Island favorites · Chords + a teacher
Ehu Girl: the chords you need
Kolohe Kai
Kolohe Kai is the island reggae band singer-songwriter Roman De Peralta started on Oʻahu in 2009, and Ehu Girl comes off their debut album This Is the Life. It has been a beach, backyard and radio staple across Hawaiʻi ever since.
Level 1 · Easy · 5 chords · Ukulele or Guitar
The chords you need
This is the whole chord vocabulary for the song. Tap any chord with a diagram to see the fingering and hear it in our free chord library.
The feel
Bright island reggae skank; pop the up-strums on the offbeats.
The record sits around 133 BPM
Start way under that. Speed comes on its own.
Why you’ll love it
Five friendly first-position chords carry the whole song, and every jam circle on this island knows it. Learn these shapes and you will get waved in.
Warm-up · works in any browser
Get ready for Ehu Girl
Every shape you need for Ehu Girl, drawn out and wired for sound. Tap a chord to hear it ring.
- C
- F
- G
- Am
- Dm
Island strum trainer
This is the generic island skank, the down-up heartbeat under half the songs on Hawaiian radio, not this song’s arrangement. The loop changes chords once a measure in plain practice order, not the song’s changes. Rest on the count, strum on the and, and pop the accented up-strums short and bright like a chop.
Chord of the bar: C
This is the island strum. Loop it until it feels like breathing. Then put on the record, or grab a teacher at the shop, and you’re ready.
The next step
Ready for the whole song?
These chords are just the warm-up. Ehu Girl has a complete free lesson on our song wall: the full progression measure by measure, the island skank strum, and the story behind the song.
A teacher at the shop can have you skanking through the whole song in a lesson or two.
Sounds better on real strings
This song was born on an ukulele.
Come play a few at the shop on Kilauea Ave. New and used ukuleles on the wall, a crew that will help you find yours without any pressure, and teachers running lessons here 7 days a week who will take you through the whole song, start to finish.
Want more songs you can learn in full online right now? The free song wall has complete lessons, chords, strums and all.
1221 Kilauea Ave Ste 10, Hilo, HI 96720 · 808-969-9342