DOWNLOAD LYRICS & CHORDS SHEET AND TAB SHEET
Get a copy of Sakura lyrics and chords sheet here before we head to the ukulele tutorial.
If you would like to learn the melody for solo ukulele, you can also get a copy of the tab sheet here. This would be perfect for ukulele enthusiasts that enjoy playing the instrument but not much into singing.
SAKURA UKULELE TUTORIAL
So let’s now proceed to the Sakura ukulele tutorial and get busy learning the song in time for spring, the cherry blossoms season.
Beginner ukulele learners will be happy to know the song is easy to learn as it has just three chords: Am, Dm and E7. Additionally, it uses all-down strums, four strums per measure. In the video, Jenny sings an English translation of the song and illustrates the chords and strums including a solo melody.
SPRING AND CHERRY BLOSSOMS
Sakura is a Japanese word which means cherry blossoms. During spring, these stunning sakura appear all over Japan but only lasts for several days. The cherry blossoms appear in Tokyo usually from late March to early April. But in other parts of the country, they come out as early as January.
HANAMI
The Japanese observe a ritual called hanami during the cherry blossom season. Basically, hanami is the Japanese custom of taking time to appreciate and enjoy the beauty of flowers or hana in Japanese. Frequently, these spring flowers are those of the cherry blossoms but there are others such as the plum blossoms.
JAPANESE FOLK SONG
Consequently, it is expected that these stunning cherry blossoms would inspire songs to be written about them. One of these songs is our featured Japanese folk song entitled “Sakura, Sakura” or simply “Sakura”. While the song’s melody which follows a pentatonic scale has been around since the Japanese Edo period, the lyrics have been added during the Meiji period. “Sakura” has remained popular throughout Japan until modern times. It has also been introduced and became known all around the world.
Sakura is one of the songs in our book “21 Easy Ukulele Folk Songs.”
Do you want to sound convincing on folk songs? You know basic chords and strumming patterns. And you’re interested in folk music. You’d like to take it to the next level.
To read more about “Sakura”, check out the following articles:
Thank you! This is GREAT!!!
It IS great. How are you doing the plucking to make it sound so Japanese in the instrumental only part? Great performance Jenny!
Thanks so much for your comment. I’m doing a “pinch” with my right hand to control the loudness of each note in the chord. I’m glad it sounds so authentic.