The Cowboy Song - Ukulele Chords

At the end of Joe vs the Volcano, Joe (played by Tom Hanks) strums this fun and simple song on the ukulele.  I've read They wanted something Mr. Hanks could easily play on his own, and given it only two chords I'd say they nailed it.  I've seen this written out in a few different keys, but this is the version I play because it's a) easy and b) I think what they played in the movie.

La Vie En Rose - Ukulele Chords

Cynthia Lin Music has an amazing ukulele channel on Youtube with lots of tutorials both for songs and for basic ukulele technique.  Of the online ukulele teachers, she comes across as one of the most professional music teachers, but a very organized approach to teaching from beginners to intermediate work.  (she may have more advanced work but I'm not there yet in my playing).

Here's one of my favorite videos she made:

I made a quick music sheet based on this tutorial so it was easier to follow along and then go practice on my own.

Ukulele Hymn - O God Beyond All Praising

Heard this hymn at church, something I've been hearing for years and decided to try it on the uke.  Not an overly complex song, although some quicker chord changes if you're still a beginning.

Download the PDF here.

Why I play the ukulele

About two years ago I decided to order a ukulele.  My wife plays the piano, my dad the guitar, and several of my friends can play multitple musical instruments. Up until then the only thing I could do was tap along to songs on myn steering wheel.  I wanted more.  But I'm also a dad, I work full time, and I wanted something I could get up to speed and enjoy quickly.

I have a guitar from my father-in-law.  My dad plays it when he's in town.  I tried to learn and play but i couldn't get my fingers to co-operate.  I didn't find it fun so I stopped.  Yes this is a lack of willpower, but at this point I had no intentions of going pro and I wanted this as something fun to kill time and mess around.

I needed something easier, something relatively inexpensive, and something i could be up and running in a few hours of playing time.  Enter my first purchase:

The Bare Necessities - Ukulele Chords

I've been playing the ukulele for about a two years now.  One of first songs I learned was The Bare Necessities from the Jungle Book.  Its a fun song and plays very well on a ukulele.  I watched several videos and read chords around the internet and finally made my own hybrid version that I find very playable.  I've made a PDF of the chords available HERE for your download.