Do you need to read music to play ukulele?

A common question from beginner players is: “Do you need to read music to play ukulele?”

The short answer: no, you don’t have to be able to read music to play the ukulele. And you don’t have to know a lot of music theory.

I’ve taught hundreds of adult beginners to play ukulele, without teaching them to read music in a formal way.

And in my experience classical music notation isn’t very useful when you want to be able to play and sing popular songs on ukulele. You won’t find this mentioned in most ukulele songbooks!

But some types of music notation can be very helpful for ukulele players.

In this post, I’ll give an overview of the three most common types of notation for ukulele: chord diagrams, tab and classical notation.

I’ll explain what they’re useful for. And you’ll also find out about some of the quirks and limitations of each kind of music notation, when you’re playing popular music on ukulele.

What’s essential in a ukulele song chart?

Chords – the harmony of the music.
Strum pattern – the rhythm.
Lyrics – the words you sing..

You’ll also need to know the melody, but that’s not essential in the chart itself. Most people already know the tune of the songs they want to play. And if not, it’s quicker to learn it by listening to a recording on YouTube or Spotify.

A few charts also indicate the intro or “count in”.

3 types of music notation for ukulele

Here are the main types of notation you’ll encounter:

Chord diagrams (chord tabs)
Tablature (Tab)
Classical notation (“sheet music”)

You don’t have to use all of them. In fact, some excellent players don’t use any—they play entirely by ear.

1. Chord diagrams (also called chord tabs)

Most ukulele song charts include chord diagrams: little grids with dots that show where to place your fingers.

These diagrams are drawn as if the ukulele is held upright—not in playing position. It’s a bit illogical, but that’s the standard.

Some song charts list the chord names (like G, C, F) above or within the lyrics. Occasionally, they appear below the lyrics. A few song charts have chord diagrams all the way through the song – but that’s only useful for total beginners.

Often, the chord diagrams are placed at the top or bottom of the page.

After a few months of playing, you’ll memorize the common chords. You won’t need to look at the diagrams for every song.

Above: “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” with chords, lyrics, strum, and chord diagrams

2. Tablature (also called Tab)

Tab is great for fingerpicking patterns, instrumental riffs, or playing melodies.

It shows you:

Which string to play
Which fret to press

On the tab chart, the numbers indicate frets. String names appear at the start of each line.

Tab can also show chords when multiple notes are played together.

It’s upside down!

Like chord diagrams, tab is also somewhat illogical. It’s oriented in a way that may seem upside-down to ukulele players. That’s because it originated from a style of playing where the instrument is held on the musician’s lap.

Limitations of tab

Tab doesn’t show rhythm—just finger placement. So you’ll also need to listen to a recording or watch a live musician, to hear how the melody or instrumental riff goes.

When I was a kid, I tried to teach myself guitar with a beginner book that only had tab. I knew there was something missing, but I couldn’t figure out what it was. It was very frustrating.

Above: The same tune, shown in both tab and classical notation.

3. Classical notation

This is the familiar five-line staff with notes, clefs, and various musical symbols. Many folk musicians call it “dots”—with good reason!

It’s a very detailed kind of notation. And it’s designed for use with classical music. It doesn’t work as well with pop music, folk music etc. Although many classical musicians won’t admit this!

While it’s considered the gold standard, I find classical notation less helpful for ukulele players who want to play and sing popular songs.

Even after 15 years of classical training, I rarely use it when playing or teaching non-classical styles. Here’s why:

Limitations of classical notation for ukulele

It doesn’t show strumming patterns.
It can overcomplicate simple music.
It’s not the quickest way to learn popular songs—even for fluent readers.

Four good reasons to learn to read music

You want to play classical music on ukulele.
You’re interested in chord melody (a particular style of playing that involves melody + harmony fingerpicking).
You’re in the education system as a student or teacher.
It’s something you’ve always wanted to learn. But just know it won’t help you much for strumming popular songs at a jam.

A true story: “Where does it tell me what strum to play?”

Annie, a new ukulele student, brought along a stack of songbooks to her first lesson. She could read music confidently. She wanted to be able to play “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz.

The songbook had all the lyrics, chords, and the melody in classical notation. But Annie asked: “Where does it tell me what strum to use?”

It didn’t.

There was nothing to indicate the rhythmic pattern that gives “I’m Yours” its signature groove. No beginner could figure it out, just by looking at that chart.

Even I wouldn’t be able to—without already knowing the song.

Reading music is only one musical skill

Some people find reading music easy; others don’t. That’s okay.

Music is a listening art. Reading notation is just one part of a much bigger picture. Unfortunately, those who struggle with it often get labelled as “unmusical”—which is simply untrue.

Even blind musicians face barriers: one woman told me she wasn’t able to learn an instrument because she had dyslexia and couldn’t use Braille music.

Beyond reading music: learning to play by heart

Written music and song charts are great tools—but they’re not the music itself.

Relying on them too heavily can distance us from the music-making experience. Also, it underuses our memory skills.

I challenge you: pick a song you love, and learn to play it by heart.

You’ll be amazed at how much more fun it is. Trust me—just try it.

Want more help learning to play music by heart? Check out my post: Playing By Heart

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