Instrument

Ukulele

The friendliest instrument you'll ever pick up.

Four soft strings, a small body, and a bright re-entrant tuning that makes even a single C chord sound like a smile. Your fingertips won't hurt the way they do on a guitar. You can travel with it, pass it to a friend, and have them strumming a real song in ten minutes. Learn the ukulele well and it becomes your gateway to all other fretted instruments — a lot of what you build here carries straight over to guitar, bass, and mandolin.

What's special about the ukulele

  • Re-entrant tuning (g C E A) gives the ukulele its bright, jangly voice — the G string sits higher than the C and E next to it.
  • Soft nylon/fluorocarbon strings mean no calluses, no pain, and a gentle start for any age.
  • A ukulele fits in a picnic bag. You'll play it in more places than you expect.
The Path

Your starter path, phase by phase.

1. Orientation

  1. Meet Your Ukulele 7 min
  2. Holding the Ukulele 8 min
  3. Tuning Your Ukulele 9 min
  4. The Practice Mindset 6 min

2. First Sounds

  1. Strings by Name 5 min
  2. Making a Clean Note 6 min
  3. Pressure, Release, Breath 6 min
  4. Reading a Chord Diagram 6 min
  5. Your First Chord: C 7 min

3. Rhythm

  1. The Pulse 6 min
  2. Quarter Notes, Eighths, and the "&" 8 min
  3. Your First Strum 7 min
  4. Down-Up: The Strumming Pattern 8 min
  5. Playing In Time 9 min

4. Chord Vocabulary

  1. Am — Your Second Chord 7 min
  2. C ↔ Am — Your First Transition 8 min
  3. F — The Two-Finger Chord 7 min
  4. C-Am-F — Your First Progression 9 min
  5. G7 — The Stretchy One 8 min
  6. C-Am-F-G7 — Your First Four-Chord Song 10 min

5. Repertoire

  1. Amazing Grace 12 min
  2. I'll Fly Away 11 min
  3. The Doo-Wop Loop 11 min
  4. A Simple Worship Song 10 min
  5. Your First Song 15 min
Free The Music · Mentorship

Walk your music path with a mentor beside you

These lessons are free because they're a doorway, not a destination. When you're ready for a real human in your corner — someone watching what you're working on and offering the next honest step — that's FTM mentorship. One membership, the whole village.

  • 1:1 mentorship — with Matteo or Katrina — voice, songwriting, and instrument craft
  • Free The Music Ministry community — weekly themed calls (Voice · Technical · Songwriting · Abundant Artistry) + Open Mic Lounge nights
  • Full course library — every replay, every assignment, every framework
  • FTM instrument lessons — the path you're on right now, with progress tracking and feedback
  • 20% off all FTM festivals — we honor our ministry members at every gathering we host
  • Production sessions with Matteo — for when you're ready to record something real
Apply for mentorship → $150 / month · donation-based

Start with a 30-min intro conversation — no pressure, no sales, just a real chat about your music. Already know FTM is for you? Join the community directly →

Chord Reference

Every chord you’ll ever need.

Two ways to use the Ukulele chord library. By Key shows the seven diatonic chords that belong together — what you actually need when you’re writing or playing a song in a key. Full Range is the complete twelve roots × every quality grid for reference. Either tab can be downloaded as its own PDF.

Free The Music

Ukulele Chord Chart

Diatonic chords for every key · I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi, vii°

I
ii
iii
IV
V
vi
vii°
C
Db
D
Eb
E
F
Gb
G
Ab
A
Bb
B

Want to take your ukulele playing further?

Learn the ukulele methodically with Free The Music — a five-phase starter path, interactive lessons, and mentorship from a working musician.

freethemusic.life/learn/instruments/ukulele

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