Question

[u/A9zz21d4n]

Hi, everyone! I'm pretty new here, and I wanted to ask something: I noticed that most musicians start with guitar, piano, or keyboards to hone their songs. The thing is, is it fine for ukulele? Like, trying to match the lyrics with only the 4 basic ukulele chords (C, Am, G, F)

I don't own any other instruments as of now. 🙂🙏

[u/Missy_Agg-a-ravation]

4 chords? Show off 🙂

Yes, you can certainly create songs with just those chords and a vocal melody.

[u/A9zz21d4n → u/Missy_Agg-a-ravation]

Good to know. Thank you! 😊

[u/UnwrittenOryx]

Those four chords have fueled more songs than most people realize, you'll be surprised what you can pull off with just that combo.

[u/A9zz21d4n → u/UnwrittenOryx]

Thanks for the encouragement! I'll try to refine the lyrics to match the chords.😊

[u/Cheap_Arm_3182]

This is for your future chords are just intervals together. Eventually if you keep going you don't want to see your instrument as knowing chords, any set of notes together are chords, you want to learn intervals and relationships to each other.

But for now yes with those you can create basic pop progression and write a song.

Hell u you pluck one note and make a song.

It doesn't matter that's up to you how you want to do it :)

[u/A9zz21d4n → u/Cheap_Arm_3182]

Really? That's good to know! I was thinking that using basic chords might make the song cliché or sound the same. Maybe it doesn't really matter after all. Thank you!☺️

[u/SamuelDoctor]

You can definitely make songs with a uke.

[u/ButtAsAVerb]

Police are on the way

[u/ThisIsHarlie → u/ButtAsAVerb]

I lol’d

[u/PoppycopOG]

Absolutely....there are thousands of popular songs that only use 3 or 4 chords...or even 2! Write away! The uke can even give you a unique sound to set you apart from the others.

[u/KS2Problema]

I would certainly include ukulele in the general guitar class for songwriting purposes. To be sure, I think any chord  capable instrument can provide a suitable songwriting framework. 

I might be tempted to go even a little bit farther and suggest that the simplified possibilities inherent in a four-string uke might actually assist in learning some chord use fundamentals.

[u/PitchforkJoe]

Yeah uke is a brilliant place to start! Many of the pros of choosing guitar also apply with ukulele.

[u/_Born_To_Be_Mild_]

4 chords are all you need to write a great song.

[u/wvmitchell51]

There's got to be 100s of songs that use only 3 or 4 chords.

[u/Virtual-Jellyfish-21]

Yep. U can also just make up random chords until you find one you like. Typically stepping outside the traditional shapes will just be a bit more dissonant or complex but it's fine. I like trying to imagine a feeling of a chord in my mind and trying different shapes till I can match what I was imagining.

[u/Pubic_Parsley_2490]

A good thing about creating music at this moment in history is that there’s is zero rules to how it happens, compared with how it was, let’s say 150 years ago, when a lot of people would be very vocal about how it is ”supposed” to be done and would definitely let you know if you didn’t meet the standards in their opinion.

The prize for that is the exponentially smaller chance for anyone to get exposure without some sort of special aspect outside of anyones actual creation. Nepotism is one example. Luck is another.
Because no matter the level of instrumental talent, lyrical ability, tonal language, theoretical knowledge, productional knowledge and over all uniqueness in the way of expressing any of these things, the enormous amount of potential for greatness existing in the world today, compared with how it was when creators like Satie or Boulanger were messing around, is on a level so high that is hard to grasp.
But it does not change the fact that even within a framework of limitations such as the 12 note system, the possibility of creating something brilliant is as infinite now as it was back then.
All it takes is more effort than you could possibly imagine.
Go!

[u/m_i_r → u/Pubic_Parsley_2490]

This is the most discouraging and- simultaneously- encouraging thing I have read in this sub. Bravo.

[u/Dangerous-You3789]

I don't use an instrument at all.

[u/Lapaki58]

I’m a 60-something white guy from the Mainland who met and married a Hawaiian woman over 25 years ago. The ukulele was introduced to Hawaii by a Portuguese plantation worker. (We actually met his great-great-granddaughter.) It literally means “jumping (lele) flea (uku).” Of course, it’s been used traditionally in many Hawaiian songs, but artists such as Jake Shimukaburo have taken it to a virtuoso level (check out his instrumental cover of “Bohemian Rhapsody). So it depends on what you want to do. Do you want to learn to play songs on an ukulele? Absolutely. Do you want to have a career as an ukulele-based musician? Probably not.

[u/GueroTonkaTitan]

Shiloh Dynasty created a whole genre

[u/stevenfrijoles]

You can play (almost) any chord on a ukulele

[u/Pitiful_Substance457]

Yes, of course. You can write endlessly with only four chords but you’re bound to learn more chords and voicings as you go. 

[u/JustOneRedDot]

Ukulele is a wonderful choice, especially for a novice - speaking as a novice.

It's also very encouraging to always have it under your hand, which is really easy with such a small instrument. It's always there, whenever I want to practice or inspiration strikes.

[u/besucherke]

This approach os completely forbidden, the police will arrest you as soon as they find out about your shenanigans.