Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen (partial lyrics only) When I'm fingerpicking this song, I try to emphasize the melody notes, so for the first line, 'I heard there was a secret chord,' I emphasize the 1st string for the C chord, and the 4th string for the Am chord. I like to keep this in mind when playing the song so it doesn't drag. 6/8 isn’t meant to be as rigid as 3/4 waltz time ( 123 123)-instead it should be a bit more lilting and loose. When my choir sang a song in 6/8, our director made us get up and dance around the room to understand the rhythm. The song is in 6/8 time, which is counted 123 456. I've also written out the pattern in tab, along with a few other fingerpicking patterns. I like to play it in a reverse arpeggio pattern, a variation of the basic arpeggio style.Ĥth and 1st strings Pinch strings together with thumb and ring finger (This style is included in my fingerpicking PDF below if you want try it.) I checked on You Tube and there are various fingerpicking lessons for ukulele-many suggest playing the chords in arpeggio style. But after a break, I’m back to loving it again. I almost loved this song to death-I played it so often I got sick of it.

Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen doesn’t need much introduction-it’s a phenomenally popular song, partly because of Jeff Buckley’s gorgeous version on his album Grace. Not sure what the video has to do with the song, (about a guy who's pretty bitter about a breakup), but it has a nice artsy Sixties-in-London feel to it. here's a YouTube version of Dylan singing the song. You can find the lyrics and chords for 'Don't Think Twice, It's Alright' at Ukulele. If you’re already experienced with fingerpicking, I’ve included another pattern as well in the PDF, labeled “Don’t Think Twice” #2, which is the one I now use for the song-it’s a little bit more complicated but isn't difficult. The song has easy chords and a straightforward rhythm, so it's a good song to practice fingerpicking on. Click on the button below for a PDF that includes the pattern labeled “Don’t’ Think Twice,” #1.

I’ve adapted this basic pattern for the uke.

So I recommend starting with one pattern and playing it until you can play it with your eyes closed! I guess it wasn't a waste of time because after I mastered that pattern, I was able to learn other fingerpicking patterns pretty easily. ,When I was about 14 and played the guitar (not the ukulele), I played only one song for about two years-Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright.' A friend had taught me a basic Travis style fingerpicking pattern, and I played the song over and over (and over and over).

Hallelujah fingerpicking ukulele