Categories
Ukulele

Easy Ukulele Songs For Beginners (Step-by-step Breakdowns)

Are you looking to impress friends and family members with your ukulele skills? This could be a problem if you are new to playing the ukulele and aren’t sure where to begin.

No need to fret because there are some easy ukulele songs that you can learn to play even as a beginner. Learning simple ukulele songs is, by far, the best way to start for any novice ukulele player. Not only will these ukulele songs for beginners keep you motivated throughout your practice, but it will also help you hone the basic skills required to play this wonderful instrument.

When learning to play the ukulele, do not underestimate the importance of choosing simple songs first. What’s great about this list is that you get a curated list of some of the most well-known songs that you can play on the ukulele even as a beginner. Furthermore, by getting familiar with these beginner-level ukulele songs, you can build a solid foundation while developing and enriching your skills until you are able to play any of your favorite songs on the ukulele.

40+ Easy Ukulele Songs For Beginners

It should not take you very long to learn the ukulele provided you’ve chosen easy ukulele songs for beginners. This means playing songs that are suitable for your skillset, especially if you cannot read music. Here, we have compiled a list of simple ukulele chord songs that you can easily learn without any hassle. You can learn to play some or all of these songs on our list to impress your family or friends whenever you get the chance and earn some bragging rights.

Factors To Consider When Choosing Songs

When it comes to choosing easy ukulele songs for beginners, there are quite a few factors that need to be considered. Lucky for you, we’ve compiled a list of the main factors that go into choosing ukulele chords songs for beginners.

1. Number of Chords

The number of chords is one of the main factors that need to be considered when choosing easy ukulele songs. As a rule of thumb, the song you choose should not need more than four chords. While this might seem too little, you would be surprised at the number of popular songs that you could play with a combination of just four chords (I-VI-IV and vi) or less. This is the best part of playing the ukulele.

2. Type of Chords

When we say “easy ukulele songs,” we obviously mean songs that can be played with easy chords. This means songs that only have basic chords throughout a song. Basic ukulele chords are considered as those where you can play by using fewer fingers that are closer together. This also makes it easier for beginners to change between keys while playing without having to pause. While this might make it a bit difficult to sing at first, in time, you’ll get the hang of it.

3. Chord Changes

When choosing easy ukulele songs for beginners, it all boils down to how often you need to change chords while playing a song. For instance, a song where you will have to use the chords, I-vi-IV and V over and over again is going to be easier for you to grasp as a beginner, as compared to those songs which have more chords or even a three-chord song, where multiple chord changes are needed throughout a song. For example, some beginner ukulele players may struggle to transition to the G major chord quickly while playing, but if you only have to use basic chords such as C-Am-F or G, then it gets easier for beginners to grasp a song. 

So, now, let us take a look at the easy ukulele songs we’ve compiled for you.

How To Master Easy Ukulele Songs

For a beginner, learning to play the ukulele can be a pain, but the same is true for any musical instrument, unless, of course, you’re Paul McCartney. When you first decide to learn the ukulele, it is going to take months of practice before you can play selected songs without any hiccups. But, if you’re smart with your song selection and choose only the easy ukulele songs that will be more suitable to your beginner skillset, you can speed up the learning process and build your confidence and skillset at the same time. Keeping that in mind, the following are four key factors that will help you develop your ukulele skills as a beginner.

1. Divide and Conquer

As the name implies, this basically means to break down a song into small parts while learning. It’s a lot like putting together a stain-glass window, where each part comes together individually to form the complete piece. While learning ukulele chords songs for beginners, it is important to break up the song into small parts. For instance, focus on getting the intro of the song correct before moving on to other parts of the song. This will make it easier to memorize the chord progression of the chorus of the song and will make you learn any of the easy ukulele songs a lot quicker.

