Why I Don’t Recommend Learning to Play Ukulele “Left-Handed”

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I am left-handed and I’ve been playing ukulele for over 20 years.

But I don’t play left-handed.

Well, technically, I use my left hand all the time when I play ukulele, but I don’t play “left-handed” in the traditional sense, and if you’re a lefty, I don’t think you should learn to play ukulele left-handed either.

To play left-handed, you use the left hand to strum and right hand to fret chords.

Many famous musicians have played their stringed instrument left-handed like Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney, or Justin Bieber.

Jimi Hendrix Left-Handed Guitar Player

The famous guitar player Jimi Hendrix shredding his left-handed guitar using the left hand to strum and right hand to fret chords

This is opposite to playing ukulele right-handed, the most common way, where you use the right hand to strum and left hand to fret chords.

If you’re a brand new lefty ukulele player and trying to decide to learn “left-handed” or “right-handed”, here are my two main reasons for why I tell new students to learn to play ukulele “right-handed” even if you’re a lefty and the two exceptions to consider.

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5 Challenges Every New Ukulele Player Has to Tackle

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Teaching over 10,000 students in the Strumming Tricks online video lesson course has given me direct line of sight into your biggest beginner ukulele challenges.

It’s normal to feel discouragement and even frustration as you’re first learning.

It can even feel like you’re the only one facing those challenges or like there’s something wrong with your capacity for making music.

More often than not, you aren’t alone.

See if you’ve faced any of these top five beginner ukulele challenges.

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3 Best Ways to Play the E Major Chord on Ukulele

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There comes a point in a ukulele player’s journey where one must face head on, with courage and bravery, that dreaded and difficult-to-play E major chord on ukulele.

By learning the E chord on ukulele, you unlock a whole new world of playing songs on the ukulele with the most notable song using the E chord being Hey Soul Sister by Train.

Don’t worry because together in this lesson we look at three of the best ways to play the E major chord on ukulele. I provide you with three variations of E major and give you the pros and cons of each, so you can learn how to play the E chord and determine which one is easiest for you.

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How to Play the Calypso Strum on Ukulele

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When you’ve learned your first chords on ukulele, it’s time to start strumming!

With strumming, it’s all about keeping a steady, consistent rhythm.

To help ourselves keep a steady rhythm, in this lesson, you count out loud to a count of four: 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on, and you learn to strum on the most popular strumming patterns – the calypso strum.

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Learn to Play Your First Four Ukulele Chords For Beginners

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You’re tuned up and ready to play!

It’s time to learn your first ukulele chords.

You might be surprised to know that with just these few ukulele chords you can play hundreds of songs on the ukulele.

These ukulele chords for beginners are where every ukulele player should begin.

Watch the video to discover these chords.

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The Story of Ukulele Tricks and How It All Started

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If you would have told me eight years ago that over 10,000 amazing ukulele players would be learning along with me I would have never believed you.

In 2010, I had just graduated from college after studying music and theology.

I knew I loved music but I wasn’t sure what was next.

During a music internship in college, I was given a ukulele as a parting gift. I was thrilled because I grew up playing ukulele since I was six years old when my grandfather taught me how to play I’ve Been Working On the Railroad.

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Uncovering Connections Between Musical Notes, Ukulele Frets and Piano Keys

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Is it easier for a ukulele player to learn piano notes or a pianist to learn ukulele notes?

And how are the notes of the ukulele fretboard related to the notes of the piano?

In this lesson, you discover:

  • The relationship between musical notes and the notes of the ukulele fretboard
  • The relationship between musical notes and the notes of the piano
  • The relationship between the notes of the ukulele fretboard and the notes of the piano

Let’s dive in.

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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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