Learning how to play ʻukulele is easy! In a ten minute ʻukulele lesson I can get most students playing a song.
Past that point though and you inevitably start to study the instrument. That takes time.
Taking ʻukulele lessons from a good teacher is an amazing opportunity that I highly recommend. Best is in-person, but there are also lots of people teaching on Skype these days.
Since both options are not always feasible, I’ve written a huge collection of ʻukulele lessons over the years that will teach you how to play on your own time.
ʻUkulele Lessons by Playing Level:
Fundamentals:
All the main chord families with multiple fingerings per chord.
Tips for improving at your full potential.
A list of what I feel, as a teacher, might help inform where a student sits on the skill spectrum.
Tabs and charts for major & minor scales plus the modes and pentatonics.
Understanding the fretboard matrix and charts to show you where the notes are.
Basic ʻUkulele Lessons:
From Nunes to Kamaka and how it got it’s name.
A key, but sometimes overlooked component to playing the ʻukulele. If you’re not holding your ʻukulele correctly everything will be harder.
What each part is called, where it’s located, and what it does.
A discussion on why there are multiple ways of saying ʻukulele and how come it can be such a heated topic.
How to optimize time spent with an instructor and get the most out of ʻukulele lessons.
How to tune an ʻukulele with a tuner, pitch pipe, and piano. Also a list of alternate tunings.
How to get you fingers going before you play. Also exercises to “buff up” your hands.
Timing:
Incredibly important, but often overlooked. My pet peeve with most ʻukulele player is their timing. Check out these lessons and avoid being one of “those guys.”
The most common weakness of any ʻukulele player is timing. Fortunately, it can always be improved. Here’s how to lay down a foundation of the key points you need for good timing.
Tips to get you and your best friend/worst enemy – the metronome – acquainted. Instructions on clapping exercises, finding off beats, and dividing beats to help improve your timing.
Rhythm ʻUkulele Lessons:
All about chords and right hand techniques using all the strings.
To start you need some chords: ʻukulele chords and chord theory.
All about playing the Hawaiian II7-V7-I turnaround – or “vamp.”
How to create jazzy lead ins with substitution chords.
Some common picking patterns for “melting” chords in a way that is less aggressive than strumming.
Strumming techniques and strum patterns.
Three styles of playing a reggae chank with videos.
An easy dip-down motion that sounds jazzy and hip – and it’s easy!
Tips for visualizing your next moves and how to make them easier.
Lead Lessons:
All about playing single notes on one string (or two).
How to combine a melody with an interval to create a harmonized part.
Which fingers to fret with for the easiest playing.
Learn how to use your index and middle fingers along with your thumb to pluck the strings.
Rearrange the notes of a scale for interesting practice and melodic ideas.
An overview of how to use scales to rip it up in an on-the-spot mini-composition.
Techniques/Articulations:
You can play beautiful notes all day, but at some point you will want to add some more texture to your songs. Articulation techniques are where it’s at.
From giving you additional sounds you couldn’t achieve otherwise to making things easier to play, techniques are an important part of any ʻukulele player’s arsenal.
Left Hand Technique
My guide to fretting and fingering technique includes 10 essential articulations and gobs of other tips and lessons.
Right Hand Technique
My guide to strumming and picking technique includes effects like tremolo, tapping, and MUCH more.
All the technique lessons can be found here
Theory:
This is the nitty-gritty section about how music actually works. You don’t need to know how to make a 7b5 chord to be a great player, however, knowing theory deepens your understanding as a musician.
Click through the link to see all the lessons:
The Mental Game:
Being able to play cool songs is only half of the journey an ʻukulele player takes. The other half is learning how to find joy, satisfaction, and sustenance in your desire for music. It can be harder than you might think…
These are my anti-ʻukulele lessons!
Thoughts on music, soul, and other intangible things
General Lessons:
Everything else…
Step #1 to becoming a rockstar and my low-profile assessment of how to move in the right direction.
Tips for getting out of a learning rut.
Learn how to make sense of this practical way to write out an ʻukulele song.
The basics of a Hawaiian-style jam session.
How to keep your playing tight and clean by muting unwanted noise.
How to make your notes ring more true and insight on the incredible skill of Herb Ohta Jr. and how he plays so clean.
A simple look at how to understand standard notation.
Creating a song order that compliments you and keeps the audience engaged.
Learn the basics of the alternating bass and Hawaiian slack key sound.
The basics of adapting songs for a single ʻukulele.
My favorite ways to stop a song.
5 ways to practice and keep yourself from being bored when playing easy tunes that are old-hat.
How to get a good (or better) sound out of any ʻukulele. Hint: it’s in you hands!
Some ideas for making the ʻukulele sound not like an ʻukulele.
Video Lessons:
All my ʻukulele video lessons can be found on my Youtube channel. Be sure to subscribe!
If you don’t have access to a local teacher, there are still many resources you can study from.
The best, in my opinion, is The Ukulele Way by James Hill. I’ve worked as a site admin for James for years and have really seen this program inside and out. It’s made up of six “books,” each containing about 10 lessons that focus on the skills required for playing solo arrangements. Each lesson includes a video, sheet music or tab, and audio examples. The pedagogy is well thought out and each lesson builds upon the previous, starting quite simple and become quite advanced by the end. It’s only $9 CAD per month and is really the best value around.
Another great resource is Ukulele Underground University. Taught by Aldrine Guerrero, these lessons cover many areas of study like theory, song tutorials, genre styles, and also include guest teachers for more diversity. There are also weekly updates and live streams.
Finally, I’ve been very impressed by the book and corresponding video lessons Daniel Ward has put together called Arpeggio Meditations. You can check out my review of the program here. There are 16 studies presented with the focus on picking hand agility and, obviously, arpeggio playing. In addition to beautiful transcriptions in the book, there are accompanying videos that can be rented on Vimeo (for a whole year).
