How To Play Over The Rainbow On Violin

In this article, you will learn how to play Somewhere Over the Rainbow on Ukulele. First, we'll walk through the chords and how to play them. Next, we'll look at chord transitions and fingering. Then, we'll touch on strumming patterns. And finally, we'll look closely at Somewhere Over the Rainbow as a whole.

Remember, when learning to play a song on any instrument, patience is key. Starting slow and working your way up to a tempo (speed) you're comfortable with will get you to your goal quicker than rushing.

Firstly, let's start by taking a look at a Ukulele chord chart:

Ukulele chord chart for reference when learning how to play Somewhere Over the Rainbow on Ukulele

The chord chart above gives you an overview of lots of different ukulele chords. You won't need all of these to learn how to play Somewhere Over the Rainbow on ukulele. However, they'll surely come in handy later.

To read this ukulele chord chart, keep in mind that the straight up and down lines represent the strings of the ukulele. From left to right are strings 4 – 1. The 4th string is the one closest to your chin as you hold the ukulele.

The horizontal spaces are the frets of the ukulele. The top horizontal space is your first fret.

Rhythm for Playing Somewhere Over the Rainbow on the Ukulele

After learning the basic rhythm for this song, you have the ability to be a little more creative with your strumming. Always learn the basic rhythm first and then you can "break the rules" of that rhythm to make the song yours.

Let's take a look at the strumming pattern:

^ = strum down

V = strum up

The strumming pattern for Somewhere Over the Rainbow looks like this:

^ v ^ v__ v ^ v___

That means our strumming pattern will be: up down up down, down up down.

You can practice playing this rhythm at a tempo of 170 BPM (beats per minute)

Chords for Playing Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Let's take a look at the tablature, with chord symbols written above the lyrics of the song.

[Intro]

C Em Am F

C G Am F

[Verse]

C Em F C

Oooo, oooo, oooo …

F E7 Am

Oooo, oooo, oooo …

[Chorus]

C Em

Somewhere over the rainbow

F C

Way up high

F C

And the dreams that you dream of

G Am F

Once in a lullaby-y-y … y-y-y

C Em

Oh, somewhere over the rainbow

F C

Blue birds fly

F C

And the dreams that you dream of

G Am F

Dreams really do come true-ue-ue … ooh-ooh-ooh

[Verse]

Someday I'll wish upon a star

G Am F

Wake up where the clouds are far behind … me-e-e

Where trouble melts like lemon drops

High above the chimney tops

Am F

That's where … you'll fi-ind me

[Chorus]

C Em

Oh, somewhere over the rainbow

F C

Blue birds fly

F C

And the dream that you dare to

G Am F

Oh why, oh why can't I-I-I … Ah-ah-ay

[Verse]

Someday I'll wish upon a star

G Am F

Wake up where the clouds are far behind … me-e-e

Where trouble melts like lemon drops

High above the chimney tops

Am F

That's where … you'll fi-ind me

[Chorus]

C Em

Oh, somewhere over the rainbow

F C

Way up high

F C

And the dreams that you dare to

G Am F

Why, oh why can't I-I-I … Ah-ah-ay

[Outro] (fade out)

C Em F C

Oooo, oooo, oooo …

F E7 Am F

Oooo, oooo, Oo-ah-ah …

Transitioning Between Ukulele Chords

One of the most challenging parts of playing the ukulele are the chord transitions. For example, the act of moving from one chord to another.

Learning how to transition between chords takes patience and repetition. First, start with the movement between two of the chords you're most comfortable with. Once you have those down, add another chord that's a little more challenging. Finally, add another chord, and then another. Continue this process, slowly adding additional chords and getting more comfortable as you go.

This process will help you hone your chord transition skills, as well as helping you memorize chords. Above all, through this process, the chord transitions will become "muscle memory". While placing your fingers to make a chord, try to move and place all your fingers at the same time. This will help you make a clean chord.

Placement of Fingers on the Ukulele Strings

Let's start with placement of your fingers on the strings of the ukulele. You always want to use fingertips on the strings, having your knuckles popped up. I describe this to students as "eagles claws". In addition, remember that your fingers should also be placed on the "back end" of the frets. This will assure avoiding weak or dead notes.

When it comes to playing and following rhythms; your best bet is to look up the song on YouTube or Vimeo. That way you can play along.

Playing Somewhere Over the Rainbow is Just the Beginning!

The best part is, once you know how to play Somewhere Over the Rainbow, you'll already have the knowledge to play lots of other songs. As a result, any songs that include the chords used here are available to you.

When you hear a song you want to play, remember that you can look up the chords for that song. And you can learn to play those chords using the chart at the top of this article.

There are also some websites that have the songs to play along with, and that give you the ability to slow the song down. This helps you learn to transition between chords in a more comfortable manner.

Finally, remember that by practicing the ukulele often, playing songs you already love, and being patient with yourself, you'll be on your way to becoming a great ukulele player.