Song Help Request Easy popular song for a beginner to learn

[ddmhnl]

I'm a newbie and I have a KoAhloa tenor uke. Trying to learn Islands in the Sun by Weezer but it may be a bit over my head right now - just started to learn how to play. Can anyone suggest an easier song to learn that is a popular tune? If there is a UU video of it, that would be great to know.

Thanks!!!

 

[Zakulele]

Go here and take your pick.
http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8683

 

[1014]

popular is relative. i honeslty think trying the drop baby drop is a good starting point. for a lot of local kids that was one of the first.

if you want easy and popular (to local kids as in hawai`i kids) = ka`au crater boys "surf"

 

[Kanaka916]

I'm a newbie and I have a KoAhloa tenor uke. Trying to learn Islands in the Sun by Weezer but it may be a bit over my head right now - just started to learn how to play. Can anyone suggest an easier song to learn that is a popular tune? If there is a UU video of it, that would be great to know.

Thanks!!!

I would suggest goin to TSH Local Jams and pick a tune you're familiar with or one you hear on the local stations. Most of the songs listed there have chords.

 

[seeso]

What bands do you like? Most bands have at least one tune that's easy to play (or can be interpreted that way).

 

[ddmhnl]

Thanks everyone for their replies. I like Weezer but that song just has too many chords to learn right now. I like Iz, Eric Clapton, Keola Beamer - I enjoy both current pop/rock stuff and Hawaiian music. Since I am still learning how to read tabs, I need EASY stuffs.

 

[seeso]

Eric Clapton has some songs that have easy chords. Wonderful Tonight and Lay Down Sally spring to mind. Aldrine even has a tutorial for Wonderful Tonight.

 

[ddmhnl]

I will give it a try however, I thought there were some intricate picking parts in Wonderful Tonight. Everyone has been so helpful at UU. Thank you

 

[gotrice415510]

my advice is to learn the chords and strum patterns of songs before u learn the pickings, i think that shud help u out at first. At first i started learning alot of riffs and such but i couldnt play an actual song, which isnt good.

 

[cpatch]

I will give it a try however, I thought there were some intricate picking parts in Wonderful Tonight. Everyone has been so helpful at UU. Thank you

You don't need or want to learn how to play most songs exactly as they were recorded. You can take the basic chords and come up with a strum pattern that closely matches the rhythm of the song or just do your own take on it. The thing is, if you try to match a song too closely you're going to be compared to the original and will always fall short, especially as a beginner. If you just relax and put your own spin on it then those listening aren't going to be as critical (and neither are you).

 

[seeso]

You don't need or want to learn how to play most songs exactly as they were recorded. You can take the basic chords and come up with a strum pattern that closely matches the rhythm of the song or just do your own take on it. The thing is, if you try to match a song too closely you're going to be compared to the original and will always fall short, especially as a beginner. If you just relax and put your own spin on it then those listening aren't going to be as critical.

That's my philosophy toward most of my covers. I sped up my version of Wonderful Tonight. I don't know how successful it was, but I had fun.

 

[Ukulele JJ]

Clapton's Promises is pretty simple, and can be done well with a basic DUDU strum pattern. Bonus points for accenting every second "down": duDu

The only tricky part is the Bm chord. But hey, you gotta learn to play it someday. (You could substitute a G for it and, while it won't be quite right, it'll get you in the ballpark.)

JJ

 

[honda13typer]

if u like weezer try keep fishing i thought it was easy when i first started

 

[FourChordWonder]

I think Drop Baby Drop is pretty easy since it's basically the same four chords over and over again. The picking looks complicated but it's actually pretty simple, especially the way Aldrine breaks it down here. I made myself a little chord sheet with the picking to go along with Aldrine's lesson. The chord changes might be a little off but you can probably figure it out. I've only been playing for a little over a week now and I can play through most of the song. The slides on the second part of the picking always get me.

Johnny Cash - Ring of Fire is super easy, though I don't know if I would call it popular. This was actually the first song I could play all the way through, the first real song anyway. Here's a chord sheet with the picking and whatnot included.

And there's always Ukulele Beatles Fun!. There's a few four chord songs on there you might be able to slowly hammer out.

 

[Joe H]

"Hey Julie" By Fountains Of Wayne is pretty easy. I accidentally figured that song out when I first started playing.

 

[ddmhnl]

You don't need or want to learn how to play most songs exactly as they were recorded. You can take the basic chords and come up with a strum pattern that closely matches the rhythm of the song or just do your own take on it. The thing is, if you try to match a song too closely you're going to be compared to the original and will always fall short, especially as a beginner. If you just relax and put your own spin on it then those listening aren't going to be as critical (and neither are you).

I think you are right! I would really like to learn how to play Wonderful Tonight without the elaborate picking part and I will try to put my own spin on it. With the Weezer song, the tempo may be a little faster than I can handle right now. Between trying to play the chords correctly with the strumming pattern, I cant play the song as fast as it should. Maybe Wonderful Tonight would be better since it is slower. Any suggestions?

 

[byjimini]

That's my philosophy toward most of my covers. I sped up my version of Wonderful Tonight. I don't know how successful it was, but I had fun.

Yes, absolutely. I loved your version, I just wish I was more fluent in music theory since you play the chords further up the neck than I'm currently comfortable with, hence mine sounds much lower.