Do you have lessons?

I just bought a ukulele and was thinking of having some lesson. I used to play the guitar when I was at school and had lessons then. A few years ago I borrowed my Mum's keyboard and got some books to learn from but got stuck then got bored so gave up and gave it back.

So now I have my ukulele and can't decide if I should have lessons. Of course I could stick with my books or go on the inter net. So do you have lessons, or use the internet, do you find them good ways to learn.

Thanks

To start out I used uncle rods ukulele bootcamp, its free and teaches your brain and hand at the same time. As you move through the chord progressions in each key songs may just jump out at you as they did I. Then pick a song mine was please dont talk about me when I'm gone which is actually also five foot two and possibly others as well and play the hell out of it until its yours.

I had keyboard lessons in the 70's I remember being bored to death with theory. My brain being visual is very bad at math and music theory. I'm having a ball with at least three or four songs committed to memory now and following along in the shadows in the seasons of the ukulele contests I have learned so much and it hasn't cost me a dime. Also zero math or music theory involved so I'm very happy. forum.ukuleleunderground.com/forumdisplay.php?47-Seasons-of-the-Ukulele

I did in the beginning buy into an internet ukulele lesson plan that Ive no need to ever watch. So much for that $30 eh?

hello there suzy! like you i played a bit of guitar before coming to the uke - i taught myself guitar (nothing fancy, just chords, some fingerpicking, and a very few notes! but enough to play some songs i loved) from a book. i think the key thing is to find the right book. when i started on uke, i wanted to work from a book, i didn't know anything really about the uke, only that the chords are different from guitar! i got myself a really super book, "ukulele for dummies", it gets you up and running very quickly with some first chords, then off you can go! the book goes into more depth if you want it, on lots of subjects and styles of music, i refer to it now and then, but really once i had some chords i started writing my own little punky songs, and now over on the seasons, here on ukulele underground, little weekly "contests" (the emphasis is on fun and friendship, not really competition) i do alot of covers, all with those basic chords and knowledge i got from the start of that book. i've also picked up info from the web generally, and other people on the seasons especially, but i would without hesitation or reservation recommend "ukulele for dummies" as a really super starting point

the only minus is, the author gears the book purely to soprano, concert and tenor ukes, and says that baritones are a whole other animal, which i don't really agree with, i have a couple of baritones and love them, they are just like a regular uke, but tuned a bit lower dgbe, rather than gcea. i dunno what uke you have, if it's tuned gcea then the book will be perfect, if it's dgbe then just play the highest sounding 4 strings of any guitar chord and off you jolly well go you don't need a book!

The Bari is actually nearly a four string geetar , or a Tenor Geetar. With E and A missing and DGBE remaining .

I have just tuned my Tenor (yes me, a tenor ) down to DGBE from (re - entrant ) GCEA and it sounds much nicer than it did . I have to say , at the risk of a pummelling I know , that sometimes baris have a bass thud that I can't get on with......Welcome along Suzy.....oww ow stop hitting me BeVoMu....it's only my opinion .....and yes I know the saying .....owwwwwwww...I like hearing them ...just don't ooof want to play one .......................

Well, since you're here you should check out the UU video library. Some stuff is not free, but a lot of videos are free. That'll keep you busy.

Welcome to UU.

CeeJay said:

.oww ow stop hitting me BeVoMu....it's only my opinion .....and yes I know the saying .....owwwwwwww...I like hearing them ...just don't ooof want to play one .......................

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ceejay, as if i would let on to a sweet newbie like suzy (ooh that rhymes we could write a song!) that over on the seasons the ladies tend to beat up the guys a bit if they don't agree with us, or are cheeky, or maybe are just enjoying themselves without written permission. she can find all that out in her own good time

Owww ..that really really hurt .......

Suzy,
A couple thoughts. I am only slightly ahead of you in terms of time spent learning the ukulele. I had some prior fretted-instrument knowledge (guitar and banjo) that was mainly self-taught and decided when I was ready to learn ukulele, I wanted to use a teacher. But I have experienced a couple things with getting a teacher that I think are important to share. First, I encourage it as some human-, direct-interaction is very stimulating to learn. Not to mention, having a scheduled "appointment" to learn puts some "pressure" on me at least, to get some practice in. I found I was a bit more likely to make sure I made time to learn. I've actually had two teachers. One was from a local music who teaches guitar, piano and ukulele. That should have been a warning sign for me. He is a really nice guy, but basically only strummed. When I asked him the best way to strum, I kinda got a "what-ever works for you" answer. That really should have tipped me off. I did two months, and learned some chords, but nothing I couldn't have done myself. So make sure whomever you look to get as a teacher, that they take the ukulele serious. While I felt bad as I really liked this guy as a person, he just wasn't the right teacher for me so I quit him. I am now taking lessons from Matt Dahlberg. Google him, he eats, breathes, sleeps ukulele. He also loves, and I mean loves, to teach. I come away from my lessons pumped-up. The catch is, he does lessons by Skype or Facetime. I was worried about that, but it really has not been a problem and in fact, is great. It is so much more convenient for me, no driving. I clearly can get critiqued about my playing and see/hear what he is trying to teach me. For me it's been great. He has taught me things I haven't found in books yet. I only hope my playing skills catch-up with what I am learning!!

