Demo Lesson – Scales on a Single String

This is lesson 4 in the beginner module of Left Hand Technique For Ukulele. Get full access to all 50 lessons by clicking the button below:

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In this lesson, learn how to play an A major scale on a single string.

An A major scale uses these notes:

1  2  3  4  5  6  7  1
A  B  C# D  E  F# G# A

Played along the fretboard, these notes occur on frets:

0 2 4 5 7 9 11 12

You can use these fingers with a shift in the middle to best play this scale:

Fret:   0 2 4 5 7 9 11 12
Finger:   1 3 4 1 3 4  4

This TAB shows the scale laid out with four picks per note. Repeating each note on a given fret is a great way to reduce the challenge of an exercise since it allows you to take more time navigating your hand to the next location. For instance, instead of playing a note and then moving to the next one, you can pick the same note four times in a row before you switch.

A Major Scale TAB

Practice:

Play the A major scale slow enough that you can do it up and down perfectly without hesitating at the shift (the slower you go the more time you have to make the shift movement). 40-50BPM is a good place to start. Be sure to use the provided fingerings. Once again, slowly increase the speed in increments getting it perfect each time.

Once you can comfortably play the A scale at ~100-110 BPM, move the pattern to each of the other strings in turn. You might have to slow down again when you first move to the next string. That’s okay! Focus on quality over quantity.

Did you do all of that with an appropriately light touch? How about 2/3 up the fret? Revisit as necessary to reinforce good habits.

This is lesson 4 in the beginner module of Left Hand Technique For Ukulele. Get full access to all 50 lessons by clicking the button below:

Buy Full Access Now