Back to Dr. Uke's WAITING ROOM
Contact Dr. Uke
HOW TO GET STARTED
- Buy a uke and a book (my recommendations), and teach yourself, using the instruction book, the songs from this and other websites, and Jumpin' Jim Beloff's songbooks.
- Come to the mid-month meetings of the GLASTONBURY UKULELE CLUB. The first hour (9:45am to 11:00am) is devoted to teaching beginners (from scratch!).
- Contact me (Dr. Uke) to find out when I will be teaching Adult Ed or other group lessons.
- Practice the most useful chord progression in several common keys:I I7 IV V7. Play a few songs, then come back and practice them some more!
DON'T MISS:NEW YORK CITY APPEARANCE OF DR. UKE AND DAUGHTERS SATURDAY, JULY 31, 2010, 9:30PM at "THE LIVING ROOM" (Upstairs at Googies) at 154 LUDLOW ST., NYC Googies
VIDEOS OF DR. UKE AND DAUGHTERS AT THE NY UKE FEST AND MORE:Dr. Uke and Daughters
BEGINNERS' SONGS: (I recommend practicing them in the following order. Start with the slow versions.)
- Are You Sleeping? * s BAR-this is a 1 chord song
- He's Got the Whole World C * s (slow) BAR-2 chord song in the key of C
- Clementine * s (slow) BAR-2 chord song in the key of F
- McDonald's C * s (slow) BAR- 2 chord, key of C
- Albuquerque * s BAR-2 chord song, key of C
- Buffalo Gals * s BAR-2 chord song, key of C
- Amazing Grace * s (slow) BAR-3 chord, key of C
- Down By the Riverside * s (slow) BAR-3 chord song, key of C
- Camptown Races * s (slow) BAR-key of C
- Tiny Bubbles * s (slow) BAR-3 chord, key of F
- Burping Bubbles * s BAR-2 chord song, key of F
- Yellow Rose of Texas * s BAR3 chord song-key of F
- Bring Back My Neighbors to Me * s (slow) BAR-3 chord, key of F
- London Bridge Is Falling Down * s (slow) BAR-2 chord, key of G
- The Eensy Weensy Spider * s (slow) BAR-2 chord, key of D
- Skip To My Lou * s (slow) BAR-2 chord, key of A
NEW! STRUMMING FOR BEGINNERS
An important goal is to eventually play without the need for chord diagrams, that is, just using the letter symbols. To that end, I have added a new feature to the songs on my website. When you click on a song, scroll down and you will find a version (the "naked" version!) of the song without the chord diagram (No Dots!). Download both versions, put them both side by side, and try to play the chords without the diagrams. Just like anything else that's worthwhile, learning this takes a lot of practice.
Improve your ability to play songs in the keys of C,F,G,D, and A by playing "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "Amazing Grace" in those keys:
(More songs below)
LITTLE (BUT VERY IMPORTANT) POINTS TO REMEMBER:
- Keep your left thumb low in the back of the neck.
- Strum over the fingerboard, not over the sound hole.
- Keep the fingernails of your left hand short.
- Hold the ukulele so that the right end hits your inner biceps muscle and your forearm crosses the uke's lower right.
- Practice your strumming away from the ukulele when you can. For example, in the car, on your seat belt.
- Practice chord changes when you can. For example, during a television program, or at least during the commercials.
- Smile!
More Beginners' Songs:
Back to Dr. Uke's WAITING ROOM
Contact Dr. Uke