Beginner

The Barre Chords

Barre chords, or Bar chords, are usually a nightmare for guitar players, nigh impossible on the mandolin, but lucky for us, much more manageable on the ukulele. A barre chord is made by pressing down on one or more strings across the ukulele fret, often completely across, but occasionally only partially (known as a partial barre). To put it simply place your finger on the bottom string 3rd fret to make the well known C chord. Now place your index finger completely across all the strings on the second fret and your pinky finger on the bottom string 5th fret. You have basically taken the C chord shape up two frets to make it a D chord. That’s really the simplicity of barre chords, once you have the shape of a chord you can move it to make another chord (also known as moveable chords). Your index finger acts as[…]

When it comes to learning chords, it is important to know not only the notes (frets on each string) but also the fingering (what fingers to put on each string). Learning a string instrument such as the ukulele is based a lot on memorizing patterns and figures; which form chords, scales, and chord progressions. A same chord can be played in a different way according to the musician, but also according to the previous or next chord in the song, though this is a bit of an advanced topic for a beginner. 3 Must-know chords The first 3 chords you should learn are C, F and G. They correspond to degrees I, IV and V of the C major scale. C Chord – 0003 The most basic chord just requires one finger on the third fret of the first string. It is recommended to use the ring finger of the[…]

With a thin fretboard and four strings, most people can easily learn how to play the ukulele. Learning how to play is simple, provided you take the time to practice. Some quick advices: Learn how to keep your ukulele tuned. Buy a digital tuner or use one online, if you wish to practice near a computer. Digital tuners will tell you if the notes are too high or too low, whereas with online tuners you will have to match the notes they produce using your ear. The more you tune your instrument, the faster you will be able to go through this process, and you will even learn how to tune it by ear. Choose a moment to practice, preferably every day. You can spend minutes or hours practising, but don’t stop doing it on a regular basis, if not you will not improve. Play slowly in the beginning. Whether[…]

For those who are beginning to play ukulele, here is an article for you about two basic rhythm patterns that everyone should know, and which you’ll be able to play along on most of the songs. The song becomes alive when an interesting rhythm is added to it, so the person listening to you will pay more attention. In this post, I wish to introduce you to four rhythm patterns for ukulele, the most basic and the easiest you will ever play, the must-know rhythm patterns for any ukulele player. We will also see a few tips to improve on the strumming. The way to learn how to play any rhythm pattern is by diving the measures into eighth notes. Let’s take, for example, 4/4 meters. In each measure, we will have 8 eighth notes (check this tutorial for more infos). If each rhythmic stroke were to be played, the[…]

If you are thinking about buying your first or your next ukulele, you are probably hesitating a lot. That’s why we wrote this article to help you make a good decision according to your budget. Actually, the first decision you have to make is how much you want (or you can) spend. And then know on what you are spending it. Ukulele sizes Ukuleles are manufactured in four common sizes or formats : soprano, concert, tenor and baritone. Regarding tuning, the soprano, concert, and tenor ukuleles use the same in general: from fourth to first, G C E A; the baritone is tuned one fourth lower: D G B E, exactly like the first four strings of a guitar. Sizes are defined by their scale – that’s right, the string length – and by the size of the body, which accounts for the sound quality. When it comes to deciding[…]

It’s common, when we begin playing ukulele, to start by learning a few chords. Normally, we will find them drawn as boxes with lines and dots. Let’s see what this is about. Four strings, four lines For the ukulele, we use a box with four vertical lines, that represent the four strings, and a varying number of horizontal spaces (which are the spaces between the frets). The line on the right corresponds to the first string of the ukulele, i.e., the on that’s closest to the ground when we carry it in ready-to-play mode. Therefore, on the left side of the diagram we have the fourth string. Where do I put my fingers? On each string that we need to press, there will be a dot on the string, so we’ll put a finger there. If a string needs to be played without being pressed, a circle is placed on[…]

Tabs are an alternate writing system to standard musical writing. They are a simple way to symbolize the music to be played on a string instrument (for example, the ukulele). And it is as easy to read as it is to write. Here are the keys to it : Horizontal lines represent strings We use four horizontal lines to represent the ukulele strings. The upper line corresponds to the first string (the one that’s near our leg) and the lower line to the fourth string (the one that’s next to our heart). Numbers indicate which fret to press (and which string to pluck) On the lines, we’ll see numbers indicating which fret we have to press (with our left hand if we are right-handed), and which string we have to pluck (with our right hand, if we are right-handed). That is to say, if we see, for example, a 2[…]

We are going to make a brief description of the parts forming our uke, and a short description of their use and function. Body the body of the uke is the soundboard, which allows to amplify the strings vibration. The body is basically made of 3 parts. The top soundboard, which is the most important in any acoustic instrument. Its calibration, the quality of the wood used for it, and so on, define most of the instrument’s final tone. The two other parts are the sides and the back. In the interior part of the body we will find the bracing, which purpose is to reinforce and support. It is a vital part too, as an overly rigid bracing may drown the sound out, since it would not allow the soundboard to vibrate properly. Normally, the body is made of wood, although metallic bodies (such as the National Resonator models)[…]

We can find 4 types of common ukuleles, of varying sizes and scales (string length). From smaller to bigger, we have : The Soprano, Concert, Tenor, Baritone. Less common are the sopranino and bass ukulele. Characteristics Type Scale length Total length Tuning sopranino (piccolo or pocket) 11″ (28 cm) ~16″ (40 cm) D5-G4-B4-E5 or C5-F4-A4-D5 soprano (standard) 13″ (33 cm) 21″ (53 cm) A4-D4-F#4-B4 or G4-C4-E4-A4 (most common) concert (“super soprano”) 15″ (38 cm) 23″ (58 cm) A4-D4-F#4-B4 or G4-C4-E4-A4 (most common) tenor 17″ (43 cm) 26″ (66 cm) A4-D4-F#4-B4, G4-C4-E4-A4 (most common), G3-C4-E4-A4, or D4-G3-B3-E4 baritone 19″ (48 cm) 29″ (74 cm) D3-G3-B3-E4 bass 21″ (53 cm) 30″ (76 cm) E1-A1-D2-G2 (source: wikipedia) Range of notes of standard ukulele types Sizes Standard Ukuleles The soprano ukulele is considered to be standard. The concert format is a little bigger than the standard one, it’s a little more convenient to play[…]

To talk about ukulele is to talk about Hawaii islands, beautiful wahines, dancing hula with feather leis and never ending white sand beaches. However, and unlike what your first impression may be, the ukulele does not technically originate in Hawaii, nor is it part of traditional hawaiian music, which is only based in chants and rudimentary percussions (na mele oli) used as accompaniment to dances (hula). Actually, the origin of the instrument is way closer to us than the Paradise Islands of the Pacific ocean. The ukulele (or uke) is a plucked string instrument, that generally has 4 strings, which can be doubled (hence the six-string and eight-string ukuleles). In order to find out about its birth, we need to trace back to the late 19th century, more specifically to the Portuguese island of Madeira, from where the British boat SS Ravenscrag set sail towards Hawaii, with 423 crew members[…]

The Barre Chords

8 Chords you should know

How to practice playing Ukulele

Basic rhythm patterns for ukulele

What ukulele should I buy?

How to read chord diagrams

How to read ukulele tabs

Parts of the ukulele

Ukulele types and sizes

Ukulele History