6 Reasons Your Ukulele is Going Out of Tune

by

There’s nothing worse than an out-of-tune ukulele.

Even if it’s just you locked away practicing in a room by yourself where nobody can hear you, listening to out-of-tune chords and notes can you make you feel uninspired and wonder why you sound so, well, bad.

You can be a competent and proficient ukulele player, but if your ukulele is out of tune, no one would know it – even yourself!

I’ve always said one of the fastest ways to sound better as a ukulele player is to tune your ukulele. It’s a common beginner mistake to think that since you had your ukulele tuned once that you won’t have to tune it again later. If you’re new to playing ukulele, then, your number one goal is to figure out how to tune your ukulele! Always tune every time you sit down and play.

But why does your ukulele keep going out of tune after you spend all that time tuning it up?

How can it be that your ukulele is technically “in tune” according to the tuner but sounds out-of-tune when you play?

And what can you do if you have a ukulele that can’t hold pitch?

Here are the six reasons your ukulele is going out of tune and what you can do about it.

[Continue Reading...]

“The Star Spangled Banner” Chord Melody Ukulele Tab

by

Happy Memorial Day!

Today I’m playing a chord melody arrangement of The Star Spangled Banner on ukulele.

Chord melody is a style of playing ukulele where you strum the chords of a song while you simultaneously fingerpick the melody.

As far as chord melody goes, The Star Spangled Banner is an easy song to learn for those who are beyond the basics of picking. Played in the key of C you use a lot of open strings to create a full and resonate sound.

The Star Spangled Banner is the United States national anthem. The lyrics of the song were written by Francis Scott Key in 1814, however, the music was written much earlier in 1773 by John Stafford Smith. Key wrote the poem on September 14, 1814 at age 35-years-old after seeing the British Royal Navy bomb Baltimore Harbor in the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812. After looking at the U.S. flag waving above Fort M’Henry in victory, he was inspired to write the poem. It wasn’t until March 3, 1931 that Congress made it the U.S. national anthem by resolution, which was then signed by President Herbert Hoover.

Musically, The Star Spangled Banner has one of the broadest vocal ranges spanning 19 semitones making it one of the hardest songs to sing. Fortunately for us, we can fingerpick the melody and strum the chords of the song without singing! Whew.

[Continue Reading...]

5 Different Ways to Play a C Major Chord on Ukulele

by

An exciting way to take your ukulele playing to the next level is to find new ways to play the same chord on ukulele.

Yes, there are often several different ways to play the same chord on ukulele, and I include many of these chord variations in the Ukulele Tricks Chord Library, but you might be wondering why you’d want to find a different way to play a chord on ukulele.

There are many reasons for why you’d find a new way to play the same chord:

  • Make a chord easier to play
  • Add variety to the song you’re playing
  • Find a new sound
  • Blend together with an accompanying ukulele player
  • Voice a melody note in a chord to be the highest note in the chord (for example, like in chord melody)

In this lesson, I introduce you to the world of finding chord variations on ukulele by showing you how to play a C major chord on ukulele in five different ways.

[Continue Reading...]

How to Fix Buzzing Ukulele Chords With One Easy Trick

by

You finally figure out how to play that one ukulele chord that’s giving you all sorts of trouble, but when you strum:

Bzzt!

No matter what you do, playing the chord sounds like fingernails scraping across a chalkboard.

Is this a problem with how you’re strumming? Is it an issue with your fretting hand? Do you just not have the strength yet to play a chord?

Every ukulele player at some point or another has gone to play a ukulele chord just to have the chord sound out with a dead thud. This is such a common challenge every ukulele player has to overcome. Even advanced ukulele players will encounter this problem and have to find a way to fix it.

Fortunately, most buzzing ukulele chords can be fixed with one easy trick.

Watch the video to learn how to fix your buzzing ukulele chords.

[Continue Reading...]

“Love Yourself” by Justin Bieber Ukulele Chords

by

I haven’t had this much fun lately learning to play a song as I did learning Justin Bieber’s Love Yourself.

In this heart-felt and soulful tune, you play unexpected chord variations for the verse giving the song it’s signature sound and instant recognition. With a subtle strumming hand slap, you create a percussive rhythm that carries the song’s melody. By the time you get to the chorus, you play the same chords but change the variation to create a fuller sound.

