Welcome!
It's so great to have you. My name is Brett McQueen, and in this four-lesson course, I teach you everything you need to know to start playing the ukulele... today!
This means no matter how old you are or even if you've never played an instrument before in your life you can learn to play ukulele in this four-lesson. By the end of this course, you'll know how to play four well-loved songs on ukulele.
Playing ukulele starts with the right foundation which is exactly what you do starting in this lesson right now.
In this lesson, learn:
- How to tune and hold the ukulele
- How to get a clear, crisp strumming sound
- The most important strumming pattern
- How to play your first song
Let's begin!
You Are a Musical Person
Playing ukulele is about having fun!
At first, the ukulele might feel like a holding a foreign alien object. How is this little instrument capable of making such a beautiful sound? In fact, a beautiful sound you create!
Not to worry. Take a quick minute to familiarize yourself with your new instrument.
Click here to download the "Ukulele Sizes & Parts" worksheet.
Tuning Up Your Ukulele
One of the most underestimated secrets to making your ukulele sound amazing is to tune it!
You don't want to skip this step.
When it comes to stringed instruments like the ukulele, it’s important to check the tuning every 10 to 15 minutes of playing. Small errors in tuning can create quite a dreadful sound for you and your listeners. You always set yourself up for success with an in-tune ukulele.
Fortunately, it’s easy to keep the ukulele in tune.
Click here to download the "Ukulele Tuning" worksheet.
Holding Your Ukulele
You're getting so close to making music on the ukulele. Watch this video to learn how to hold the ukulele in the most comfortable playing position.
Learn Your First Chord
The first most important chord you must know on the ukulele is the C chord.
This is where it all begins!
To play a C chord, place the ring finger of your fretting hand on the 3rd fret of the bottom A-string. Let the top three strings ring open.
Once your fingers are in position, go ahead and strum down across the strings. Don’t worry about the exact strumming technique for now. We look at that together in the next step. At this point, make sure every string rings out nice and clear.
That’s the C chord! Great job.
Learn Strumming Technique
Watch the video and strum the C chord to a count of four with all down strums.
Repeat this strumming pattern as you count out loud. Keep the strumming and counting as consistent and even as possible.
Give that some practice.
Believe it or not, you’re ready to play your first song on ukulele!
Play Your First Song With Just One Chord
You take the C chord and the simple down strumming pattern rhythm to play this simple, familiar song on the ukulele. Take a listen to Are You Sleeping now.
When it comes to learning a new song on the ukulele, I like to break things into small easy steps. Watch the following video to learn how to play this song.
Note: This video is a preview selected from the Strumming Tricks online video lesson course I teach. For the purposes of this free course, I have more lessons coming your way in a couple days. Watch your inbox.
Click here to download the sheet music for Are You Sleeping.
The first step is to review the chords in the song. For this song, a quick glance at the sheet music and ukulele tab shows there is a C chord.
Make sure you’ve practiced the C chord.
The second step is to review the strumming pattern in the song.
Again, make sure you’ve practiced this strumming pattern.
The third and final step to learning a new song is to play through the song’s chord progression without singing. This means you follow along in the music for Are You Sleeping and play and count out loud as I show in the video.
Once you can do this, then, it’s just a matter of humming or singing out the melody to this song!
You're Building a Solid Foundation
Now you might not win a Grammy with your performance of Are You Sleeping just yet but that's okay!
Just in this lesson you're already building a foundation that puts you far ahead of most students.
You've learned:
- How to tune the ukulele accurately to produce the best sound
- How to hold the ukulele comfortably in a supportive, relaxed playing posture
- How to position your fingers to play your first chord
- How to strum and count a steady, consistent strumming pattern rhythm
- How to play your first song
You've already tackled a lot! Give yourself a pat on the back for all your fantastic effort.
Your Lesson 1 Practice Objectives
Great work this lesson! That wasn't so bad was it?
Focus your practice on the following:
- Practice tuning your ukulele
- Practice strumming a C chord (ensuring every string rings out clearly)
- Practice the down strum pattern while counting out loud
- Learn to play Are You Sleeping
To see the most progress in your playing, I recommend practicing at least 15 minutes per day this week. If you want to see improvement, hours upon hours of treacherous practice isn't required, but it is essential to put in the practice!
Join the Discussion
How's this lesson going for you? Post your comment or question below.