Ukulele Tutorial - Leaving on a Jetplane

I think if you are going to learn an acoustic instrument like a guitar or ukulele, "Leaving On A Jet Plane" is a must know song. Maybe I'm crazy, and was brought up in a folk song-singing family (which I was and likely am), but it just seems to be common knowledge.

I attempt to show you how to play this song in the key of C as well as G. That gives you a little variety in how to sing at your own pitch, as well as get a grasp of how some chords interact with each other (C,F,G versus G,C,D).

Dream a little dream of me - ukulele and guitar

I wrote about this during my 100 song in 100 day goal, which happened to be song 89 of 100. This song is rad. What better way to say it.

Also, the chord progression was much more complicated than I expected. Here's my take on the song:

I've come to believe that there is no better time in history to learn anything than right now. You have at your fingertips every possible resource to learn how to do something. And the better news is that with the help of youtube, it's all free. After thumbing through 200 versions of this song, I was able to find proper instruction on how to play it. Searching for the chord progression, I was able to find it for the uke and the guitar.

The best resource I found to learn this song on the uke was at ukulelehunt.com, a far better resource than I will ever be. Go there. Click here for Dream a little dream's chords and lyrics.

Go out and get an ukulele. It's the best thing you'll ever do.

Leaving on a jet plane - Ukulele style

There are a handful of songs that everyone should know. On day one of owning an ukulele, I learned five chords: C, G, Am, F and D. The rest would come later.

In my excitement, I reached for a song in my repertoire that was easy to play, easy to sing, and that most people enjoy. It's "Leaving on a Jetplane".

Here is my ukulele version of "Leaving on a Jetplane". I've little patience to sing slowly, and my excitement wouldn't allow me to play it's more classic speed. You may also notice that I can't recall the chords throughout the entire song. All in all, it's a fresh version of an old song. Enjoy!


For anyone interested in the chord progression of "Leaving on a jetplane", I use G, C, G, C, G, C. D.

Other equally simple progression can include, but are not limited to:

C, F and G
A, D and E
E, A and B

Depending on how high or low you sing, you're entitled to use whatever chords you like to play a song. You just have to find which chords go together.

Hope that helps. Have fun!