What Are The Best Ukulele Chords Progressions?
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Best Ukulele Chords Progressions – The Basics
The best ukulele chord progressions books are the perfect allies for beginners, intermediate, and advanced musicians trying to fully master the ukulele.
They are the best source of knowledge you can turn to when learning and composing new songs once you’re a seasoned musician.
However, how can you pick the best one with so many complications yet ahead:
1 # – There are hundreds of them available!
While researching for this article, we found roughly 200 books available online – of which only 17 are viable and worth checking out.
How would you know which of them is the best? In this article, we’ll point you to the juiciest of them all, whether you’re a beginner or an advanced musician!
2 # – Maybe you don’t know where you should get started
Finding the right introductory book among hundreds of options is not an easy task – especially when they’re all the best, the ultimate, and best-sellers.
Trust us when we tell you that, no, not all of them can be the best.
If you go ahead and buy without a proper guide, you can be running into a dead end, or worse, a vicious cycle of buying books nonstop until your shelves are filled – without actually learning anything useful!
3 # – Buying the wrong book is discouraging
Once you’ve acquired a pile of useless books – or just one – you’ll lose faith in your learning process, in yourself, and worst of all, in the instrument.
That’s the worst thing that can happen to someone whose drive was so eager, excited, and joyous at first – it’s like the dampening of the spirit.
In this guide, we’ll save you from all of these complications, and give you the best overall chord progressions books and guides you can get online.
Streamline your learning with a few clicks!
Comparison Table – Best Ukulele Chords Progressions
Last update on 2023-11-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Best Overall Ukulele Chords Progressions – Ukulele for the Complete Ignoramus
- Ted Parrish (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 104 Pages - 08/17/2015 (Publication Date) - Native Ground Books & Music (Publisher)
Last update on 2023-11-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
This witty ukulele book is, without a doubt, the best ukulele chord progressions book you can get online.
The Ukulele for the Complete Ignoramus book shows you, the complete Ignoramus newcomer and beginner, how to play your first songs.
It does so gracefully by addressing many things at once:
- Ukulele history.
- Teaching you how to hold your ukulele.
- How to tune your uke.
- Chords.
- Strumming – which is rare in this type of book.
- Melody playing.
- Fingerpicking.
- And some lovely songs to put it all together.
This is the only book that can help beginners and intermediate players to learn how to enjoy the uke with its amazing lessons.
We love the fact that it doesn’t let out the culture and history behind everything it teaches you, as it includes it briefly along with every song in it.
Also, it’s among the few books out there that can give musicians a lot of value even after they’ve advanced in level.
This book is a rather hidden treasure – everyone who buys it enjoys it and keeps it for a long time, to revisit it later.
It also comes with a CD, which gives incredible value to the lessons.
This is the best book you can get as a beginner and it’s certainly one to keep close forever.
Highly recommended!
Pros
- This is the best introductory ukulele book – getting it as a beginner is almost mandatory!
- It offers a lot of value because it gives you just about everything you need – and a little bit of history as well.
- It comes with a complimentary CD which also has incredible value.
- Although it is among the most expensive books on the list, it’s totally worth every penny and feels like a bargain after you’ve finished it.
Cons
- None!
Best Budget Pick Ukulele Chords Progressions – Ukulele Chord Dictionary
- Contributors: Morton Manus
- Instrument: Ukulele
- Page count: 48
Last update on 2023-11-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
The budget pick is yet another book, a small one, which offers excellent value.
The Ukulele Chord Dictionary is the perfect travel companion for the intermediate, advanced, and even pro musician who wants a portable chord reference.
This book of ukulele chord progressions is rather small at 4 x 0.25 x 10.5 inches – but it’s certainly jampacked with value.
It comes with:
- Very useful chord charts.
- It covers just about everything a pocket reference should cover: basic chords, majors, seventh chords, minor sixths chords, chord derivations, a section for tuning, movable chords, and more.
- It’s also very easy to fit on any gig bag or ukulele hard case, so you can take it and practice with it anywhere.
- Its value is great for the price.
This is the best portable reference chord book ever made – we love almost everything about it!
