I started playing a baritone ukulele close to 60 years ago when a friend showed me a few chords on her baritone uke. I fell in love with the instrument and soon I could play several songs using only those three chords. I eventually purchased my own ukulele with my first serious paycheck after I graduated from high school.

With only four strings, the ukulele is very easy to learn, making it worthy of serious attention as an instrument for family singing and fun. Several people offer free ukulele lessons on YouTube to get a newbie playing, even if there are no other ukulele players around.

In addition, many websites offer free song sheets with chords to make it easy to develop your own songbook. These include popular songs from today or long ago, Hawaiian songs, country, bluegrass, songs for children, as well as Christian music and hymns.

For family fun, you might start with one person learning to play and lead singing if your children are small. But if your family includes pre-teens or teenagers, don’t stop with only one ukulele. Encourage them to learn and play along. Welcome other instruments in your ensemble according to your family’s interests. Little ones can start with rhythm instruments such as shakers, sticks, and tambourines – or even a kazoo!

There are two basic types of ukuleles to choose from based on size and the way the strings are tuned. The most popular ukuleles have their strings tuned to G, C, E, and A. These include soprano, tenor, and concert ukuleles, which are the ones used to play most Hawaiian music. The baritone ukulele strings which are pitched lower, are tuned to D, G, B, and E. The higher pitched four strings of a guitar are tuned this way as well, so if one wants to play both guitar and ukulele, a baritone is probably the better choice because of the similarity of the chords. I also prefer the deeper richer tones of the baritone to accompany singing.

Ukuleles have increased in popularity recently. I bought a used concert uke a few months ago since my baritone had been damaged for some time, and I mentioned it on Facebook. An acquaintance immediately contacted me suggesting we get together to play them. I soon discovered my granddaughter in Texas was learning to play the uke. I then learned there are ukulele clubs springing up all over the country. I found one fairly close and have enjoyed playing with them a few times.

Since my first instrument was the baritone it has been confusing for me to learn chord names for my concert uke. The fingering for playing the chords stays the same, but with different chord names. The fingering for a C chord on a soprano uke is the same as G on a baritone. At one time I transitioned from baritone to a guitar fairly quickly, but I eventually longed for the ukulele’s easier chords.

I recently took my baritone to a repair shop so I could play it again. I now feel I’ve found my long lost friend.

Photo by Robert Collins on Unsplash