StretchLearn Course

Go from your first chord to playing real songs on the ukulele

Named chords, counted strumming patterns, and fingerpicking you can actually play this week.

Beginner8 hr 45 minSelf PacedRegistered

Course Overview

What this course is designed to develop

This course takes a complete beginner from an out-of-tune instrument to confidently strumming and fingerpicking songs on the soprano, concert, or tenor ukulele. You will learn standard GCEA tuning, the open chords that cover thousands of songs, counted strumming patterns, transitions, and two-finger picking patterns. Every lesson ties technique to specific chord shapes, fret numbers, and recognizable songs so you are always playing music, not just drills.

Learning Outcomes

What the learner should be able to understand, build, or execute.

Tune a ukulele to standard GCEA pitch using a clip-on tuner and verify it by ear

Play and cleanly switch between the core open chords C, Am, F, G, G7, C7, Dm, and A7

Strum at least four counted patterns including the island D-DU-UDU pattern in steady time

Read and play from a chord chart and a simple chord-over-lyrics songsheet

Fingerpick a two-finger and a Travis-style pattern across changing chords

Build and follow a 20-minute daily practice routine that produces steady, measurable progress

Curriculum Preview

Inside the curriculum: a structured path from fundamentals to execution.

Preview the course structure, see how the modules build on one another, and understand the path this program is designed to take you through.

Module 1

Module 1: Getting Started with Your Ukulele

Choose the right size, learn the parts and how to hold it, and get the instrument perfectly in tune before you play a note.

3 lessons

Sizes, Parts, and Choosing Your First UkuleleContent · 40 min

Preview Enabled

Tuning to Standard GCEAContent · 40 min

LMS Access

Holding the Ukulele and Hand PositionContent · 35 min

LMS Access

Module 2

Module 2: Your First Chords and Songs

Learn to read chord diagrams, play the most useful open chords, and switch between them smoothly enough to play real songs.

3 lessons

Reading Chord Diagrams and Your First Three ChordsContent · 45 min

LMS Access

The G Family and Two-Chord SongsContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Smooth Chord TransitionsContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 3

Module 3: Strumming and Rhythm

Build a steady internal pulse and learn the counted strumming patterns that turn chords into recognizable grooves.

3 lessons

Counting, Downstrokes, and Keeping TimeContent · 40 min

LMS Access

The Island Strum and Common PatternsContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Dynamics, Muting, and Playing in Time with SongsContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 4

Module 4: Fingerpicking and Building Your Practice

Move beyond strumming into melodic fingerpicking, expand your chord vocabulary, and lock in a routine that keeps you improving.

3 lessons

Fingerpicking FundamentalsContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Expanding Chords and the Travis PatternContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Building a Practice Routine That SticksContent · 40 min

LMS Access

Built for Application

A complete learning path, not a one-off inspiration hit.

This program is designed around progression: focused lessons, structured modules, applied resources, assessments, and a course rhythm that turns information into usable capability.

ukulelechordsstrummingfingerpickingGCEA tuningchord transitionsbeginner musicplaying songs