We’ve covered it on piano and guitar, but what about how to play the macarena on the Ukulele? In this blog post, we’ll break down this iconic song’s chords, strumming pattern, and melody and discuss the differences between playing it on the ukulele and guitar.
Differences Between Ukulele and Guitar:
Before diving into the tutorial, let’s briefly discuss the differences between playing the Macarena on the ukulele versus the guitar. The most obvious difference is the number of strings: a standard ukulele has four strings, while a guitar has six. Consequently, the chords and fingerings for the two instruments will differ. Additionally, tuning a standard soprano, concert, or tenor ukulele is G-C-E-A, while a guitar is tuned to E-A-D-G-B-E. This difference in tuning means that the same chord shapes will produce different chords on each instrument.
Chords for Macarena on Ukulele
The Macarena song is based on a simple four-chord progression that repeats throughout the song. If you need help here is the Ukulele chord chart (which you should have saved if you’re learning the instrument). Here are the chords transposed for the ukulele in the key of C Major:
- C Major: 0003
- G Major: 0232
- F Major: 2010
- G Major: 0232
The progression in the key of C Major would be:
C Major – G Major – F Major – G Major
You can use this chord progression throughout the entire song. If you prefer to play the song in the original key (A♭ Major), you can use the following chords:
- A♭ Major: 5343
- E♭ Major: 3331
- D♭ Major: 1114
- E♭ Major: 3331
Strumming Pattern: A simple strumming pattern for the Macarena on the ukulele is the down-up-down-up pattern (D-U-D-U). You can maintain this pattern throughout the song, changing chords according to the above-mentioned progression.
Melody: The numbers represent the frets on each string, and the letters represent the string names (G, C, E, and A). Remember that this version of the melody is transposed to C Major to make it easier to play on the ukulele. These are the chords (in C Major) that you should be playing in order).
- A | 0 – 2 – 3 – 2 – 0 – 2 – 3 – 2
- A | 0 – 2 – 3 – 2 – 0 – 2 – 3 – 2
- E | 3 – 5 – 7 – 5 – 3 – 5 – 7 – 5
- E | 3 – 5 – 7 – 5 – 3 – 5 – 7 – 5
To play the melody on the ukulele, follow these steps:
- Start with the first note (A string, open or 0th fret).
- Follow the fret numbers in the above sequence while playing the corresponding string.
- Keep the rhythm consistent and try to maintain a steady tempo.
This melody is a simplified version, so it won’t sound exactly like the original song. However, playing the Macarena on the ukulele should give you a good starting point. If you feel comfortable, you can experiment with adding slides, hammer-ons, or pull-offs to make the melody more expressive.