The first song that I learned was “Stand By Me,” by Ben E. King. This was a song that I heard a lot of either from the radio or just singing it around the house because of its catchy tune and the complicity of the lyrics. During the first semester, I learned all of the chords that would be needed for both “Stand by Me” by Ben E. King and “This Land is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie. I had also learned the strumming pattern that would be used throughout the entire song: D D U U D U. Since I learned the chords that would be needed for “Stand By Me”, I found a YouTube video (attached below) on how to play the song. I found that the YouTube video by Cynthia Lin Music very informative and helpful. I was able to follow along to the demonstration by Cynthia Lin. After watching Cynthia play the song and explain the strumming chords, I wrote out the chords in order and how many times I would have to play the chord in a row before changing the chords needed for the song. Next, I started practicing changing between chords will playing the strumming pattern D D U U D U. I started with changing between two chords and then adding another chord after feeling more comfortable, until finally playing all four chords. This process took awhile because I was having a hard time switching between the chords fast enough to keep the song going smoothly. However, I feel that I have improved and am slowly getting better.

Stand By Me by Ben E. King – Ukulele Lesson