Play the Ukulele

RTS Library

The Basics of Ukulele Playing

Using these templates you can easily learn some basic chords!

Learning Ukulele Chords

Most songs played on the ukulele require chords. There are 180 chords available to ukulele players but we are only going to cover a few. The first chord is a C. To play a C you will need your 3rd finger, your 3rd finger is better known as the ring finger. In ukulele terms the 1st finger is your index the 2nd finger is your middle the 3rd finger is your ring finger and your pinky and thumb stay the same. You then place your 3rd finger on the first string of the 3rd fret. 

There are four to eight strings on a ukulele. Also there are 15-10 frets on a ukulele. This imformation will be extremly crucial when it comes to learning chords. To learn a few simple chords follow the templates displayed below.

Citations

Guides, Uke. “Basic Ukulele Chords For Beginning Players • UkuGuides.” UkuGuides, 8 June 2018, ukuguides.com/beginner/basic-ukulele-chords-for-beginning-players/.

Administrator, Scott. “Welcome.” English, 2009, 2005, www.get-tuned.com/.

member, Quora. “Quora - Un Lieu Pour Partager Le Savoir et Mieux Comprendre Le Monde.”&nbsp;Quora.Com, 2014, www.quora.com/. music, guitar. “ULTIMATE GUITAR TABS - 1,100,000 Songs Catalog with Free Chords, Guitar Tabs, Bass Tabs, Ukulele Chords and Guitar Pro Tabs!”&nbsp;Ultimate-Guitar.Com, Ultimate Guitar, 2016, www.ultimate-guitar.com/. Swedberg, Heidi. “Home.”&nbsp;Ukulelemag.Com, 2019, www.ukulelemag.com/. Accessed 30 Apr. 2019. ‌

Random Facts

The word 'ukulele' is the Hawaiian word for 'jumping flea'.The ukulele was introduced in Japan in 1929 and it grew in popularity there along with other forms of Western music.In the 1960s the ukulele began to be used in schools in musical education in Canada.The ukulele grew in popularity in the UK in the 1960s and the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain was formed.The ukulele began to become popular in the United States in 1915 at the Panama Pacific International Exhibition.During the jazz age in the United States the ukulele was an iconic instrument.The original ukuleles were made of wood. There are still ukuleles being made of wood today - but there are also many being made of plastic or other materials which makes them cheaper for consumers to buy.Traditional and more expensive ukuleles are made of acacia koa wood or mahogany. Cheaper versions are made of laminate or plywood, or even spruce or plastic.Ukuleles tend to have a figure-eight shape and look similar to an acoustic guitar but some are non-standard. Non-standard ukuleles are often oval and referred to as the 'pineapple' ukulele.Some ukuleles have been made out of wood cigar boxes and other items.Ukuleles most commonly have four strings but some are paired and therefore an instrument may have as many as eight strings. The tuning of a four string ukulele is to the notes G, C, E, A.Playing the ukulele involves plucking at the strings.The strings of early ukuleles were made of sheep gut or cat gut. Today they are usually made of nylon, although gut strings can still be found in some places.A six or eight string ukulele is often referred to as a taropatch ukulele.Common ukuleles include the baritone, tenor, soprano, and concert ukulele sizes.Less common ukulele sizes include the small sopranino ukulele which is also referred to as the pocket uke, bambino, or piccolo. There are also bass and contrabass ukulele sizes, which are the largest.The ukulele made it to the top of the music charts in 1968 with Tiny Tim's "Tiptoe through the Tulips".George Harrison of the iconic band The Beatles was a ukulele fan and had a collection of hundreds. He often gave them away to friends.The most popular and best-selling ukulele song was "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz in 2008. The song was on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for a total of 76 weeks and sold more than $6 million downloads.Electric ukuleles have been introduced to the music world

Picking out the Perfect Ukulele

Tuning your Ukulele

Before being able to play the ukulele you'll need a ukulele. There are four types of ukuleles. The four types are Soprano, Tenor, Baritone and Concert. You can also choose a ukulele based on the looks, weight, or size. Once you've chosen the ukulele that works for you. You can begin to learn the basics.

Before learning a song or playing chords you'll need to tune your ukulele. Using a iphone or ipad download the app "InsiTuner." After reading the app directons and choosing the ukulele tuner you can begin tuning. Play the first note on your ukulele and the app will respond to the sound. The tuning notes are GCEA. After tuning your ukulele strum your fingers dpwm the notes once and if they sound correct you can begin playing. If your not sure what a correctly tuned ukulele sounds like you can find an example online.

Strumming Patterns

Learning to sing while playing

Singing along with your ukulele can be efficent. Before singing along with your ukulele you'll need to learn the song. Once you've learned how to play your song you can begin singing along. It can be hard for some at first, the more practice you get the more familiar it will become.

Some songs require strumming patterns. A strumming pattern is a preset pattern that describes the rhythm of a song. An example of a strumming pattern is down,up,down,up or D,U,D,U. This indicates whether you strum your fingers down on a chord or up on a chord. Beginners are not required to use strumming patterns but doing so helps the song your playing sound more like the orginal.

Some basic songs for beginners are: Riptide - Vance Joy Somewhere Over the Rainbow- Isreal Kamakawiwo'ole All I Want- Kodaline

OFFICIAL Somewhere over the Rainbow - Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwoʻole

All I Want - Kodaline [Lyrics And Chords] Ukulele Tutorial

Table of Contents

Introduction

1- Picking Out the Perfect Ukulele 2- Tuning your Ukulele 3- Learning Basic Chords 4- Strumming Patterns 5- How to Sing while Playing 6- Citations + extra information/facts

Ukuleles are a popular instrument played by many. Ukuleles are easy to learn, fun to play, and entertaining to listen to. This book will provide lots of insight on how to become a ukulele expert!

continuation of citations

soft, schools. “Ukulele Facts.”&nbsp;Softschools.Com, 2019, www.softschools.com/facts/music_instruments/ukulele_facts/3065/. Accessed 7 May 2019. ‌

Adam, Zoe. “Top 10 Unusual Ukulele Facts | The Fact Site.”&nbsp;The Fact Site, The Fact Site, 6 Feb. 2019, www.thefactsite.com/unusual-ukulele-facts/. Accessed 3 May 2019. ‌

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