The traditional children’s song Five Little Ducks is not one of the most popular nursery rhymes but definitely a great one when it comes to teaching a musical instrument to young children. Even in non-English speaking countries, this song is quite well known and either a translated version is sung or children sing it to learn English in kindergarten. A lot of children really love this nursery rhyme because it has a very catchy melody and the lyrics are pretty easy to remember. It’s also a great song to learn on the ukulele! Did you know that you can even play the melody on just one string of the ukulele? We will discover this easy version and much more about the song in this free ukulele lesson. We also offer some free PDF downloads like the sheet music for your practice at the end of the article!
History of Five Little Ducks
Five Little Ducks is a popular children’s nursery rhyme that originated in the United States, probably in the mid-20th century. The exact author of “Five Little Ducks” is not definitively known, as the song is part of the traditional nursery rhyme repertoire, which often doesn’t have a single credited creator. The song has been passed down through generations, with different versions emerging over time.
The song is a simple, repetitive counting rhyme that tells the story of five little ducklings who go out to play but gradually fail to return until their mother quacks loudly and they all come back. Its catchy melody and easy-to-remember lyrics have made it a staple in early childhood education, often used to teach counting and subtraction. Over time, Five Little Ducks has become a beloved classic in preschools and homes around the world.
Ukulele Tabs for Five Little Ducks
Each song can be performed in a variety of ways, from simple chord strumming to more complicated arrangements. Whether you prefer to play in a lower or higher pitch, there’s flexibility in how you approach it. Since our focus is on beginners and children, we’ll start with easy-to-sing arrangements. We’ll start by learning to fingerpick the melody on a single ukulele string before moving on to multiple strings. Finally, we’ll dive into playing the nursery rhyme with some simple chords and strumming patterns, giving you different methods to explore.
1. Level: Playing only on One Ukulele String
Let’s start with a simple fingerpicking version of Five Little Ducks that uses only one string on the ukulele. This technique is especially good for young beginners because all the necessary notes are on just one string. It simplifies the learning process by allowing them to focus solely on plucking that string while moving a single finger along the fretboard. To begin, use the index or middle finger of your left hand to press down on the first string, and then pluck it with your right thumb.
Using horizontal lines as strings and numbers on those lines to represent the fret you should play, tablature gives us the guidance we need to start picking away at songs and their melodies. The strings are “upside-down”, meaning that the high sounding E is the highest line on your tablature. A zero (0) means you play the string open without any fingers on any frets. Learn more about reading guitar tabs!
Here are the ukulele tabs for Five Little Ducks on one string:
Listen to how it should sound like when played on the ukulele on just one string! You can also reduce the speed of the recording to play along while practicing.
And don’t forget, you can play the same pattern on any other string of your ukulele as well. Try for example the 3rd string to have a pretty low version of the nursery rhyme
2. Level: Playing on several Ukulele Strings
While starting with one string is nice and easy, the same melody can be played across all the strings of the ukulele. In fact, it is more common and efficient to use the other strings of the ukulele. You have probably noticed that for the one-string version you have to go up to the 12th fret, which is quite far. Playing a melody on multiple strings greatly reduces the need for extensive left hand movement along the neck. Although it does require more fingers to be used and different strings to be plucked, it is an excellent exercise for improving your ukulele skills.
Here are the ukulele tabs for playing the nursery rhyme on the four strings:
It sounds pretty similar to the first version but you can listen to the recording to check your playing.
Ukulele Chords for Five Little Ducks
Learning how to fingerpick a melody is a good way to get started. But if you want to sing and play at the same time, you should try out to strum the melody with some basic chords. You can play the song in different keys. We will play the song in the key of F, which will sound very nice.
The chords that you need to play Five Little Ducks in the key of F are the basic chords F, C and C7.
Here are the chord diagrams for the required chords:
Guitar Chords are illustrated in guitar chords diagram. They are a simplified illustration of the guitar neck and it tells you where to put which finger on which string. Learn more about how to read guitar chords!
If you already know how to play these basics ukulele chords and can change between these chords easily, then you won’t have any problems learning this song quickly! Otherwise, practice the chords F, C and C7 one after the other and try to play the sequence F-C-C7 over and over with simple down strokes until you can play it without any difficulty. Then you will have a feel for the chord sequence that you need for the song.
It’s pretty important for beginners to start new songs slowly. This means, focus on doing only a simple down strum with each chord change. This gives beginners enough time to change between chords without the pressure of difficult strumming patterns. Additionally, singing along is simpler when you strum down only once per chord change. Once you’re comfortable, you can try out other strumming patterns.
Ukulele Sheet Music for Five Little Ducks
If you’re comfortable reading sheet music, that’s great! Sheet music offers a complete breakdown of a song, including its pitches, rhythms, and chords, making it an excellent resource for in-depth learning. However, for beginners, sheet music can be a bit overwhelming as it demands a grasp of music theory and some practice with reading notation. This is why ukulele tabs or chord-based lyrics are often the go-to for kids and those just starting out. They simplify the process and make learning more approachable.
Guitar Chords are illustrated in guitar chords diagram. They are a simplified illustration of the guitar neck and it tells you where to put which finger on which string. Learn more about how to read guitar chords!
Here is the sheet music for Five Little Ducks:
Free Ukulele Printables for Five Little Ducks
Feel free to download the chords, tabs, and sheet music as a free PDF for your practice sessions or ukulele lessons!
Interested in instruments other than the ukulele? You can also find a free lesson on how to play Five Little Ducks on the guitar and piano.
