The Twelve Days of Christmas — A Four-Chord Christmas Ukulele Play-Along Video for Beginners

December 23, 2019

Is there a more divisive holiday song than “The Twelve Days of Christmas?” Kids generally love any song that involves counting, and this song is no exception. But many adults feel differently— we go Christmas caroling with a group of neighbors each year and one woman feels so strongly about this song that she insisted we ban it from our set!

“The Twelve Days of Christmas” is an interesting opportunity for anyone looking to get more comfortable with time signatures, as this song switches between 4/4 time and 3/4 time several times. Soon, I’ll post a separate video explaining when those changes occur. But in the meantime, try strumming along with this play-along video! Can you make it all the way to the twelfth day without getting annoyed? 😂

Silent Night — Three-Chord Christmas Ukulele Play-Along Video for Beginners

December 19, 2019

“Silent Night” is another three-chord Christmas song, so it’s quite friendly for even very new ukulele players. Like “The First Noel,” this song is set in 3/4 time and when we play we have to strum and count 1-2-3, 1-2-3. If this is a song you’re familiar with, you already know what it’s supposed to sound like and that can help you intuitively find the rhythm of the song. If Time Signature is a new concept for you, play this song with a very basic down or down/up strum.

Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer — A Christmas Ukulele Play-Along Video for Beginners

December 16, 2019

“Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” is a Christmas song that’s beloved by all ages. In this play-along video, I’m strumming the Island Strum with a couple of chucks thrown in. Chucking (sometimes called chunking) is a right-hand technique of muting strings while strumming, adding a rhythmic element to your playing. Chucks are indicated in the strum pattern by an X, so the strum pattern is DOWN - REST - CHUCK - UP - REST - UP - CHUCK - UP. Sounds kind of gross when you say it out loud, doesn’t it? If chucking’s not your thing, play this song with your strum of choice!

Joy to the World! — A Three-Chord Christmas Ukulele Play-Along Video for Beginners

December 12, 2019

“Joy to the World” is probably the easiest song in my Christmas songbook, so if you’re a very new ukulele player, this might be the place to start! I’m playing it in the key of C using the first three chords most beginners learn— C, F, and G7. Because this song only uses three chords, it’s a great candidate for experimenting with playing in different keys. Oh, What Fun! Christmas Songs for the Ukulele includes songs formatted using the Nashville Number System and a chord chart so you can easily transpose (change the key of a song) into five popular keys. After trying it out in a few different keys, I’ve discovered that playing this song in the key of G is a good fit for my natural (and quite average) vocal range. But if you only know C, F, and G7— the three most important chords for the key of C— there are still plenty of songs you can play, and I hope you’ll click play on the video and strum and sing along with me this holiday season.

Learn to Play Mele Kalikimaka on the Ukulele — Easy Play-Along Video for Beginners

December 11, 2019

Is there a better Christmas song for the ukulele than Mele Kalikimaka? The chords are not too bad, so even if you’re a brand new player it’s worth giving it a try! In this video I’m playing it in the key of C with the C, D, F, G, and Am chords and the Island Strum. Give it a go, won’t you?

How to Play We Wish You a Merry Christmas on the Ukulele

December 10, 2019

Here’s a simple, beginner-friendly ukulele play-along video for the classic Christmas waltz, "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" using one of my favorite strum patterns for songs set in 3/4 time signature. In this video, I’m playing it in the key of C with the following chords: C, D, Em, F, G, Am (please note the fingering for the Em chord at the beginning of the video— it makes it so much easier to play! :)

Hark! the Herald Angels Sing, a Christmas Ukulele Play-Along Video for Beginners

December 9, 2019

“Hark! the Herald Angels Sing,” what a jubilant song! There’s a lot of joy to be found in these old hymns, and I particularly love the lyrics— when nowadays do we come across such phrases as “Veiled in flesh the Godhead see” and “Join the triumph of the skies?” I love it, and I hope you have fun singing and strumming along with me.

The First Noel, a Christmas Ukulele Play-Along Video for Beginners

December 5, 2019

"The First Noel" is another classic Christmas carol set in 3/4 time. Songs in 3/4 time are also referred to as waltzes, and when we play we have to strum and count in sets of three: 1-2-3, 1-2-3. This song is so sweet and gentle that I almost consider it a Christmas lullaby.

Deck the Halls, A Very Merry Ukulele Play Along Video

December 2, 2019

"Deck the Halls" is a Christmas song that is especially fun to sing with children— they love all the fa-la-las! Strum and sing along with me as I play this classic Christmas carol in the key of C using the C, D, F, G, and Am chords and a very basic down-up strum. Play along with me, won’t you?