2. Tempo

Another crucial factor towards learning to play easy ukulele songs is tempo. As a beginner, it’s easy to ignore the importance of tempo in a song, but you should focus on picking songs with a slower tempo before moving on to songs that have a faster tempo. This is mainly because the faster tempo will require quicker chord changes that will be difficult for you, especially if you’re a beginner. Once you get the ukulele songs that have a slow tempo you can progress to songs that have a fast tempo. As a beginner, it is important not to choose any song that has a tempo which is just too fast for you to keep up with because you will only be wasting your time.

3. Watch Your Speed

While learning to play the ukulele (or any instrument for that matter), it can be tempting to rush through the learning process and not give enough time to perfecting each chord. While it is normal to be super eager to impress your friends and family with your ukulele prowess, its best to follow a natural learning process. This means taking your time to understand each section of a song and repeat it over and over again until you can play a song with your eyes closed. To be able to learn how to play the ukulele quicker, start with playing each section of a song slowly, and then gradually pick up the pace. If you’re finding this process difficult, try a metronome that will help you practice. You can either purchase one from a music store or use a mobile application.

4. Get a Daily Dose of Practice

The importance of practice cannot be denied regardless of the instrument you’re playing. When practicing easy ukulele songs, all you need is to take 20 minutes out of your busy schedule to practice. A great tip for beginners is to break down each practice session into 20 minutes instead of practicing for 2 hours twice a day. What’s makes the ukulele a great instrument to learn is that all you need is 20 minutes of practice, and you will be playing and impressing people in no time. When it comes to practicing, it’s not about duration, but how often you manage to practice, which is going to make the real difference. Regular practice will help you hone your skills and will give you the confidence to take your skills further. So, have fun practicing these easy ukulele songs.

Easy Ukulele Songs – In Summary

Learning any instrument can be a wonderfully rewarding experience and a great hobby. What makes the ukulele a great instrument to learn is that it’s not difficult to learn if you choose the right combination of easy ukulele songs and the strategies mentioned above.

Since we are all different, we all learn musical instruments at a different pace, but the important thing to remember is that we can all learn any instrument if we want to. So, grab that ukulele and choose from the song list of easy ukulele songs for beginners that we’ve provided you with to learn this wonderful instrument. We really hope this guide has been helpful to you and that you’ve found all the information you need to learn the ukulele as a beginner.

Categories
Guitar

Easy Guitar Songs For Beginners (Step-by-step Breakdowns)

If you are a beginner, looking for easy guitar songs to strum and show-off to your friends, then this is for you.

It doesn’t really matter whether you are an experienced player, or whether you have picked up a guitar for the first time, learning some easy songs on guitar is not going to hurt. In fact, some beginner guitar songs sound quite impressive to the layman, and can easily earn you brownie points while playing in front of friends or family. These super-easy guitar songs are also a great choice for those who are just looking for a bit of inspiration while learning how to play the guitar.

By getting familiar with these easy guitar songs, you can easily build your guitar playing skills on a solid foundation, while at the same time, enhance your playing technique and take your guitar playing skills to a whole other level. In time, you will grow more fluent with playing and strumming your favorite songs on the guitar.

40+ Easy Guitar Songs For Beginners

The good news is, learning how to play the guitar does not have to take years of practice. It will not involve months of tedious drills and practice sessions so that you can have fun while playing your favorite guitar songs. In fact, this list of carefully curated guitar songs will make it easy for you to impress your friends with your guitar playing prowess in no time.

Many of the songs that are given below will need a capo, but there’s no need to worry as its use comes highly recommended to improve your playing. The best part is, you can easily adjust the key according to the song that you are playing while keeping the same finger placement of the chord.

Now, all you have to do is just choose a song from the list given above and learn the chords that go along with it. Since these songs are all (relative) easy, you should not have any trouble learning them in no time. Additionally, the songs mentioned above are in no particular order when it comes to difficulty, so there’s no reason to feel intimidated, making your way down the list. All you have to do is listen to the songs carefully and make the decision of whether or not you would want to try them. That being said, it’s best for you to start with a song that you will be comfortable with.

