23 Feb 2011

Ukulele nursery rhymes chords for parents with small children!

I have been contacted recently about whether very young children like the ukulele, and what songs should a parent play.  In my mind, singing nursery rhymes to young children is a wonderful way for a parent to bond with a child and is also great for those learning how to play this musical instrument.  I am not saying you need a ukulele to do so (that is part of the beauty of the nursery rhyme, anyone can sing them) but, if you already have a ukulele and are starting to play it - then why not?



ukulele nursery rhymes


But I think nursery rhymes also work as great practice pieces for new players regardless of having children. You see - Nursery Rhymes are, in their very nature, simple songs.  As such, if you are a beginner ukulele player, simple songs are perfect to practice with.  Simple strums, easy chords, well known tunes.  Add to that the fact that you probably know the words and melody and you must be on to a winner.  I have a very young daughter, and she beams the biggest smile you can imagine when some of these are played with a soft simple strum on the ukulele to accompany them.  Have fun!

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TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR

CFC
Twinkle, twinkle little star
FCG7C
How I wonder what you are
CG7CG7
Up a-bove the sky so bright
CG7CG
Like a diamond in the night
CFC
Twinkle, twinkle little star
FCG7C
How I wonder what you are








LONDON BRIDGE IS FALLING DOWN

CG7C
London bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down,
CG7C
London bridge is falling down, my fair lady.
, , ,
CG7               C
Take a key and lock her up, Lock her up, Lock her up.
CG7C
Take a key and lock her up, My fair lady.
. . .
How will we build it up, . . .
Build it up with silver and gold, . . .
Gold and silver I have none, . . .
Build it up with needles and pins, . . .
Pins and needles bend and break, . . .
Build it up with wood and clay, . . .
Wood and clay will wash away, . . .
Build it up with stone so strong,_. . .
Stone so strong will last so long, . . .



HOT CROSS BUNS

C
Hot cross buns, hot cross buns
G7
One a penny, two a penny,
C
hot cross buns
. . .
C
If you have no daughters, Give them to your sons
G7
One a penny, Two a penny
C
Hot cross buns






MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB

C
Mary had a little lamb,
G7C
little lamb, little lamb
C
Mary had a little lamb,
G7C
It's fleece was white as snow




HOW MUCH IS THAT DOGGIE IN THE WINDOW

CG
How much is that doggie in the window?
GG7C
The one with the waggily tail.
CG
How much is that doggie in the window?
G7GC
do hope that doggie's for sale.
. . .
CG
must take a trip to Cali-fornia
GG7C
And leave my poor sweetheart at home.
CG
If she has a doggie to pro-tect her
G7GC
The doggie will have a good home.
. . .
CG
read in the papers there are robbers
GG7C
With flashlights that shine in the dark.
CG
My love needs a doggie to pro-tect her
G7GC
And scare them a-way with one bark.
. . .
CG
don't want a bunny or a kitty.
GG7C
don't want a parrot that talks.
CG
don't want a bowl of little fishies.
G7GC
You can't take a goldfish for a walk.
. . .
CG
How much is that doggie in the window?
GG7C
The one with the waggily tail.
CG
How much is that doggie in the window?
G7GC
do hope that doggie's for sale.




THE MUFFIN MAN

G7C
Oh, Do you know the Muffin Man,
FG7
The Muffin Man, the Muffin Man?
G7C
Oh, Do you know the Muffin Man
FG7G
Who lives in Drury Lane?
. . . .
G7C
Oh, Yes, I know the Muffin Man,
FG7
The Muffin Man, the Muffin Man?
G7C
Oh, Yes, I know the Muffin Man
FG7C
Who lives inDruryLane?



OLD MACDONALD HAD A FARM

DGDA7D
Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O!
DGDA7D
And on his farm he had some chicks, E-I-E-I-O!
DD
With a cluck-cluck here, and a cluck-cluck there
DDD
Here a cluck, there a cluck, everywhere a cluck-cluck
DGDA7D
Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O!

