FAQ: Music, Guitar, Ukulele and General FAQ

Where is that uke made?

Ever ask where is this or that ukulele made?.

MusicguyMic has answered that question on the Flea Market Music Bulletin Board.

These are Chinese

Lanikai, Ohana, Vineyard, Clear water, Stagg, Hula Ukes, Kalas, Hamano, Mahalo, Hilo, Duke Kahanomoku, Morelli, Sunburst, Bushman, Galveston. Rogue, Fortune, Tempo, Johnson, Oscar Schmidt, Leolani, OMI, Santini, Koa Pili Koko, and countless others....

These are made in Hawaii

• Kamaka
• Koaloha
• Koolau
• Kanilea
• Gstring
• Kelii
• Maui Music

Made in Phillipines

• Hana
• Mele
• Nice

Made In Korea

• some bugsgears
• Applause
• Kiwayas some older models

and the list goes on...

Why Learn Music Theory?

What Good Music Theory?.

Music theory allows you to be literate, expanding your musical horizon, and to gives you a method for increasing your musical vocabulary.

Here are some myths regarding music theory.

• It will stifle my creativity.

  Knowing music theory wasn't a problem for Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, etc...

Resources

• Why you NEED Music Theory by Gary Ewer, B. Mus - link

  This is a great article on why we need music theory. Gary uses an analogy of how a native english speaker learned english growing up. 1.) Learned the language in context, purely by ear. 2.) Learned the theory of English, and learned to read. 3.) Enhanced your use, and increased your ability to communicate your ideas.

Harmonic Analysis For Scale Selection And Chord Substitution

Applying harmonic analysis principles with harmonized scale charts for scale selection and chord substitution.

Harmonic Analysis is the understanding of the functional sequence of chords. It is the process used to analyze the harmonic structure of a progression, song or composition. This analysis is then used to make scale selections for improvisation and chord substitution.

More info and samples...

Em7/A

Em7/A is a slash chord. Technically an 11th chord. Which can contains the chord tones E G B D F# A. the 1 b3 5 b7 9 11 of a major scale.

If you know Em7 voicings then.

For 9th - From Em7 raise the root two frets for Em9 For 11th - From Em7 or Em9 raise the 3 (b3) two frets from Em11 or Em9/11

The /A (slash A) indicates that the composer wanted A to be the lowest note of the voicing. If playing with a bass player, good guitar player or piano player they will handle the low A. So you can ignore the A or try to get the A low. On ukulele the slash chord note is ignored. Some guitar player also ingore these as well.

(Ukulele Note) In high G "C" tuning there is not low A. In low "G tuning there is an A on string 4 fret (2) so 2 4 3 2 ( A E G B, 11 1 3 5) would work to get the essence of Em7/A. An eleventh chords can have an option ninth. For Em7 the ninth is F#. So 2 4 2 2 is cool (A E F# B, 11 1 9 5).

The main notes or color tones of an Em7/A chord to get the characteristic sound of the chord are the b3 b7 9 and 11 or G D F# A so for ukulele in "C" tuning a 2 2 2 0 fingering will work.

As you can see knowing how chords are created and the importance the chord tones is a powerful tool for creating chord voicings on any instrument.

Summary from ideal to get by. In fact just a basic Em or Em7 might work depending on the context.

Possible Notes for Em7/A: E G B D F# A

For Ukulele

2 4 3 2 - A E G B
2 4 2 2 - A E F# B
0 2 2 0 - G D F# A
2 2 2 2 - A D F# B

There are other possibilities up the neck. These are the open position options.

Check out the UkuleleLessons on chords.

Beyond learning basic Ukulele chords most players struggle with advanced chords. Commonly called “jazz” chords, these more sophisticated voicings find a wide use in all forms of music.

A Guide to Advanced Chords for Ukulele presents a highly organized and efficient approach to the mysterious subject of advanced chords. Chord dictionaries are not the answer. Even chord theory does not offer any insight into unraveling the complexity of Ukulele chord voicings.

If your goal is to expand your chord vocabulary, A Guide to Advanced Chords for Ukulele is your answer.

Creating 9th Chords

Raise the root of any chord and you have a ninth chord. Either a 4-part 9th chords or an add9 or add2 triad.

As ninths are upper partials or extensions they like to be in the top voicing of the chord. They especially do not like being the lowest note. In those case we can displace the third by lowering, a minor third one fret or a major third two frets.

The above method does hinge on knowing the chord tones of any given chord and the notes of the fingerboard.

This IS the easiest method to use to create chords. Only the major, minor, diminished and augmented 4-part chord types need to be memorized and you can create ninth chords on the fly as well as 11th, 13th, alterted 5, 11, 9 etc..

