Playing C with 4th finger
Chords are essentially a group of notes sounded together that are played on separate strings. There are many tutor books available which include charts of where to put your fingers when playing particular chords. These chord charts show graphically the first few frets of the neck of the ukulele together with where to place your fingers to make a particular chord.
A first chord to play can be the chord of C which is done by placing a finger on the third fret of the 1st string (i.e. the string furthest away from your nose). By placing your finger on the third fret you are shortening the 1st string which makes the note sound higher. Chord charts (as shown below) suggests that you use your 3rd finger (i.e. your ring finger) to make this chord. However the ukulele is quite versatile in that when you’ve learnt some more chords and you want to change between them, you might find it easier to use a different finger to make this chord.
Now that you’ve learnt and mastered your first chord you’ll be wondering if there are any songs which only have one chord. The French lullaby “Frere Jacques” and the song “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” can both be played with just the C chord being strum gently. If you go on the internet you’ll be able to find a selection of other one chord songs. In the next “Quick Start” Guide I’ll be suggesting some other chords you might like to learn.