Very short break

I know I have some regular blog subscribers who have let me know how much they like the frequency of posts, so thought I'd post a quick alert!

Mrs Maz and I are going away for a couple of days so no blog updates until Tuesday latest. Norma service resumed ASAP and I have some interesting articles coming up.

For March I have a couple of great interviews coming up with people in the uke community, and a couple more product reviews are also in the pipeline thanks to some kind manufacturers.

As always, if you have any article themes you want to see featured, do get in touch. Guest blog articles also considered!

Baz

Ukulele Beginners - Basic Ukulele Theory - part 1 - notes

Whilst I started Got A Ukulele as an absolute beginners blog, it would be amiss of me to avoid music theory altogether. I will therefore create a few new posts that cover the absolute basics of music theory that you should probably get your head around!

In this first issue, we deal with the absolute basics of the notes on the uke.

As we have discussed in an earlier post, the strings on a standard tuned Uke are tuned to G,C,E and A (G on the string nearest the ceiling, and A on the string nearest the floor).

But of course, the neck of your ukulele is covered with frets. When you fret a string on the uke you shorten the length of the string which changes the way it vibrates and makes it sound higher. Knowing this and that moving up each fret moves you up a "half step" in the notes scale, by knowing your open strings are tuned GCEA, you should be able to work out any note on the neck.

So how do we work up the note scale? Well, as you probably know, major notes in music are named as A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. It does however get a little more complicated as we have sharps and flats, and these represent intermediate notes between these major notes.

The sequence actually runs like this:

A - A#/Bb - B - C - C#/Db - D - D#/Eb - E - F - F#/Gb - G - G#/Ab - and back to the next A.

This run of notes from that lower A to the next one up is called an Octave.

The '#' symbol above means a sharp note and the 'b' means a flat. They are named together as they are essentially the same note - the A# plays the same as a Bb!

But hang on, you are asking, why are there no sharps/flats between some of the notes, like between the B and C and the E and F? Well, they don't exist! If you can picture a piano keyboard, the black keys represent the sharps and flats. If you look, the black keys dont appear between each and every white key, in some cases the white keys are next to each other. These are the keys that represent those notes above that don't have a sharp or a flat.

So, now you know how the notes run on the scale, if you take your ukulele and look at the G string - using the list of notes above, you now know that the first fret will play you a G#/Ab, the second fret an A, the third fret an A#/Bb, the fourth fret a B and so on. You can apply this to the other strings as well, and using the sequence work out any note at any fret on the ukulele!

If you are feeling brave you could try to memorise them all, but I would suggest that you do try to memorise all of those up to fret four of five on each string.

Good luck as always!

UkeJam for Comic Relief!

A great and generous idea from the good people at the UkeJam club in Godalming, Surrey - on 9 March, they are running their UkeJam club in aid of Comic Relief!

Wednesday nights are their normal session in the Sun at Godalming, but on the 9th they are meeting in aid of Comic Relief.  It's otherwise a normal session, but red noses are compulsory and they are running a raffle in aid of Comic relief with some great prizes, including a Mahalo U/LTD2 uke, a signed book from Al Murray (The Pub Landlord), Cosmetics, Chocolates and Beer!  Collections buckets will be in evidence also so you can dig deep!

It's a great club, and if you have been wavering as to whether  to attend or not recently, what better opportunity than to go in aid of Comic Relief?

Check out Adam and Penny below with their red noses!  The session takes place between 8.30pm to 10.30pm at The Sun, 1 Wharf Street, Godalming, GU7 1NN.  Full details are on the UkeJam - Facebook Page

Good luck with it guys - hope it goes well and raises lots of cash for a great cause.

Ukulele beginners - what's in my uke gig bag?

If you have bought a ukulele, then hopefully you have fallen in love with it.  If that has happened, you will find that you want to take your ukulele with you everywhere - to work, on holiday, to the shops (!).  You may also be thinking about gigging your uke.

If that is the case, then what should you carry with you along with your uke - what is the essential gear list that no uke should be without?  Listed below are the items that always go with my uke if I am gigging, or taking it away from home for extended periods.

