All UKULELE CLUBS and TEACHERS can bypass the middleman and get your ukulele books direct from me at a quantity discount of 20% off. [ click here for order form ]
RELATED LESSONS-UKULELE PAGES • Lessons Home Page •ALL ukulele lessons •
Common Tunings •
Learning the Fingerboard •
Chords & Chord Progressions •
Strums •
Scales •
Reading •
Theory •
Technique •
Fingerstyle •
Jazz •
Blues •
NEW & Updated lessons •
Getting Started •
Lessons with Video •
Beginner Lessons •
Intermediate Lessons •
Advanced Lessons •
* * * FREE BOOKS * * * •
Search Lessons 
•
Ukulele Books for Intermediate Ukulele Players
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.
Intermediate Players
An intermediate player can hold a steady rhythm. Knows the basic chords open position chords E Em E7, A Am A7, D Dm D7, C C7, G, G7, F and B7. Can figure out the primary I, IV and V of the common keys C, G, D, A and E. Can play major, minor and seventh movable form chords up and down the fingerboard. Can figure out the name of a note on the fingerboard.
An intermediate player knows a few movable barre form chords.
An intermediate player can hear when chords change. Usually learns new songs from friends or tablature. If making their own arrangements, they are usually fairly simple. Knows there is life above the fifth fret.
An intermediate player can sing and strum at the same time easily; learns chords to simple tunes fairly quickly.
A beginner needs to know the basic open position chords.
Lesson Info
The art and sceince of chord fingering. Learning yuor basic open position chords in common keys.
Lessons Link
click on below link for complete lesson.
- Go to full lesson: Basic Ukulele Chords
top 
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
top
HARD COPY
QS1UKES
Hard Copy Book Not Available
QuickStart Scale Fingerings for Ukulele, Volume I, C Tuning
Six essential scales for C tuned ukuleles. Blues, Pentatonic, Dorian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Ionian scales are covered in all keys with one octave scale fingerings starting on any finger.
The QuickStart series of scale fingering books are available in a variety of tunings for ukulele, guitar and bass guitar.
Tunings: C with low or high G - (GCEA or gCEA).
More info, samples, table of contents, audio, video and more...
ISBN-13: 978-0-9714044-6-5 Published: September 2003 Pages 98
top
eBook
QS1UKES
Printable eBook/PDF: $4.95
NOW - With quick download after payment.
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
top
Advanced Single Note Fingering Drills for Ukulele
Lesson Code: UL15b
Published: 2006-07-04
Updated: 2006-07-04
Lesson Info
Developing finger strength and independence with a series of graduated single string exercises.
In this lesson expands basic single string drills using multiple strings.
Lessons Link
click on below link for complete lesson.
- Go to full lesson: Advanced Single Note Fingering Drills for Ukulele
top
Really knowing the notes of the instrument cuts down the amount of material you have to memorize. You can use your knowledge of the neck to derive other information from.
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
top
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
top
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
top
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
top
eBook
UKEREAD1
Printable eBook/PDF: $4.95
NOW - With quick download after payment.
An intermediate player starts to understand a few of the principles of how music works.
Hard Copy Book: $7.95
PDF Download: $4.95
“A strum is the execution of a rhythmic pattern — in a specific style”
A Guide to Ukulele Strums
One of the first skills a ukulele player learns is the art and craft of strumming, playing rhythm. This refers to an accompaniment technique suitable for the singer, singer - songwriter or someone who plays a support role for another instrument.
Strumming requires a specific set of skills. They are: 1) Memorization of chords 2) The ability to switch chords smoothly and 3) The ability to choose and execute a suitable rhythmic strum. It is this 3rd skill that is our focus in “A Guide to Ukulele Strums & Rhythmic Patterns”.
Though strumming looks natural to the casual observer, it is anything but natural to the beginning ukulele player. Even experienced players have difficulty in identifying and executing certain strums. Though this is one of those topics that is typically taken for granted, there is much to learn about rhythmic feels, accents, dynamics, strum direction, feel, percussive accents, idiomatic styles and tempo variation.
First and foremost, the subject of strumming is inseparably linked to rhythm. Though an ability to read rhythm is helpful, it’s not necessary to profit from this material.
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.
INTERMEDIATE.PHP | Updated: Sunday, 19th February, 2012 @ 09:05pm