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Beginner Ukulele
Beginner Ukulele lessons available through Curt Sheller Publications
What level ukulele player are you? Beginner •
Intermediate •
Advanced
If you are not sure of your current level then visit the Determining Your Level page. It will help you determine where you are in your development.
You might be an intermediate player as far as chords go but a beginner for scales and improvisation. A great strummer but just starting to explore fingerstyle. So one level doesn't fit all players and/or all subjects.
This is where a experienced teacher can really help out. It's sometimes hard to evaluate where you are in your own development. A outside set of ears and eyes can help determine a good course of development, depending on your goals.
Teaching your self can be frustrating at times. One problem with going the self taught route is the glut of information available online. There is no one controlling the flow of information, no one to guide you from the basic foundation skills and knowledge needed to more advance concepts for any particular topic. Patience is paramount with yourself is crucial — there’s nothing in the world that someone hasn’t managed to learn, starting from right from where you are. And, it's probably written down somewhere, either in a books or online.
Beginners
As a beginner is a player that's just starting out with ukulele and pretty much knows nothing about the ukulele, clean slate. You are just beginning you're musical journey with this wonderful instrument.
A Beginner might know a chord two. Can use some work switching between chords and playing in time. They might only know the names of the open strings. You need thoes so you can tune your ukulele — but not much more than that.
A little beyond the beginning stages is when you can switch between simple chords, if you are familiar with the song. Needs to have the chords written to play the song or have someone teach you the song. Only knows the basic chords in open position.
A beginner's strumming patterns typically consist of one or two patterns learned by ear.
A beginner doesn't know any scale patterns or have the ability to improvise or play single note lines.
A beginner needs to know their basic open position chords.
Lesson Info
Your first ukulele chord is typically an open position C major chord. It's only one finger and ukulele players love to so this, the easiest, usable ukulele chord to new players. Especially someone coming from guitar where an open position C major is three fingers and not that easy as the first chord.
Lessons Link
click on below link for complete lesson.
- Go to full lesson: Your First Ukulele Chord
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Lesson Info
A core set of basic chords that all Ukulele players should know in five common keys: C, G, D, A and E. In all common "dominant" seventh chords in every key.
Lessons Link
click on below link for complete lesson.
- Go to full lesson: Basic Open Position Ukulele Chord Chart
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 | A Guide to Ukulele ChordsFrom a few basic chord shapes and a understanding of how chords are constructed your chord vocabulary can be dramatically increased without memorizing countless more chord shapes... |
 | Ukulele ChordsCovers basic open position and basic movable form chords. |
The Blues and Pentatonic scale are basic scales that all beginners should learn a few patterns of and in a few common keys. Common keys are C, G, D, A and E.
QuickStart Scale Fingers for Ukulele - The Blues Scale. The blues scale is the most common scale used to create music by professional and aspiring musicians. This books takes you through a lot of the possible ways to finger this scale. All key sare covered. For "C" tuning, low or high G.
Lesson Info
Learn the Blues and Pentatonic scales on ukulele.
A practical approach to learning theses two essential scales using the Blues scale.
Scales like chords, are typically learned as shapes using chord grids, TAB or any number of methods. They show a fingerboard shape, what strings to play and possibly the fingers that are used to play the scale. But what are the names of the notes? What chords can I use them with? You are usually left to fend for yourself.
The five note Major Pentatonic and Blues or Minor Pentatonic scales are two of the most common scales used in contemporary music. This lesson focuses on the blues scale in the common key of D.
Lessons Link
click on below link for complete lesson.
- Go to full lesson: Learning The Blues Scale on Ukulele
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Technique is as simple as developing the finger strength and independence – the motor skills – for playing the ukulele. "As simple as... - but the most difficult and time consuming aspect of learning the ukulele if you want to become proficient.
Lesson Info
Basic one, two, three and four note single string drills for ukulele for developing finger strength and independence.
It's critical a player develop the finger strength and independence to explore their full musical potential. By developing a great fingerboard hand, you will be able to explore more challenging musical situations.
To develop this great technique there is a series of graduated drills or finger gymnastics/exercises that allows you to play at higher and higher levels, as well as increase your comfort zone of usable technique.
Lessons Link
click on below link for complete lesson.
- Go to full lesson: Basic Single Note Drills for Ukulele
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A beginner might only know the names of the open strings, which is needed to tune their ukulele.
A real break through in players and students come when they really, and I mean really know the notes of the fingerboard. Really knowing the notes of the instrument means instant recall and not having to figure out the note from adjacent notes or the open string. Know the ukulele fingerboard cuts down the amount of material you have to memorize. You can use your knowledge of the neck to derive chords and scale from a core set of chords and scales.
HARD COPY
ULUNN-C
Hard Copy Book Not Available
Learning the Ukulele Fingerboard - C Tuning
At 4 1/4" v 5 1/2" size, this mini book on learning the ukulele fingerboard will finally get the names of the pesky notes under control.
