There’s nothing more motivating than learning your first handful of songs on your new instrument, giving you something fun and rewarding to enjoy solo and with friends!

Below you’ll find five great ukulele songs that you can learn in one week or less.

Stand By Me

This classic tune, penned by Ben King, has been covered by everyone from John Lennon to Seal, and is a great song to add to your repertoire.

You’ll only need four chords for this one, which can be transposed to any key: I-VI-IV-V.

I-VI-IV-V is just a way of notating the chord progression, indicating the the first chord is built on the 1st degree of the scale, the next chord on the 4th, etc., following the roman numeral system.

For example, in the key of C:  

C - Am - F - G

You Are My Sunshine

This happy little tune is another great one to have in your bag. The progression is similar to “Stand By Me,” only a bit longer. In roman numerals, it looks like this:

I - V/IV - IV - I - IV - I - V7 - I

Here’s what it looks like in the key of C:

C - C7 - F - C - F - C - C/G7 - C

Notice that in the next to last measure you’re going to hold the C chord out for two extra beats, then switch to G7, finally returning to C for the final cadence.

This Land is Your Land

There’s nothing like a good ‘ol Woody Guthrie tune to add a touch of Americana to your songbook.

Check out this easy progression for the beloved “This Land is Your Land” below, noticing how the song actually begins on the IV chord, rather than the typical I chord.

IV - I - V7 - I - IV - I - V7 - I

Here it is transposed to the key of F Major, just to give you a little practice playing in different keys:

Bb - F - C7 - F - Bb - F - C7 - F

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

This famous tune was originally composed back in 1939 by Harold Arlen for the film “The Wizard of Oz,” and originally sung by Judy Garland.

Here are the chords to the verse, shown in the key of C Major:

C - Am - Em - C7

F - F - C - C7

F - Fm - C - A7

D7 - G7 - C - G7

Notice the additional minor and 7th chords in this arrangement. Once you’ve mastered it in the key of C, try transposing it to a new key that introduces sharps or flats. This will work wonders for connecting your musical ear with the visual and tactile aspect of the fretboard.

Happy Birthday

No songbook would be complete without the iconic “Happy Birthday.” When you’ve got a birthday party, nothing else will really do. This charming little waltz is easily transposable to different keys.

Here are the chords, also in the key of C Major:

C - G7 - G7 - C

C7 - F - C/G7 - C

That’s it! Enjoy your five new songs and be sure to share them with a friend!

You can learn this and more from our world class Ukulele instructors at ArtistWorks. Study with expert players, Craig Chee and Sarah Maisel by signing up here.

Read more about Ukulele at ArtistWorks:

Ukulele Tuning: A Complete Guide

11 Ways to Leave Your Musical Level

How to Noticeably Improve Your Playing in 30 Days