The ukulele is a relatively easy
instrument for beginners to learn. After a few minutes, you'll probably be strumming a few chords. Because of its size, it is the
perfect instrument for kids to learn on. To kick start your learning
here are ten ways to get you off to a running start.
1. Record yourself playing. Playing and
listening at the same time is like trying to rub your stomach and pat
your head. It's much easier to evaluate your playing if you listen
back to it and knowing what mistakes you're making is halfway to
fixing them.
2. Listen very carefully to music you
like. Try to work out how to play what you're hearing. There's
nothing wrong with 'borrowing' ideas from other musicians.
3. When you are practicing - play very
slowly. It's much easier to speed up once your fingers know what they
are doing than it is to try and fix problems playing at top speed.
4. Learn how to read tab for the
ukulele. Tab shows you exactly how a song is played - what string and
fret to play and when to play it. There are many sites on the
internet that have ukulele tab for all sorts of songs. If you search
for 'how to read ukulele tab' on Google, you'll find some helpful
articles.
5. Buy a reasonable quality ukulele.
The very cheapest ukuleles are fine for testing the water and
deciding if you enjoy the ukulele, but once you start to get serious
about playing, it's well worth you getting a higher quality ukulele.
$50 - $100 will buy you a ukulele that is so much better than the
very cheapest makes.
6. Put good strings on your ukulele.
As soon as I get my hands on a new ukulele, I immediately replace the
strings. Almost always the strings that come with the ukulele sound
awful and are unpleasant to play. My choice of strings is Worth.
Another good brand is Aquila.
7. Hold your ukulele loosely. It is all
to easy to choke the tone and volume out of your ukulele by holding
it too tight. Pay close attention to how the top players like Jake
Shimabukuro hold the ukulele.
8. Pay attention to other ukulele
players. Watch how they hold the uke, how they strum, how their
fingers move. See if you can pick up any ideas to improve your own
playing.
9. Learn how to tune up properly.
There's nothing that offends the ears more than an out of tune
ukulele. You can buy ukulele tuners or you can download them free on
the internet - I use the AP Tuner.
10. Have fun. The ukulele has a
reputation as a fun instrument - keep it that way.
Al Wood writes about the ukulele and ukulele
chords. He has written a guide to advise on buying a
ukulele.
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