UKULELE BEGINNERS TIPS

The most common question for ukulele beginners is 'How Do I Play The Ukulele?' but there are many others with this musical instrument! Got A Ukulele presents their full list of beginners tips and help for new uke players.

(These are short and sweet tips for new ukulele players, but full more detailed guides can be found in my first two ukulele books as linked below.)

ukulele beginners tips




If you have any other questions or need more advice, just get in touch!
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UKULELE BOOKS

My Ukulele Beginners Books - Amazon.com

My ukulele beginners ebooks - for Kindle / Paperback - Amazon.co.uk

What Ukulele Players Really Want To Know - Barnes and Noble / Nook



GOT A UKULELE BEGINNERS GUIDES and TIPS

Absolute Beginners Questions

The most common questions I get asked by ukulele beginners
So, You are getting your first ukulele?

How much should I spend on a ukulele?

how cheap is a cheap ukulele?

Buying online and the great uke setup myth

How to buy a ukulele

Ukulele sizes

Ukulele shapes

Ukulele pickups and amplification

What do I need to tune my ukulele?

Wood types and their influence on ukulele sound

Do I need a case for my ukulele?

Options for Left Handed Ukulele Beginners

Types of Ukulele Capo

Choosing a reliable ukulele dealer



Parts Of The Ukulele

Ukulele strings

How to change ukulele strings

All about ukulele wood

More about ukulele wood

All about ukulele tuning pegs

A look inside friction pegs - with video

All about ukulele nuts and saddles


First Steps in Playing Ukulele

Tuning the Ukulele

How to hold and strum the ukulele

What are the ukulele chords?




Ownership and Maintenance of your Ukulele

Cleaning your ukulele

Ukulele intonation

More about ukulele intonation

What is ukulele "action"?

Ukulele buzzes and rattles

Sore fingers?

When should I change my ukulele strings?

All about humidity and the effects on your uke

Ukulele finishes

Don't be afraid of learning how to adjust your ukulele - its meant to be adjusted!

How To Adjust Ukulele Action At The Saddle

My ukulele keeps going out of tune

Swapping ukulele tuners



Effects Pedals In More Depth


General Ukulele Guides

More than four ukulele strings?

To strap or not to strap?

Fitting a passive pickup to a ukulele

On Solid Tops opening up with age

Using Fishing Line as Ukulele String

What to pack in your Ukulele Gig Bag

Do I need to be Insured?

The essential ukulele accessories

Does the finish on a ukulele affect the tone?

Playing a Ukulele in Tune With Itself

How much should I practice the ukulele?

How I record the Ukulele Videos



UKULELE VIDEO beginners tips


BUYING YOUR FIRST UKULELE

HOLDING THE UKULELE

THE PARTS OF THE UKULELE

UKULELE SIZES

CHANGING UKULELE STRINGS

CHANGING UKE STRINGS (SLOTTED BRIDGE) 

FRICTION TUNERS

THE IMPORTANCE OF NUT WIDTH

TUNING THE UKE

ADJUSTING ACTION and SETUP

HAMMERING ON AND OFF

CHUCKING, CHUNKING and PALM MUTING

THE I IV V CHORD SEQUENCE

FITTING A STRAP BUTTON

HOW TO TELL IF A UKULELE IS SOLID OR LAMINATE

DEALING WITH BUZZES AND RATTLES


EFFECTS PEDALS IN MORE DEPTH


UKULELE THEORY GUIDES


Basic ukulele theory part 2 - Major Chords

Basic ukulele theory part 3 - Minor Chords

Basic ukulele theory part 4 - Major 7th Chords


UKULELE GLOSSARY / DICTIONARY OF TERMS


http://www.gotaukulele.com/p/ukulele-glossary.html



RANTS

The now famous moans about bad advice!


GENERAL UKULELE RANTS

Ukulele Myths - the most commonly shared misconceptions you will find online

Bad Ukulele Advice - everyone is an expert these days, and there is some terrible advice out there, and yet more misconceptions.

The Ukulele is not the happiest instrument in the world -  the assumption that all is happy in use-land and people being less than friendly and happy if you dare say it isn't..

The Day Ukulele Players Died - a Sad history of social media ukulele communities gone bad.

Stop telling beginners that the ukulele is easy!! The media buzzword - the 'easy' word - for many it's not actually true.

Why I don't really get the concept of UAS - the oddity of collecting ukuleles for the sake of it

The Magic Ukulele Problem - the oddity of those who think that the ukulele is magical - when actually it is 'music' that holds the magic.

Trying To Put The 'Easy Ukulele' Myth To Bed Once And For All - now with added statistics!

