Today I’m going to explain whether ukuleles can play any song, and if they are more limited compared to guitars.
I play the ukulele and guitar, and as someone familiar with both instruments, here’s the first thing I think you’ll want to know:
Whether or not a ukulele can play a specific song, depends on how close you want it to sound to the original.
Let’s get into the details.
Ukuleles Can Play Any Song (Including Guitar Songs)
Practically any song can be played on a ukulele, given enough skill with the instrument. You can even transpose iconic guitar pieces, like Here Comes the Sun, to the ukulele. However, you may find some songs that were written for different instruments (like guitar or piano) more difficult to play on a ukulele.
Another way of thinking about this is that any song can be played on ukulele, but…
- It might not sound EXACTLY like the original recording.
- It might be more difficult on ukulele than on the original instrument.
Let’s dig into each of those points in more detail.
1. Ukulele May Sound Different Than the Original
If you play Piano Man on a Trumpet, it will sound different than the original. It might have all the same notes in the melody, but by using a different instrument, you get a different sound.
In the same way, if you play any song that wasn’t originally written on a ukulele, it will not sound exactly the same.
For example. You can definitely play Here Comes the Sun on a ukulele, but it won’t sound identical to the original guitar recording.
See for yourself:
Sounds pretty good, right!?
Now for comparison, here is the Beatles’ guitar version:
Notice the harder hitting tone of the metal strings? That’s just one of the noticeable differences.
So yes, it’s a little different, but I think most people would be happy playing their favorite songs on the ukulele, despite the small distinctions between the end results.
2. Some Songs are Harder on Ukulele
Each instrument is unique, and that naturally makes some songs much easier to play, and others much harder.
A great example of this is the E-major chord.
The E-major chord is one of the easiest chords to play on a guitar, but it is arguably the hardest chord to play on a ukulele.
Because of this distinction between instruments, that will make songs that feature the E-chord considerably more difficult to play on ukulele than on guitar.
Here are a few examples of famous songs that use the E chord:
- Sweet Caroline
- Lean on Me
- Wild Thing
- You are My Sunshine
These would all be a breeze on guitar, but would be rather difficult on ukulele.
On the other hand, some chords are WAY easier on ukulele than on guitar, so it goes both ways.
For example, the C chord is extremely easy on the ukulele and only requires a single finger, whereas on guitar it requires 3 fingers and can be quite tricky for new guitar players.
Ukuleles are More Limited than Guitar
It’s also worth mentioning, that although a ukulele can play pretty much any song, that doesn’t mean they are completely equal to the guitar.
Ukuleles are actually more limited instruments compared with guitars. Ukuleles have two less strings, and they typically have smaller necks, smaller bodies, and fewer frets. As a result, the available range of notes is simply smaller on a ukulele than on a guitar.
A great example of this idea, is the below ukulele cover of the iconic guitar part in Hotel California.
Listen very closely to the first 30 seconds or so of the video.
Do you hear it? Or rather, do you hear what’s missing?
There are several notes that you can faintly here in the background (that’s the guitar track) that are simply not being played on the ukulele version.
Depending on the song, this could happen because a ukulele just doesn’t have the same notes available as on a guitar. OR, it can happen because those notes are just insanely difficult to reach.
Either way, I think examples like this show that a ukulele isn’t quite as robust of an instrument as a guitar. However, it is pretty darn close. And even though you can’t play every guitar solo, you can still play the melody for these songs just fine.
So, if you REALLY want to play a lot of cool riffs and solos that were originally played on guitar, then you’re probably going to be better off learning to play the electric guitar.
However, if you just want to be able to play along with the melodies of your favorite songs, and don’t mind if you miss out on some more advanced solos, then ukulele will be a great instrument for you.
Ukulele Can Easily Play Hundreds of Songs (With Just 4 Chords)
If you’re new to fretted instruments like the ukulele and the guitar, one really significant advantage of a ukulele, is that it’s super easy to start playing songs.
Like, you could pick up a ukulele and be ready to play a simple song within 1 hour.
You probably won’t perfectly match the recording on your first try, but if you played it for a friend they could probably see the connection.
In fact, if you just learn the 4 easiest ukulele chords:
- Am
- C
- G
- F
Then you’ll immediately be able to play more pop songs than you’d need to play a full live show. Seriously.
Check it out:
Now, for those of you who aren’t very good singers (like me), then you may also be wondering…
Can Non-Singers Play Ukulele?
You can play ukulele without singing, just like there are plenty of guitar players who aren’t singers. At the same time, many people who play the ukulele do choose to sing along with their instrument, because it allows them to recreate their favorite songs by incorporating the lyrics.
An excellent example of a ukulele player who isn’t a singer, is Jake Shimabukuro who is one of the best ukulele players in the world today. You can see him play here:
Pretty crazy, right!?
So as you can see, you can go REALLY far on your ukulele journey without needing to do any singing at all.
