Learning how to strum ukulele is essential if you want your playing to sound full, relaxed, and rhythmically solid rather than stiff and uneven.

You play Somewhere Over the Rainbow on ukulele using four main chords, usually C, Am, F, and G, picked out in a gentle fingerpicked or light strum pattern that mirrors Israel Kamakawiwoʻole's iconic recording.

The easiest ukulele songs for beginners use just two to four basic chords, a steady down-strum pattern, and forgiving timing—songs like "Riptide," "I'm Yours," and "You Are My Sunshine" are common starting points because they repeat the same chord shapes throughout instead of introducing new ones every few bars.

C is 0003, Am is 2000, F is 2010, G is 0232. Learn the shapes, then the changes between them, and check each chord string by string when it won't ring.

A ukulele that goes flat a minute after tuning usually isn't broken. Tune it with or without a tuner, then fix what pulls it out: new strings, pegs, the nut.