Ukulele Beginner Roadmap: The Best Order to Learn Ukulele (Step-by-Step Videos) 🤍

Welcome! If you’ve just picked up your first ukulele, this guide will help you know exactly where to start and what to learn next. Whether you're 8 or 68, these free lessons build your skills step-by-step so you’ll stay motivated, confident, and excited to keep strumming.

Below you’ll find each video in the recommended order, along with a short description of what you’ll learn in each one.

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Video 1: Learn Ukulele in 1 Hour – Class for Total Beginners

Start here! This full, friendly beginner class walks you through everything you need for your very first hour on the ukulele: how to hold it, your first chords, basic strumming patterns, and your first songs. Perfect if you want an overview before taking your time with individual lessons.

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Video 2: Your First Ukulele Lesson (Taught by a Music Teacher)

This lesson covers many of the same fundamentals as Video 1 on purpose! Repetition helps new players absorb information and build confidence. You’ll review posture, chords, rhythm basics, and beginner tips with a slightly different teaching approach.

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Video 3: How to Tune Your Ukulele & Use a Clip-on Tuner

Even if you have already tuned your ukulele, this video goes into more detail about the Chromatic Scale. I recommend you watch it to continue solidifying your experience with note names the different functions of a clip-on tuner. Being able to tune independently makes every practice session more successful.

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Video 4: Ukulele Anatomy – Body Parts, Names & Quiz

Knowing the parts of your ukulele helps you follow tutorials more easily and understand your instrument better. This quick lesson includes a mini quiz so you can test yourself at the end.

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Video 5: 20 Most Important Ukulele Chords to Memorize

These are the chords you'll see in almost every beginner songbook or tutorial. Learning them early will make playing songs much easier. The video includes friendly explanations, chord tips, and clear visual diagrams.

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Video 6: Ukulele Warm-Ups to Do EVERY DAY! (Strumming and Fingerpicking)

Daily warm-ups help your hands loosen up, prevent tension, and increase finger strength over time. This routine includes both strumming and beginner fingerpicking patterns, which are great for developing versatility right from the start.

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Video 7: 10 Reasons Why People Quit Ukulele (And How to Stay Motivated!)

At some point, every new musician feels frustrated. This video is here for you before that moment happens. Learn the most common reasons people give up and what you can do to stay inspired and keep going.

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Video 8: Ukulele Strumming Challenge – Lesson 1 of 5

Start improving rhythm and timing in a fun, structured way. This first lesson introduces the foundations of strumming and helps you build consistency.

Video 9: Ukulele Strumming Challenge – Lesson 2 of 5

Continue developing your rhythm skills with slightly more complex patterns. A great next step that still feels beginner-friendly.

Video 10: Ukulele Strumming Challenge – Lesson 3 of 5

Add control to your strumming and learn the next step in learning the island strum. 

Video 11: Ukulele Strumming Challenge – Lesson 4 of 5

By this point, your right hand will feel more confident. This lesson builds your muscle memory and is just one step from finishing the island strum.

Video 12: Ukulele Strumming Challenge – Lesson 5 of 5

The final lesson! After this lesson, you’ll have the foundation you need to play the island strum. This strum is foundational for learning other strumming patterns.

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Video 13: The Most Popular Ukulele Strum | Island/Calypso Strum

This iconic pattern is heard in countless ukulele songs. It’s a review and a refinement of everything you learned in the challenge above, helping you master the famous down-down-up-up-down-up rhythm.

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Video 14: 20 Easy Children’s Songs for Ukulele

Here’s where the fun really begins! These songs use simple chords and gentle patterns that help you apply what you’ve learned. Even if you don’t have kids in your life, these songs are perfect for practicing transitions and building confidence.

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Video 15: 5 Easy Christmas Songs for Ukulele (Beginner Friendly)

A seasonal treat! These easy holiday songs are great for sharing music with family and friends. The chords and strumming patterns are approachable for true beginners.

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What is next...

Now you are ready to start learning many more songs and growing your repertoire. A great option is to come to my Patreon Community where I give members hundreds of song sheets. Every week on Patreon, members attend my live lessons and receive new PDF song sheets. To join us, come to patreon.com/bernadetteteachesmusic

How to help me: My page continues to grow because of recommendations from people like you. Please bookmark this page so you recommend it to others who are starting their journey.

Plus: it is always good for you to review what you have learned! Should I create a "next steps" blog post like this one?

Bernadette 🤍