Factors To Consider When Choosing Songs

So, what makes a guitar song “easy”? That’s a great question. While there are many factors to consider when it comes to selecting an “easy” guitar song, we have focused on the following, which are the traits of a good beginner song.

1. It Contains a Minimal Number of Chords

An easy guitar song is one that has fewer chords (duh!). This is mainly because the more chords a song has, the more difficult it is to play. This is why our list of easy guitar songs for beginners are those which can be played using not more than three or four chords. In fact, you will be surprised at how many of your favorite songs can be played using just three or four chords.

2. Guitar-Friendly Keys

Every musical instrument has its easy keys and complex keys. For instance, in the piano, those keys that have the least sharps or flats (or none at all) are considered to be easier to play. When it comes to the humble guitar, the number of open chords (that use the first three frets only) defines how easy it is to play a key.

3. Tempo

And finally, the tempo of a song is another factor that will determine how simple a song is to play on the guitar. It goes without saying that faster songs are going to be harder to play as compared to slow songs. 

How to Master Easy Guitar Songs?

While playing any song for the first time might feel difficult regardless of them being easy guitar songs. If you follow the steps that have been given below, you will find that playing the songs you like isn’t that difficult, after all.

1. Learning Basic Chords is Essential

What makes the guitar a truly unique instrument that’s loved by men and women of all ages is that learning just a few chords allows you to play dozens of songs. But, you will want to start with the basic chords first if you are a beginner before you can shred a guitar like Les Paul. All you need to do is perfect just four chords in each key, and you will be able to play many of your favorite tunes.

2. Keep Practicing Changing Chords

As with learning any musical instrument, you will need to first learn the chords well in order to play the songs you like. This means you will need to learn how to effortlessly transition between chords while playing a song without stopping. While playing, each of the notes should sound clean and clear. To do that, you will need to keep practicing how to switch between chords until you can play with your eyes closed.

3. Play Along with Song Recordings

Once you are able to play these chords with your eyes closed, it’s time to take it up a notch. Put on your favorite (simple) song that can be played with the chords you’ve learned (you will find quite a few) and play along with the recording. Learning how to match the tempo while playing is going to be crucial, not just to master these guitar chords, but also if you are interested in playing in a band later on.

4. Break the Song Down

Whenever I learn a new song, I first take a minute to break the song down into parts and then practice it. Sometimes, you might be interested in learning a chorus, a quick solo (if possible); breaking the song down into parts will help you focus and identify which area or chord needs more work.

5. Practice makes Perfect

Just like with playing any other musical instrument, you will need to practice, and a lot of it. Picking up the guitar once a week just for a few minutes isn’t going to cut it. If you really want to learn how to play the guitar, then you will have to dedicate at least an hour of your time every day towards the craft.

You will need to play one song over and over again in order to get it right. Remember, if you are learning how to play the guitar, you will have to practice a lot even if they are easy songs to learn on a guitar.

Easy Guitar Songs – In Summary

Knowing how to play the guitar is a pretty awesome skill to have, whether you are a boy or a girl. There’s just something about learning how to play new chords, practicing different melodies, and working to refine your timing that makes guitar one of the most interesting musical instruments to play. As long as you practice the aforementioned easy guitar songs, you will be well on your way to developing a solid foundation and grow your guitar chops from there.

Who knows, someday, you might become the next Slash (just don’t keep the same haircut).

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Categories
Guitar

The Best Way to Learn Guitar for Beginners

Learning how to play a musical instrument from scratch can be both a challenging and rewarding experience. The guitar is no different. There are so many things that you can do and experiment with on a guitar, and that’s one of the most exciting things about the instrument. If you want to give this instrument a try, then you must know where to start from. Whether you want to follow in the footsteps of a guitar legend like Joe Satriani or want to create pop music, we’re here to help you out. If you want to know the best way to learn guitar, then here is our guide for beginners.

