Island favorites · Chords + a teacher
Somewhere Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World: the chords you need
Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwoʻole
IZ recorded this medley in Honolulu in 1988 in a single late-night take, and it reached the world on his 1993 album Facing Future. It is the sound most people hear in their heads when they picture an ukulele.
Level 2 · Medium · 5 chords · Ukulele
The chords you need
This is the whole chord vocabulary for the song. Tap any chord with a diagram to see the fingering and hear it in our free chord library.
The feel
One unhurried rolling strum, soft and even, all the way through.
The record sits around 80 to 90 BPM
Start way under that. Speed comes on its own.
Why you’ll love it
Beginner arrangements lean on five chords you may already know, and the song rewards playing gently more than playing fast. It is the most requested ukulele song in the world for a reason.
Warm-up · works in any browser
Get ready for Somewhere Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World
Every shape you need for Somewhere Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World, drawn out and wired for sound. Tap a chord to hear it ring.
- C
- Em
- F
- G
- Am
Island strum trainer
This is the generic island skank, the down-up heartbeat under half the songs on Hawaiian radio, not this song’s arrangement. The loop changes chords once a measure in plain practice order, not the song’s changes. Rest on the count, strum on the and, and pop the accented up-strums short and bright like a chop.
Chord of the bar: C
This is the island strum. Loop it until it feels like breathing. Then put on the record, or grab a teacher at the shop, and you’re ready.
The honest part
Why we don’t print the whole song
This one is still under copyright, so we can’t publish the full arrangement online. What we can do is free and real: learn every chord above with our chord library, get in tune with the browser tuner, and warm up your changes with Play Your First Song Today.
Our teachers will walk you through IZ's changes verse by verse, the way the medley actually flows.
Sounds better on real strings
This song was born on an ukulele.
Come play a few at the shop on Kilauea Ave. New and used ukuleles on the wall, a crew that will help you find yours without any pressure, and teachers running lessons here 7 days a week who will take you through the whole song, start to finish.
Want more songs you can learn in full online right now? The free song wall has complete lessons, chords, strums and all.
1221 Kilauea Ave Ste 10, Hilo, HI 96720 · 808-969-9342