So bottom line raise the root two frets or optionaly displace the third if the ninth would be the lowest note and doesn't sound good.

Row 1 shows the results of raising the root of 7th chords two frets and row 2 using the options lowering of the third two frets.

Beyond learning basic Ukulele chords most players struggle with advanced chords. Commonly called “jazz” chords, these more sophisticated voicings find a wide use in all forms of music.

A Guide to Advanced Chords for Ukulele presents a highly organized and efficient approach to the mysterious subject of advanced chords. Chord dictionaries are not the answer. Even chord theory does not offer any insight into unraveling the complexity of Ukulele chord voicings.

If your goal is to expand your chord vocabulary, A Guide to Advanced Chords for Ukulele is your answer.

Granted, learning the notes of the fingerboard takes some time and work and learning the chord formule for chords takes time to know ehere the 3rd, 5th, 7th, etc are - but once done you are done and NEVER have to ask how too build ANY chord. A very liberatiing musicial point.

I point out to students that you can't look chords up on the bandstand or at a jam.

Check out the UkuleleLessons on chords.

Alternate Chord Fingerings

There are no hard and fast rules for fingering chords as everyone's hands are different and different musical situations might require alternate fingerings. String spacing, string gauge and scale length also impact fingering choices.

There are alternate fingerings for most chords as well as alternate voicings. I advocate that one should be able to play most chords with alternate fingers for specific music possibilities. If there is no musical reason for fingering a note or notes why do it. Wasted energy, although small, still wasted.

Eb major at fret (3) is typically fingered 1 1 1 4 then naturally your barre will include string 1. But, depending on how flexible your joints are and using D at fret (2) as an example I can barre string 2 3 and 4 at fret (2) and have string 1 open. This is a tough fingering but possible.

Finger chords for what they ARE at the time and try to use the most efficient fingering and effort, taking in to account the next chord. Not - for possibilities that I may or may not do.

For fingering chords and scales if there is not overwhelming musical reason for something then do the most efficient fingering.

Other than the voice and rhythm, playing a musical instrument is not something that happens naturally. So one will not automatically do what is most efficient in the beginning on their own. And, after learning something one rarely goes back and revisits it to see if efficient technique was used.

Check out the UkuleleLessons on chords.

My Tenor Ukulele Strings

Here are the strings that I've been using on my Tenor - low "G", C Tuning (G C E A).

These are guitar strings. I got the information from David Hurd's www.ukuleles.com web site.

Here is a link to a page on Tunings for the 4-String Tenor.

The strings he mentions are more guitar like. I really like them. They ARE guitar strings.

Mike Atkins of Alternate Tunings puts together a set based on David's web site recommendations.

Mike is very knowledgeable regarding the uke and very helpful. I get all my strings from Mike. He carries a wide range of strings and can put together a set to fit your needs.

Here is a summary of the information (enhanced) on David Hurd's site. David's site contains a lot of great information and is well worth a visit or two.

"C" Tuning (G C E A) Low "G"

Savarez Alliance (red card-R)

• E-1 KF Plain Treble Standard Tension .024, 541R for the A
• H-2 (B-2) KF Plain Treble Standard Tension .027, 542R for the E
• G-3 KF Plain Treble Standard Tension .033, 543R for the C

D'Addario Pro-Arte

• D Light Silverplated Copper Wound .028, J4304 for both the low G and low A bass strings

"D" Tuning (A D F# B) Low "A"

Savarez Alliance

• E-1 KF Plain Treble Standard Tension .024, 541R for the B
• H-2 (B-2) KF Plain Treble Standard Tension .027, 542R for the F#
• G-3 KF Plain Treble Standard Tension .033, 543R for the D

This is the same set as a Low "G", "C" Tuning.

D'Addario Pro-Arte

• D Light Silverplated Copper Wound .028, J4304 for the low A bass string

This is the same set as a Low "G", "C" Tuning.

"G" Tuning (D G B E)

This is the same tunings as the thin four strings of a standard tuned guitar E A D G B E

Savarez Alliance

• Plain KF Treble Standard Tension .027, 542R for the E
• Plain KF Treble Standard Tension .033, 543R for the B
• Plain KF Treble High Tension .033, 543J for the D

D'Addario Pro-Arte

• D Light Silverplated Copper Wound .028, J4304 for the low D bass string.

Pick style vs Finger Sytle on Ukulele. (my take)

As the uke has traditionally been mainly a rhythm-chord instrument played without a pick (we'll ingore the felt pick). As soon as picks or pick like techniques are used comparisions to the guitar are drawn.

Jake Shimabukuro uses his thumb like a flat pick for fast single note runs. He uses the same tech that a virtuoso guitar player might use, picking motion from elbow. He also has the finger-picking down.