• Case - Kind of obvious, but if you are travelling with a uke, or taking it to gigs you REALLY SHOULD invest in a good case.  My views on ukulele cases.
• Spare strings - even if I have just put a new set on the ukulele before I leave the house, I always keep a spare set of strings in my case.  You never know when you might get a break, and even those new strings could run into trouble.
• Tuner - I carry two tuners at all times.  I carry a clip on tuner (I use a Snark Ukulele tuner. ).  I also carry a cheap pitchpipe tuner in my case for the unlikely eventuality my clip on tuner breaks or the more likely chance that the battery dies.
• Small screwdriver - for tightening tuning pegs
• Soft polishing cloth - I always carry a soft cloth and get myself in the habit of wiping down the instrument after a session.  Cleaning the strings in particular will lengthen their life.
• Uke Leash -  Just because its brilliant
• Songbook - I print my ukulele lyrics and chords on to A4 paper and keep them inside clear plastic wallets bound in a  4 ring binder.  The plastic wallets stop them getting dog eared or drenched by spilled beer!  I keep an extensive ukulele chord chart in the back of the binder in case I am challenged by an obscure chord I don't have committed to memory.  Good for beginner playing friends also for reference.

It's not a lot to take along - the uke is a simple instrument and you don't want to be bogged down with gear.  The above should, however, ensure you never get into a tight spot!

Sweet Child O' Mine - On Ukulele!

Just glorious - the Guns N Roses classic played on ukulele!

World Book Day 2011 - ukulele book offer

Did you know that today is World Book Day?  I thought that because of this I will offer a discount on the ukulele ebook!

I cant offer money off vouchers on Amazon, so this is only available on the Smashwords site (dont worry, if you have a Kindle, there is a  Kindle format version of the book there alongside all the others)

Go to http://www.smashwords.com/dashboard/stats/37988 and enter the code DZ23Y for a 33% discount!

Ukulele beginners tips - finger stretching exercises

If you have just started with your ukulele, you may well be in pain!  As I mentioned in my post on sore fingers, this is a natural reaction for a new player and something that you will have to go through.  I thought though I would write a longer post with some tips on how to speed the process along.

When you start to play uke, your body, and in particular, the fingers of your fretting hand, will not be used to creating the chord shapes you are trying to get them in to.  In fact, some chord shapes you may find downright impossible because your fingers just wont seem to bend or reach the required frets.  Worry not, it DOES get easier with practice practice practice.

What you need to achieve is a muscle memory in your fingers so that the shapes you are trying to perform come naturally and easily.  Much the same as a pro tennis player practices their serves over and over until their arm gets into a "groove" they can repeat easily, you need to train your fingers, muscles and tendons to start forming common shapes and reaching in ways your hand has never needed to before.  So, some tips to help you along, and relieve the cramps and pains!

Non-ukulele exercises

Firstly, lets look at some exercises you can do without even having your ukulele to hand.  During your day, concentrate on doing repetitions of spreading your fingers wide as far as they will go, then crunched into a fist - repeat this over and over and over.

Try holding your hand with the palm facing you and bend your forefinger down trying to reach as far down your palm as you can.  Repeat with the other fingers and, again, repeat this over and over.

Some people also report success by using a stress ball, (or a tennis ball) and squeezing and massaging it during the day.

Ukulele exercises

The best exercises though are those that you practice on the ukulele.  Try these AS WELL AS practicing your chord shapes and before long you will build up strength and the ability to stretch those fingers.

BASIC EXERCISE

Holding your uke practice doing some note runs on the strings.  Start on the G string, and fret at the first with your forefinger, then the second with your middle finger, the third with your ring finger and the fourth with your pinky.  Then move on to the C string, and then the same on the E and A strings.  When you get to the fourth fret of the A string, do the same thing in reverse.  This is basic fretting practice putting the most obvious fingers on the most obvious frets.  Plucking each note will also give you some note recognition practice.  Ensure your fretting on each note is clean, using your fingertip perpendicular to the fingerboard and squarely between the frets.

When you are starting out I would suggest running this practice about 10 times up and down the notes at the start of every practice session.

INTERMEDIATE EXERCISE

If you find the above nice and easy, you can step it up a notch

a) - using just your first and middle finger, start on the G string fretting at the first with the forefinger then the third with your middle finger (hopping over and missing the second fret), then move on to the C, E an A strings, then run it back in reverse.

b) using just your first and ring finger do the same exercise but this time stretching your ring finger directly to the fourth fret on each string, working up through the strings, then coming back again in reverse.

c) using just your first and pinky, repeat as above, but this time using your pinky to stretch to the 5th string.