Point is, I think if you look to find the right teacher, it will help get you off in the right direction with lessons. But only if it is someone who cares about playing the ukulele. There are a lot of folks out there that do Skype or Facetime lessons, so you can find someone that fits you.

I do supplement my lessons with exploring things on the internet and in books. I feel I have the best of both worlds.

Enjoy!!

Suzy

What type of Uke have you got and how do you want to play it ? That will determine the initial answer to your question .

Simple, but cool strumming can be quite reasonably easy to self teach with a good song book and chord boxes . More complex stuff like fingerpicking , chord melody may require some mentoring or tutoring .

One of the books I have ordered from Amazon is Ukulele for Dummies. So I guess I'll start with that and see how I get on. At least now I have lots of good ideas now I can use if I get stuck. The ukulele I got was a soprano. I think I will start with strumming and see how I get on. When I played the guitar I played classical so I'm more used to fingerpicking than strumming.

I have just been learning to play the ukulele without taking lessons, and it has gone quite well. I'm happy with my progress. However, I have been trying to sing, and I'm getting nowhere. Next week I'm starting singing lessons. We will see how that goes.

Hmmm . What sort of music are you looking to play . Sopranos are my favourite , but they are not much to listen to after about the 7th or 9th fret . Not unless you are really giving it some strum . You can fingerpick a sop , have a listen to Sam Muir .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjgTLkoin6M

Windows in Gateshead or Newcastle have a range of ukes of different sizes that you may want to have a play with.

Her Sop has a Concert sized Neck.

I just strum and pick and generally beggar about.LOL

I like a lot of music from the 80's so hoping to play some of that. The Windows in Gateshead is at the Metro Centre, is only 10 minutes away from home, we go there most weekend. When I was having a go on Mum's key board I got some music from there. I only paid £20 for the ukulele, so that if I give up I haven't spent to much money on it. My husband says if I carry on I can get a better one. So I could get one from Window then. Next time we are passing I'll go in and have a look what ukulele they have got. I will also have a look at what music they have in as well.

+1 on Matt Dahlberg. I am currently taking a break due to work commitments but I took 2 months of solid lessons and man did he push me to do stuff I would have never done if it wasn't for his instruction. Great guy, and the human interaction is so important in my opinion when it comes to ukulele.

After a few years of being self taught, plus some random uke workshops I started to take regular lessons with Craig Chee. He's a terrific teacher and I've been learning in a much more organized and efficient way now. Lessons with Craig are fantastic bang for my buck!

I would advise you to take at least a few lessons to begin. Once you get the fundamentals established correctly, you can proceed on your own if that works for you. If you get bad habits early, they are much more difficult to exchange for good habits then if you started out correctly to begin with. Things like posture, relaxation, eliminating the "death grip" on the fingerboard, getting your fingers up and only touching with the tips, proper hand position, even strumming technique are things that are difficult to get from a book but a in-person instructor can quickly notice and correct.

I think I will stick with the Ukulele for Dummies book. Then have some lessons.

Thanks

I tried teaching myself guitar when I was in my 20s. It ended up sitting, collecting dust for the next 15 years.

I then tried teaching myself ukulele on-and-off when I was in my 30s. I made a bit of progress for about 5 years - right up until my wife had heard enough of me playing the same thing over and over again. She offered to buy me lessons for Christmas about 3 years ago.

I finally got good enough to where people enjoy listening to me and I traded that guitar in on my Martin C1K.

Taking lessons, just 5 of 'em, made me proficient enough that it became MUCH easier and fun to learn even more on my own. It was a real springboard for my progression.

I wish I would have taken guitar lessons when my mom offered to buy them for me.

Your best bet is a chord book like the Hal Leonard chord book . And then a song book which has either chord names or boxes . If you've
dabbled with keyboard and guitar you have a basic idea of strumming in time and tempo so find songs that you know and strum and sing them ....... take it from there . Come to a Uketeer evening ....we 're, mostly, harmless......

Rllink said:

I have just been learning to play the ukulele without taking lessons, and it has gone quite well. I'm happy with my progress. However, I have been trying to sing, and I'm getting nowhere. Next week I'm starting singing lessons. We will see how that goes.

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I know where it would go if I were to have singing lessons. It would be "Go right back through that door that you
came in through and sod off !!" :deadhorse::biglaugh::biglaugh: