Today we’re going to learn how to play Driver’s License by Olivia Rodrigo on ukulele. This song put her on the map, and at the time of this writing, it is still one of the most played tracks in the world.
Driver’s License is a heartfelt ballad that has connected with wide audiences all over the world and continues to reach new crowds. It is a relatively easy song, especially if you already play the uke. Feel free to take advantage of our ukulele app: Roadie Coach (Available on IOS and Android) to help you with your progress on the instrument. Without further ado, here is how to play Driver’s Licence by Olivia Rodrigo on ukulele.
Harmony
Driver’s License only features four easy chords: G, Em, C, and D. To make it sound exactly like the recording, place a capo on the third fret and play the same chord shapes. If you don’t have a capo, don’t worry, you can still play it and have fun. This song is in 4/4 time signature, which means that each bar has four beats.
Form
Drivers License features a typical verse-chorus pop song form. The verse starts out with two bars of G, two bars of Em, and two bars of C, and one bar on G. After that, we go on to the chorus with two bars on C and one bar of G and then repeat. In other words, we have one full strum for each chord.
We then move on to Em, D, G, D, and C for two beats each. Each chord is moving much faster here, so you might have to practice these changes separately to get them just right. For the last line of the chorus chord progression, we’re going to have C, D, G, for a full bar each.
We then go on to the bridge with Em, C, G, and D. Each of these chords gets a full strumming pattern. In other words, each of them lasts one bar. We play that four times to complete the bridge.
Strumming pattern
We’re going to use a very simple strumming pattern for Drivers’ Licence. It is Down, down-up, up-down-up. This strumming pattern lasts four beats and represents one measure each. In Driver’s Licence, some chords are played for one measure or bar (one full strum pattern) and others are played for two measures or bars (two full strum patterns). Listen to the song a few times paying special attention to the form to know exactly when each chord is played and for how long.
It can be quite fun to learn how to play Driver’s License by Olivia Rodrigo on ukulele. First, it is one of the most popular songs to emerge in the last five years. Secondly, it features heartfelt lyrics that might appeal to a younger audience. Third, it will surely help you improve on the instrument. If this song is easy for you to learn, take the time to learn other ukulele songs. Remember that the more songs you learn and the more you practice, the better you get. If you have any song suggestions, feel free to write them in the comments section below.
