Play Ukulele Now

In this lesson we learn two new chords, play a tune and get our feet wet with a bit of music theory. By the end you should have a pretty good idea what the job of playing the ukulele is all about. Except for providing avenues of discovery, my job is over. Now it's up to you to explore and flesh out your own playing style and techniques. That task never ends.

Jam along on this two chord song (C and G7) to practice your strums and doo-dads. Use it to give yourself the freedom to horse around while still keeping the beat. You might want to download the pdf file of the words and chords first so you have them in front of you to reinforce your efforts. The task isn't so much to learn the song but to use the song to hone your skills and build up your ukulele toolbox.

A play-along close-up video of Ain't She Sweet including a lead-in riff, vocal in the key of C, and instrumental in the key of F. This is a "gateway" tune that can lead to hundreds of other songs with a similar chord pattern and feel.

A brief discussion to help you discover your own ukulele strums. A prelude to an upcoming series of short videos on a variety of strums and strumming considerations.

The roll strum is a fanning of the fingers across the strings, four fingers, one at a time in one beat. Some of the many ways to use this technique are explored.

Explore the sort of gathering pluck that is a reverse roll. Lern to sneak parts of it into your favorite strum.

This video focuses on picking and plucking individual strings as part of a strumming pattern. It is Part 1 of a lecture that leads to my own favorite strum, a movement I've come to call "plicking" since it seems to be a mixture of picking and plucking. Hopefully you will find a similar manner that suits your goals as a ukulele player. I learned this one 50 years ago from a dormmate in college. His strum was different than what I wound up doing, and yours, too, will probably be different. But, so what? It's all good.

The thumb and index finger join forces to make an energetic strum that is both a pick and a pluck with an occasional swipe and pinch added. A challenge, but worth it. We also look at the figure eight stroke and triplets.

A double-sided single page brochure on strumming that fits in most ukulele cases, and that recaps the video strumming lesson in the previous lecture. 

A variety of techniques to add to your ukulele tool box so you can pepper your playing with injections here and there of flavor and personality.

Three basic chord patterns in the key of C that can be used for practicing and that just might give you insight into how thousands of songs are constructed. This lecture will also introduce to musiican's shorthand when descibing how a song goes.

Sixteen chord diagrams for all 12 keys: the root major, major 7, 7th, 6th and 9th; the root minor, minor 7th, minor 6th, suspended 4th, add 9; dimished, augmented, a 7th augmented, augmented/diminished 5th, 4/9 and 6/9 chords. Each sheet has three groups in rows that coincide with the video chord groups in this chapter. Print the last page for easy reference. These charts are as boring as a dictionary, but hopefully just as useful. In another chapter we will look at chords in a completely different context. I suggest you print these out for easy reference when not at your computer.

Each group of chords in this lecture has a corresponding video in this chapter. The aim of the videos is primarily to help you find your way to make the various chords, But some of the videos add a tidbit or two of useful information that might interest you or facilitate your voyage through the world of ukulele epressed music. If you're having trouble making a chord, visit the video and see if it helps. If that doesn't help, send me a note and I'll do what I can. (updated 6/22)

A look at the chromatic C scale that has every note from C to C with exercises to get your fingers ready for playing melodies.

The C major scale is the first full scale one can play on the ukulele, and it goes on for two octaves. This lecture can be printed out on legal size paper. If you desire to pick tunes rather than strum them, or if you wish to strum tunes and conjure the melody from time to time, give this lecture a bit of quality time. You will be amply rewarded for it.

Be sure to the  videos. They will help you get settled picking melodies. The Diatonic Scale (the do-re-me scale)  video demonstrates how to play another keys.

The relative A Minor Scale is based on the same notes in the C major scale. This lecture demonstrates this relationship. It is applicable to every key.

A discussion on playing scales while holding chords to imply melodies.

This Carter Family song is a simple three chord song. I like to throw a bit of scale notes between stanzas. This is a good tune to explore stepping out of strumming and while picking individual notes to imply the melody. Any string you pick while holding a chord is a note in the C scale. Don't lose the beat, but give yourself permission to randomly pick notes while strumming. Download the lead sheet to set the words and chords. You do not have to play what I play--I'm simply changing strums and picking notes to give you an idea of things you can do. Make up your own "chops"!

This is a simple tune by the late great folksinger Utah Phillips. The chorus and a stanza get you started. Play along a few times until you "get it", then download the lead sheet and make the song your own.

Play along with this popular song as many times as it takes. Experiment with different strums. Try accenting the first beat of each bar with a different strum or pick. Play it until it becomes your song. Download the pdf for the words and chord placement in another form.

This is a simple two chord song called Two Chord Song. There are versions of it in four different keys, C, G, D and F. Play along with it many times to increase you're familiarity with the chord changes. If you play it often enough--even to the point of boredom--you may find yourself creating strums, picks and "do-dads" that make your playing more interesting and fulfilling.

An observation and opinion on the future of the ukulele. Perhaps balderdash.