Teddy Thompson - In My Arms - on ukulele

Teddy Thompson plays In My Arms on ukulele. Unless I am mistaken, that looks to me like a Bruko slimline model?

Sam Brown - Kiss Of Love with ukulele

The wonderful Sam Brown, following in her fathers footsteps playing ukulele on the Jools Holland show, singing Kiss Of Love.

Why does she not get more recognition - she is a fine singer.

Common woes for the new ukulele player

In the last few weeks I have been tutoring and helping out a handful of brand new ukulele players.  On the whole I meet them separately, and I noticed that they seemed to have the same problems, gripes and worries as each other.  Not at all surprising, and in all cases, perfectly normal.

So, if you are a new player reading this, or thinking about starting out - what can you expect, and what is normal?

1. My fingers are sore!

No way around this I am afraid unless you already have hardened finger tips from playing another stringed instrument.  Those strings are thin, and they do dig in to beginners fingers.  In the best case, this can just cause soreness, but in the worst, blisters.  I am afraid this is something that you have to go through.  You need to build some callouses in the tips.  Once you have done that, you shouldn't encounter the problems again if you keep playing.  As my friends progressed they also talked of hand cramps and aches.  This is also perfectly normal as you are trying to force your fingers into positions and shapes that were unnatural prior to playing the uke.  Again, practice will ease these woes.

I blogged about before about these subjects, and you can read my thoughts on sore fingers HERE.  I also gave some tips on finger stretching exercises to help with cramps HERE.



2. My uke keeps going out of tune

Also very common, and with a new set of strings, even on a several hundred dollar instrument, they will stretch and need re-tuning.  You can give them a bit of a manual stretch to help get new strings on their way, but generally, regular playing and re-tuning over a week or two will get them to hold.  If you are still struggling, you may need to tighten those tuners!


3. I downloaded the chords to "INSERT SUPER DIFFICULT SONG HERE" and I am really struggling with  it.

So, so tempting.  You have your new instrument and you want to learn your favourite song.  Trouble is, your favourite song is full of exotic chords, numerous changes and difficult timing.  If you are learning, I always suggest that your first point of call for songs to learn are Nursery Rhymes.  Why?  Because we all know lots of nursery rhymes, and chances are we know the words and the tune pretty good too.  They are also usually simple tunes that use 2 or 3 common chords only.  Practice a bunch of these and you will do wonders for your strumming, chord changes, and chord recognition without needing to worry about anything complex.  You will soon progress, and then, in time, you can move on to your personal favourites.

You can find a selection of very easy nursery rhyme lyrics with chords on my song page HERE


4. I am trying to play along with a tune, and I cant get the strumming rhythm right.

Also very normal and common if you are new to music.  Again, the key is to keep it simple, and try not to be too jazzy or play to quick while you are learning - simple, slow down and up in time with the beat of the music is fine to get you playing.  There is an article HERE that runs through various strumming styles, from the simple to the more complex. Stick to the simple for the time being!

5. My ukulele is buzzing

With cheaper instruments this is, sadly, quite a common complaint and in many cases it is simply down to the setup of the instrument rather than being an incurable fault.  Run through my step by step check list on THIS PAGE to try to track down the cause.  You would be amazed how many beginner ukes I have looked at where the issue was solved on either point 1 or 2.


6. How much do I need to practice

See -HERE.  To add to that - if you can, play with other people - your skills will develop at a far faster rate than playing alone.  Plus, the ukulele is a happy sociable instrument - it deserves to be played with others!

So there you go - the most common questions I get asked.  There are many more, but equally, most of them are also normal.  If you are starting out, I am sure some of the above will mean something to you.  Dont give up, keep strumming!

Ukulele A-Z - N is for...

In this edition we move on to the letter N in my Ukulele A to Z.

Nato

A hardwood used as an inexpensive substitute for Mahogany.


Neck

The piece of wood that holds the fingerboard, and runs between the Body of the ukulele and the Headstock.


Notation

A written system of notes, figures, and symbols used to represent musical tones and dynamic values in a composition.


Note

The sound made when a string is plucked at a particular fret position. The note is designed by the frequency of it's vibration. The position of the frets on the ukulele creates different notes when the string is held and plucked in the various positions.


Nut

The strip of material, either hard plastic or bone located at the top end of the fingerboard over which the strings are held in slots on their way to the tuning pegs. The accurate placement of the nut in relation to the saddle is essential for accurate tuning.


Nut Slots

The four grooves cut into the nut that hold the strings in place at the correct spacing.

Joe Brown - I'll See You In My Dreams - Ukulele

And hot on the heels of that last George Harrison video, this is the very moving I'll See You In My Dreams, performed by his old mate Joe Brown at the end of the Concert For George tribute at the Royal Albert Hall.

