Why I Don’t Worry About Bad Habits Learning Ukulele and You Shouldn’t Either

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A musician should only sound like what they do, and no two musicians sound the same. It’s an individual-feel thing, you know?

– Dave Grohl, from the band “Foo Fighters”

Thwhack!

Imagine getting smacked with a ruler every time you hit a wrong note or made a mistake.

No, this didn’t happen to me, but my father and aunt would tell me about their strict piano teacher growing up.

“She was a mean old bird,” my dad would say.

I grew up in a musical family, and by musical, I mean every holiday and family get-together was spent around the piano with ukuleles or guitars in hand playing folk songs, hymns, or carols.

Fortunately, my family members decided to take a different approach when it came to me learning. The philosophy was there are instruments sitting around, so why not pick one up and start playing!

By the time I was six, I would play duets on the piano with my mom or strum the chords to I’ve Been Working On the Railroad on ukulele.

Thank God I had no one to take out a ruler and give me a nice “thwhack” if I made a mistake.

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Master the Bb Chord on Ukulele With These 3 Easy Steps

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One of the most challenging chords to master for beginner ukulele players is the Bb major chord (said “B flat”).

Bb Ukulele Chord Diagram

To play a Bb chord, position your ring finger on the 3rd fret of the top g-string, middle finger on the 2nd fret of the C-string, and use the index finger to barre or press down on both bottom two strings at the 1st fret.

With notes on all four strings and a challenging barre position, the Bb chord can be problematic, especially if you have arthritis, but it’s a chord you need to know how to play because it gives you the opportunity to learn a whole bunch of new songs in the key of F, Bb, and more.

I’ve written on playing a Bb chord on ukulele before, but in this video lesson, let’s go a bit more into depth and get three tips and tricks for how to confidently play the Bb chord, and after the video at the bottom of this post, get a fantastic bonus tip from a fellow student for how she tackles the Bb chord with arthritic fingers.

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How to Play Ukulele: The Ultimate Guide to Learn to Play Ukulele Today

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Yes, ukulele is for everyone!

No matter how old or young you are, and even if you’ve never played music before in your life, you can learn how to play ukulele… today!

I’m about to show you how easy it is to play your first song on ukulele with step-by-step, easy-to-follow online ukulele lessons.

For some of you, this will be the first time you make music in your entire life.

Learning to play ukulele starts with the right foundation which is exactly what you do starting in this lesson right now.

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Learn to Pick and Play “Danny Boy”

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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.

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Let Me Call You Sweetheart: Ukulele Chords & Play-Along Video

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If you’re the kind of person to learn ukulele to impress that special someone, then Let Me Call You Sweetheart is a song you need to have in your repertoire (skip ahead to the chords). It’s a guaranteed heart-melter.

Let Me Call You Sweetheart was originally published in 1910 with music by Leo Friedman and words by Beth Slater Whitson. Since then, it’s been performed and recorded by artists like Bing Crosby, Joni James, Patti Page, Slim Whitman, and more. The song is also notable amongst Barbershop-style a cappella groups.

In a waltz-y, light rhythm, this song is a sweet-sounding piece with frequent chord changes throughout.

To play this song…

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12 Ukuleles to Buy For Beginners This Christmas

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There’s no better time of the year than the holidays to start learning how to play ukulele.

It can be your year to learn where you start new traditions of making music and playing ukulele with family and friends.

When you’re a brand new beginner ukulele player, don’t get lost in the options and endless searching and scrolling on the internet. It can feel overwhelming to know what ukulele is right for you. Let’s keep it simple with these twelves ukulele to buy for beginners… for any budget!

Recommendations are broken up into four parts based on the four different ukulele sizes soprano, concert, tenor and baritone. For each size, I give you my top three picks based on my experience and students’ experiences. Don’t worry. I’ll include tips on what size is best for you and at the end of the post I’ll include some recommendations on other ukulele accessories like the best tuner, strings, and cases.

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Cynthia Lin and Ukulenny Host First-Ever San Francisco Uke-tober Fest

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This past weekend hundreds of ukulele players and fans came together for a jam-packed weekend of playing ukulele, learning new songs and techniques, and listening to inspiring performances from artists Cynthia Lin, Ukulenny, Craig Chee & Sarah Maisel, Aldrine Guerrero & Aaron Nakamura, and Abe Lagrimas Jr.

On October 7-8, Cynthia Lin and Ukulenny hosted the first-ever San Francisco ukulele festival known as SF Uke-tober Fest. Arising from local Bay Area ukulele jams hosted by Cynthia and Ukulenny, the SF Uke-tober Fest brought over 150 ukulele players and fans from around the world to jam with their favorite artists and teachers.

I went to SF Uke-tober Fest to experience the joy of ukulele and to learn more about the amazing community that Cynthia and Ukulenny have built in the Bay Area. What I discovered is a remarkable group who have a passion and love for the ukulele and sharing that magic with others.

Perhaps you’ve wondered what a ukulele festival is like and if you should ever go. Now you can know and see what it is you’re missing!

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Learn to Play “Hawai’i Aloha” in Chord Melody

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There’s nothing quite as peaceful as listening to the melody of a song intricately picked and strummed on the ukulele.

This style of playing ukulele is known as chord melody or solo fingerpicking. You combine the melody and harmony of the song to create a rich and beautiful sound.

Today I give you a free arrangement including the sheet music and ukulele tab of the well-loved Hawaiian song Hawai’i Aloha, one of six arrangements in the new Hawaiian Chord Melody course now available to all members in Club Ukulele.

About Hawai’i Aloha

Hawai’i Aloha was written by Lorenzo Lyons and is sung to the tune of I Left It All With Jesus a hymn written by James McGranahan. Lyons a Christian missionary who came to Hawaii from Boston in May 1832 dedicated his life to the native Hawaiians learning the language and composing many songs and hymns.

The song Hawai’i Aloha is sung by small and large group gatherings in Hawaii including the inauguration of the Governor of Hawai’i and the opening sessions of the Hawai’i State House of Representatives and Hawai’i State Senate.

Learn Hawai’i Aloha

Watch the video and take a listen now.

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3 Unconventional Ways to Make Ukulele a Habit in Your Busy Life

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Chances are if you’re waiting for motivation to come, then, you might find yourself at the end of your life wondering why you didn’t learn to play an instrument.

A lot of us have had this experience at some point in our lives where we set out to change our lifestyle for the better, like exercising or eating more veggies, only to find ourselves three months later in the same exact spot.

Learning to play ukulele can be similar.

You know you love music.

You know you have a passion for music.

You know you’ve always had a dream to play an instrument.

Then, why is it so hard? Why haven’t you done it yet? Why is it the first thing that slips away when life gets busy?

Before you start beating yourself up, consider you aren’t the only one to have fought to find the time, energy and motivation to make music in your busy life.

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Learn Ukulele Major Scale Theory and Build a C Major Scale

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Are you the kind of ukulele player that wants to deeply understand their instrument?

Have you ever wanted to know the notes of the fretboard and how they interact and relate in meaningful ways to make music?

That’s what this lesson’s about. In this two-video lesson, you introduce yourself to the world of major scale theory on ukulele starting with the chromatic scale and major scale.

The major scale is the foundation of music you make on ukulele.

Learning the major scale is important if you ever want to compose, arrange, or write your own music. The major scale also demonstrates a meaningful relationship between notes on the fretboard. This understanding allows you to become a more creative musician and ukulele player.

By the end of this lesson, you’ll know how to make a C major scale and play it in first position.

Let’s begin!

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