Today we’re going to learn how to play This Love by Maroon 5 on ukulele. This song put Maroon on the map and was the first step for establishing them as superstars.
It won the MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist and was the third most played song of 2004. On top of that, This Love was the most successful song from their debut album Songs About Jane. Upon listening to these songs, John Mayer invited Maroon 5 to tour with him, essentially landing them their first major American tour. It features a piano part, but it also fits quite well with the ukulele. Take advantage of our ukulele app: Roadie Coach (available on IOS and Android), for help with your progress. Here is how to play This Love by Maroon 5 on ukulele.
Form and chords
The form of This Love is quite common. It features a verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus. In other words, the most common form for pop music today. The chords of the intro and verses are Cm, Fm, G. For the chorus we have Fm, A#, D#. Finally, for the bridge we have Fm, D#, G7, Cm, Fm, D#. That may seem like a lot of chords, but it isn’t. If you look closely, you’ll see that many sections share some common chords. The challenge here is to be able to play each section accurately and then move on to the next one. Just like everything, you can accomplish this with some practice.
Strumming pattern
I’m going to give you two strumming patterns for This Love. If you’re a beginner, feel free to stick to the first pattern. Once you’ve mastered that, you can learn the second one. If you are a bit more advanced, we’re going to be using both patterns for different sections. Ideally, you want to be able to move from one pattern to the other effortlessly. The best would be to be able to play them and vary them at will. Again, you can accomplish this with some practice.
The first pattern is down, up, chop, up, down, chop. The “chop” is just when you strum the strings but keep them muted to produce a percussive sound. The second pattern is down, down, down, up, up, up, down.
Playing it
The best way of learning This Love is by knowing the song by heart beforehand. This means knowing the order of the parts (the form) and their duration. Make sure you know what the parts of the song are doing before you start learning the chords. Once you have a basic knowledge of the song and can hum along, you’re ready to start. Naturally, this is not the only way to do it, but it probably is the most effective.
Keep in mind that you could also come up with your own pattern. You can vary it across the song’s sections to create your own custom arrangement.
Learning how to play This Love in ukulele can be a nice step forward in your progress. This song is a bit more involved than other easier ukulele songs. However, it does not qualify as a hard song, so it’s still quite manageable if you dedicate it some time. As mentioned, it’s a very popular song and can be a great addition to your repertoire. Remember that the more songs you learn well, the better you become at the instrument. Additionally, it’s a great way to have fun. Try playing This Love along with the recording for the ultimate test on whether you can already play it. Feel free to leave us a comment below with some other uke songs you’d like to learn.
