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About this lesson
Here’s an ukulele lesson teaching you how to play Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffett. I’m a huge Buffett fan, and when learning the uke I fell in love with playing this song. I think ukulele tuning actually works quite well for capturing the vibe of the intro riff, which I’ve included tabs for. Enjoy!
Looking for a Margaritaville Guitar Lesson?
I’ve got one! Check out lesson #598, linked below. This lesson includes a link to a suggested lyric & chord sheet, if that’s what you’re after.
Ukuele Chords used
This song needs only three chords. They are:
----0---- ----2---- ----0----
----2---- ----3---- ----0----
----2---- ----2---- ----1----
----2---- ----0---- ----2----
D G A
While you can add variations to the above chords as you please, the most common variations you’ll want to practice are these:
----0---- ----3----
----2---- ----2----
----0---- ----2----
----2---- ----2----
D7 D7
Strumming Pattern
At the very least, you’ll want to emphasize the 2nd and 4th beat. D = down-strum, > = accent.
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
D D
> >
Taking it a step further, use the common D-DU-UDU pattern, while continuing to emphasize the 2nd and 4th beat. U = up-strum.
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
D D U U D U
> >
Finally, you can add a chunky muted strum to the 2nd and 4th beat (indicated by the x below). These continue to be down-strums, but are further emphasized via the chunky & muted strum.
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
D x U U x U
> >
Intro tab
Here’s the tab of the intro melody. Note, I’m also showing the implied chords to be played with each measure. I recommend you move your hands into these chord positions first, and figure out how to play the melodic notes second.
---0--0--0-----0-----0--0--0-----0------2--2--2--0------------
---2--------3--------3--------3---------0-----------3-----2---
---2-----------------2------------------1-----------------2---
---2-----------------0------------------2-----------------2---
D G A D
...then, stay on D for a bit
Other strumming fills
Base “D” verse strum / “Nibblin’ on sponge cake…”
---0-------------0----0-------------0----0---
---2-------------0----2-------------3----2---
---2-------------2----2-------------2----2---
---2-------------2----2-------------2----2---
D Dsus2 D Dsus4 D
Base “A” strum / “…Strummin’ my six string…”
---0----------0--------0-----
---0----------3--2-----0-----
---1----------1-----0--0h1---
---2----------2--------2-----
A A7 A
Transition into chorus / “D” strum within chorus
---0-------------0----0-------------0----0---
---2-------------3----2-------------3----2---
---2-------------2----2-------------2----0---
---2-------------2----2-------------2----2---
D Dsus4 D Dsus4 D7
Chorus ending / “But I know, it’s my own damn fault”
---0---2--0-----------0--0----------
---0---------3--------2-----3--2----
---1------------------2-------------
---2------------------2-------------
A D
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