For all of the above - again practice each 10 or 20 times before you start your ukulele session

MORE ADVANCED EXERCISES

There is really no limit to where you can go with advanced exercises - you want to try to create something repetitive that REALLY stretches those fingers!

I use the following pattern that really does work those finger muscles.

Holding your uke, put your fore finger on the E string at the first fret, and your middle finger on the A string first fret. Strum twice, then move your middle finger up one fret to the second (leaving the forefinger on the E string at the first) and strum twice again.  Then move that middle finger up another one and repeat.  Keep going, keeping the forefinger anchored at the 1st fret on the E string, moving the middle finger up the A string a fret at a time.  Then do it back down in reverse and repeat over and over.  I can personally get my middle finger to the 5th fret when my forefinger is anchored at the first on the E string.

Then move on to your ring finger.  Do exactly the same thing, keeping that forefinger anchored at the first on the E string, but move the ring finger up the frets of the A string one at a time strumming as you go.  I can get my ring finger to the 6th doing it this way.

Finally, do the same for the pinky which should be able to go a little bit further (I can JUST about get my pinky to the 7th!)

The above is a great advanced stretch technique that should help you pick out those more difficult notes with ease

I hope these help you - there is no easy quick fix for hand cramps - practice practice practice!

4 days to go - Win a Volcapo Ukulele capo!

Final reminder people - only 4 days to go in the free to enter competition to win a Volcapo ukulele capo, courtesy of Sutherland Trading.

All I need is you to tell me a very silly (clean!) joke via the blog - simple, and open worldwide!

You can find details of the competition on the link below.  Good luck everyone - closes on 6 March.

VOLCAPO competition page - WIN a ukulele capo!

Full review of the capo on the link below

VOLCAPO Ukulele capo review

What Ukulele Players REALLY Want To Know - another big thankyou

An update on the ebook - and another big thank you.

Rather staggeringly the ebook I have authored has gone from strength to strength on the Amazon Kindle store.

In the US store, it moves up and down a little in the charts, but is currently at number 3 in the Kindle Music "Instruction and Study" category, and in the UK, is in the top 15 in the Kindle Music book section.  The book is rubbing shoulders from all sorts of people, from Ozzy Osbourne to Michael Buble!  I find that very humbling for a simple ukulele book.

If you haven't checked it out yet, you can get a sample on Kindle, and the book is also available for most other formats on the Smashwords site.

Links below - THANK YOU! (reviews and feedback welcomed!)

What Ukulele Players REALLY Want To Know - US Kindle Store
What Ukulele Players REALLY Want To Know - UK Kindle Store
What Ukulele Players REALLY Want To Know - for Sony, Nook, ePub, PDF etc

Ukulele gig report - playing with new people

Occasionally I like to share with my readers a short gig report or two, and I do this in order to provide some inspiration as to songs that go down well.  I hope these reports make you get searching for chords and say "hey, I'd like to play that tune!"

Tonight was an impromptu gig that started at a local pub that we thought would be a bit of practice.  Soon enough the pub was rather busy and we ended up with a singsong!  I was playing with an old friend who had invited a couple of mates who also uke.

The session went well, with me letting the guest take the lead and me playing along to some songs I didnt even know (including one or two Hawaiian traditional tunes) - thankfully with simple chord progressions!

The sing-along song referred to above was (I must admit it) Delilah by Tom Jones - as strange and silly as it sounds, give it a try - the ukulele gives it a kind of Spanish sound, and in the instrumental refrain before the final repeat of the chorus we were strumming HARD!

Anyway, back to the inspiration for you - a selection of the songs played included

Ring Of Fire - Johnny Cash
Friend In Me - Randy Newman
Maggie Mae - The Faces
Everybodys Talkin - Nilsson
Born To Run - Springsteen (in a George Formby style)
I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor - a tune I have been working on, plus I remembered all the words!
Take On Me - A Ha
Under African Skies - Paul Simon
Pennies From Heaven / Five Foot Two / Tonight You Belong To Me (our traditional old time section!)
Creep - Radiohead
Losing My Religion - REM
Stuck In The Middle With You - Steelers Wheel
9 To 5 - Dolly Parton (I can assure you, I didnt attempt the vocals)
Black Horse & The Cherry Tree - KT Tunstall
One Hand In My Pocket - Alanis Morrisette
I'll Be Your Baby Tonight - Dylan
Delilah - Tom Jones


Try some of the above out - they work well!

(Apologies for any typos - am blogging mobile!)