In my post on Getting Started on the Ukulele, I covered how to play the C chord – start there. Then, come here to learn the F chord, how to switch between C and F, how to play some simple kids’ songs using those chords.

F Chord

To play this chord, place your first finger (index finger) on the first fret of the E string, and your second finger (middle) on the second fret of the G string (the one closest to your face). Strum each string one at a time – do they all ring out, or do any of them sound dull and clunky? If they’re dull, adjust your fingers to be sure they are pressing firmly on the string you want to press on and that they’re not accidentally bumping up against one of the strings that should be played open. Once all four strings sound good separately, strum them together to make the F chord.

Here’s a quick video overview:

Here’s another quick walk through of F chord. Of if you’d like a slower walk-through, try Bernadette’s.

Switching between F and C

Start with F chord. Strum four times. Switch to C and strum four times. Repeat that several times till it feels smoother.

A nice thing about C and F is they use different fingers. When playing F with your first and second finger, you can keep your third finger (ring) poised above the string, ready to press back down when it’s time to play the C. So, for the switch, you put the ring finger down and lift the other two slightly above the strings.

Let’s Play a Song!

Every time you see parentheses, you’ll strum. When you see (F), you’ll strum once on the F chord. If you just see the parentheses with no letter between them, that means you strum the last chord again – no change needed. So, in this notation, you’ll strum F, and then strum it again on the top line, then switch to C, strum once, strum F, strum C, strum F.

(F)The farmer in the dell, the () farmer in the dell,
(C)Hi-ho, (F)the derry-o! (C)The farmer in the (F)dell.

Try playing that several times to see how it goes. Then try shifting your strumming pattern:

Then try singing different words to that same tune:

Then try this one:

(F) Oh my darling, () oh my darling, () oh my darling () Clemen(C)tine,
() You were lost and gone for(F)ever dreadful (C) sorry Clemen(F)tine

And a classic:

The (F) wheels on the bus go () round and round,
(C) Round and round, (F) round and round,
The () wheels on the bus go () round and round
(C) All through the (F) town.

Play that several times till it’s feeling good. There are many different children’s songs set to the tune of Wheels on the Bus, so that tune will take you far!

A brief note on keys: songs can be played in different keys, which means using different sets of chords. I have intentionally, to simplify things, clustered songs together that are easy to play on the C and F chord, even though there are other perfectly fine ways to play them. Here’s Wheels played on C and G chords (everywhere you were playing F, play C, everywhere you were playing G, play C), and on D and A.

To learn more kids’ songs that only use C and F, check out my Easy Children’s Songs on Ukulele song sheets. Here’s Itsy Bitsy Spider, Kookaburra, and Mary Had a Little Lamb.

Hurray! You’ve learned lots of songs using C and F!

Next step, when you’re ready, is learning the C7 chord and playing C7 and F songs.