20 Easy Fingerstyle Studies for Ukulele - Rob MacKillop

Pier

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 12, 2016
Messages
148
Reaction score
70
Location
Italy
hi guys!

can someone tell me something about this book? I'd like to learn better fingerstyle technique, since my only background by far are the excercises in the Ukulele Aerobics book (nice excercises, but limited to short patterns, usually around 4 bars).

I saw this book, and listened to some related YT videos, and the Sokolow "Fingerstyle Ukulele: A Method & Songb​ook for Fingerpicking Backup & Solos", for which I couldn't find infos or "samples".

is the MacKillop's book a good thing? I'd like to learn some "real" fingerstyle (I'm about to purchase the Sokolow's Beatles book for "chords and melody"), and reviews on Amazon describe them as a good one.

how are the songs/excercises?
 
MacKillop is pretty good but IMO for fingerstyle arrangements you should take a look at any of the three Tony Mizen books. All three are really great and offer a selection of different styles music.
 
I have the MacKillop book but honestly don't practice from it much, with the exception of one piece, Tears for Amelia. Most of the exercises don't sound like much which, for me, is a barrier to playing them. I should give it another shot but use the Aerobics book a lot so have plenty to work on.
 
I would say for practising techniques it's very good, each piece being based on a particular scale, arpeggio, roll, etc, with a CD so you can hear what it all sounds like. They aren't tunes or performance pieces though. Studying and practising these pieces should definitely improve your technique.

For tunes, Rob's books, including 20 Celtic tunes and 20 Traditional American tunes are excellent.
 
Samantha Muir has a number of booklets (one of them free) that might be of interest. I also bought the printed version of her Scottish Folk Tunes for Ukulele, which arrived within three days (mostly a little too advanced for me still, but I enjoy the CD that came with it!). I like that she plays everything on a re-entrant soprano uke.
 
I bought it a year or so ago and can count on one hand the number of times I've played out of it. These pieces feel very constructed to me, the purpose being less musical than mechanical. I'd suggest the John King book instead (depending on your ability). That one is full of beautiful music!
 
The learn book is good as a learning technique book but actually i find i enjoy these more:
http://www.amazon.it/Lute-Uke-Early..._UL160_SR120,160_&refRID=0ZDXTQ152PTKEWVMPYS5
http://www.amazon.it/Baroque-Ukulel..._UL160_SR116,160_&refRID=0ZDXTQ152PTKEWVMPYS5
http://www.amazon.it/Romantic-Ukule..._UL160_SR120,160_&refRID=0ZDXTQ152PTKEWVMPYS5

I .

My personal favourite is the romantic one but IMO they are the best re-entrant fingerstyle arrangements available.
I have the lute to uke. I play the bear dance but that is about it.wide range of difficulty
 
Last edited:
This is a really great thread! Thanks for the info guys, I think I'll order John King's book. He lived a few miles from here, and was instrumental (No pun intended) in creating the Tampa Bay Ukulele society (TBUS). I wish I could have studied with him.
 
MacKillop's "Studies" are just that "Studies" . . ways of learning how to play tricky things.

I recommend both of the books as "What do you play before you're warmed up," for which purpose I recommend it over Ukulele Aerobics.

If you treat it as a song book, yes, you'll be disappointed, because it ISN'T a songbook...
 
I have this Rob MacKillop book and I like it. The "studies" are musical sounding enough and I enjoy them as I play them. No book is perfect and even if I learn just a bit from one book I am happy because I might not have learned it otherwise
 
Really, my favourite tune from Lute is Allamande (the very last song in the book). I can noodle around with that song for hours on a Sunday :)

I have the lute to uke. I play the bear dance but that is about it.wide range of difficulty
 
Hi guys. Rob MacKillop here. Yes, my book is dedicated to fingerstyle studies. It is not a book of tunes, but is intended to support such books. That said, there are many tunes in my book, each one focussing on one or two specific techniques. This is the nature of study books. They are intended to get your technique sharpened, while playing some music which does not sound like dry finger exercises. The styles included cover blues, folk, jazz, minimalism, etc. If you study these pieces carefully, no other book should hold any fear for you :) As mentioned above, I have many books with "proper" tunes in them, and this book is designed to get your technique up to scratch so that you can play the other tune books.
I hope that helps.
 
Greetings everyone. I've been working through this book for the last few months and am about 3/4ths of the way through it. I affirm all of Mr. MacKillop's explanation about the book's intent and practical result for the student. The "slow" and "fast" versions of the accompanying audios are useful for gaining proficiency, as are videos of the author performing some selections on his website. I've gained comfort and competence that has had tangible results while building repertoire, such as songs from Sokolow's Beatles for Fingerstyle Uke.
 
Great thread, y'all! I have added some goodies to my Amazon wish list.
 
Top Bottom