And on his farm he had some
cows, (With a moo-moo here . . .)
ducks, (with a quack-quack here . . .)
pigs (oink-oink . . .)
etc., etc.






THIS OLD MAN (KNICK KNACK PADDY WHACK)

C
This old man, he played one,
FG7
He played knick knack with his thumb,



C
With a Knick, knack, paddy whack,
CG
Give the dog a bone;
GG7C
This old man came rolling home.
This old man, he played two, He played knick knack with my shoe
. . .
This old man, he played three, He played knick knack on my knee,
. . .
This old man, he played four, He played knick knack at my door,
. . .
This old man, he played five, He played knick knack, jazz and jive,
. . .
This old man, he played six, He played knick knack with his sticks,
. . .
This old man, he played seven, He played knick knack with his pen,
. . .
This old man, he played eight, He played knick knack on my gate,
. . .
This old man, he played nine, He played knick knack, rise and shine,
. . .
This old man, he played ten, He played knick knack in my den,






OLD KING COLE

CFCF
Old King Cole was a merry old soul
CG
And a merry old soul was he;
CFCF
He called for his pipe, and he called for his bowl
CGC
And he called for his fiddlers three.
. . .
CFCF
Every fiddler he had a fiddle,
CG
And a very fine fiddle had he;
CFCF
Oh there's none so rare, as can com-pare
CGC
With King Cole and his fiddlers three.



BAA BAA BLACK SHEEP

CG
Baa, baa, black sheep,
FC
Have you any wool?
FC
Yes sir, yes sir,
GC
Three bags full.
CG
One for the master,
FC
One for the dame,
FC
And one for the little boy
GC
Who lives down the lane.

More Ukulele Nursery Rhymes on the links below!

Ukulele nursery rhymes part 2
Ukulele nursery rhymes part 3
Ukulele Nursery Rhymes Part 4


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THANKS!

59 comments:

  1. Seriously, thank you so much! All your work here is wonderful (the ebook too!), but this is absolutely perfect. I'm learning uke to give my 10-month-old daughter even more music. She already loves hearing when my husband & I play the piano and when I sing. But she stops everything when she hears a guitar or uke on tv!

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  2. I've got no kids but these will help me to learn to sing whilst playing which I struggle with but like you say everyone knows the words to these so I'm hoping this could help me. Have to wait till tomorrow now or the people in flat upstairs will think I'm crackers singing nursery rhymes at 10pm !

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  3. thanks minerwilly - good point. We all like Nursery Rhymes, and we all know the words and tunes well - hope it helps you!

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  4. Thank You! I am so excited to have this. I played Twinkle Twinkle Little Star while my 2 1/2 yr old granddaughter sang along with me. It was "total joy". Now I'll practice up on the other songs and teach the little ones those too! Fun at Grandma's house!

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  5. woo hoo, i am actually nearly playing a tune, twinkle twinkle little star, yyyesss come on!!!

    thanx for these tunes Barry

    richard

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  6. Awesome site thanks so much

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  7. Great stuff!! I teach English to kindergarten and these will help a lot!!! I changed a few chords here and there, hope you don't mind :)

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  8. Inês, by all means. Share away!

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  9. Great stuff! thank you so much! ^^

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  10. these were to hard need some songs with just chords c and f

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  11. Really? These use some of the simplest and most common chord sequences on uke. Keep at it!

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  12. Thanks so much- very much a beginner so the sequences with c, f and g7 are my friends at the minute. Not looked at the other chords yet but great to have a couple of recognisable songs to work towards!

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  13. Interesting. When I taught nursery school 25 years ago, I discovered that C, F, & G7 were all I needed for most songs. Now you've confirmed it. Way to go!!

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  14. AHA! just what I was looking for! wanted something really simple for me and my son to learn together was going to work out the chords for myself, this has saved me quite alot of time!
    Thank you!

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  15. i give it a 4 star because it has songs that have fast speeds

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    Replies
    1. Its really wonderful to have this chords and the children loves this so much, thank you so much

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  16. as a complete beginer (im talking a couple of days here) i also find it difficult to play the G and G7 chords! its seems near on imossibly to get my fingers in position. even though you can slow these songs down- its still very hard to play them without stopping every few seconds...
    any advice...?
    Thanks, Loz

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  17. The G and G7 appear in so much popular music that they really are chords I would recommend you trying your best to master from day one. You won't progress too far avoiding a G.