Beyond knowing the names of the open strings most ukulele players find it hard to learn the whole fingerboard.
If your goal is to finally learn the names of the notes on the ukulele fingerboard. Then "Learning the Ukulele Fingerboard" is your answer. "Learning the Ukulele Fingerboard - C Tuning" has a step by step approach to finally mastering the ukulele fingerboard.
More info, samples, table of contents, audio, video and more...
ISBN-13: 978-1-60321-021-8 Published: September 2009 Pages 20
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eBook
ULUNN-C
Printable eBook/PDF: FREE
NOW - With quick download after payment.
HARD COPY
ULUNN-G
Hard Copy Book Not Available
Learning the Ukulele Fingerboard - G Tuning
At 4 1/4" v 5 1/2" size, this mini book on learning the ukulele fingerboard will finally get the names of the pesky notes under control.
Beyond knowing the names of the open strings most ukulele players find it hard to learn the whole fingerboard.
If your goal is to finally learn the names of the notes on the ukulele fingerboard. Then "Learning the Ukulele Fingerboard" is your answer. "Learning the Ukulele Fingerboard - G Tuning" has a step by step approach to finally mastering the ukulele fingerboard.
More info, samples, table of contents, audio, video and more...
ISBN-13: 978-1-60321-022-5 Published: September 2009 Pages 20
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eBook
ULUNN-G
Printable eBook/PDF: FREE
NOW - With quick download after payment.
HARD COPY
ULUNN-D
Hard Copy Book Not Available
Learning the Ukulele Fingerboard - D Tuning
At 4 1/4" v 5 1/2" size, this mini book on learning the ukulele fingerboard will finally get the names of the pesky notes under control.
Beyond knowing the names of the open strings most ukulele players find it hard to learn the whole fingerboard.
If your goal is to finally learn the names of the notes on the ukulele fingerboard. Then "Learning the Ukulele Fingerboard" is your answer. "Learning the Ukulele Fingerboard - D Tuning" has a step by step approach to finally mastering the ukulele fingerboard.
More info, samples, table of contents, audio, video and more...
ISBN-13: 978-1-60321-023-2 Published: September 2009 Pages 20
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eBook
ULUNN-D
Printable eBook/PDF: FREE
NOW - With quick download after payment.
Reading music is not as hard as one might think. It may be new and unfamiliar but is not hard when you have a proper plan of attack.
HARD COPY
UKEREAD1
Hard Copy Book: $9.95
Ukulele- Reading Music Series - Primer
Learn to read single note melodies in the first/open position. It is a lot easier than you might think with this step-by-step easy to use approach.
Tunings: C with low or high G - (GCEA or gCEA).
More info, samples, table of contents, audio, video and more...
ISBN-13: 978-0-9714044-1-0 Published: July 2006 Pages 80
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eBook
UKEREAD1
Printable eBook/PDF: $4.95
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No real need to learn much theory at the beginner level, other then, all music comes from scales. Scales would be a great place start when learning how music is crafted.
Hard Copy Book: $14.95
PDF Download: $4.95
A Guide to Advanced Ukulele Chords - Volume I
Volume I of The Advanced Guide to Chord Progressions for Ukulele features the principles of voice leading applied to chord progressions. These principles are explained using chords from volume I of The Advanced Guide to Ukulele Chords. Chapters with common major and minor full diatonic, partial diatonic and chromatic chord progressions are also included to further explore voice leading.
Before individual chords become the background of songs, they must be put into orders called chord progressions. This book organizes progressions according to string family, position, voice leading and chord magnetism. The Advanced Guitar to Chord Progressions for Ukulele is an excellent preparation for the art of melody and chord on ukulele.
If your goal is to expand your chord vocabulary, The Advanced Guide to Guitar Chords Series is your answer.
Commonly referred to as "jazz" chords. The Advanced Guide to Guitar Chords Series provides detailed information on voicing 4-part chords.
Thanks for visiting and checking out my site!
Content is always being added and updated. So check-in often. Thanks, Curt
P.S. You may think from the look of it that Curt Sheller Publications is a slick, profitable business, but it's actually not (maybe a car payment a month, cheap car). I spend a lot and time money creating the content, lessons and books for this site (a labor of love), so if you dig my content and want to see more of it. I could use your help by spreading the word and maybe buying a book or two if you haven't already, to help defray the cost of running the site. Thanks in advance for your help. This is a labor of love and I'd do it even if I didn't make a lot of money, hey I don't!
You can also make a donation to the lesson-site fund. Button in the sidebar of the site.
If I'm not teaching, I'm working on this site and new lessons, books and goodies.
BEGINNER.PHP | Updated: Sunday, 19th February, 2012 @ 09:05pm