Love Me Do Ukulele Tutorial (with Melody Tab)

by | May 27, 2019 | Video lessons

Learn how to play a #1 hit Beatles song with our easy Love Me Do ukulele tutorial!

Similar to the rest of the tutorial videos on our site, this video contains the lyrics, chords, strumming pattern and melody tab on the screen.

Check out our blog page. You’ll see our other videos contain the same information to help you quickly learn how to play lots of easy songs on ukulele!

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LOVE ME DO UKULELE TUTORIAL

In this tutorial, you will be using 4 chords.  These chords are G7, C, G, and D.  You’ll see that Jenny prefers playing the D chord with 2 fingers while strumming 3 strings.

If you are familiar with the song, you will know that the intro uses a really beautiful harmonica solo. John Lennon played the bluesy harmonica riff. 

In this tutorial Jenny transcribed the harmonica solo for ukulele.

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In the tutorial, you’ll see Jenny play the song opening by barring across the 7th fret. As soon as she bars the 7th fret, she plays 8, 7, 5 and then she goes all the way to the 3rd string while she plays the 7th fret.  She repeats this pattern twice until the opening solo is completed.

When Jenny completes the pattern 3 times, she then reaches to the 8th fret using her ring finger and goes back to the 7th fret.

If you want the lyrics, chords and tab for the harmonica solo, contact us and we’ll email it to you. You can also subscribe here and receive weekly newsletters with our featured song video for the week. Most importantly, you’ll also get free downloadable sheet music in your inbox to go with the ukulele video tutorial.

THE BEATLES’ DEBUT SINGLE 

The Beatles released Love Me Do as their debut single on October 5, 1962. They first released it in the United Kingdom where it peaked at number 17 in the charts. Two years later, the group distributed the single in the United States where it became a number one hit. In 1982, Love Me Do got a bunch of new promotion and moved up to number 4 in the U.K.

Something different about this song is that Paul McCartney wrote it before the Beatles became a band. He had written it while he was still a student. Although McCartney had written the song, John Lennon contributed the middle eight bars. 

 

ADDITIONAL FUN FACTS ABOUT LOVE ME DO

  • Lennon and McCartney skipped school in order to finish writing the song. Lennon was 17 and McCartney was 16.
  • This is the first song they recorded but not the first they wrote.
  • The song is about Sir Paul McCartney’s girlfriend at the time, Iris Caldwell.
  • There are 3 different recorded versions of the song and each has a different drummer. Pete Best was the first drummer to play this song in June 1962. Ringo Starr became the drummer when this song was played on September 4th. Andy White played the drums during the recording of the single.

If you want to play the latest hits, you need to learn essential skills first. 21 MORE Songs in 6 Days will teach you these skills.

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  1. Teach a Rest Position

Create a standard position players use whenever they are listening:

  • Place the ukulele flat against the body.
  • Rest the strumming hand gently on the strings.
  • Keep both hands still.
  • Look toward the leader.

Call it “rest position” and demonstrate it at the group’s first meeting. Use the same phrase consistently: “Ukuleles in rest position, please.”

This physically mutes the strings and gives everyone a clear visual signal that playing has stopped.

  1. Use One Attention Signal

Choose a signal that can be seen or heard across the room. Possibilities include:

  • Raising one hand
  • Playing a short, distinctive chord
  • Saying, “Rest position”

Explain the signal before rehearsal begins: “When you see my hand raised, finish the chord you are playing, mute your strings, and look up.”

Avoid competing with the group by repeatedly talking over the instruments. Give the signal, pause, and wait until everyone is ready.

  1. Set a Clear “No Noodling” Expectation

Many players noodle because they are excited, nervous, practicing a difficult chord, or unaware that it is distracting. Address the behavior without embarrassing anyone.

Try saying:

“Between songs, please mute your strings so everyone can hear the instructions. We’ll always give you a moment to check chords before we begin.”

Then build short, intentional practice windows into the session:

  • “Take 20 seconds to find the opening chord.”
  • “Quietly check the change from C to G7.”
  • “Let’s try that strum together once.”

Players are more likely to stop playing at random when they know when practice is welcome.

  1. Amplify the Leader, Not the Entire Room

In larger groups, a small microphone, portable speaker, or amplified ukulele can save the leader’s voice and make directions easier to follow. Amplification should provide clarity—not to overpower the players.

Test the equipment before the session, position the speaker where everyone can hear it, and keep spoken instructions short. A microphone cannot replace an attention routine, but it makes a good routine much more effective.

  1. Create Predictable Transitions

Noodling often fills uncertainty. Tell players exactly what is happening next:

    1. “Finish the final chord.”
    2. “Rest position.”
    3. “Turn to page 14.”
    4. “Find a C chord.”
    5. “Watch for my count-in.”

Use a visible or audible count-in before every song. Once players learn that nothing begins until the leader counts them in, spontaneous starts become less common.

6. Operate iPads for music.

Many ukulele groups read off iPads, and everyone buys the same app. forScore is one of the common ones, but don’t get anything until the group leader tells you which one they use. From there, the leader or the singer/songwriter shares the music by AirDrop, so everyone is reading off the same page. Corrections land with the whole group at once, and nobody is working from an outdated copy.

 

A Simple Group Agreement

At the beginning of a session, say:

“To help everyone hear and learn, we use rest position whenever someone is speaking. When I raise my hand, please mute your strings and look up. You’ll have time to check chords before each song, and we’ll always start together on the count-in.”

The goal is not silence for its own sake. It is to create a group in which instructions are brief, rehearsals move smoothly, and everyone gets more time to make music together.

 

Here’s a list of etiquette expectations from ukulele group members to make the group learning more effective and fruitful for everyone. 

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