We really appreciate the fingerboard chart which explains all the notes.
Of course, it does have a downside – it’s just a great budget pick, after all.
The main downside we found about this book is that it doesn’t come with the circle of fifths, which is vital once you’ve reached an advanced level.
However, that’s not enough to make us dislike this pick, and it shouldn’t shoo you away either.
Pros
- Great reference book to take with you anywhere – it fits just about any ukulele gig bag comfortably!
- It comes with everything an intermediate, advanced, or professional player would need to check on the go.
- It’s very useful to master most vital chords and variations.
Cons
- It doesn’t come with the circle of fifths, which is vital for advanced players.
Best Runner Up Ukulele Chords Progressions – Ukulele for Exercises for Dummies
- McQueen, Brett (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 272 Pages - 05/06/2013 (Publication Date) - For Dummies (Publisher)
Last update on 2023-11-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
This book was made by two amazing guys that have always supported the ukulele-loving community: Brett McQueen and Alistair Wood.
Put together for the advanced beginner, this book is an interesting complementary guide that will show you the ins and outs of the ukulele in a practical way.
It comes with:
- Fingerpicking, strumming, chord, scales, arpeggios, and more exercises.
- Tips to improve technique and mastering more than a few strumming patterns.
- Music reading and fingerpicking references.
- And much more.
This book is different from others because it teaches with practice, which is very engaging and sticks easier to the memory.
You can read and practice along with it to improve your technique and take advantage of all the nice tips it comes with.
You can also jump from top to bottom without missing anything – just pick the topic you like the most and learn away.
There is no better practice book than this, that’s for sure.
However, it does come with a setback – the print is rather small, which might not be beneficial for elderly people or people with vision issues looking to learn.
Aside from that, this book is extremely helpful to master more than a few concepts and exercises, develop better finger placement, strength, agility, and more.
Pros
- Great guide for advanced beginners and intermediate players who are interested in serious practice and mastering a few skills.
- This is one of the best books you can get to master strumming patterns, finger placement, improve your agility, and develop a fluid playstyle.
- It’s very easy to follow along.
Cons
- It has a small print.
Best Ukulele Chords Progressions with Hand Position Pictures – Ukulele Chord Book – Over 300 Chords
- Casey, Bert (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 63 Pages - 11/14/2017 (Publication Date) - Independently published (Publisher)
Last update on 2023-11-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
If you’re having a rough time mastering, playing, and remembering ukulele chords, this book might come in handy.
This is one of the simplest books on the list, but also one of the most useful ones for visual learners.
It’s pretty straightforward – it shows you more than 300 types of chords you can play in the uke with pictures of the hand positioning and tabs.
It also includes a chart for common chords in each key, which is perfect if you want to improvise a couple of songs at any given time.
Also, it comes with a moveable chord section, so you can adapt your fingers to anything you’re playing comfortably.
This is yet another unbelievably useful book you’ll find on this list because it doesn’t just show you chord tabs – it shows you the hand in the uke with the best possible technique for you to mimic it.
If you can’t master the chords with this book, we don’t really know what else you can do to learn.
We think this book is useful for musicians of all levels, including professional ukulele players with awful memory.
Definitely a must-have!
Pros
- A simple chord book with pictures – it’s still the best to master and memorize all the ukulele chords, or also to use it as a reference.
- It’s useful for musicians of all levels, including pros!
- It also comes with different resources, like moveable chords, tabs, and the most common chords of each key.
Cons
- It’s rather insipid – although it’s amazingly useful, just knowing the chords won’t make you a better player.
Best Ukulele Chords Progressions and Music Theory Book – Music Theory for Ukulele
- Shipway, David (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 116 Pages - 07/06/2020 (Publication Date) - Independently published (Publisher)
Last update on 2023-11-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
We always love to support beginners that are interested in learning how to play the ukulele – but we don’t really like sugarcoating the process.
Now, that doesn’t mean the process has to be hard, and this book is the perfect representation for that.
The Music Theory for Ukulele book is a staple that any uke and music enthusiast should read.
This is the perfect introduction to music theory for beginners and intermediate players.
