10 Cool Ukulele Riffs Anyone Can Learn to Play [+ Tabs]

Every ukulele player should have a few cool ukulele riffs in their back pocket. In this article, you’ll learn 10 of the best riffs to impress your friends and add some variety to your repertoire.

When you first start playing the ukulele, you’ll most likely learn the four basic chords – C, G, Am, and F. Once you have a handle on these four chords, you’ll be able to play tons of songs. But after you get comfortable playing songs, you’ll want to spice up your repertoire.

One easy way to do that is to include ukulele riffs in your playing. A ukulele riff is a series of notes played within a song that creates a catchy melody. A riff can be played as a pattern of single string notes, or as a series of chords. Often the riff is repeated several times throughout the song and is easily recognizable.

10 Cool Ukulele Riffs to Learn Today

Eventually, you’ll be able to pick out riffs by ear, but when you’re just getting started it helps to have the notes tabbed out for you. Ukulele songs tab is an easy way to learn the notes of a melody, even if you can’t read music.

Keep in mind that picking songs uke tabs don’t usually include the timing for how long to play each note. (It will help if you’ve heard these riffs at some point in your life, so you’ll know the rhythm).

Tabs also won’t tell you what fingers to use to play each note. As you advance in your skills, you’ll be able to choose an effective fingering quickly. So without further ado, here are 10 cool and cute ukulele riffs with tabs below.

1. “Shave and a Haircut”

This quick riff was made popular by the late 80s, semi-animated movie, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.”

2. “Weak” by SWV

This fun riff is repeated over and over throughout the song. Like many ukulele riffs, this one has been transposed to a key that fits the ukulele, while still maintaining the integrity of the melody line.

3. “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” by The Rolling Stones

This opening riff is played by the guitar on the original recording. Because of the tuning of the ukulele, the ukulele song tab below is written so that the melody is played higher than the original key.

4. “No Woman No Cry” by Bob Marley

This song simply requires a knowledge of the four essential ukulele chords (C, G, Am, and F). The turn-around riff follows the chords.

5. “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor

One of the most popular, cool ukulele riffs is the opening of “Eye of the Tiger” ukulele tabs. It’s a sure way to turn your ordinary ukulele into a rock and roll machine. Below are two different versions of the opening riff.