    The alternative on these songs is to transpose the chords up or down in pitch, but whilst that will remove the G, it will introduce other chords, harder to play that appear less frequently in popular songs so that would seem a bit counter productive.


    Sorry if that sounds unhelpful, but the G really is one of the most common chords

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  18. Trying to help though. I know some play the G by laying first finger across first three strings at second fret then tucking another finger on to the E string at the third fret. That won't help with G7 but they claim it's easier. I would perhaps excercise caution with it though as I'm not convinced its the easiest form of G to move from to another chord,

    Also, in all the songs above you can easily substitute the G7 with a straight G and still get the tune. Sorry, but that doesn't avoid learning the G though!

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  19. Practice, Practice, Practice. That's what you need to do. I know exactly how you feel. It's like riding on a rocking horse, you feel like you're riding for hours, but not getting past the finish line. It'll come, Keep at it. Just keep practicing the chord changes : C to G, G to F, then F to G again, & again, & again. I personally find the 'G7' chord easier than the 'G'. Practice : C to G7, then G7 to F, then F back to G7, then drop down to C. I sometimes find myself playing a 'G7' chord in place of the 'G' chord. KEEP AT IT. GOOD LUCK.

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  20. i am abit more advanced with ukulele so i could play the chords but it was still fun my friend and i have made a vidio and we loads of fun while i play and we sing and especially when we noticed diffrences to the songs we know and guessing the songs we didn't know the tune too! but i know that some people have trouble with these chords but keep going soon they will be so easy and try to do it with a friend that way if you makem mistakes you can still have some laughs!

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  21. Brilliant, but my Grumpson is only a week old. Any chance you have some lullabies please?

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  22. Good stuff! Thanks. Any idea how the Father Finger song would go?

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  23. Awesome. Just what I've been looking for. Struck gold!

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  24. Can share with my yr 2 class.... Thanks Mx

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  25. is it possible to buy part 1 of these books?

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  26. Sorry - I don't understand what you mean? Which books?

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  27. As a beginner I was having trouble with the G7 too until I cocked my wrist away from the fretboard. This allowed more room and freedom for my fingers to move.
    Hope that helps a little... it helped me A LOT when I tried it.

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  28. GGGGGGRRRRREEEAAATTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  29. Thank you so much. My 3 yo granddaughter will love this!

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  30. great! and all so easy to play!! Thank you so much

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  31. Mention the key words such as: ukulele, beginner, small children...and voila...you're the one I was looking for. I never got my hands on any instrument to focus on in my life. Am half a centenarian. I suddenly crave to be able to play a uke one day before an audience of little ones. I assist in a toddlers' program in our neighborhood at least once a week. I looked at different sites but I found what you put together-chords & songs simple for me to follow. Your labor is not in vain. Your words are an encouragement. The result is fun. You did a great job! Keep it up! So, thank you very much!

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  32. Thanks for yet another excellent review. I'm now torn between the Dolphin and the Octopus as a "starter" ukulele! Also I have been considering the Luna Tattoo Pineapple although that is more expensive (relatively speaking) but am struggling to find a review of it. Any suggestions/comments would be welcome!

    Thank you so much for all the information and tips and reviews you are providing for all us newbies out here! VERY much appreciated!

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  33. After hours on this site and reading your ebook compilation I've acquired an Octopus and now need to transpose my very rusty guitar skills to the uke. All seems a wee bit cramped at the moment but i'll persevere. I've always had a hankering to try one but the impetus came from having three-year old triplets who love music, singing & dancing. They seem fascinated and certainly aren't going to be a passive audience. Any tips on getting them started Barry? What were your experiences with your daughter?

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  34. Thank Richard - re the kids - I say don't rush them. My daughter had a uke in her hands from the age of 2 and mainly just used it as a prop to let her pretend - she's 5 now and we are only just starting teaching chord shapes.

