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Learn to Rock!
Follow along as I teach you the ukulele parts I play in my performing rock band, Kingside!
- HD video tutorials
- PDF TAB transcriptions
- How to play four original songs
- Play along videos and backing tracks
- Rock band philosophy for uke players
Not Sure How to Make Your Uke Rock?
Rock music is yet another style that the ukulele can cover well.
However, it’s not as simple as turning on a distortion pedal. In fact, that’s probably the best way to sound cheesy and lame!
You have to understand the limitations and role of the instrument in a scene that is dominated by electric guitars, bass, and drums.
I want to teach you how to not only survive in a rock band, but to thrive!
In these video lessons, I teach you how to:
- Play four original songs from Kingside’s debut EP
- Understand the role of the ukulele in a band
- Avoid classic rock and roll instrumentation pitfalls
- Get get a distortion tone that doesn’t suck
If you want to master the techniques you need to play rock music on the ukulele, these lessons are for you!
Kingside at Uila Records in Waimea
What You Get
When you buy Rock Ukulele, you get:
- XYZ HD video lessons
- Four full-length PDF TAB transcriptions
- Backing tracks performed by Kingside
- Video playthroughs
- Behind-the-scenes videos with Kingside
One-time payment – Forever access
Who the Hell is Kingside?
Kingside is my band of almost 10 years. We started as an impromptu group playing monthly at Honokaʻa First Fridays and have grown into one of North Hawaiʻi’s premier party bands.
Guitarist, Ryan Higgins, is an old time singer-songwriter collaborator and homie. He actually played drums on my first EP, Point A!
Bassist, Alan Ku, came into the picture only slightly later. He played with Ryan in high school in the Honokaʻa Jazz Band and in Suntank.
Drummer, Nick Rohfeld, joined us in early 2023 as we started gigging again this side of covid. He’s the most “rockstar” personality in the group: always holding a Redbull and ready to thrash.
And, of course, yours truly plays some rippin’ ukulele!
Kingside has been growing a fanbase for the past couple of years through steady shows in the Kohala and Hāmākua areas. People like the sound and keep coming back for more!
The next big move for Kingside is to release our four-song EP. These are the songs you’ll learn in Rock Ukulele.
Here’s one of the tunes:
Why Learn These Rock Songs?
I’m excited to teach the Kingside tracks because they are arranged by the band from the start with the ukulele as an integral component – not as an afterthought.
It’s easy to play through a distorted amp and read a TAB for “Crazy Train.” But it’s unlikely to sound very good because you’re not playing to the strengths of an ukulele.
In my experience, if you try to play your uke like an electric guitar, you’re always going to be disappointed. If that’s what you want, get an electric guitar! There’s no shame in getting the right tool for the job
Getting an ukulele to sit in the mix requires humility and planning from everyone in the band. You have to craft a part that either reinforces or stands apart from the other instruments.
So Much Gear
Music gear is expensive. If you follow the same path as me, you can easily spend $10k over the course of many years, experimenting and sampling stuff that might or might not work to improve your sound.
One of the main things that I wanted to emphasize in Plug In is how to get great results without wasting tons of money. Music gear is expensive, but by leaning on my experience and expertise, you can get right to the gear that will help you most.
By presenting accurate and important information, my goal is to save you a lot of money that you might otherwise spend on “wonder” purchases. “I wonder if this will help?”
In order to ensure that you can fully take advantage of my advice, in addition to the book and it’s suite of supplementary content, you’ll have access to a forum thread dedicated to gear talk.
Not sure what you need? Want a recommendation for a preamp that does xyz? Just make a post and I’ll help you out.
Plug In is a crash-course, not only in making your uke sound better plugged in, but in the fundamentals of live sound that will serve you at gigs, open mics, and uke gatherings.
One-time payment – Forever access
