itsmemattchung
Active member
Context
Let me start off by saying I consider myself a beginner, picking up my first (and only) ukulele two years ago, when I learned one to two basic strumming patterns that I taught myself through watching YouTube tutorial videos. Prior to that, I've had practically zero background in music; in other words, the ukulele is my first real instrument.
So about a month ago, I found a local ukulele instructor who I've been taking 30 minute, 1 on 1 in person lessons for the past four weeks. During our first lesson, I had shared with him my two long term goals, my motivation behind taking lessons: jamming with others and improvising. In addition to taking lessons, I decided to complement them by exploring some courses online. Eventually, I stumbled on this website, where I signed up not only as a member on this forum but as a paid subscriber on UU+.
While surfing the forum, I surreptitiously stumbled upon a comment that enumerated some amazing, talented ukuele players such as the infamous Jake Shimabukuro. I searched for each of these listed players in YouTube and sat on my comfy chair behind my desk, completely floored with their talent and craftsmanship. One video in particular left me in awe, a video of a player named James Hill who was on soloing the song Michael Jackson's Bill Jean. I then discovered that he offered an online ukulele program: The Ukulele Way.
So I did some basic research, reading through the forums and watching the (free) introductory videos. Since the site only cost $7 a month, I decided to sign up for it, despite already having a UU+ membership. I wanted to not only compare the content but also the overall cohesiveness. In other words: does the current lesson relate to the last ? Is there an end goal for each module?
These questions are in mind because although I do think the quality of the UU+ videos are well produced (i.e. very professional), I find myself having to hop around on the website—with the help of their staff (big shout out to Kira, who send me a comprehensive list of videos to watch) searching for material that glues the topics together.
The Ukulele Way
It's been one week since taking my first lesson on the theukuleleway.com and I couldn't be happier.
I'm slowly working my way through Level 1 (there are 6 levels, each filled with 9 or 10 videos).
Every time I complete a video (and practicing along), I find myself ending the session with a smile. I love that each lesson builds upon the previous, instead of treating each of them as isolated sessions. For example, James starts off by introducing the basics: learning the melody (using sheet music) of a very basic song. After teaching this elementary melody, he asks a simple question: how do we add color to the song? How can we make it sound "better". These questions get my mind ticking. He explains that you can use the gaps in between each of the notes as an opportunity, "filling them in" and adding depth. This new concept blew my mind. Naturally, this concept lead to integrating chords and teaching us how to pick the right notes for the song to sound (i.e. resolve) correctly.
So far, I'm pleased with the content and the overall organization—especially the cohesiveness. I love the happy medium between theory and practice. He offers his insights, giving a glimpse into what's ticking inside his mind and taking a very Socratic approach, posing questions and and engaging us and challenging us. It feels as if we're on a journey together, exploring the world of music. And it just so happens that we're learning with my favorite instrument: the ukulele.
Let me start off by saying I consider myself a beginner, picking up my first (and only) ukulele two years ago, when I learned one to two basic strumming patterns that I taught myself through watching YouTube tutorial videos. Prior to that, I've had practically zero background in music; in other words, the ukulele is my first real instrument.
So about a month ago, I found a local ukulele instructor who I've been taking 30 minute, 1 on 1 in person lessons for the past four weeks. During our first lesson, I had shared with him my two long term goals, my motivation behind taking lessons: jamming with others and improvising. In addition to taking lessons, I decided to complement them by exploring some courses online. Eventually, I stumbled on this website, where I signed up not only as a member on this forum but as a paid subscriber on UU+.
While surfing the forum, I surreptitiously stumbled upon a comment that enumerated some amazing, talented ukuele players such as the infamous Jake Shimabukuro. I searched for each of these listed players in YouTube and sat on my comfy chair behind my desk, completely floored with their talent and craftsmanship. One video in particular left me in awe, a video of a player named James Hill who was on soloing the song Michael Jackson's Bill Jean. I then discovered that he offered an online ukulele program: The Ukulele Way.
So I did some basic research, reading through the forums and watching the (free) introductory videos. Since the site only cost $7 a month, I decided to sign up for it, despite already having a UU+ membership. I wanted to not only compare the content but also the overall cohesiveness. In other words: does the current lesson relate to the last ? Is there an end goal for each module?
These questions are in mind because although I do think the quality of the UU+ videos are well produced (i.e. very professional), I find myself having to hop around on the website—with the help of their staff (big shout out to Kira, who send me a comprehensive list of videos to watch) searching for material that glues the topics together.
The Ukulele Way
It's been one week since taking my first lesson on the theukuleleway.com and I couldn't be happier.
I'm slowly working my way through Level 1 (there are 6 levels, each filled with 9 or 10 videos).
Every time I complete a video (and practicing along), I find myself ending the session with a smile. I love that each lesson builds upon the previous, instead of treating each of them as isolated sessions. For example, James starts off by introducing the basics: learning the melody (using sheet music) of a very basic song. After teaching this elementary melody, he asks a simple question: how do we add color to the song? How can we make it sound "better". These questions get my mind ticking. He explains that you can use the gaps in between each of the notes as an opportunity, "filling them in" and adding depth. This new concept blew my mind. Naturally, this concept lead to integrating chords and teaching us how to pick the right notes for the song to sound (i.e. resolve) correctly.
So far, I'm pleased with the content and the overall organization—especially the cohesiveness. I love the happy medium between theory and practice. He offers his insights, giving a glimpse into what's ticking inside his mind and taking a very Socratic approach, posing questions and and engaging us and challenging us. It feels as if we're on a journey together, exploring the world of music. And it just so happens that we're learning with my favorite instrument: the ukulele.