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  35. Thanks for that Barry. By that time I should be fairly proficient! Just keep the website going and you'll get me there.

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  36. Thanks so much! I thought Baa Baa Black Sheep and Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star were the same melody?

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  37. Got my ukulele last xmas as a present was so excited - spent ages practicing but slowly lost enthusiasm and felt frustrated I wasn't getting very far - then didn't play for quite some months - Today I picked it up strummed a bit then googled for help - and found your rhymes and music - I'm so thrilled It was so lovely and I was able to play - slowly but still could follow - the music and sing along - I'm over the moon.....Many many thanks Barry just perfect for me - I'm not a youngster I'm 69 but just love the rhymes and feel all enthusiastic again Yay!!!

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  38. Glad they helped - people called me crazy to suggest these were good for beginners - but the logic is sound - most people know the words, most people know the words, most people know the words - so there are three things you don't need to battle with!

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  39. Thanks Barry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You and these comments helped SSOOOOOOOOOOOOO much!!!!!!!!!!!!! My new uke is sick af!!!!!!!!!!!! These songs are super gr8 to get down to, str8 FIRRREEEEEEEEEEE! I play them at sick parties theyre a big hit with the youngins! even the teens have a blast jammin along! Im totes gonna have to share these with my squad! Thanks again its lit!!!!

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  40. I am a beginner myself. Been practicing and loving my uke for 2 months now. As a suggestion, you may want to look up for familiar songs and search the chords over the net. look for easy ones, also you can find tutorials on youtube. Thanks Barry!!! these nursery ryhmes are fantastic!

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  41. thank you so much for this!! i was looking for chords to play for my early intervention kids. I have just picked up ukulele and still struggling with strumming patterns. any suggestion for a suitable strumming patter? i assume this is 3/4?

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  42. Seriously - focussing on strumming patterns is about the worst thing you can do when learning - concentrate on basic up down rhythm and more importantly - playing in time. Patterns only give a feel and interpretation to the song - so totally subjective.

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  43. Just played Twinkle Twinkle to get my 8 month old son off to sleep and noticed my comment from 6 years ago! How times have changed , been neglecting my uke but the baby has given me an excuse to dig them out again ! Just been reading some of your recent uke reviews and already I want more .... Argggh.

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  44. Thanks for this! I just found it via Google search. I've been playing the uke for a few years after picking up the guitar in 2008. Tomorrow, my wife and I are helping out for the first time with the 4 to 7 year old children's Sunday school during church. The curriculum suggests a song about Noah to the tune of old MacDonald. So, thanks for this. I did find I had some music for our grandkids that suggested C,F,G7 for that tune. I find that a bit easier to sing and play. Some people here mentioned difficult with cords, but it all comes with practice. I sometimes blog about uke's on my website: henrywill4.com - helpful info there. I'll try to find time to blog about this site there as I've been playing for my grandchildren too!

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  45. hi... this is great. i just got my uke and want to play these for my one year old. strumming patterns? I don't know what will be best

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  46. With Nursery Rhymes (in fact with any music) it's whatever feels best and comfortable. You can't really go wrong with nursery rhymes any way. Keep it lively!

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  47. Is there a minimum age for kids learning to actually play the ukelele?

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  48. Lovely songs to play and easy for beginners

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  49. I am a PreK Teacher and my kids LOVE music time!!! Some days I hand out invisible pretend ukuleles and they “play” with me. Thank you for making these nursery rhymes so easy to play!!

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  50. Everytime before I went on a trip with my kids I'd print these songs out and everytime made such big hit for some nighttime gathering! Thanks for sharing~

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  51. Thanks for sharing these - I'm a retired Earth science teacher who is now a substitute music teacher at our local parochial school - got myself a baritone uke and am learning to play it by myself so the kids can sing along - can have some fun w/the grandkids as well. This resource will be a great help, and as a beginning player, your site is gold. I'm 'across the pond' in the US, and I'm blown away at the interest and resources available from the UK on-line - thank you all so very much!

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