Has anyone out there used the UKULELE BUDDY course? What level would you say it appeals to? Good value? Any opinions at all?
Thanks all. Yeah the price and the 7 minutes/day thing was off-putting. I've got UU+ and watch Uncle Mike and others on uTube. All good stuff and I've progressed well I think. I try to stretch my skills by pushing for harder chords and learning more strums while still staying loose. Play a good deal and really enjoy it. REALLY enjoy it! The thing that appealed about UKE BUDDY was the "play along" aspect they tout. I've got no one to play with here and that appealed. Not the price however.
Want Play Along, here ya go....for free. It's a little tricky, but you'll figure it out after a few minutes. Shows fretboard, fingering positions based on 3 different keys, words, and a live performance by the original artist. And it doesn't cost $67. note, it's popup blocker sensitive.
http://www.ukuleleplayalong.nl/#
Has anyone out there used the UKULELE BUDDY course? What level would you say it appeals to? Good value? Any opinions at all?
Want Play Along, here ya go....for free. Huge song list. It's a little tricky, but you'll figure it out after a few minutes. Shows fretboard, fingering positions based on 3 different keys (D, C, and G), lyrics, and a live performance by the original artist. And it doesn't cost $67. note, it's popup blocker sensitive. Anyone who hasn't seen this needs to check it out. It's amazing.
http://www.ukuleleplayalong.nl/#
Pros:
I was a complete beginner when I started Ukulele Buddy. I knew maybe 3 chords and strumming was more of a concept than an accomplishment. After doing Uke Buddy I was able to play a great many more chords; I understood strums and timing; I even got a little theory. By the end I was able to go to a ukulele group and play well enough to hang, all first position chords and some rough patches, but I was there and swimming. The production values are pretty low. J P Allen and Mitch Chang are the presenters. The whole series has the feel of being the way J P is financing his own ukulele instruction. His harmonica playing is intrusive. Mitch Chang is the real deal, though. The instruction is solid and it moved me from ABSOLUTE beginner to being capable of playing real songs, having a good selection of chords and strums, and even a little theory. They limit the money spent on rights for the music they teach, so they change the names of the songs; that gets confusing. Just last weekend I went back and watched the blues lesson again. So the value is still there for me.
The marketing hype is not helpful. 7 minutes 3 times a week is hardly what I experienced. All the content is on the site so you can move at your own pace and revisit stuff as necessary. Most of the lessons last longer than 7 minutes, but less than 15. There is a clear progression to the course. It builds on itself. I think this is its strength. When you poke around the internet you find a little bit here and a little bit there. It may fit together by accident, but there’s no guarantee it will. I wanted to learn to play quickly. I sometimes did 2 or 3 lessons back to back.
I use Uncle Rod’s Ukulele Bootcamp and think it’s very valuable. It wouldn’t have been much use to me before Uke Buddy. It is a great way to build your chord library quickly.
I am very glad I did Ukulele Buddy. By the end I was able to play in a group, download songs and work out playing them, even do some simple transposing. Not bad for 67 bucks.
I'm also signed up with Udemy "Ukulele Dan" and Ukulele Tricks. Ukulele Dan got too hard really fast. Ukulele Tricks is boring; there's little on screen technique demonstration and I don't like the music choices.
I will probably sign up for UU+ eventually. I also want to try individual instruction with a local teacher.
Whatever. Enjoy learning to play the ukulele. Makes me happy every time I pick it up.
I've really enjoyed playing with others at meetups, but mostly they're more for fun than instruction.No substitute for playing in front of others. That's why there are so many recommendations to "get thee to a uke club."
Hi. I appear to be the only commenter who has actually used Ukulele Buddy. I’m sorry not to have been able to comment last night, but I was having network issues.
Pros:
I was a complete beginner when I started Ukulele Buddy. I knew maybe 3 chords and strumming was more of a concept than an accomplishment. After doing Uke Buddy I was able to play a great many more chords; I understood strums and timing; I even got a little theory. By the end I was able to go to a ukulele group and play well enough to hang, all first position chords and some rough patches, but I was there and swimming. The production values are pretty low. J P Allen and Mitch Chang are the presenters. The whole series has the feel of being the way J P is financing his own ukulele instruction. His harmonica playing is intrusive. Mitch Chang is the real deal, though. The instruction is solid and it moved me from ABSOLUTE beginner to being capable of playing real songs, having a good selection of chords and strums, and even a little theory. They limit the money spent on rights for the music they teach, so they change the names of the songs; that gets confusing. Just last weekend I went back and watched the blues lesson again. So the value is still there for me.
The marketing hype is not helpful. 7 minutes 3 times a week is hardly what I experienced. All the content is on the site so you can move at your own pace and revisit stuff as necessary. Most of the lessons last longer than 7 minutes, but less than 15. There is a clear progression to the course. It builds on itself. I think this is its strength. When you poke around the internet you find a little bit here and a little bit there. It may fit together by accident, but there’s no guarantee it will. I wanted to learn to play quickly. I sometimes did 2 or 3 lessons back to back.
I use Uncle Rod’s Ukulele Bootcamp and think it’s very valuable. It wouldn’t have been much use to me before Uke Buddy. It is a great way to build your chord library quickly.
I am very glad I did Ukulele Buddy. By the end I was able to play in a group, download songs and work out playing them, even do some simple transposing. Not bad for 67 bucks.
I'm also signed up with Udemy "Ukulele Dan" and Ukulele Tricks. Ukulele Dan got too hard really fast. Ukulele Tricks is boring; there's little on screen technique demonstration and I don't like the music choices.
I will probably sign up for UU+ eventually. I also want to try individual instruction with a local teacher.
Whatever. Enjoy learning to play the ukulele. Makes me happy every time I pick it up.
I agree with you on Ukulele Buddy. For someone who has just picked it up for the first time (bought my first Ukulele 3 weeks ago) it gives a good foundation and sense of progress. Although I am playing around with what there lessons teach for an hour or two per night so not sure how far I would of gotten in 7 mins.