My Favorite One-Chord Song for the Ukulele

June 2, 2019

In this video, I share one of my very favorite folk songs, Li’l Liza Jane. It can be played as a one-chord song, and its beautiful melody and playful lyrics make it a really fun one to play and sing. One-chord songs are great for beginning ukulele players who are still getting comfortable making chord shapes, strumming, and singing at the same time, but they're also great if you're working on a new skill such as a more complex strumming pattern, fingerpicking pattern, or riff.

How to Play O, Come All Ye Faithful - Ukulele Play-Along Video with Strum Pattern, Chords, and Lyrics

December 20, 2018

O, Come All Ye Faithful is about 300 years old. Did you catch that? THREE. HUNDRED. YEARS. OLD. Its melody is beautiful and feels like a precursor to the songs that came out of Appalachia (one of the places of origin for modern American music). Perhaps that’s the reason why I tend to prefer more stripped down interpretations of this song and/or have a country twang to them. Whatever the reason, it’s a fun one to sing and strum. Enjoy!

If you enjoyed this video, please consider buying my Christmas songbook or my how-to book, Let’s Play! The Ukulele Handbook for Beginners (both are available in digital download and paperback formats). Your support makes it possible for me to share high-value content for uke players for free here on the blog. Thank you, and happy strumming!

How to Play Blue Christmas on the Ukulele (with Play-Along Video)

December 19, 2018

True facts: I once dressed up as Elvis for Halloween (in my early 20s), I once road-tripped to Graceland by myself (also in my 20s), and I even had an Elvis lunch box once upon a time. You might say I’m a fan of his (you’d be right). In this video I contain my impulse to do an Elvis impersation as I sing his hit, Blue Christmas. I’ve paired it here with a strum that incorporates rests (down-rest-down-up-rest-up-down-up). If that strum’s not in your toolbox yet, just strum down-up-down-up.

If you’ve been watching the other Christmas videos I’ve posted, you may notice that these songs have something in common: they’re all arranged in the key of C. If you were performing for an audience, you probably wouldn’t want to play your entire set in one key because things would start to sound a little repetitive but for hobbyists, spending time with one key can make a lot of sense. The more you play in the key of C (or any key, for that matter), you’ll start to notice that some chords keep appearing over and over, revealing some of the patterns in popular music. You’ll also train your ear to hear the relationship of the chords within a song, and that helps you lay the groundwork for playing songs by ear. The key of C is the easiest key to play on the uke, so it’s the friendliest key for beginner’s to start playing in. My ukulele handbook for beginners and my Christmas songbook include guides for transposing songs into different keys.

Happy strumming!

How to Play Away in a Manger on the Ukulele (Easy Three-Chord Song with Play-Along Video)

December 18, 2018

As we get closer and closer to Christmas, I am sharing some play-along videos of songs included in my new book, Oh, What Fun! Christmas Songs for Ukulele. Yesterday I shared the upbeat, jaunty tune of Jingle Bells, and tonight I’m sharing a dreamy waltz: Away in a Manger. Away in a Manger is in 3/4 time signature. and that means we have to strum (and count) in sets of three. You may find that you’re so familiar with this song that the rhythm comes naturally to you, but if it doesn’t these video posts can help explain things:

If you enjoyed this video, please give it a like and subscribe to my Youtube channel. And please consider buying my Christmas songbook (available as a digital download and paperback). Your support makes it possible for me to share high-value content for uke players for free here on the blog. Thank you, and happy strumming!

How to Play Jingle Bells on the Ukulele (with play-along video)

December 17, 2018

Did you know I wrote a Christmas songbook? It’s called Oh, What Fun! and it includes the chords and lyrics for thirteen popular holiday songs. I’m currently working on recording, editing, and uploading play-along videos for every song in the book, and thought I’d share some of the videos here on the blog on the days leading up to Christmas. All of these play-along videos are formatted with the chords and strum pattern shown at the beginning of the video, and as I play you’ll see the chords and lyrics big and bright on the right-hand side of the video.

Jingle Bells is a song almost everyone knows, and that makes it an ideal song to strum and sing with others! Play along with me, won’t you?

PS: You can adjust the speed of the video by clicking on the Settings icon, then clicking on Speed. If you’re a beginning uke player, you may want to slow it down to .75 or .5 speed. Happy strumming!

WELCOME!

I’m Melissa Stevenson, a music-maker and ukulele teacher living in Silicon Valley. On the Musical Mama blog, I post practical and inspiring tips for beginning ukulele players, free music-themed downloads, and video tutorials to make learning to play the ukulele as straightforward and fun as possible. Let’s play!

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