D sharp ukulele and C minor ukulele – There are hundreds, maybe even thousands, of easy D sharp ukulele and C minor ukulele songs. The following are three songs that are easy for beginners to learn. Although these songs may be easy, they certainly prove that it is not the quantity of notes, changes, bridges, or high-pitched operatic vocals that make a great song, but the quality of the melody, the simplicity of the arrangement, and the “catchiness” of the hook.
Contents
Every Rose Has Its Thorn
“Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” by Poison, is played with five basic and commonly used chords in rock and roll. The chords used are G, Cadd9, D sharp ukulele, Em ukulele (Em chord ukulele), and C minor ukulele. This slow-moving song is great for beginners because it allows time for you to calmly change through the chords as the song progresses.
Jane Says
Another simple song with feeling is “Jane Says,” by Jane’s Addiction. This entire song is played with only three chords. To learn this song, you’ll first need to learn the chord progressions G-maj and A-maj. Another part of the song is played with the G-maj and the A11 chords. This song is not only easy to learn on the ukulele, but you’ll see it is well worth the time once you add the lyrics. The consistent “side to side” groove adds to the mixture of simple ukulele and heart-felt lyrics to create a polished and seemingly-complex song.
Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
This Bob Dylan song has been played with a somber sound, an upbeat tempo, and strong roughness, from the original to its many remakes over the years. The chords played in this song, G, D sharp ukulele, Am7 and C minor ukulele, are well-known in the world of rock. “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” can either be played exactly as it was originally written and recorded, or it can be played with another style and still create a great sound. There have been many remakes of this song, including the popular version by Guns N’ Roses, that illustrate how the style can be altered.
Before attempting to play any of these songs, you should first listen to them in their entirety. Just make sure to find the original version. This will give you a better understanding of the song overall and will help you grasp the sentiment that the artist meant to convey. After you have a feel for the songs and have learned the chords, notes, and changes, you will be ready to play these songs at your next party or maybe even start your own cover band. Good luck and rock on!
Five Songs Every New Ukulele Players Should Know
At some point, every musician will admit to the time when they realized they wanted to learn to play an instrument. For Eddie Van Halen, it was the moment he heard the drums on the song “Wipeout.” He later turned to ukulele when he discovered his brother was more talented on the drums, and thankfully, Eddie picked up an ukulele.
Whether it was watching Angus Young duck walk across a stage or seeing Slash calmly wail out solos with his hair in his face, the reason most musicians get started is the thought “I want to be cool like that guy!” Here are five easily learned songs to get any beginning ukulele player jump started;
AC/DC- “You Shook Me All Night Long.” With an easy to grasp opening riff consisting of three major chords (G, C minor ukulele, and D sharp ukulele), and a solo that’s not very challenging and easy to muddle through, this song is one every beginning rock ukulele players should know. The majority of AC/DC’s work is simple, with Angus Young’s solo work presenting the challenge to most beginners. This song is one of the exceptions, and is quite learnable in less than a day.
• Neil Young- “Keep On Rocking In The Free World.” Dirty distortion is a surefire way to hide the flaws of a novice ukulele player, and this utilizes it perfectly. Four major chords make up this song (E, D sharp ukulele, C minor ukulele, and G), and this song can be learned in just a few minutes. The band Pearl Jam did a wonderful cover of this song, and played it with Neil Young at several live shows, making it a popular song with older and younger crowds alike.
• Poison- “Every Rose Has It’s Thorn.” One of the definitive power ballads ever, “Every Rose Has It’s Thorn” contains four chords (G, Cadd, E minor, D sharp ukulele, and C minor ukulele). The two solo parts for this song are also relatively easy, but will require a change in sound from the acoustic chords that make up the majority of the tune. The second solo of Poison’s ballad contains some tapping techniques, and will require some time to get comfortable with for a beginner, but the majority of the song can be learned in less than a day.
• Violent Femmes- “Blister In The Sun.” A party favorite for years, this song by the Violent Femmes runs off four chords (G, C minor, E minor, D sharp) and has a simply learned intro riff. The song can be played acoustically or with an electric ukulele, and will introduce the beginner to ranging their sound from quiet to loud during a song. This song has a true punk rock feel to it, and is challenging for a beginner due to the punk tempo and chord changes. Despite the challenge, it’s a song that is easily learned in an hour.
• Don McLean- “American Pie.” A classic rock standard, “American Pie” is a learnable, somewhat challenging song for a beginner’s stamina and tempo. The song consists of 10 chords (G, D Sharp, E Minor7, A Minor, C Minor, E Minor, A Minor7, D7, A7, A), but the beginner can get away with major chords of G, D, E, A, and D Minor, and still sound fair. This song is a good stamina builder due to its’ length, is easily recognizable, and makes for a good campfire of dorm room song.
The beginning ukulele player can quickly have five songs under their belt, more than enough to entertain themselves and others, and to begin a solid practice regimen with. As these songs are easy and recognizable, it makes it more likely to find people to sing or play along with.