Step 1. Familiarize Yourself with the Guitar

Everything starts with a good guitar. There are two important things that you need to be wary of when selecting a guitar for yourself: the sound and the feel of the guitar. As a beginner, you must put more focus on finding an acoustic guitar that has a good ‘feel’. What this means is that the action of the guitar, i.e., the distance between the lower part of the strings and the fretboard, is low. Low action on a guitar will allow you to fret the strings with greater ease. A comfortable guitar will cause you less pain, and you’ll feel more drawn to playing it.

Know how to hold a guitar: To play the guitar properly, you must sit on a chair or use a guitar strap to stand and play. Start with sitting down first. If you’re right-handed, place the guitar’s waist on your right leg so that it sits comfortably. Make sure that the guitar is upright so that your right arm comes over its body. Your left hand should be on the guitar’s neck.

Know the names and numbers of your guitar strings: A regular guitar has six strings in total that gradually reduce in thickness, starting from the top. The top and thickest string is the sixth string, and the bottom and thinnest string is the first. The rest include the fifth, fourth, third, and second strings. In standard tuning, here’s what each string is tuned to:

  • 6th string – low E
  • 5th string – A
  • 4th string – D
  • 3rd string – G
  • 2nd string – B
  • 1st string – high E

Both the sixth and first strings are the same note but have different octaves (you’ll learn more about that later).

Know how to tune a guitar: Now that you know the names and numbers of your guitar strings, it’s important to learn how to tune a guitar at the start because that will allow you to train your ear to recognize notes. If you can get the low E string in tune using a piano or a tuner, you can tune the rest. Your A string should produce the same note as the fifth fret on the low E string. You can repeat this process for all of the strings except when tuning the B string. The B string should be the same note as the fourth fret on the G string. You can use a guitar tuner or a mobile phone tuner app for better accuracy.

How to hold your pick properly: If you’re playing a steel-string guitar, you’ll have to use a guitar pick (also known as a plectrum). Place the pick between your index finger and your thumb. Your thumb should cover most of the larger area of the pick, only exposing about one-third of the pick. You must make contact with the strings with the pointed end of the pick. It helps to slightly slant the pick so that you can strum more effortlessly.

Pro tip: Use a larger and thinner pick for strumming chords (such as the Dunlop Tortex.73mm) and a thicker and smaller one for picking notes (such as the Dunlop Tortex m3).

Step 2. Learn Four Basic Guitar Chords

There are numerous chords that you can learn or even create, but you can get started with just four basic guitar chords. In fact, a lot of pop songs are created over same four chords, albeit with different progressions. Axis of Awesome is a band that has created a video demonstration to show this theory in play:

For the key of G major or E minor, the chords you must know are G, D, Em (the m stands for minor), and C. You can transpose these chords to different keys. It’s important to know these chords because they’re the building blocks of everything you create on the guitar. With these simple four chords, you can create different kinds of vocal melodies, or you can cover some of your favorite songs. You can vary the orders of these chords to fit the song you’re covering or the vocal melodies you compose.

Create clean, buzz-free chords: It’s vital for every guitar player to be clean in their playing. This means that you must fret each note properly so that the sound rings out without any kind of fret buzz. In addition to that, you must ensure that all of your open strings are ringing out clearly. This will give fullness to your guitar playing, and it’ll make your music worth listening to. Your audience will immediately be turned off by dead notes and buzzing frets.

Change effortlessly between chords: Once you can hold a chord well, you must practice switching one chord to another – good thing there are only four, right? There shouldn’t be any break in the rhythm when you switch a chord. If there is a break, it will seem like you’ve made a mistake. With enough practice, changing chords will become muscle memory. So, you won’t have to think before you change chords. Whether you want to upload a cover video of a song or record music, you should be able to switch chords effortlessly and on-demand.

