Hear the Chord

Ukulele chords for beginners

Start with C, Am, F and G. C and Am need one finger each, and the four together play the chords of a huge number of songs. Then add G7, C7, Em and D. Tap any chord to hear it.

Diagrams show the strings G, C, E, A from left to right, as if the ukulele were standing up facing you. Numbers are fingers: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 pinky; an o means the string rings open. The code under each diagram lists the fret for each string in the same order.

The first four, and why in this order

  1. C is one finger on the A string, 3rd fret, with the other three strings open. It's the home chord of the key of C and the one to get ringing clearly first.
  2. Am is also one finger, this time on the G string at the 2nd fret. It's the relative minor of C, so the two sound good side by side.
  3. F is Am plus one more finger. Keep the G string at the 2nd fret held down. Then add: E string, 1st fret.
  4. G uses three fingers in a small triangle on the C, E and A strings. It's the hardest of the four, which is why it comes last. It's the V chord of C, the one that pulls back home.

C, Am, F and G are the I, vi, IV and V chords of C major. Arrange them in different orders and you have most of the common chord progressions.

The four-chord song loop

Play C, G, Am then F, four strums each, and repeat. That's the I–V–vi–IV progression, the loop behind a lot of pop, from ballads to singalongs. Tap Play and strum along; each chord lights up as it sounds.

Swap the order to C, Am, F then G and you have the 50s progression. Start the loop on Am (Am, F, C then G) and the same four chords sound more wistful.

Strumming basics

Count "1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &". Your strumming hand moves down on the numbers and up on the "&"s, all the time, like a pendulum. A pattern is just a choice of which of those movements touch the strings. Tap a pattern to hear it on C; the boxes light up as it plays.

Four down-strums

One strum per beat. Start here, and use it whenever a new chord change is giving you trouble.

Down, down-up

The up-strums fill the gaps between beats. Your hand keeps moving down and up the whole time; it just misses the strings on the silent slots.

The island strum

The classic ukulele strum. The missed down-strum on beat 3 gives it the lilt. Say it out loud first: "down, down-up, up-down-up".

Practice each pattern on one chord until your hand runs on autopilot, then add chord changes. The metronome helps: start around 70 BPM and don't speed up until the changes land on beat 1.

The next four chords

Chord changes to practice

Practice in pairs. Each Play button goes back and forth four times at a relaxed pace.

A ten-minute routine

  1. Tune with the ukulele tuner. New nylon strings stretch for a week or two and go flat constantly; that's normal.
  2. One-minute changes. Pick a pair and count how many clean changes you make in a minute. Do two pairs a day and note the numbers.
  3. The loop. Play C, G, Am then F with four down-strums each, then with the island strum.
  4. Sing or hum. Humming a simple tune over the loop trains you to keep strumming without watching your hands.

Common problems

A string sounds muffled. A finger is leaning on it. Come down on the fingertips with the knuckles bent, and keep your thumb behind the neck.

G feels cramped. It's three fingers in a small space. Put the fingers down in the order ring, middle, index, and don't press harder than you need to.

Strumming sounds clicky. Your nail is hitting the strings at an angle. Relax the hand and brush the strings with the flat of the nail on the way down and the pad on the way up.

Where to go from here

Beginner ukulele questions

What are the first ukulele chords to learn?

C, Am, F and G. C and Am use one finger each, F uses two and G three. Together they're the I, vi, IV and V chords of C major, which covers a lot of songs.

How is a ukulele tuned?

Standard tuning is G C E A, from the string nearest your chin to the string nearest the floor. The G string is usually tuned higher than the C, which gives the ukulele its bright, close sound. The ukulele tuner plays each string for you.

Is ukulele easier than guitar?

For the first months, usually yes. Four nylon strings are gentler on fingertips, the neck is shorter, and many chords need one or two fingers. The chord shapes are different from guitar, although the ukulele is tuned like the top four strings of a guitar with a capo at the 5th fret.

How do I strum a ukulele?

Strum with the pad of your index finger or thumb, over the spot where the neck meets the body. Keep the wrist loose and let the hand move down and up in a steady rhythm. Start with four down-strums per bar, then add up-strums between the beats.

Why does my ukulele chord sound wrong?

Check tuning first, then play each string on its own. A string that sounds dull is being touched by another finger; a string that buzzes needs a little more pressure closer to the fret wire.

All diagrams and sounds use standard GCEA tuning with a high G, generated from each chord's notes. Updated September 2026.