I chose to perform this song on baritone ukulele for two reasons. For one, Love Yourself is played in the key of E, and the key of E is a much more player-friendly key on the baritone ukulele versus a standard-tuned ukulele. And secondly, the baritone’s smooth, mellow sound lends itself well for this particular song’s soulful style.

First, listen to my performance, and then, once you’re ready dive into the ukulele chords for this song below.

[Continue Reading...]

“Million Reasons” by Lady Gaga Ukulele Chords

by

Today we’re playing Lady Gaga’s famous song Million Reasons on ukulele.

This emotive and powerful ballad has just four ukulele chords making it a perfect song for beginners to learn on ukulele. With simple down strums in the verse and full-sounding down-up strums in the chorus, you have the ability to make this song sound dynamic and emotional when just played as a solo ukulele player.

I perform this song on baritone ukulele, but you can also perform it on a standard-tuned ukulele without a problem (I include both versions of chords below).

First, listen to my performance, and then, once you’re ready dive into the ukulele chords for this song below.

[Continue Reading...]

Ukulele Scales: How to Play C Major Scale Position #5 on Ukulele

by

Learning the notes of the ukulele fretboard takes a lot of discipline and effort, but it’s nothing you can’t accomplish!

In this lesson, you learn the fifth and final position of the C major scale on the ukulele fretboard.

So far we’ve looked at C major scale in four other positions:

You’ll want to learn the other positions first before learning this last position.

Upon completing this lesson, you’ll know the natural notes of the ukulele fretboard (A, B, C, D, E, F, G) and where to find them. With this knowledge, you can eventually go on to learning other scales in other keys, playing solos, finding melodies, coming up with riffs, and more. But first, it all starts with learning and memorizing these C major scale positions.

Learn this fifth and final C major scale position now!

[Continue Reading...]

Ukulele Scales: How to Play C Major Scale Position #4 on Ukulele

by

By now you already have C major scale in position #1, position #2, and position #3 under your belt. It’s important you get those positions under your belt before moving forward with the last two positions.

In this lesson, learn how to play C major scale in position #4 on the ukulele.

But first, why all these positions?

Why can’t you just learn one position and call it a day?

For one, by learning the C major scale in all positions across the ukulele fretboard, you learn the natural notes of the fretboard (A, B, C, D, E, F, G). If you know where these important notes are, it’s easier to learn other scales later, especially those with sharps and flats.

Secondly, by learning multiple positions of the C major scale, you make it easier to play certain single-note passages in pieces of music (like those in Fingerpicking Tricks) or solos and riffs (more on that later).

Thirdly, learning the notes of the fretboard can help you build chord variations across the fretboard to find a new sound.

Overall, by learning the C major scale in multiple positions across the fretboard you build an important foundation for understanding your instrument and for soloing later.

Let’s look at this fourth position!

[Continue Reading...]

Ukulele Scales: How to Play C Major Scale Position #3 on Ukulele

by

So far we’ve looked at how to play C major scale in position #1 and position #2 on the ukulele fretboard. If you haven’t already completed those lessons, do that before moving forward!

In this lesson, continue to learn C Major Scale Position #3 on ukulele.

By doing this, you learn the natural notes across the ukulele fretboard (A, B, C, D, E, F, G). If you know these notes, it’s easy to fill in the sharps and flats later. In addition, learning these notes is the basis of playing melodies, solos and riffs on the ukulele.

The C major scale is where it all begins!

Learn how to play Position #3 now.

[Continue Reading...]

Ukulele Scales: How to Play C Major Scale Position #2 on Ukulele

by

Last week we looked at how to play a C Major Scale in Position #1 on ukulele. Today we continue on and learn C Major Scale in Position #2 farther up the fretboard (there are a total of five positions).

By learning the notes of C major scale in all positions, you learn all natural notes on the ukulele fretboard (A, B, C, D, E, F, G), or any note that is not an accidental (sharp or flat). When you learn all the natural notes, it’s easy to figure out where the other notes are later.

Learning the C major scale is the foundation of learning the notes of the ukulele fretboard and opens up future possibilities like:

  • How to fingerpick the melody of a song on the fretboard
  • How to build chords across the fretboard
  • How to riff and improvise solos across the fretboard (like in the blues or jazz)

Let’s learn Position #2 now.

[Continue Reading...]