Today we’re going to learn how to play Lovesong by The Cure on ukulele. “Lovesong” is the biggest hit by this British band and has been covered by other high profile artists.
For instance, the band 311 did a ska influenced version, featured in the movie 50 First Dates. Additionally, global superstar Adele included the song on her album 21.
“Lovesong” was The Cure’s only song to hit the top ten on the U.S. charts and was their third single from their eighth album. Yes, it usually takes time to “make it”, whatever that may mean. In any case, this is a great song to add to your repertoire. Feel free to take advantage of our app: Roadie Coach (IOS | Android), as it is a great resource for your learning journey. Without further ado, here is how to play Lovesong by The Cure on ukulele.
Chords
“Lovesong” uses simple chords, with just two parts or progressions. This makes it much easier to play and will be especially beneficial for beginners. We start out with Am, which is just your middle finger on the fourth string second fret. Then we have G, where you place your index on the third string second fret, middle finger on the first string second fret and ring finger on the second string third fret.
Next comes F. For this chord place your index on the second string first fret and the middle finger on the fourth string second fret. Then we have Em. Here you place your index on the first string second fret, middle on the second string third fret and ring finger on the third string fourth fret. Finally, we’ve got C, with just the ring finger on the first string third fret.
Form
For the intro, interlude and verses, the progression is Am, G, F, and Em. For the chorus, we’re going to employ the progression F, G, Am, C three times. In the last bars we go to F and G. This leads us back to the previous progression in the interlude and then verse.
This verse-chorus cell repeats itself and for the end of the song, you’re going to hit an Am chord.
Strumming pattern
For the strumming pattern, we’re going to combine two chords at a time. In other words, each cycle of this strum pattern features two chords. The pattern is D D DU D, U UD UD UD U. This might sound more complex than it actually is. Just refer to the video above as it will help you understand better.
Take the time to really get this strum pattern down. It is not a hard pattern, but it is also not the easiest to grasp, especially if you’re a beginner. The best way to approach it step by step. Try playing it while your left-hand mutes the strings first. That way you can focus on just the pattern first. Take your time and move to playing the pattern with the chord progression only once you have a good grasp on it.
Learning how to play Lovesong by The Cure on ukulele will be a great way to improve your strumming on the instrument. Although this is a relatively easy song, its two-chord strumming pattern might trip you up. Naturally, with a bit of practice, you will be playing Lovesong well in just a few days. Feel free to leave us a comment with any other ukulele songs you’d like to learn.
