With Saint Patrick’s Day right around the corner, there’s no better time to learn to pick the chords of the famous Irish ballad Danny Boy.

You use a delicate pinch picking pattern to express this song. The pinch pattern creates a rich sound with harmony to provide underlying support for the singing.

Get the ukulele chords, fingerpicking pattern and ukulele tab for this intermediate-level song in the sheet music below.

Click here to download the sheet music and ukulele tab for Danny Boy.

Take time to learn the chords used to play this song.

In this arrangement of Danny Boy, use a pinch picking pattern played to a count of four. A pinch happens when you simultaneously pluck two strings at the same time–in this case, the top and bottom strings on the first and third beats of the measure.

After practicing the chords and picking pattern, practice picking through the song’s chord progression without singing to ensure you can switch between chords and maintain the picking without stopping.

Once you can do that, begin to hum and sing out the melody of this beautiful and lovely song!

Learn to Fingerpick with Fingerpicking Tricks

If this pattern is too difficult for you to play, or if you’re new to fingerpicking, then, I’m here to help.

In the Fingerpicking Tricks online video lesson course I teach you pattern-based fingerpicking on the ukulele which allows you to pick complex pinch picking patterns like this one.

With small, easy steps you have what you need to learn how to fingerpick the ukulele in multiple styles including pattern-based picking, arpeggio-based picking, melodic-based picking, and chord melody.

Why don’t you join me?