Ukulele Chords

Anyone with a ukulele would know about the song riptide. Ukulele is an instrument like a guitar, but it is much simpler than the latter. At the same time, Riptide by Vance Joy is a popular song played on this instrument. Both these things go together as riptide is the first song one learns on this instrument. We shall go through the essentials below to choose the right ukulele and how to use one if it’s your first time buying this music tool.

Ukulele Chord Riptide | Everything You Need To Know

Choosing The Right Uke

Best Wood

The Mid-range

The list of woods used to manufacture ukuleles is a long one. Let’s go through some most common ones used. The most popular wood to manufacture ukuleles is mahogany wood. It is available in the mid-range Ukuleles and even in the higher end of the best quality mahogany wood is used. Spruce is another mid-range wood less durable than mahogany wood but has a superb sound. Mango wood produced in India is also an excellent durable wood with an eye-catching texture.

The Premium Range

Rosewood is a premium wood that is pretty heavy and durable, especially from Brazil. The Indian rosewood is also somewhat similar but less durable than the latter. Cedar is another wood which usually comes in a reddish tone. It is more durable than spruce, but the quality of sound of the mid-range ones is better.

Maple is another beautiful and durable wood known for producing rich sound. Koa from Hawaii is one of the exotic woods highly suitable for musical instruments. It sounds like mahogany wood, while its durability is like rosewood.

The Right Size

Ukulele comes in various sizes, but we will dicuss only three as you can play riptide easily on them. The soprano is the most common size for beginners as it is the most affordable. The soprano is a compact size which is approximately 20 inches. It has usually 12 to 15 frets with a tuning of GCEA.

The next size Is concert which is approximately 23 inches. The concert size looks a little bigger because it is not only 3 inches longer, but the overall body is also more significant than the latter. It also has 15 to 20 frets. The last one is Tenor, which is a good size for big people as it features an approximately 26 inches body with 15 to 25 frets.

There is another size, but it is the least popular as people choose the ukulele because of its compact body. This one is called a baritone, which is approximately 30 inches. It looks much like a guitar and even sounds closer to the guitar than a traditional ukulele.

How to Use a Ukulele

Holding a Ukulele

Before playing Riptide by Vance Joy, you must learn the basics of a ukulele. Let’s start with how to hold one. Wear the strap of the ukulele and bring it closer to your chest. Adjust the position so that the front poses at approximately 2 pm. You can use your right hand to play as you would on a guitar. With your left hand, make a bird’s peak shape and grip the tail from below because, unlike guitars, you will need precise movement on the tail because ukuleles are smaller than guitars.

Tuning the Strings

Once you have held the ukulele right next step is to tune it before you actually start using it. Lets take a standard soprano guitar with a tuning of GCEA. The upmost string is called string four which in this case is a G string. So it should be tuned to ‘G.’ The following string is called string three, which is the C string which is supposed to be tuned to ‘C’. E and A are similarly strings two and one, and the tunning structures are ‘E’ and ‘A’.

There are a couple of ways to tune your ukulele. You can use the tuner, which usually comes with the ukulele, or you can tune it with your phone. To use a tuner, attach it to the top of your uke if it’s not built in. Next, pull the string and see what note it is currently playing on the tuner. Rotate the knob of that string until adjusted to the proper note. To use your phone, download any tuning app. Then bring your phone closer to the uke and pull a string. If the note is higher on your phone, adjust the knob counter clockwise and clockwise for a lower note.

Conclusion

Ukulele chords are the best way to play riptide by Vance joy. It’s best to buy an affordable ukulele and practice the song. Once you know how to play riptide and other songs, it’s best to go for a premium one. Also, it’s best to tune every once in a while if you are new to musical instruments like ukuleles.