How to Make a Ukulele Songbook with Chord Diagrams

Ukulele players collect songs like nobody else. The instrument is so approachable that within a week you're learning new tunes, and within a month you've got a phone full of chord sheet screenshots and bookmarked tabs.

A printed ukulele songbook turns that scattered collection into something you can actually use — at jam sessions, campfires, open mics, or practice at home.

Why Print a Ukulele Songbook?

Digital chord sheets are convenient for learning, but they're frustrating in practice:

• Phones are tiny. Squinting at a 5-inch screen while holding a ukulele is awkward. A printed page at music-stand height is comfortable.
• No distractions. When your phone is your songbook, notifications interrupt every song. A printed book doesn't buzz.
• Works anywhere. Campfires, beaches, parks, and patios — the places where ukulele thrives. No glare, no dead battery, no WiFi needed.
• Feels real. There's something satisfying about a physical songbook. You can annotate it, dog-ear favorite pages, and see your repertoire growing.

What to Include

A great ukulele songbook has:

• Chord sheets with lyrics — the core content. Chord names above the lyrics at the right points
• Ukulele chord diagrams — small 4-string fretboard diagrams showing finger positions. Essential for beginners, handy for everyone
• Strumming pattern notes — especially for songs where the strum makes the song (reggae, swing, fingerpicking)
• A chord reference page — one page with all the chord shapes used in the book for quick lookup

How to Organize It

The best organization depends on how you use the book:

• By difficulty: Perfect for learners. Start with 2-chord songs, then 3-chord songs, then songs with barre chords. You can see your progress through the book.
• By genre: Pop, Hawaiian, folk, campfire classics, holiday songs. Great for jam sessions where someone says "play something Hawaiian."
• By key: Group songs in C together, songs in G together. This reduces the number of chord changes between songs when playing medleys.
• Alphabetical: Simple and effective when you have a large collection and just need to find a specific song quickly.

For more general tips on organizing music, see our guide to organizing sheet music PDFs.

Adding Ukulele Chord Diagrams

Chord diagrams are what make a ukulele songbook different from a generic lyric sheet. Our Chord Sheet Builder supports ukulele with proper 4-string diagrams, including:

• All basic open chords (C, G, Am, F, D, Em, A, E, Dm)
• Barre chord shapes for intermediate players
• Jazz voicings for ukulele (yes, they exist — and sound great)
• Custom diagrams — draw your own fingerings

Add a chord reference page to the front of your songbook so you can check any shape without leaving the song you're playing.

Building Your Ukulele Songbook

1. Gather your chord sheets. Export or save each song as a PDF. Name files with the song title and key (e.g. "Somewhere Over the Rainbow - C.pdf").
2. Build a chord reference. Use the Chord Sheet Builder to create a page of ukulele chord diagrams for the chords in your book.
3. Upload to MakeMySongBook. Drag all your PDFs and the chord reference into the builder.
4. Create chapters. Add dividers for difficulty levels, genres, or however you chose to organize.
5. Order songs. Drag songs into chapters and arrange them. Put the chord reference at the front or back for quick access.
6. Add a cover and export. Booklet (A5) format works great for ukulele — it's compact and sits well on a music stand or lap.

Great First Songs for Beginners

If you're just starting out and want to fill your first songbook, these songs use just 2–4 basic chords:

• "Riptide" — Vance Joy (Am, G, C, F)
• "I'm Yours" — Jason Mraz (C, G, Am, F)
• "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" — IZ (C, Em, Am, F, G)
• "Can't Help Falling in Love" — Elvis (C, Em, Am, F, G)
• "Hey Soul Sister" — Train (C, G, Am, F)
• "You Are My Sunshine" — (C, F, G)
• "Three Little Birds" — Bob Marley (A, D, E)
• "Ho Hey" — The Lumineers (C, F, Am, G)

Notice how many of these use the same four chords: C, G, Am, F. Learn those shapes and you have an instant songbook.

Frequently Asked Questions