Please help me figure this out!!!

I am a beginner uke player and I am trying to figure out how to play songs when their are just chords. I can read tabs but I do not know how to read the music if it looks like this... I am so lost ha! For example on this Tears from Heaven song. Do i strum or pick these chords that are above the words? Hope this makes sense! Please someone help me!

C D Fm
Would you know my name,
C G D
I f I s aw you in heaven,
G D Fm
Wo uld it be the s ame,
C G D
I f I s aw you in hea ven,
C D Fm
Would you h old my h and
C G D
If I sa w y ou in heaven
G D Fm
Would you he lp me stand
C G D
If I sa w you in heaven
C G D Fm
I'll fin d my w ay, thr ough night and day

When using a chord/lyric sheet, it's preferably strummed. The chord names are placed on the appropriate words to ensure correct chord changes. You can download Tears in Heaven in PDF format showing where the chord changes are at.

Thank you so much!

Check out the 'Ukulele Resources thread . . . a lot of links to everything ukulele.

If you're familiar with the song, then you will probably hear where you need to change chords. So, looking at the chord sheet and listening should get you where you want to go.

As you're strumming the C chord and singing (or humming) the first line, you'll notice a point where it won't quite sound right anymore - that's a general indicator of a chord change.

Jason

As Kanaka916 said, play the chord progressions, strummed. When you get a hold of that, you can start to break down those chords to create picking that goes with the progressions.

Go to this link:
http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/forum/showthread.php?19364-Free-gift-for-Beginners

and get the totally awesome free book from UU member Uncle Rod. He has a system he calls the "disposable chord method". It basically helps you get a handle on how and when to play the chords in a new song. The basic idea is that this system is really only useful to those just beginning and can then be "disposed" of. He outlines a simple step by step easing in to getting the progressions down.

And if you want something picked and trickier....

Here is a tab to a beautiful picked version of the song:
http://dominator.ukeland.com/index2.shtml

And here is the arrangement it was based on:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOqkz6EyPvg

Good luck and have fun.