This page is being developed to become a list of easy ukulele songs – I shall be adding to it as quickly as I can manage over the next few weeks.
Open string songs
Any song based on E, G, A, like “It’s raining, it’s pouring, the old man is snoring”, “Bee, bee, bumble bee“.
Also songs based on E and G like “Concentration“, “Star-light, star bright”
Chord C
songs based on E and G like “Concentration“, “Star-light, star bright”
Row, row, row, your boat, gently down the stream, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream; Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream, if you see a crocodile, don’t forget to scream. (and then they will all scream – effective when singing as a four-part round, but keep the screams short and under control….)
Frere Jacques, (or I hear thunder), strum twice per line
A sailor went to sea sea sea
Chord C and Am7 (open string chord)
Any “So-mi” or “la-so-mi” song, such as
Dilly the Dog, What do you say,
Bee Bee Bumble Bee
It’s raining, it’s pouring, the old man is snoring
Just alternate between C and Am7, keeping the pulse, so that C falls on the note “G” and Am7 on the note “E”.
Chord C7
Engine engine, number nine action song, make up your own words. With TAB here
C and C7
The telephone song singing game
Chord F (and C or C7)
Ding Dong – singing game that uses just F
Miss Mary Mack – excellent for an easy way to switch between F and C.
Teach the song, and then strum F F F on “Mack, Mack, Mack, Black Black, Black”, change to “C C C” for “Buttons, buttons, buttons” and back to “F F F” for “Back Back Back”. YOu can also use it for creating a clapping game, as pulse and rhythm work, and to give the children’s fingers a rest.
When I was one I had some fun; F F F F C C F : start by doing just the four first F chords, then add the two C chord, finally (for the “brave”!) the final F. There is a rest on the last beat, giving you time to set up the F for the next line. Make up your own words for the verses, but watch out for “playground” rhymes for one, two and three. The other numbers are fairly safe.
My Hat, it has three corners. Action song; miss out Hat, then Three, then Corners. Divide class into two groups, one playing the C, one playing the F. Swap groups over, then invite children to be “switchers”, swapping between chords.
Sambalele is a monkey Same chords as “My Hat” above, but opposite way round. Also sounds good with C7 instead of C
Chord G (and C)
How I teach chord G – has worked brilliantly this year
Yellow Submarine, chorus C C C ; G G G ; G G G ; C C C ; Strumming the first three beats only give this children time to switch between chords. But start by having the children in two groups, one for G and one for C first. No link supplied as I think the song may be copyrighted.