Keep practicing these chords until you can play the chords cleanly and switch them without struggle. Once you’ve got that down, keep trying new things. Learn how to add a capo to change the key of a song to your liking. You must also learn transposed variations of the same chords in different keys. Educating yourself on all things guitar will allow you to expand your creative ability when it comes to creating compositions. You must remember that you don’t have to be an expert player to make your own music. Even basic compositions are worth playing, and you must make it a point to continue creating and playing. If you are a beginner, the best way to learn guitar is to have fun creating compositions and covering songs.

Step 3. Learn Essential Rhythm Patterns (Strumming) on Guitar

Once you know how to play a chord, you must learn how to play a great strumming pattern. This will set the groove of your song and can completely change the emotional weight of a song. Think about the strumming pattern of Train’s “Hey Soul Sister”.  It has an upbeat rhythm to match the feel of the song, with a downstroke for every accented note.

 An accented note is an emphasized and more powerful note that is usually much louder than the other notes in a rhythm. Therefore, learning how to work with various strum patterns will allow you to complement the feel of a song. This, in turn, will allow you to create more coherent and emotionally engaging music.

Start with simple strum patterns and move on to more challenging ones only after you’ve perfected the simpler ones. Start slow and familiarize yourself with the hand movements. With time, you’ll be ready to upload your own videos on the internet or join a band.

Step 4. Experiment with Essential Chord Progressions

Remember how we mentioned that you could switch the order of the four chords above when playing? Well, each combination you create is a chord progression. Just like countless pop songs sound different with just four chords, you can also bring variation in your music with your chord progression.

Some songs even change the chord progression in some parts of one song. For example, the verse of a song may have a different chord progression as compared to the chorus, even though the chords are the same. So, make sure to practice varying the chord progressions when you play. The benefits of practicing this are that you’ll get better at changing chords, you’ll improve your musical vocabulary, and you’ll manage to play more songs comfortably. This will go a long way in both covering and creating your own music.

Step 5. Learn and Play Your Favorite Songs

A lot of people quit playing guitar a short time after they pick it up. This is usually because they don’t find any satisfaction in playing the instrument. You’ll only want to practice playing the guitar if you enjoy playing this instrument. And the best way to make the experience more fun is by learning a song. There are tons of easy guitar songs, yet sound impressive, that only have four chords (great for beginners). By playing along with a song you like, you’ll immediately feel a sense of accomplishment. You’ll also feel like you’re making progress and you’re indirectly a part of the music you’re playing along to.

You can use sources like Ultimate-Guitar to find the tabs or chords of your favorite songs. Some songs may have the same chords but in a different key. In that case, using a capo may make things a lot easier. You’ll be able to cover more songs, giving you greater encouragement to keep going.

Last Few Words on the Best Way to Learn Guitar If You Are a Beginner

Well, there you have it – our guide on the best way to learn guitar if you are a beginner. Like with every musical instrument, it takes time to learn how to play the guitar. With that said, if you know what you’re doing, you can start playing songs only weeks after you start playing.

Categories
Piano

Easy Piano Songs for Beginners (Step-by-step Breakdowns)

Do you want to show off your skills on the piano but are stuck on the basics of the instrument? No need to fret.

We have compiled a list of some of the easy piano songs for beginners that you can learn. What’s great about our list is that these songs are easy to learn, play, and sing; but sound complex enough to impress your friends and family. Regardless of how long you’ve been practicing the basics, you will be able to learn these simple but beautiful piano songs without any hassle.

By playing these beginner-level piano songs, you can not only keep yourself motivated, but you will also get to learn new skills and techniques and build a solid foundation before you move on to intermediate and advanced-level songs. With time, you will be able to play the famous songs that you always wanted to.

40+ Easy Piano Songs For Beginners

The whole point of learning how to play the piano is to play music. But, a lot of piano music seems too difficult for beginners, which often keeps them from trying to play the piano in the first place for fear of embarrassing themselves. There are plenty of beginner songs out there that sound complex but do not require you to practice your technique for months before you can play them.

If you want some beginner-level piano songs to learn, play, and stay motivated, then here’s a selection for you. All you have to do is keep on practicing these songs consistently, and you will be all set to impress people in no time.

