What is a good music to practice as beginner?

clara.renata

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Hi can anyone share a good music for practicing? I like Over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole but seems hard for beginner.
 
When my mom wanted to learn the ukulele, I bought her Hal Leonard’s Three-Chord Songbook. It’s got 50 songs that only use C, F, and G. She could strum and sing songs from it and get used to the instrument and then down the road use it for melody work based on the sheet music.

It’s a pretty nifty book.
 
Hi can anyone share a good music for practicing? I like Over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole but seems hard for beginner.

You have learned an important first lesson, there are hard songs and easy songs. First we crawl, then walk, then run. Learn to switch from C, F, G......then Google easy beginner ukulele songs. Pick the ones you love with those chords and start to learn those songs . Add chords D, A, Am, F and you have opened up 1000s of song choices.
 
Hi can anyone share a good music for practicing? I like Over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole but seems hard for beginner.

If you like that song, then practice its chord progressions. After a while (like 1 week @ 30 min/day), you'll be able to strum and sing it. BTW, you should practice correctly by focusing on the chord transitions that you find most difficult; you don't have to play the entire song, just the parts you find difficult. then move to the next most difficult part. Play the hard parts until you can effortlessly transition in the tempo that you like, then the song is yours.

As for beginner songs, I'm thoroughly enjoying this song book with my son.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1089540264

It's got staff notation which I find useful in singing. It also has tabs so you can play the tune. Also has cord diagrams in addition to chord names, which makes initial learning a lot easier (you don't have to reference another chord diagram sheet). But, the most important key is that I love the songs... so I'm motivated to learn them.
 
That’s a really good question. Here is my opinion.

I teach ukulele to groups, not individuals, and I am a really firm believer in teaching chords, and then getting people to play songs they love as soon as you can. I also use video play alongs (many made by me) so that my students can play WITH the music they love, rather than playing the music that they love. My hope is that they move to playing the music that they love, but starting with “with” the music they love really adds to the buy-in.

I’ve created a whole method based on the order of chords that are most commonly used, and sell that to other teachers as Google Slides for a whole $9 (they are paying for the organization, not the content, which is all on YouTube, and ad revenue goes back to YouTube and the copyright holder—nothing back to me.

You can start your own journey by focusing on play alongs with 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 chords. You can see the whole list at ukeplayalongs.com. It isn’t sorted as my method is sorted, but it is all free. I’d also suggest trying my Ukulele Skill Drills, as they add new chords with the challenge of simply switching to them rather than playing along with a melody. I adapted the idea from Uncle Rod’s ‘Ukulele Boot Camp, which I have also made videos of (with his blessing)...and I recommend the ‘Ukulele Boot Camp once you’ve learned the chords in each of the five levels.

So...you can see the YouTube channels below, and have all the links...go have fun and learn.

If you want to play chord melody or tabs...wait until you have the first 15 or so chords under your belt...get into barre chords a little bit, and then step back and go into the other melodic aspects of the instrument. Many of the ukulele method books on the market do this first—treating the ukulele like a traditional music instrument. The ukulele absolutely is a legitimate instrument, but it is more than that. So...start with chords, get going, and then move to some other things.

I also made this video at Christmas time for people who just received a ukulele as a gift: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1hozW48kd7-1EHoMiWtH3k6PKglJaXH0y7Q3OyKXnZAI

It is a very small sample of my overall Video-Based Ukulele Method.

Have fun!
 
All great suggestion above. I usually suggest playing song you like and can hum! If you like a song and know the melody it will make playing easier. There will always be simple and hard versions in different keys for songs you like...... go simple at first, slowly and work up speed and complexity when you can. It’s not a race and it’s supposed to be fun. Tune your ukulele every time you pick it up. I suggest a clip on tuner. Change your own strings so you are good at it when you need it. Play every day. I suggest learning a whole song, start to finish.....it may take a week.......before you move on.. eventually you will stumble into something called the “key” of a song and that will open up a new world, more chords etc. More fun!

Have fun?
 
"Hi can anyone share a good music for practicing? I like Over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole but seems hard for beginner."
"Hawaii by Ohta San. Low G. It's a great piece for practicing."
"Oops. I misread the Title. But practicing tab really help. You Are My Sunshine"

With respect: This was really funny! :) But it reflects quite my own path! I heard IZ's version and immediately wanted to have a uke and play and sing this song. You know what? After I had sung and played "Over the rainbow" for the first time after I finally had figured out what he played, I was addicted. I then tried out, if this or that song could be figured out on uke myself, which was fun for hours and days each time. I enjoyed the route to learn how to play the song, figuring out the chords, as much as I enjoyed playing the stuff once I was able to. I then found Cliff Edwards version of "Over The Rainbow" and was thrilled! Still sometimes trying to make it. Came close and I was so amused by myself! Never managed to play it like him. But was happy with my take. And when I discoverd Herb Otha Sr. and his version of "Stardust" I was locked in for weeks to figure out where his fingers move from watching the video hundreds of times. Never got there. But meanwhile I found my own version of "Over The Rainbow" with a lot of cool Jazz progressions, a very little Herb Ohta Sr. style, I played this song for weeks to anybody, no matter if they want to hear this or not. And "You are my sunshine" was played by me and sung by our friends for a wedding (Corona-scale) two weeks ago. So I guess: Whatever makes you thrilled and wanting to learn, don't push it too far away thinking, you will never get there any soon. It can come so quick!! Just do regardless of how it sounds at the beginning. Don't think at possible auditors. Just noodle around on the couch and be happy with whatever comes out of this ukebox.

As long as it makes you smile, it's good.

I find, "Singing In The Rain" can be a lot of fun to play and sing. This time I talk not so much about the old version from the Hollywood Revue of 1929 played by Cliff Edwards. Its the Gene Kelly version I really love. Go look it up. The moment when the camera moves over his head, and he looks up, arms wide open and sings smiling: "Come on with the rain, I've a smile on my face!"

Here is it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1ZYhVpdXbQ it is at 1:40 ....

And here is a good tutorial on youtube (there are lots of other very good ones, too, but I like this one): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3w1TAv0ljc I just do it a little different: When the part comes "come on with the rain, I've (D7, exact on "I've a", to beats) a smile (C7, on "smile")( Gm7) on my face or so. To me, sounds better. Go try it out, It*s realy fun to do! If you progress and you want to play along with the original video with Gene Kelly, you have to tune your uke up a half step to G# - C# - F - A# to match it, chord shapes keep the same.... Don't be shocked by the strange chord names, they are easy to learn!

Enjoy, and don`t forget to smile when you sing and play! If your voice is to low in this key, you can search for a version in the key of C. I have one, but with bar chords and some jazzy chords, not good for now, but maybe later...
 
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My idea?
Learn C, F, G7
Play The Wanderer, Boogie Wookiee Bugle Boy, Tutti Frutti, Mamma Don’t Dance and Daddy Don’t Rock and Roll, Route 66, Roll Over Beethoven.
Very easy chord progressions.
Toss in an Am and
C, Am, F, G7 progression yields
Today, Sherry, Earth Angel, Stand by Me and many more

Pinkie on the C
Middle in the Am
Drop your pointer and you have an F
Rotate and drop your middle and ring finger to the G7
Repeat

Strum, strum, strum, strum
Strum, strum, strum, strum
When it comes natural, start humming or singing - hopefully, you will HEAR the Do-wop tunes

Good luck
 
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