Ukulele Chord Melody-What’s Next?

by | Mar 9, 2021 | Chord melody

Ukulele chord melody sounds great, but what’s next?

You love the sound of hearing both melody and chords at the same time. And the sound of fingerpicking the strings. It sounds like a classical guitar but with the ease and comfort of the smaller ukulele. So, are the Ukulele Sisters going to write some playable chord melodies for you to learn?

You want music that isn’t too hard to play. You don’t want to shift your left hand up and down the neck of the ukulele a lot. You’d prefer music lower than the 8th fret. You don’t want a lot of barre chords. And you want instruction on what to do with your right hand. Can the Ukulele Sisters provide this kind of music?

We’re planning to offer an online course with both sheet music and video lessons. We have two different ideas for this course.

Ukulele Folk Songs as Chord Melodies

This course would include 10-12 ukulele chord melodies of folk songs. It would include video lessons to go with these folk songs. The videos will show close-ups of both the right-hand and left-hand techniques you need. The course will also go over right-hand variations, such as fingerpicking and claw-hammer. These variations create different effects on these songs. The songs are simple, so they are a good place to learn these new skills.

Classical Ukulele Chord Melody Arrangements

This course would have easy classical arrangements for ukulele. We will include music by Bach, Pachelbel, Schumann, and Beethoven. This music is a little more difficult than the ukulele folk songs as chord melodies.

Which one interests you more?

Why don’t you leave a comment below? We’re trying to decide what products to create next, based on your interests.

You want music that isn’t too hard to play. You don’t want to shift your left hand up and down the neck of the ukulele a lot. You’d prefer music lower than the 8th fret. You don’t want a lot of barre chords. And you want instruction on what to do with your right hand. Can the Ukulele Sisters provide this kind of music?

In the next part of this article, I’ll describe how we’ve developed our chord melodies over time to make them both easy to play and beautiful to listen to.

 The Development of Readable Ukulele Tab and Sakura

Over the past few years, we have been working on writing readable ukulele chord melody. Beautiful and clear sheet music helps people learn this skill from the beginning. We spent a lot of time trying to find a format that would make sense to people. You can read this article about Sakura to find out more. We asked people to let us know what format they liked best. Here is what we came up with.

 

We left the lyrics, strumming pattern, chords and melody on the top staff. People can sing and strum the song if they want. We notated the chord melody music in the bottom staff with rhythmic stems. People can figure out how to play the chord melody. This way the song fits onto one page and you can do it many different ways. We also gave people a chance to comment on the different types of notation here.

Sakura is in our book, 21 Easy Ukulele Folk Songs. I was so inspired when I heard Jake Shimabukuro play Sakura in the park in my community. He played so beautifully and we were so moved. I was happy to offer this song at an easier level. My version is something that less experienced players can access.

 

Do you want to play easy and full-sounding music?

A couple of years ago we developed an online course that teaches you to play ukulele chord melody. This course consists mainly of Christmas music. We offer it once a year between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Here are a couple of examples of the music in this course, Jingle Bells and Silent Night.

Can non-singers enjoy the ukulele?

Chord melody is perfect for when you want to play and you don’t want to sing. Whether you’re a good singer or not, it’s sometimes more fun to practice when you can hear the melody without singing it. You can combine chords and melody together at the same time. You make your own satisfying arrangement of the song.

Where can you get easy chord melodies?

Several of our books offer chord melody arrangements. The books that have chord melody are 21 MORE Ukulele Songs: Learn Intermediate Ukulele the Easy Way and 21 Easy Ukulele Folk Songs. Our Hymn Kits also offer up to 21 more chord melody arrangements.

Wow, chord melody sounds rich and full, with melody and chords at the same time!

But it’s probably too hard for me. Not true!
In this course you’ll learn easy full-sounding music using techniques you know.

Get your course now

Related posts:

Iron Bridge in springtime with cherry blossoms, a picturesque scene.How to Play Sakura – A Ukulele Tutorial How to Play Jingle Bells Ukulele Chord Melody How to Play Silent Night Ukulele Chord Melody
  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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