This article teaches you how to play the ukulele chords to “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”, an all-time classic and popular song amongst ukulele enthusiasts.
Written by Jay Searle / Published September 11, 2022
Last updated: May 2, 2024
For many ukulele players, myself included, Somewhere Over the Rainbow is the definitive sound of the ukulele. The 1993 hit Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, catapulted the Hawaiian musician and activist into the mainstream.
Known as Bruddah Iz, or simply IZ to his fans, Israel Kamikawiwo’ole was a gifted musician and lived a life full of music and inspiration.
There’s a great documentary about Iz on the Hawaii News website. It offers a fascinating insight into the life of the musician who helped make the ukulele the popular instrument it is today. The best part is that you can watch it for free here.
Somewhere Over the Rainbow is taken from the Facing Forward album. It’s a complex and richly dynamic piece of music. Not only is it a classic, but is also practically mandatory for the repertoire of any aspiring ukulele player. So, let’s break down how to play this iconic song.
See Also: 8 Easy Ukulele Songs to Wow Your Friends
A Basic Overview
This song is performed with lots of dynamic changes, so really keep your ears open for what Iz is doing if you want to sound like the recording.
Somewhere Over the Rainbow is played in the key of C Major, at a moderate tempo of 86bpm.
The chords used in the song are C-G-Am-F-Em-E7-Dm7.
It has a very straightforward structure and features an intro, verse 1, verse 2 and an outro.
This very simple song structure is what makes it such an iconic sing-along classic and is likely the reason everyone who ever sees you with a ukulele will ask if you can play it. It’s a really great tune with a killer hook that is a lot of fun to play.
Somewhere Over the Rainbow Ukulele Chords
The chord progression in Somewhere Over the Rainbow can feel a little difficult to get under control in the beginning. Not to worry, here are a few pointers before we really get into where the fingers go.
First, play slowly. Take your time and do things at a slow tempo until your hands start remembering what they are supposed to be doing. Muscle memory is your friend.
Second, for unfamiliar fingerings, don’t get frustrated if you can’t get it the first time. We have all been there. It sometimes takes a while to get notes to ring clearly when you first start.
Be especially careful with the Dm7 fingering because it needs you to bar two strings with one finger. Make sure that your ring finger gets that C to ring clearly without being muted.
Let’s talk a little about the actual chords, shall we?
C Major
This chord is built from the 1st, 3rd, and 5th degrees of the major scale. In this case, the C major scale, and the notes making up the chord are C-E-G.
G Major
Another major chord, this time built from the G major scale. As with the C major chord above, we use the 1st, 3rd, and 5th degrees of the scale, namely G-B-D.
A Minor
A minor is the relative minor scale of C major. This means that this minor key shares the same key signature as C Major and has no sharps or flats. The chord consists of the 1st, 3rd, and 5th degrees of the scale. These correspond to the notes A-C-E respectively.
F Major
F Major, like all the other major chords, is built from the 1st, 3rd, and 5th degrees of the major scale, in this case, F major. The notes of the chord are F-A-C.
E Minor
E minor is the minor triad from the E minor scale and consists of the 1st, minor 3rd, and 5th degrees of the scale. The notes that make up the E minor triad are E-G-B.
E Dominant 7
E dominant 7 (or E7) is a four-note chord made up of the same notes as the major triad, but with an added flat 7th. So, the notes making up the chord are E-G#-B-D. But what is a flat 7th?
To cut a long story short, in the E major scale, we have the notes: E-F#-G#-A-B-C#-D#-E. Notice how the 7th note is D# in the major scale? If we flatten it to just D, then we refer to that as the flat 7th in the key of E major.
There’s a whole lot more theory involved but we won’t bore you with that here!
D Minor 7
The Dm7 chord has the same notes as D minor but adds a 7th. Therefore the notes making up the chord are D-F-A-C.
That covers all the chords in the tune. Keep reading for a full tutorial on how to put them all together.
Somewhere Over the Rainbow Ukulele Strumming Pattern
So now that you have come to grips with the chords, let’s have a look at some strumming patterns.
This song can be played as you hear it on the recording, or a little more simplified for the beginners among us. If you are just getting started on your jamming journey, then maybe just get your toes wet with a simpler strumming pattern for Somewhere Over the Rainbow.
Beginners will find that the entire song can be played using d-D-d-D. A small “d” indicates a soft down stroke, whilst a capital “D” indicates a hard down stroke.
TenThumbs Productions does a really great breakdown of the easy version of this tune.
Advanced Strumming Pattern for Over the Rainbow on Ukulele
Now, if you have a little more experience or if you like a challenge, you can try to emulate Iz’s sound on the track. Be aware that he plays with loads of dynamics, so you will have to listen carefully to follow what he is doing.
The strumming pattern on Somewhere Over the Rainbow actually features Iz plucking that first low G for the first bar. From there he moves into a more complicated strumming pattern, DDUD, with lots of changes in dynamics, featuring some very soft down strokes to create that island lull.
For an absolutely forensic breakdown of how to play the song as it is written, check Ukulele Underground’s instructional video that breaks it down into magical musical math.
Conclusion
There you have it fellow uke fans, I hope that inspires you to get fingers on fretboards and learn this classic piece. We hope this lesson helped you to learn how to play the “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” ukulele chords.
Jay Searle
Website Founder & WriterJay is a self-professed music nerd and ukulele lover. When not working on the website you’ll find him strumming along to his favorite tunes, spending time with his family, or learning to play the piano.
