Wayne Conrad
Member
Hi!
I've been playing clawhammer banjo for six years, This last weekend we had the grandkids over, both musically inclined, one of whom plays the ukulele. He tried to work out how to jam with me using one of my banjos, but that wasn't working, so I went down to the music store and bought a ukulele. We had a good time playing together, he on the uke and me on the banjo, with his sister singing.
But now the grandkids are gone, and I've got this ukulele. I love the ukulele! It's been on my short list of "next instrument to learn" for years. Now it's time to learn it.
I spent the first four years of banjo learning to play tunes and sing songs. My last two years of learning banjo has been more about exercises and scales. I'm convinced I would have progressed much faster with banjo had I not worried about playing tunes at first, but concentrating entirely on technique. So that's how I'm going to start learning the ukulele. Exercises, scales, and etudes.
For a few days I've been practicing the major scale, playing it around the circle. Last night I charted out the neck and worked out three easy closed major chord shapes, and a multitude of open shapes for C major. I haven't quite decided what my practice direction is going to be for the major chord shapes; there are several possibilities. I could practice each closed shape around the circle. That'll probably work. I think I want the closed shapes down pat before I worry much about open shapes. That's backwards to how people usually learn it, I think. At least, it's backwards to how I learned the banjo.
I haven't decided at all what I'm going to do with the right hand. There's strumming, of course. Clawhammer works on the ukulele, and I'm already a clawhammer banjo player, so that's an obvious choice. Then there's fingerstyle.
My hypothesis is that songs will take care of themselves pretty easily if I work hard on the basics. Let's find out.
I've been playing clawhammer banjo for six years, This last weekend we had the grandkids over, both musically inclined, one of whom plays the ukulele. He tried to work out how to jam with me using one of my banjos, but that wasn't working, so I went down to the music store and bought a ukulele. We had a good time playing together, he on the uke and me on the banjo, with his sister singing.
But now the grandkids are gone, and I've got this ukulele. I love the ukulele! It's been on my short list of "next instrument to learn" for years. Now it's time to learn it.
I spent the first four years of banjo learning to play tunes and sing songs. My last two years of learning banjo has been more about exercises and scales. I'm convinced I would have progressed much faster with banjo had I not worried about playing tunes at first, but concentrating entirely on technique. So that's how I'm going to start learning the ukulele. Exercises, scales, and etudes.
For a few days I've been practicing the major scale, playing it around the circle. Last night I charted out the neck and worked out three easy closed major chord shapes, and a multitude of open shapes for C major. I haven't quite decided what my practice direction is going to be for the major chord shapes; there are several possibilities. I could practice each closed shape around the circle. That'll probably work. I think I want the closed shapes down pat before I worry much about open shapes. That's backwards to how people usually learn it, I think. At least, it's backwards to how I learned the banjo.
I haven't decided at all what I'm going to do with the right hand. There's strumming, of course. Clawhammer works on the ukulele, and I'm already a clawhammer banjo player, so that's an obvious choice. Then there's fingerstyle.
My hypothesis is that songs will take care of themselves pretty easily if I work hard on the basics. Let's find out.
