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.
[Continue Reading...]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.
[Continue Reading...]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.
[Continue Reading...]Note: Today I introduce you to our guest Neil from Sublimemelody who brings us a simple and clear visual guide to understanding the relationship between the notes of the music staff, ukulele fretboard and piano keys.
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:
Let’s dive in.
[Continue Reading...]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.
[Continue Reading...]One of the most challenging chords to master for beginner ukulele players is the Bb major chord (said “B flat”).
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.
[Continue Reading...]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.
[Continue Reading...]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.
[Continue Reading...]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…
[Continue Reading...]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.
[Continue Reading...]