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Louis Armstrong - What a Wonderful World Ukulele Chords

ChordsD, F#m, G, Em7, F#7, Bm, Bb, A7, Gmaj7, F#, B7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

Before you play, tune your ukulele and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.

IseeDtreesofF#mgreen,GredrosesF#mtoo
Em7IseethemDbloom,forF#7meandBmyou,
AndIBbthinktomyself,A7
A7WhatawonderfulDworld.DGmaj7A7
IseeDskiesofF#mblueandGcloudsofF#mwhite,
Em7ThebrightblessedDday,theF#7darksacredBmnight,
AndIBbthinkto A7myself,
whataA7wonderfulDworldGD
TheA7colorsoftherainbow,soDprettyinthesky
AreA7alsoonthefacesofDpeoplegoin’by
IseeBmfriendsshakingF#mhands,saying, Bm“HowdoyouF#mdo?”
Em7They’rereallyF#saying,”Em7IloveA7you.”
IhearDbabiesF#mcry,IGwatchthemF#mgrow
Em7They’lllearnmuchDmoreF#7thanI’lleverBmknow,
AndIBbthinktomyself
A7whataA7wonderfulDworldDB7
YesIEm7thinktomyself,
A7whataEm7wonderfulDworld.Em7D
AlbumWhat a Wonderful World
GenresJazz
Year1967
KeyD
DifficultyAdvanced

How to play What a Wonderful World on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

Louis Armstrong - What a Wonderful World on ukulele requires 11 chords and 18 core chord transitions. You can find the full step-by-step guide below. Before you start, tune your instrument. The song uses the ↓-↓↑-↑↓↑ pattern; practice it muted first, or simplify to downstrokes while you learn the changes.

What a Wonderful World uses these transitions most often: A7 → D (7), Em7 → D (5), and F#m → Em7 (4). These transitions may feel a little challenging at first, but with steady practice you can play this song quickly.When you are ready, begin with D - F#m chord transition.

1. D → F#m chord transition

Here's how to move from D to F#m:

  1. Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on C string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from C string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
  3. Keep ring finger on E string fret 2.

This transition appears in the section, played 3 times.

D to F#m

2. F#m → G chord transition

Here's how to move from F#m to G:

  1. Slide your index finger on C string from fret 1 to fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to A string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger on E string from fret 2 to fret 3.

This transition appears in the section, played 3 times.

F#m to G

3. F#m → Em7 chord transition

To move from F#m to Em7:

  1. While playing F#m, lift your ring finger from E string fret 2.
  2. Slide your index finger on C string from fret 1 to fret 2.
  3. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to A string fret 2.

This transition appears in the section, played 4 times.

F#m to Em7

4. Em7 → D chord transition

To move from Em7 to D:

  1. Lift your index finger from C string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to C string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on E string fret 2.

This transition appears in the section, played 5 times.

Em7 to D

5. D → F#7 chord transition

Here's how to move from D to F#7:

  1. Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from C string fret 2 to G string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from E string fret 2 and place it on C string fret 4.
  4. Place pinky on A string fret 4.

This transition appears in the section, played 3 times.

6. F#7 → Bm chord transition

To move from F#7 to Bm:

  1. While playing F#7, first lift your middle finger and pinky.
  2. Lift your index finger from E string fret 2 and place it on C string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger from C string fret 4 to G string fret 4.

This transition appears in the section, played 3 times.

7. Bm → Bb chord transition

Here's how to move from Bm to Bb:

  1. Lift your index finger from C string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Slide your ring finger on G string from fret 4 to fret 3.
  3. Place middle finger on C string fret 2.

This transition appears in the section, played 3 times.

8. Bb → A7 chord transition

Switching from Bb to A7:

  1. While playing Bb, first lift your middle finger and ring finger.
  2. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on C string fret 1.

This transition appears in the section, played 3 times.

9. A7 → D chord transition

Switching from A7 to D:

  1. Lift your index finger from C string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 2.
  2. Place middle finger on C string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on E string fret 2.

This transition appears in the section, played 7 times.

10. D → Gmaj7 chord transition

Here's how to move from D to Gmaj7:

  1. Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on C string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from C string fret 2 to E string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from E string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.

This transition appears in the section.

11. Gmaj7 → A7 chord transition

Here's how to move from Gmaj7 to A7:

  1. While playing Gmaj7, first lift your middle finger and ring finger.
  2. Slide your index finger on C string from fret 2 to fret 1.

This transition appears in the section.

12. D → G chord transition

To move from D to G:

  1. Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on C string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from C string fret 2 to A string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger on E string from fret 2 to fret 3.

This transition appears in the section.

13. D → Bm chord transition

Here's how to move from D to Bm:

  1. While playing D, lift your middle finger from C string fret 2.
  2. Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on C string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger from E string fret 2 to G string fret 4.

This transition appears in the section.

14. Bm → F#m chord transition

To move from Bm to F#m:

  1. Slide your index finger on C string from fret 2 to fret 1.
  2. Slide your ring finger from G string fret 4 to E string fret 2.
  3. Place middle finger on G string fret 2.

This transition appears in the section, played 2 times.

15. Em7 → F# chord transition

Here's how to move from Em7 to F#:

  1. Slide your index finger on C string from fret 2 to fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to E string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on G string fret 3.

This transition appears in the section.

16. Em7 → A7 chord transition

Here's how to move from Em7 to A7:

  1. While playing Em7, lift your middle finger from A string fret 2.
  2. Slide your index finger on C string from fret 2 to fret 1.

This transition appears in the section, played 2 times.

17. D → B7 chord transition

Here's how to move from D to B7:

  1. While playing D, lift your ring finger from E string fret 2.
  2. Keep index finger on G string fret 2.
  3. Slide your middle finger on C string from fret 2 to fret 3.

This transition appears in the section.

18. B7 → Em7 chord transition

Switching from B7 to Em7:

  1. Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on C string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from C string fret 3 to A string fret 2.

This transition appears in the section.

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in What a Wonderful World.

  • What a Wonderful World includes 55 chord transitions, 18 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
  • What a Wonderful World contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how What a Wonderful World connects to the rest of Ukulelearn. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After D, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are G (28%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
    • D → G: 28%
    • D → Bm: 5%
    After A7, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are D (41%), D7 (18%), and Dm (13%).
    • A7 → D: 41%
    • A7 → Em7: 1%