If you pair this book correctly with the others on this list, you can easily think of yourself as an advanced player.
We love this book because it teaches you all the basic stuff you should know about music theory regardless of your level.
You can only go so far without the knowledge this book has in its pages written in an easy to grasp language.
Some people have their doubts about music theory, thinking it doesn’t improve their skills or technique – and of course, it doesn’t.
However, it does give you a wider picture and thorough understanding of what you’re playing, why it sounds good, and why all the pieces fall into place in a melody.
This book can teach you that.
If you’re interested in creating songs, learning how to appreciate the tunes you love from musicality, and more, this is the book you need.
Pros
- Best introductory book to music theory for ukuleles – it can help you understand a lot about music and why sounds so good.
- This is a staple book that musicians of all levels should read and apply.
- It gives you the necessary knowledge to fall in love even more with music and to start creating songs and more!
Cons
- It might be too simple for musicians who already have a deep understanding of the topic.
Best Ukulele Chords Progressions Taught with Songs – 21 Easy Ukulele Folk Songs
- Bogart, Rebecca (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 105 Pages - 02/02/2019 (Publication Date) - Independently published (Publisher)
Last update on 2023-11-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
This book is very different from the others because it’s all about songs.
The 21 Easy Ukulele Folk Songs is a great book that can help you put into practice the knowledge you’ve garnered from all the other books.
If you’re a beginner or intermediate player looking to expand your repertoire with good and easy songs, this is the book you need.
Also, it’s not just the book, but the author also gives you access to some free video lessons which you can activate and start using easily.
There’s also a version with 21 Christmas songs that’s great and easy to follow.
Of course, this book doesn’t show you a lot about theory – but once you know all you should know from the other books in this selection, you’ll be able to understand how it works.
It comes with tabs, music sheets, finger placement pictures, lyrics to sing along with, and more.
This is a good complimentary book that will allow you to practice swiftly and master a few songs, melodies, and also have the tools to play more complicated songs eventually.
Finally, for its price, this book has an excellent value that you just can’t pass on.
Pros
- Great book with songs and all the resources you need to master them.
- It comes with tabs, musical sheets, and more, so you can put into practice everything you’ve learned so far with the other books.
- This is a nice book for beginner and intermediate players – and it’s very affordable, too.
Cons
- The songs are very easy, making them good only for beginners.
Frequently Asked Questions – Ukulele Chords Progressions
The Ukulele Chord Book comes with amazing tips to achieve it.
Don’t be so hard on yourself and learn the most important ones first.
To do so, you can start by memorizing the finger placement, playing the chords to memorize the sound, and then repeating it occasionally to fully engrave it in your memory.
Still, the most recommended method to memorize chords is by playing your favorite songs!
The ukulele has 180 chords – learning them all is a hard endeavor, and even pros struggle with this sometimes.
That includes all the different versions of each chord, from minors to suspended chords.
The basic chords are usually a good starter: A, B, C, D, E, F, and G.
Then, you can pass on to learn the minors, which are also easy to grasp.
Once you’ve learned those, you’ll be able to play thousands of songs!
After them, you should try and learn their variations all over the fretboard, and other more complex chords.
Check out the Ukulele Chord Dictionary to learn them all!
Yes! Chord progressions are what comprise melodies – an arranged row of successive chords in a specific order.
They’re very important to creating beautiful music and are the foundation for most of the songs you hear literally everywhere.
Sounds important enough, doesn’t it?
Conclusion
Mastering chords, chord progressions, chord shapes, strumming patterns, and more are part of learning the ukulele.
This can be fairly intimidating if you’re just getting started, but you should know it doesn’t have to be.
With the books we’ve reviewed here, you’ll have a deep understanding of everything you should know about the ukulele – from practice to theory.
Also, some of these books are staples that musicians of all levels, including pros, use to play and create beautiful songs.
You’re not excluded from this knowledge and these books are the proof of that.
Regardless of your age and skill, if you have the drive and the compromise to learn on your own, these books can show you the right progression to follow.
Did you master chords, technique, and music theory? Get started with these books!
