Does learning the ukulele first help in learning of the guitar easier in the future?

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If we learn and master the ukulele first, will the knowledge help in learning the guitar easier in the future?
 
I never tried it that way around, as I tried learning guitar first, uke later.

But I am pretty sure it will help. There are so many concepts that are the same.

That being said, you might also pick up some habits that dont translate, so if you really want to play guitar then go for that. Learn the uke is you feel like learning the uke.
 
I played uke for maybe 6 years or so before I started guitar and it helped a great deal. The steel strings were an easy adjustment cuz my fingers were already fairly callused. The chord shapes transfer over. If you play baritone uke they will be the same just w/o the bass notes. If you go with one of the smaller size ukes, the shapes will be similar, you’ll just be in a different key so you will have to just learn new chord names for the same shapes. Strumming and picking techniques learned on the uke will put you way ahead of other rank beginners on guitar.
I love playing both guitar and uke. They both have different plus sides.
 
it helps me but not a great deal, as the ukingviking said it has its drawbacks, chord shapes are different and the ones that are the same shape are a different chord, the only thing it has helped me with is knowing how much work i will need to put in to get to a reasonable standard, i think playing the uke helps a little with dexterity, but thats about it really, i really am enjoying the challenge of learning to play guitar, but i also look forward to my uke practice after my guitar practice
 
I played guitar for almost 50 years before I took up the ukulele 5 years ago. That certainly made it easier, and as it turns out, I haven’t touched my guitars since and most likely never will.


8 tenor cutaway ukes, 5 acoustic bass ukes, 10 solid body bass ukes, 7 mini electric bass guitars

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children's hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/videos
 
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Once you learn how to read and play music, learning another instrument will become easier.
 
My journey which started with the uke and lead to guitar, tenor guitar, and now mandolin has, along the way, given me a basic understanding of music theory which has helped immensely in the transition from one stringed instrument to another. I have a basic understanding of chord construction (I no longer have to rely on a chord chart to figure out how to make the chord I want). I understand how the fretboards are laid out and where I can find the root, third, fifth etc. I understand 4/3 tuning, 5ths tuning, scales and how to make them, where to put the sharps or when you need flats and so much more. Music theory is really an eye opener and the uke is an excellent place to start...or stay.
 
Baritone uke especially, yes, because bari is tuned the same as a guitar (the four higher pitch strings of a guitar). Bari is much like a small classical guitar (nylon stringed) without the two lowest strings. Scales and chords on those four strings are the same for both instruments. To me, bari is more like guitar than tradition ukes, with their re-entrant tuning and higher pitched strings.
 
I’d add that if you want to learn the guitar, play a guitar. If you want to learn a stringed instrument, pick up the one that’s most comfortable for you. You may fall in love with one, or take up many, depending on your aptitudes and interests.
 
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I’m not sure many of us are qualified to answer this question—myself included. I picked up the ukulele to start teaching it, and I’ve played (in a sense) guitar for many years. I never connected with the guitar, even though I’ve taught it in class at the high school level.

When I introduced ukulele to my middle school students, the potential of ukulele as a transition to guitar seemed logical. I also know schools that teach GCEA ukulele in grades 6 & 7, DGBE ukulele in grade 8, and offer guitar in high school.

When I went through college as a music educator, ukulele wasn’t considered an instrument for schools. We were taught guitar, recorder, and African drumming. This was the mid 1990s, and the ukulele didn’t begin its next Renaissance until 2005 or 2006. Knowing what I know now, I might introduce ukulele instead of guitar—and I’d certainly be requiring all elementary educators to learn it as well (in my thoughts, music should be a part of elementary education throughout the day...song can be used as transitions, etc.).

Simply put, I’m not sure many people on the mainland US played ukulele between 1964 (Beatles first Ed Sullivan appearance) and 2006. On the other hand, MANY people are learning the ukulele today, and it will be interesting to see if they stick with the ukulele and add guitar, or transition to guitar, or leave music altogether.

Playing ukulele would certainly help as you learn barre chords (partial and full), and would be somewhat of a logical transition to classical guitar. However, metal strings on an acoustic or electric are still going to hurt more than a ukulele’s ever will.
 
I feel like it hasn't translated for me. But that being said I threw myself in the fire and started with Travis picking arrangements. WOW it's hard so I set the guitar a side and I just play Uke. Maybe I should do baby steps into the guitar world because for me guitar is daunting and uncomfortable. Holding a big dreadnought versus a nice concert ukulele... I much prefer the ukulele. However, I hope one day to learn a few nice songs on the guitar.
 
I've gone the other way. After years of playing guitar, I'm finding the small body and neck of a ukulele a bit of a challenge to hold comfortably. I also think I need to shave the bottom of the nut a bit, as I can't seem to consistently get a clean sound from barre chords on the first fret. I also can't seem to get the volume from my tenor uke that I hear in online videos. It may just be my newness to the uke, or the fact that I just finished construction of my uke on OCT 10, but I get a lot better volume playing with a lightweight pick.
 
Definitely for me. I tried guitar about 7 years ago and I could not fret to save my life. After 5 or so years on the uke, I went back to guitar and it was so much easier. Especially the rhythm I gained from playing the uke so much. Using a pick definitely has it's own difficulties though that I do not like :( just feels unnatural to me.
 
Yes it does. I have been passionately playing ukulele for nine months and recently picked up the guitar and my ukulele practice was very helpful (especially as I switched to dGBE tuning on my uke at the same time). Having said that, probably not as helpful as nine months of guitar playing would have been.

FWIW i think I love ukulele and only kinda like guitar so will shortly be returning to a mongamous relationship once my experimentation phase is over.
 
Think uke will be my instrument for life now, but glad I took a guitar course in the 1980's. They are both string instruments with frets, must have an impact. Not really very interested in the complicated and big guitar. I may learn to play the uke though, it must somehow be the basic instrument :)
 
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The idea is not that bad, so yes, this might work. I mean, learning to play the ukulele will not guarantee you that you will know how to play the guitar, but this will give you a slight familiarization with musical instruments, which is a significant advantage. By the way, if you are interested in learning to play the guitar or even drums, I can recommend you a website where I found an online course that I attended. Here it is https://middermusic.com/best-online-drum-lessons/.Hope my message will be helpful for you.
 
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