Abraham Lagrimas, Jr. use a pick for single note runs and finger-style for other stuff.

Many virtuoso classical and fingerstyle guitarists can play fast single note runs with fingers but never as fast as most virtuoso flatpickers of the same level.

A guitarist that I really love, Tommy Emmanuel, does it all. Finger-style with thumb pick, finger style with a pick and fingers and flat picking. It all depends on the song. James Hill has that single note with a pick down and the fingerstyle as well. The later developed after his Langley stint where they played mostly, if not always with a pick.

I have uke arrangements that I practice using all three techniques and each sounds different. But I have never seen anyone approach the single note speed of flat pickers using picks. Even players using a thumb pick will support the thumb pick with the index finger when doing fast single note lines treatiing it just like a flat pick.

I tell all students that technique is like money. "You want more than you will ever need to be comfortable. You don't want to come up short going for something musically because of your technique." You can get the technique easier than the money.

Just do all three: pick, fingers and pick with fingers and let the music determine which one you use.

I fellow I studied guitar with for many, many years is a virtuoso jazz guitarist since his early twenties. He started to expand his repertoire with classicial music and ask Andres Segevio one day. "Being a virtisio guitarist with a pick. How long would it take to get to the same level with fingerstyle?" Segevio's reply - "Not enough lifetimes." So he did his classicial album pick style.

So we can get good at various picking and plucking techniques. But to develope all three to a high level is a lot of work.

Some people will say that everyone is different and delevelope you own style. As far as technique that is false. Technique is what is the most bio-mechanically efficient way to pick, play fingerstyle and pick with fingers. If there is no overwhelming musicial reason to play one way or another - there IS effecient ways to play any instrument with minimimal effort and motion.

There is nothing in day-to-day life that automatically gives us good technique for playing the musicial instruments I'm familiar with. It is a learned skill.

Most instruments other than classicial guitar and definitely the uke do not have an established method to do stuff (technique). Pick guitar technique is probally not even 100 years old. Other instruments have centuries of established technique.

Michael Jordan said. "If you practice anything eight hours a day you are going to get good at it. Whether it is efficient or not."

Throw someone in a pool that can't swim and they might get out. Their technique won't look pretty and they are not going to made the Olympic team. But they will probally get by.

Enharmonic Equivalents

I recently purchased the referenced book (A Guide to Ukulele Chords) and noticed on page 46, under the subject "Learning the Fingerboard" E# is shown under fret 1 and Fb under fret 4. I'm confused? My understanding of the musical scales is that there are no sharp or flats between E and F and B and C since they are natural half steps. Am I wrong?

You are right that there is a natural half step between E and F and B and C. But - any one of the seven letters of the musical alphabet can be sharped or flatted. Even double flats and double sharps exist. These is needed for particular keys. And for the correct scale and chord spelling of particular scale and chords.

A good example is the key of C#, not a very common key but, all seven letters are sharped, C#, D#, E#, F#, G#, A#, B#, C#. The same would be true of Cb where all seven letters are flatted.

Scale theory states that a letter can not be skipped or repeated in seven note diatonic scales. The major scale is one of the diatonic scales and the basis for the major keys.

There are 12 notes in one octave but there are 15 keys. Three are "Enharmonic Equivalents". C#/Db, F#/Gb, B/Cb.

There is a little more to it than the above. But the bottom line is that there is E#, Fb, B# and Cb. There are called "Enharmonic Equivalents". Both E and Fb produce the same pitch.

The E is far more common than Fb and B more common than Cb. Sometimes they are even used when the correct notation would be the Fb for E or the Cb for B. This is done for ease of reading.

Here is a link to a UkuleleLessons that talks about Enharmonic Equivalents

What is the difference between a flat and a -, a # and + in chords?

Common Interval Notation

- is min when indicating chords. Also used to indication a flat as in C7-9

+ is Augmented in chords.

There is what I call Intervalic and Functional Notation of intervals and chord degrees. The confusion comes from mixing the two.

Intervalic Notation

Minor (-)

The relative interval notation uses negative numbers for falling intervals in semitones.

Lower upper note of any MAJOR interval 1/2 step.

Diminished (o)

Lower upper note of any PERFECT interval 1/2 step.

Lower upper note of any MAJOR interval 1 step.

Augmented (+)

The relative interval notation uses positive numbers to indicate rising intervals in semitones.

Raise upper note of any MAJOR or PERFECT interval 1/2 step.

Functional Notation

• # (sharp sign)
• b (flat sign)
• maj (major)
• m (minor)
• dim (diminished)
• aug (augmented)

When are you going to get a real job and make us proud? - (Mom)

Done with real jobs and don't like real jobs!