I would like to know out a all the finger picking books which one do you consider the best? I'm just above (barely) rank beginner. I know some chords but I don't like strumming everything! I want to play the melody along with strumming. I don't know anything about music theory or how to read it. I'm losing my mind looking at Amazon and all the ukulele book. Thanks for your help.
Finger picking book
- Thread starter Souper
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I'd suggest Aaron Keim's "Fingerstyle" book (link). It's definitely on the easy side for fingerstyle books, but it's not trivial. The fingerstyle section (half the book) of "Ukulele Exercises for Dummies" may be a better starting point. Getting both might not be a bad approach. (Aaron's great, one of the guys that should be supported.)
Camsuke
Well-known member
There a loads of great little tunes here; https://pdfminstrel.wordpress.com/
jollyboy
Well-known member
I'm not sure I would single out any one book as best. The Aaron Keim book is very good. I also really like Rob MacKillop's 20 Easy Fingerstyle Studies for Ukulele. Both are great for learners and can help build playing skills. You don't really need to know any music theory but you will need to be able to read tab - that's pretty essential for fingerstyle.
Recstar24
Well-known member
Aaron Keim fingerstyle book. Will take you very far and give excellent foundation to do other fingerpicking styles.
janeray1940
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Second that! This is the book that I wish had been around when I was a beginner.
johnson430
Well-known member
Souper,
Sign up for James Hill's The Ukulele Way. Best $7 I spend a month. It is in high and low g and he will teach you just what you want to learn. I have been working on and off it for about six months and I am on book 4 of 6. Very well worth the money I have paid. The tips he shares are priceless.
http://www.theukuleleway.com/
Just take the free tour first and see what you think.
johnson430
Well-known member
Sorry. user error.
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janeray1940
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OP asked for our opinions of the "best beginner book" and several of us thought of this one. To each their own!
johnson430
Well-known member
Holy shxx, my bad. I just saw the link.
I got it confused with this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Play-F...478579786&sr=8-6&keywords=fingerstyle+ukulele
So, so sorry.
That other book looks great, BTW. I checked out the free pages on the link.
Again, my apologies.
janeray1940
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No worries! And yeah, while I know the book in your Amazon link has its fans here, personally I found it disappointing. I've found most learn-to-play books to be disappointing, for that matter - Aaron Keim's book, and the Pekelo books for low G, being among the few exceptions.
actadh
Well-known member
I got the Nelson book a few years ago, and did nothing with it. I am working my way through it this month and found I like it just fine this time around.
I think it was the Hawaiian arrangements that made me stop using it the first time as I was concentrating on early music then (such as the Tony Mizen Lute to Uke book). There is nothing wrong with the Hawaiian songs, just that they were unfamiliar to me. Today, they have their own beauty that I can appreciate three years into playing that I could not really grasp the first year.
I found that when I first started playing, it took me so long to learn a song, and much more time to internalize a song, that I was choosier/pickier about the songs I concentrated on. Probably because I would be living with them for months while I learned to play them well. But, now I like using the Nelson book as a practice book and stretching my musical tastes a little bit.
I think it was the Hawaiian arrangements that made me stop using it the first time as I was concentrating on early music then (such as the Tony Mizen Lute to Uke book). There is nothing wrong with the Hawaiian songs, just that they were unfamiliar to me. Today, they have their own beauty that I can appreciate three years into playing that I could not really grasp the first year.
I found that when I first started playing, it took me so long to learn a song, and much more time to internalize a song, that I was choosier/pickier about the songs I concentrated on. Probably because I would be living with them for months while I learned to play them well. But, now I like using the Nelson book as a practice book and stretching my musical tastes a little bit.
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Django
Well-known member
You might, (or might not), want to consider chord melody first. It will get you playing some nice solos without as much right hand complication. You can add fingerstyle technique to those arrangements, and work your way up from there. Ukulele Mike has some good ebooks and provides online tutorials at no charge.
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Django
Well-known member
How is your search coming? It would be interesting to know what your findings turn out to be.
YarraJoe
Active member
I came across Jumping Flea Arpeggiator by Gary Jurgert http://www.mammothgardens.com/arpeggiator some time ago and found it to be a great free resource, it provides short pieces in every key. More for practice than entertaining others though.
Joe
Joe
Thanks for the link it looks very interesting
Down Up Dick
Well-known member
While you're waiting to find the perfect book, you could work on some scales by ear. The C scale would be a good, easy place to start. If you're low G, the G scale might be next. Just stay below the fifth fret and pluck 'em out by ear (by ear, not with an ear!).
I am presuming that you can sing a C scale. It starts on open C.
ld:
I am presuming that you can sing a C scale. It starts on open C.
ld:
