How to play an easy song on a ukulele

Summary

Mix and match activities to create a fun lesson in which students will learn to play a popular song with you or three chords. Integrate Solfeg.io in teaching the basics of ukulele playing.

💻 Materials:

• Solfeg.io web app best used with Chrome browser
• Projector or computer and access to WIFI
• Ukuleles
• Mobile devices with the Solfeg.io mobile app installed (optional)

🎲 Activities included:

• Learning the D chord
• Playing the D chord in a song
• Learning the G chord
• Combining D and G chords in a song

Introduction to the song

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Get familiar with the chosen song
• Recognize instruments in a song
• Understand the structure of a song
• Describe the characteristics of a song

🎶 Recommended Songs:

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🎲 Activity:

• Select a song that students like the best from the suggestion list.
• Project the song onto a screen. Click on 'Ukulele' under 'Tools' - 'Visuals' so that the ukulele chord diagrams are visible.
• Listen to a part of the song, for example, the chorus and shortly discuss it with the class.

What instruments do you hear?

Is there a ukulele played in this song?

What parts are there in this song?

Which chords are featured in this song?

What is the tempo, mood and genre of the song?

Learn the chord shapes

🕐 Time: 10 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Learn or recap easy ukulele chords using chord diagrams

🎶 Recommended Songs:

🎲 Activity:

-Distribute ukuleles to students. If there's one for each student - perfect! If you have less ukuleles than students, distribute one instrument to a small group of students - they will have to take turns when playing.

-Press “Play” and then pause the song at each new chord that appears in the chord diagrams at the bottom of the song player.

-If needed, explain to class how to read the chord diagrams:

• The horizontal lines represent the strings. At the top you can see the string which is at the bottom when playing the ukulele - the A/1st string.
• The vertical lines indicate the frets.
• The dots indicate where the left hand fingers should be placed on the ukulele.
• The numbers inside the dots indicate which finger should be pressed:

1 - index finger

2 - middle finger

3 - ring finger

4 - pinky

• When the left hand fingers are pressed at the indicated places, all four strings should be strummed downwards with the right thumb.
• Class will have to learn D & G chords.

Play the D chord

🕐 Time: 10 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Learn to play the D chord on the ukulele

🎶 Recommended Songs:

🎲 Activity:

• Distribute ukuleles to students. If there's one for each student - perfect! If you have less ukuleles than students, distribute one instrument to a small group of students - they will have to take turns when playing.
• Click on 'D' under 'Tools' - 'Chords' so that the Solfeg.io fretboard showing the D chord is visible.
• Tell your students to play the D chord on their ukuleles with their left hand. To play that chord, students should place their 3rd finger on the 2nd string, 2nd fret. Add 2nd finger on the next string, same fret. Lastly - add 1st finger on the next string, same fret. Then strum downwards with their right thumb.
• Let them practice the chord and get familiar with it!
• Play the intro of the song and listen to it with your students.
• Tell the students that they will now have to try to play the D chord in this song.
• The rules are simple - as soon as the D chord passes the red line - play it! Other chords should be omitted now.
• Press play and let them practice the chord and get familiar with it! You can also press the loop button in the controls so that the intro section would repeat multiple times.

Play the G chord

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Learn to play the G chord on the ukulele

🎶 Recommended Songs:

🎲 Activity:

• Click on 'G' under 'Tools' - 'Chords' so that the Solfeg.io fretboard showing the C chord is visible.
• To play the G chord, students should place 3rd finger on the 1st string, 2nd fret. Add 2nd finger on the 2nd string, 3rd fret, lastly - add 1st finger on the 3rd string, 2nd fret. Then strum downwards with their right thumb.
• Let them practice the chord and get familiar with it!

Combine D & G chord

🕐 Time: 10 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Learn to play the D & G chord on the ukulele

🎶 Recommended Songs:

🎲 Activity:

• Tell students that they will have to play the D and G chords in this song.
• Look at the song and play D and G chords when they pass the red line
• Slow the song down by pressing “﹣” on the left side of the “Play” button. You can press it up to 4 times to choose the preferred speed.
• Play the chorus section of the song and let them practice the chords and get familiar with it! You can also press the loop button in the controls so that the section would repeat multiple times:
• If your students chose to play the song “Sunflower”, leave out the Em chord.
• When students are comfortable with the speed, repeat the exercise at a faster speed until the original speed of the song is reached.

Performance

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Play the whole song with two or three easy chords

🎶 Recommended Songs:

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🎲 Activity:

• Invite the class to play the song from the beginning till the end.
• You can divide the class into smaller groups and ask them to perform a part of the song in front of the class.

Reflection

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Reflect on the learning process

‍🎲 Activity:

• Ask these questions to the class and have a short discussion

Was the song difficult?

What was the most fun/challenging part of the lesson?

What other songs would you like to learn to play on the ukulele?

Homework assignment

🕐 Time: 3 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Practice combining easy chords on the ukulele
• Consolidate the concepts learned in the lesson

Challenge students to go beyond the lesson by…

• Learning to play another song from the suggestion list.
• Learning a song on the Solfeg.io mobile app

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