Just beautiful.



F8S8GGDAK9QP

George Harrison - Devil & The Deep Blue Sea

Nothing like a friendly reminder of how much George Harrison was a fan of the ukulele.

This is the beautiful track, Devil and The Deep Blue Sea from his album Brainwashed, which features lots of ukulele.  Spot his friends also, including Jools Holland and Joe Brown.

More UK Ukulele coverage

I originally struggled to find this ukulele news clip (sorry) but had found the breakfast TV link.  This one was from the night before on Channel 4 News, and in my view, less patronising for beginners than most uke news items can be!

Also great to see Matthew of Duke Of Uke and the Dulwich Ukulele Club on national TV - well done guys!

As John Snow says - the ukulele has got its groove back!!!

Eddie Vedder - Ukulele Songs - REVIEW

Well, it's about time I put my review up for the new Eddie Vedder CD, - Ukulele Songs - the album thats been raising eyebrows round the world since it was announced!

So, why the raised eyebrows?  Well, for those of you who don't know Eddie Vedder, he is best known (his day job if you will) for being the lead singer in the American rock band Pearl Jam.  That is to say, rock band as in, plugged, in, rock and roll, electric guitars, long hair - you get the picture.  I am not their biggest fan, but know full well that the man has a killer voice (broody baritone in style), and knew their style, so have to admit that the album also raised my own brows a notch.

Before release, the idea of this rock star putting out a set of songs in which he plays the ukulele has split Pearl Jam fans quite a bit, but I think that generally speaking the idea has intrigued more than put off.  The fact is, Eddie has been a uke fan for quite some time and of late has appeared live on stage doing the occasional number on the uke, so perhaps we shouldn't be surprised... but a whole album?

Ukulele songs is a collection of tracks he actually wrote some time ago but never released, including a Pearl Jam cover (Can't Keep) and one or two covers (Dream A Little Dream Of Me being the standout, but also Tonight You Belong To Me).  It's spread over 16 tracks, and includes collaborations with the likes of Cat Power.

Throughout I got the same sort of bleeding heart imagery, and songs of loss, love and desparation, as you can expect with Pearl Jam, but without that rock backing, the ukulele strumming, trebly sound and relaxing backing actually gives them a whole new feel - very graceful, very laid back - very nice!  Most of all, despite many critics suggesting it would be the case before release, this is NO novelty record.  It has high production standards and is a lush, mature affair.  Nor is this an ironic record - as Vedder has been keen to point out - this man really does ADORE the ukulele!  The backing is fairly sparse, but, I presume, deliberate to allow the ukulele to shine through (and it does). (I believe he plays a custom tenor from Earnest Instruments, but happy to stand corrected)

Bang in the middle of the set, Longing to Belong is the highlight for me, but other standouts include Goodbye and the Mamas and Papas cover mentioned above.

The CD comes in a lovely book style case, with many pages and beautiful pictures with lyrics for the songs.

I am thoroughly enjoying listening to it - particularly today, on a rather long drive, windows down, blue sky and sunshine outside.

It would be too easy for me, a uke player, on a uke blog to show bias and demand it has a 5 star review just because of the ukulele link -  but is it a 5 star album?  Well, no - I would argue its probably got a little too much filler, particularly the second half of it, but thats a minor gripe, but a gripe for which gives it four stars for me.  Still highly recommended!

A big ukulele thank you due

Pretty amazed at how well my ukulele beginners guide book is now doing.

It made number 4 in the Amazon Kindle Music book chart today (in the UK) and top 20 in the USA. It's rubbing shoulders with the giddy heights of Slash, Susan Boyle (yes really) and Rick Wakeman...  It's also number 4 in all music reference books (not just kindle books!)

Anyway - huge thanks - it seems the book came along at the right time as the uke is booming popularity at the moment (a fact also mirrored in the blog visits this site receives)

Its on the Amazon UK store  here - http://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Ukulele-Players-REALLY-ebook/dp/B004JN11WK

In the USA here - http://www.amazon.com/What-Ukulele-Players-REALLY-ebook/dp/B004JN11WK

And also in paperback on Amazon!

Thanks everyone - it means a LOT.

Ukelele boom on British TV

Always good to see ukulele making the news - and they interviewed Lorraine Bow from Learn To Uke   - Well done Lorraine!  And they didn't call it a small guitar either!

Ukelele boom

Eddie Vedder - Can't Keep

If you don't have the new Eddie Vedder album, Ukulele Songs yet, then I urge you to grab a copy - very nice, and likely to have a huge impact on ukulele sales!

My review of that album can be read HERE!

While you are waiting to get a copy, enjoy this track, Can't Keep, from the album.