above their price.
Why a baritone
Bigger body, guitar-like tuning, warmer tone. Is it for you?
Gear & accessories
Straps, pickups and getting around with your ukulele.
Strap, yes or no?
When a strap helps and how to attach one without drilling.
Travel with a ukulele
Airline tips, cases and what to expect at security.
Electrify your ukulele
Pickups, plugging in and going louder when you need to.
Good to know
Comparisons, background and the lighter side of uke life.
Ukulele vs guitar
How the two instruments differ in feel, tone and learning curve.
Health benefits
How playing improves mood, memory and finger dexterity.
How to teach kids ukulele
A step-by-step method for parents and teachers introducing little hands to the uke.
Ukulele history
From Portuguese sailors to Hawaii to a global craze.
Can't find what you need?
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