Blues for beginners?

Before I bought my uke I thought I was going to pick up the guitar cos I played classical guitar as a kid. I bought a guitar and ordered a copy of Beginning Fingerstyle Blues Guitar by Arnie Berle and Mark Galbo. It was out of stock or something and took ages to arrive. By the time it got here I'd discovered the uke and was working with that & Lil' Rev's "Ukulele Method" instead. I worked hard but came out if it feeling like I couldn't actually play much more than a few chords and read simple tunes. I guess it was a start.

Anyway it's a year on, life got in the way, and the uke gathered some dust. I picked Fingerstyle Blues Guitar book off the shelf and looked and listened to the CD. I'm fired up again and remembering that it was fingerstyle & blues that got me in to start with. The trouble is that I want to play the uke not the guitar. I guess I could work through it with the guitar and then figure out how to do what I learn on the uke but it seems like a long way around - and I'm not feeling very young...

I guess what I need is a good book on blues for the uke. Not just a song book but one that teaches it like the guitar one does. Is there such a thing?

yes I went through this dilemma early on as well. I did a lot of searching and the best I found is
http://howtoplayukulele.com/how-to-play-blues-ukulele/ . It is really outstanding and doesn't presume too much on your knowledge base, other than of course you must know some basic chords. Take a look. think it might be what you are looking for. Good Luck!! Lozark

DVD: Rigk Sauer "Learn To Play Blues Ukulele" is so well laid out and takes you from the point of knowing nothing to being able to play standard blues progressions in any key, inversions, and even soloing. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. it's awesome.

Although I admit I got distracted with other things, and never really gave it the attention it deserves, I very much liked UkeHunt's (Woodshed) blues ukulele eBook last year, and second Lozarkman's post on that.

I agree with these guys. I am 5 months into my uke (after 30 years of wishing I could make music) and as I love the blues decided to download this ebook thinking I could eventually be able to play something. I am loving it, there are lots of textual examples coupled with mp3 files so you can actually here what sort of noise you should be making. I also depend on the Scorpex site for great tunes to play (I do not and will not sing) and have managed to learn a reasonable rendition of Little Queen of Spades, including the "fiddly" bits

http://www.scorpex.net/Uke/songs/Little_Queen_Of_Spades.pdf

Yep, ukehunt is awesome. After How To Play Blues Ukulele, you can graduate to How To Play Fingerpicking Blues. "Fingerpicking Blues is way hard for a beginner, but if you stay the course with the first book, its a pretty reasonable transition. Another one to consider is Del Ray's DVD, http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Uke-Blues-Jazzy-Dance-Tunes/dp/B000Y15TRE not really suitable for beginners, but after ukehunt's ebook, its a good one. Then there's Mark Hanson's Tab/CD. Although it is a collection of songs, if you go song by song, by the end, you should have enough licks and stuff to use as a jumping off point. And of course, search through the Uke Lessons on UU's main page.

I like this thread.

Thankyou for the recommendations - I went to look at Ukehunt's page and realised I had been there before and had the eBook. I got it over a year ago - before I got sick - and forgot it was there.

I'm going looking for the DVDs and other suggestions right now (with a Robert Johnson playlist happening in the background... thankyou for the Little Queen of Spades).

I can't sing either and heartily admire anyone who can - that's why I like the fingerstyle so much -the embellishments take the place of the voice.

Amanda

SuzukHammer said:

I like this thread.

Click to expand...

Me too, remember this dude?

Here's what you do. Get fired by messing with the boss's daughter, get kicked out of where you live for having lots of folks living with you, sell everything you own (I'll be glad to take the money off your hands). The only think you get to keep are the clothes on your back and your ukulele. However, I get to break one string (no, you don't get to pick). Now, play your three string uke on the sidewalk for spare change for 6 months.

THEN you will understand the Blues!

UkeNukem said:

Here's what you do. Get fired by messing with the boss's daughter, get kicked out of where you live for having lots of folks living with you, sell everything you own (I'll be glad to take the money off your hands). The only think you get to keep are the clothes on your back and your ukulele. However, I get to break one string (no, you don't get to pick). Now, play your three string uke on the sidewalk for spare change for 6 months.

THEN you will understand the Blues!

Click to expand...

True, Bob - that's one way.

How about "Pa died when I was twelve & I raised three kid sisters cos ma lost her mind. Lost and looking for love I married the wrong man when I was barely 20 but he died a couple of years later & left me with a baby on the way..."? True story. Will that do?

Amanda

flea_bitten said:

True, Bob - that's one way.

How about "Pa died when I was twelve & I raised three kid sisters cos ma lost her mind. Lost and looking for love I married the wrong man when I was barely 20 but he died a couple of years later & left me with a baby on the way..."? True story. Will that do?

Amanda

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Heck, with that background, "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah" could come off as blues!


-Kurt

Daddy Stovepipe has some good inst. Its not really starter stuff, but I think easier than Del Rays
Steve