Can We Have More Ukulele Content Please? - on the slow sink to mediocrity amongst ukulele websites..

On People Who Get Offended By Ukulele Reviews - seriously, they are just opinions...

On The Never Ending Argument Over How to Pronounce 'Ukulele' - please make it stop!

It's not all Hawaii Hawaii Hawaii you know...

Ukulele Festival Overload?

On the Ukulele Versus Guitar Debates - pointless and unhelpful as they are.

A Word Of Support For The Humble Soprano - no, it's not a poor mans ukulele..

Please Be Mindful Of Your Advice on Air Travel With Ukes - it's NOT the same everywhere.



UKULELE EQUIPMENT AND BUYING (Strings, woods, straps, picks...)

The Cosmic Ukulele Strap debate - attention - it IS acceptable to use a strap - ignore the haters!

Why do we accept such cheap junk ukuleles - a look at one of the worst examples I have ever seen - inside and out!

Ukulele Bling - the myths about fancy uke finishes and marketing ploys

Snake Oil!  - some people will buy anything (more marketing ploys)

Debunking the nonsense about using plectrums and picks - like straps - it's perfectly acceptable to pick if you want to!

Dealers - a little more honesty in your sales descriptions please! - on the common practice of misleading sales descriptions

The myth that all laminate ukes are bad and all solid woods are great.. - I'd take a good laminate over a bad solid wood instrument every day of the week.

The Problem with 'Over Built' Ukuleles - The cheap, heavy, dead sounding ukulele curse

On String Changing Opinions... Discussing the odd practice of arguing over which string is best for other people despite not knowing the other person or their ukulele, or the style, or their tastes....

Why The Fear Of Changing Strings? - really - there is no need.

Choose Your Ukulele Dealer Carefully - and why I urge caution with some!

Why Choosing A Ukulele Based on Ability to Hold Tune Is Wrong - it's all about things that are adjustable!

A little imagination in your headstock designs please - why does everything need to look like a Martin?

Online Ukulele Shopping and Quality Control - choosing your buying channels



RANTS ON UKULELE PLAYING and PERFORMING

But we don't have a budget for bands! - the dreaded expectation that you must play for free

Is it acceptable to play this on the ukulele? - a rant against those who want to pigeonhole the uke to a single style

But That's Not On The Song Sheet!  - get out of your band rut - explore!

On Ukulele Strumming Patterns - no need to be so rigid in your practice!

The Ukulele Busker, David Cameron and The Madness of The Ukulele Community

It's OK to have individual ukulele tastes! - Just because we play the ukulele doesn't mean we all have to like the same stuff!

Don't avoid using that forefinger! - Break free from your capo!

A High Five for ukulele players who do things their way - A shout to those who don't play by the established rules.




8 comments:

  1. Many thanks and much gratitude for you taking the time to make this very helpful and comprehensive site.
    Rob

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Barry! I recently bought a Makala Dolphin Ukulele, I have no experience whatsoever with playing instruments and I'm quite apprehending because I'll basically be learning by myself all from scratch. My question is...Is it feasible to learn how to play the ukulele all by myself, just viewing tutorial videos and reading Ukulele beginner books? I'm pretty motivated but just wondering if my lack of knowledge and playing skills will prevent me to learn all by myself.

    Thank you for your response, I really love this blog.

    ReplyDelete
  3. HI Inès - I know many people who learned solo, but a far better method is to either have some lessons or play in a uke club - playing with other people is the fastest way to improve. Check out the club listings page (link at the top menu) and see if there is one near to you. But otherwise - no its perfectly possible to learn by your self.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Baz,
    I'm a few weeks (and 3 Ukes) in now. I've learned a few easy tunes and now i'm tackling barre chords
    At the moment with my small hands some of them are impossible, but i can do them if I use my thumb, is that acceptable if want to progress as a player or should i work on my finger strength/flexibility?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Neil

    In this beginners section is a post on finger stretching - I think they are good for warm ups on finger stretching. Beyond that the answer is really only practice practice practice. You are learning to push your fingers into positions they are not used to - but with regular play and stretches, trust me - it WILL come with time.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi - a quick thanks for this resource, I'm sure a lot of work has gone into it. Picking up genuine tips/tricks & knowledge is invaluable to me 'teaching myself'. I just watched your I, IV,V chord progression - I never knew that & have been playing guitar over a year, that's reall handy & helpful. What a great instrument this is - so easy to learn simple tunes after learning the guitar - just bought a banjolele, I'm hooked! Thanks again, Jim

    ReplyDelete

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