How To Play “Riptide” On Ukulele

It’s not always easy to practice when your dog judges you for everything. (I swear she’s got the worst stank face ever.) Regardless of her judgement, I hope you find this mini lesson informative.

To play Riptide, you need a grand total of three chords to play the verse, and chorus, but if you want to do the bridge, you’ll need four. They are as follows:

First Step - Memorize the chords!

The first step in learning ANY song is memorizing the chords first. You need to have them mastered so that you are not trying to look at the chord diagram, and then the strumming pattern.

Second Step - Practice transitioning from one chord to the next.

You can do this with the same order of chords that appears in the song. Example: Chord 1 = Ami, Chord 2 = G. Practice going back and forth between these chords so that your fingers have mapped out how they must travel from one chord to the next. PRO TIP: This is an exercise that will require you to pick up speed. Going slow at first is fine, but the speed of getting from one chord to the next is REALLY what makes a difference when it is time to play the song. Once you have mastered the first two chords, then move onto the next two. Example: G to C, then C to Ami, and eventually C to F. Here’s a free exercise to help you on your way:

Next, here is your strumming pattern:

Click the picture to see Caitie play this…

Check out my video on instagram that explains how to count this strumming pattern. Don’t worry, even if counting with numbers isn’t your strong suit, I count the rhythm by using the arrows in the video!

Good luck, don’t let your dogs judge you, and happy practicing!