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Factors To Consider When Choosing Songs

One of the factors to consider as a beginner when choosing a song to play is its complexity. Just like with playing any other instrument, you wouldn’t want to choose a song that’s too advanced for your skillset (at the moment). So, what makes a song easy? A good beginner song must have the following:

1. Hand Independency

Playing with one hand is a lot easier than playing with both hands, but you don’t want to make it too easy on yourself now, do you? A good beginner song to play on the piano will be one that allows your left hand to play simple chords while your right hand takes care of the melody.

2. Amount of Chords in a Song

Speaking of chords, you shouldn’t pick a song that has too many chords, as that will only make it more difficult for your brain to coordinate the movements of both hands independently. A good beginner piece should have no more than four chords. In fact, you only need to know four chords in each key and THOUSANDS of songs open up for you.

3. What About Accidentals?

The best piano songs for beginners are those that contain very few accidentals. In case you weren’t paying attention during piano class, accidentals are those smaller black keys on the keyboard that sit on top of the white keys. While you definitely want to learn how to play the piano using all the keys, as a beginner, it’s better to use either a few or no accidentals in the songs you play.

How To Master Easy Piano Songs

Just like it is when playing any other instrument, as a beginner, you will first need to master the easy songs first before trying out some of Beethoven’s stuff (trust me, you’re not ready, no matter what those YouTube tutorials tell you). Here are some tips that you need to follow to take your skills from the humble beginner to the intermediate level while playing this beautiful instrument.

1. Learn the Chords

Learning chords is the backbone of playing the piano. While you won’t have to learn complex chords at the start, you will, however, need to familiarize yourself with a good number of chords as you progress with your piano playing. The major triad and minor triad chords are good chords to start with. Some of the most essential ones that beginners need to know are C – G – Am – F (in the key of C), G – D – Em – C (in the key of G), etc.

2. Start with Familiar Songs

It’s crucial to start playing simple songs that you’re familiar with. However, that doesn’t mean you have to make an attempt at playing “Piano Man” on your first go. For the best results, learning the piano should be seen as more of a journey; a journey that allows you to grow as a player as you progress naturally from a beginner to an intermediate, and then on to packed halls and jazz festivals.

Familiarity is key when you’re starting out, and when you learn to play songs you’re used to, you’ll be more motivated to learn the complex stuff.

3. The Importance of Staying Calm

The importance of staying calm and relaxed while playing the piano cannot be over-emphasized enough – this holds true for beginners as well as piano players with years upon years of experience. If you’re calm, your mind will be able to coordinate with your fingers, which, in time, will result in your fingers running more fluidly along the keys. This natural progression and improvement is not going to happen if you’re a bag of nerves while playing the piano.

4. Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

Let’s be honest; playing the piano is no joke. It is going to take a lot of time and effort, but in the end, all of your hard work is going to pay off. One of the reasons why some beginner piano players lose interest halfway through their practice sessions is that they take their mistakes too seriously. Being too tough on yourself is not going to help you master the skill of playing the piano; in fact, it will only lead to frustration and that defeatist attitude.

While learning how to play the piano, it is okay to make mistakes, even if you’re playing “easy piano songs.” Understand that you’re a beginner and not a pro. Besides, even the pros mess up while playing sometimes, the only difference is, those who are listening don’t have an ear for music to catch their mistake. At the end of the day, it’s okay to make mistakes, even if you’re playing easy piano songs.

Easy Piano Songs – In Summary

It is extremely important to learn how to master easy piano songs first before moving on to more complex arrangements. Also, learning the easy piano songs that you and your friends can sing along to can be great to boost your motivation and can keep you focused on mastering your piano skills.

For beginners, we would definitely recommend checking out the “Additional Resources” section on this website, where you can find some of the best easy piano songs to master as a beginner, along with plenty of other tips and tricks that you can incorporate while practicing the piano.

Additional Resources