Ukulele 1
Ukulele 1
Ukulele 1
GETTING STARTED 4
2
Tuning
your
ukulele
Remember:
- If the note is too low it means the string is too loose
(so tighten it).
- If the note is too high it means the string is too tight
(so loosen it).
Tuning
by
ear
Sing along with the correct note from your tuner app
or YouTube and then play the string you are tuning.
Singing the two tones side by side will help you figure
out whether your string is tuned too low or too high. If
you learn to tune this way, you eventually may not
even need a tuner!
3
Getting Started:
Your left hand holds the instrument at the top of the fretboard, and the right forearm gently
holds the uke in place against your body, while the right hand strums loosely. (For Lefties, you
Getting
Started
can have the
uke strung in reverse and use a left-handed chord chart to learn songs, but you
Your left hand holds the instrument at the top of the
fretboard, and the right forearm gently holds the uke
in place
The ideal place against
to strum your
the strings body, from
is roughly while the right
halfway hand
between the instrument sound
strums loosely.
4
Five
Happy
Rules
of
Thumb
5
The
Magic
of
Patience
and
Practice
Over time and with practice you will find that
everything becomes easier. Something that was
once challenging becomes easy! Having patience,
and try not to push yourself to learn too much at
truments: once.
ok | Satya Colombo
6
The
Open
Strings
Focus ON
Lesson ft The Open Stnings
1. Good posture
2. Good
tone fhc open strings ofthc ukulele arc
g! c, e, and a,
3. Note reading
4rh ird 2nd
Kny Ponrs gce
o Emphasize correct posture.
Good playing posture is like
good singing posture: "sit
forward
in your chair and put
flat on the floor (if
your feet
as if you're ready to
possible)
jump to
your feet."
o Ukes should be pointing up at a
roughly a45" angle and should
g' c e
be cradled between the right arm
and the
body as shown in the
illustration onpage2.
Hold the ukulelc llat acainst you. tjse thc cushion ol yolr rhunrb ro pick cach string
s here the neck and the bodv of the ukulele meet.
short improvised
. Echo-pick
figures
using only the open
strings.
Gary Cant Escape Anacondas
r Il"'s never
too early [o insist on
warrn,
full tone.
o Use flashcards to re-enforce note
reading
skills and to keep
Ir.:,'. :', i l ,:1...'
':irrr::, rr i:r:irr, .i t.: : I l',.,.
o
Throughout this book, gray notes on the staff show altemate parts for ukuleles with the "high g"7
string. While
more music is playable on a ukulele with a o'low g" string, every lesson in this book can accommodate the
"high g" tuning in some way. Visit www.ukuleleintheclassroom.com/tuning for more details.
Lesson t
Open
String
Exercises
:-tn
A repeat srgn ntcrn' play again from the beginning!
-+[
Pick each note gently using thc pad ol'your rjght thulnb. Keep a sleady beal.
o a*a & you pBy EX. 1: pow, pow, pow youp 9oAT,
FPEFE JAauEe, oR HUNaAE\aN caNaN.
e
For Ex. 1, say the namc of each nole as you play. then sing
ay IIa's Gol the l1'hole ll'orld itt I{is ltdnds o( Sur le poilt r/ .1t,4qror; as you play.
or
ey
a
nd
.-El-]r
I he.c rrc time signatures: { -{- t',. rop nurnhrr i. thr nrrrbcr ol hcal. n cach rnca.ure.
of 3.
he
he $Z- . t---lr - .- 7 t t , -
z
-L=_
ur
s
gt$o & you puy Ex- :: 1HE oLD AREY lhapg,
.+IAPY HAD A LITTLE LAITB' ap LoNDaN gPtDdE,
of
9
Lesson2lcorrt'd1
Make evcry note sound warm and
full. For Exercises 4, 5 and 6, play as u'ritten. tben play ds a round.
1. 1
a
C
<Y PICK AND AINO GI' EXCERT ROA HE ''1tr8'' B!@IE CAILi
CN YOU LEARN ffE REgT OF IT BY EAR?
Fa - ding ljghl dims the sight Ald a slar gemsthe sky glea-ming bright...
lst ftet
_-----)t
,=-=) z
2nd fret
es are How nany letter narnes ale tllerc in this pcnlatonic scalc'l
le?"
Am For C C Anr
first t'-l
l!:...1
ltl
EII]
tll-l ffiffiffi
Y
e, e.g.
Keep your lett thLuttb bebind the neck of-vouruke to support your lingers'
ond Prcss urltil you get a clciin. clcar sound
he toP
A pentatonic scale is a
musical scale or mode
WAT 9OE9 TH WORP IPENTA|ON|C' 6gN?
Wffi I9 GIg aCAIE CAIID THE NPENTATON1C ACALE'?
with five notes per
hown octave in contrast to a
ote: heptatonic (seven
the note) scale such as the
major scale and minor
scale.
\ *o.t
NOTE
-- ; a :t -- . . .i-7-:-ZZ*-------)
=: - r
a*teoJ
Ttt-
Nffi
EICfr
NOE \
{
--Gr-
AND erN6 By eap. A,LD aNe syNE. 12
* "'""
Pentatonic
Scale
Songs
Safari
Safari is a Swahili word that means journey. Youre starting on an
exciting journey through music with ukulele. Practice often and your
musical safari will be fun and rewarding!
13
Rocky
Mountain
Beginning in northern British Columbia, Canada, and stretching all the
way to New Mexico, U.S.A., the Rocky Mountains are a range of
mountains over 4,800 kilometres long.
LYRICS
Rocky mountain, rocky mountain, rocky mountain high,
When youre on that rocky mountain hang your head and cry.
14
Acadian
Lullaby
This traditional lullaby is from Eastern Canada. Acadians were the
earliest French settlers in the Canadian maritime provinces of Nova
Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.
15
Oh!
Susanna
LYRICS
from Alabama with a banjo on my knee,
I came
Im goin to Louisiana my true love for to see.
It rained all night the day I left, the weather it was dry.
The sun so hot I froze to death Susanna dont you cry.
Up
on
the
Housetop
LYRICS
Up on the housetop reindeer pause,
Out jumps good old Santa Claus;
Down through the chimney with lots of toys,
All for the little ones, Christmas joys.
16
Practice
Chart
Use this practice chart to write down how many
minutes you have practiced for each day. Aim for
10-15
Practice minutes of practice a day. What will you
Chart
reward yourself with if you reach your goal? Reward Charts for Kids
name
2012 Vertex42 LLC
10
11
12
Hours : Reward :
Hours : Reward :
17