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The free online lessons linked here point to the main subjects available on Live Ukulele. If you’re learning to play the uke, there are few websites that rival the sheer amount of quality content you’ll find here. Enjoy!
Podcast 🎤
Monologue and interview tutorials, stories, and insight
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Fundamental Lessons
Free ukulele tutorials and guides on core concepts
- 🔥 Easy picking quick-start guide ebook
- Novice lessons – how to play for noobs
- Beginner lessons – a getting going guide
- Intermediate lessons – things to study for improving players
- Advanced lessons – expert tips and advice
- Practicing – how to make faster/better progress
- ⚙️ Fretboard mechanics – the notes on the fretboard
- 🚸 Ukulele for kids – tips to get children playing the uke
- Holding the ukulele – proper playing posture
- 📜 History of the uke – 1878 to now
- 🗨️ Pronouncing “ukulele” – oo-koo-le-le vs. you-ka-lay-lee
- Taking lessons – how to find a teacher and excel
- How to tune – tuning methods, tips, and alternate tunings
- 🌡️ Warmup exercises – warmup drills to improve your dexterity
Gear Lessons
Tips and info on the material items used to create music
- Parts of the ukulele
- 🗂️ Ukulele buying guide – what to shop for
- 🏷️ Ukulele prices – cost, value, and quality explained
- Hawaiʻi made ukes – the “four Ks”
- Sizes – soprano, concert, tenor, and baritone
- Cases – how to store your ukulele safely
- Wall-mount hangers – display your ukes
- Picks & plectrums – thumbpicks to fingerpicks to guitar picks
- Straps – a great way to attach an ukulele to your body
- Strings – finding a perfect set
- How to change strings – guide for all bridge and headstock styles
- Low-G strings – how they work and why you should care
Live sound/recording:
Software:
Timing & Metronome Lessons ⏲️
Arguably the most important and under-practiced aspect when someone learns to play ukulele
Strumming & Rhythm Lessons
Chords and harmony playing
- 🔥 Learn to strum five Hawaiian songs – video lessons
- 🔥 Ebook guide to strumming and picking technique
- Fingerpicking the ukulele – PIMA and other styles
- Hawaiian Vamps – picking & strumming turnarounds
- How to make hard chords easier
- Picking patterns – string sequences to replace strumming
- How to strum – tips & technique
- Strumming patterns – DDUUD and many more
- 🇯🇲 Reggae strumming – patterns and styles
- How to change chords faster
- Muting chords and notes – how to dampen
Lead & Picking Lessons
Single note playing
- 🔥 Learn to pick five Hawaiian songs – video lessons
- 🔥 Video guide to lead & melody playing
- Articulations – techniques that facilitate and decorate
- 🎹 Harmonizing melodies – how to add a 3rd, 6th, or 10th
- Fingering tips – playing with smarter hand movements
- 🎵 Sequencing scales – beautiful practice patterns
- Slack key ukulele – Hawaiian style crash course
- How to solo – improvising on the ukulele
- Playing cleanly – how to avoid buzzing
- How to create solo fingerpicking arrangements
- Tone – how to play with better sound
Chord Charts & Chord Lessons
Reference diagrams + photos and tutorials for applying ukulele chords to music
- 🔥 Ukulele Chord Shapes – my premium reference tome that will help you understand how to move chords around the fretboard
- Basic chord charts – diagrams for 1st position major, minor, and 7th shapes
- Advanced chord charts – multi-voicing diagram sheets
- How to read chord diagrams – illustrations and explanation of several notation styles
- Chord lesson guides – barre chords, chord theory, jazz chords, power chords, etc
- Blank printable chord diagrams
Scale Diagrams
Reference diagrams + fretboard layouts for almost every ukulele scale
- 🆓 150 page PDF scales collection – huge .zip download with 300dpi charts and 14 scale types in every key
- Tabs of ukulele scales – note-by-note tablature for many popular scales in every key
- How to learn and memorize scales – tips for real-world usage of scales
- Video tutorials for basic scale patterns
- Modes – the theory behind these pseudo-scales
Playing by Ear Lessons 👂
How to figure out music on the ukulele using only your ears
Music Theory
Technical explanations of how music works
- Theory – how to explain why music works the way it does
- ✨ Theory workshop – 80 minutes of video instruction on practical music theory
- How to read standard notation
General Lessons
Everything else…
- Creating a band – tips for putting together a gigging group
- Finding inspiration – getting out of a rut
- Kani ka pila – jam circle tips
- Ukulele myths – legends about the uke
- Setlists – ordering your songs for performance
- Song endings – how to stop play
- How to spice up a boring song
- Weird sounds
Tablature
TAB notation for the lead parts of many ukulele songs in PDF
- Main TAB index – all of my transcriptions in many genres
- 🔥 Dominator Ukulele TABs – the new home of Dom’s top-notch, note-for-note transcriptions
- 20 Easy TABs – a list of some beginner-friendly melodies
- Converting TABs to YOUR tuning – tutorial on how to convert guitar and low-G/high-g TABs
- How to read tablature – tutorial on understand TAB notation
- Blank TAB sheets – for notating your own songs
- Best TAB making software – programs for engraving music
Song Sheets
Chord and lyric sheets for strumming and singing
- Main song sheet index – Live Ukulele original sheets
- Two chord ukulele songs for very beginners – the easiest songs you can find
- Easy ukulele songs – popular tunes with four chords or less and easy fingerings
- How to make a song easier – tutorial on simplifying complex songs
Reviews
My opinions on certain gear and stuff that I use
- Review index – ukes, pedals, books, etc
- Recommended recordings and books – great music that I think every ukulele player should listen to
- Gift guide – things to get for the uke player in your life
Video Ukulele Lessons
All my free ukulele video lessons can be found on my Youtube channel. Be sure to subscribe!
Ukes For Ukraine
Ukes For Ukraine raised over $11,000 for World Central Kitchen, who are providing meals and food to people affected by the war. Watch the replay for hours and hours of world-class instruction and performances:
Live Stream Lessons
For 20 weeks beginning at the end of 2020 I broadcasted lessons live on Youtube about various ukulele subjects. They are non-sequential and hold lots of great tips and advice for all levels of players. Here is the playlist where they can be found:
Other Video Lessons
Many of my peers in the ukulele scene offer their own wonderful lesson. Each teacher has specialty subjects and teaching style. If you don’t like one, try another.
- Uketropolis – James Hill (affiliate link)
- Ukulele Underground University – Aldrine Guerrero
- Arpeggio Meditations – Daniel Ward
- Next Level Ukulele – Brian Liu
My own premium video courses are some of the best ukulele lessons you can find. Check them out here:
Browse my video courses and ebooks
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