Are paid classes worth it?

swagtheswaginator

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hello. i was wondering if paid classes are worth it. i'd want to do it over zoom for obvious reasons and i have no clue where to start when it comes to a uke. i have played an instrument before in school but it was a clarinet. i did much better with a teacher since i could ask questions. would it be worth it to pay for an online class that teaches you how to play the uke? if you think it's a good idea it'd be cool if you gave recommendations and if you think it's not such a good idea it'd also be cool if you could give some alternatives. thanks!
 
When I first learned to play guitar in 1975, I took lessons that provided a good foundation. In 2013 I joined a ukulele group and soon after decided to play bass uke, but when I tried to learn on my own, I stumbled along, so I took about 10 lessons. Definitely worth it for me. The leader of my group, Cali Rose, does Zoom lessons, both individual and group, info@calirose.com. She's very good.


This is Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly Grove near the Beverly Center
8 tenor cutaway ukes, 4 acoustic bass ukes, 12 solid body bass ukes, 14 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 38)

Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
Member The CC Strummers: www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video, www.facebook.com/TheCCStrummers
 
I think structured lessons that give you a path for learning the skills you want to learn are definitely helpful. One-on-one lessons (in person or via Zoom) can be pricey, but probably will help you learn the quickest. Group lessons are difficult over Zoom since the teacher can't easily watch what everyone is doing (like they can in a classroom). An inexpensive alternative is pre-recorded lessons (like Ukulele Underground or Artist Works) where you watch and practice to their video lessons then periodically have personal one-on-one chats with the teacher to get personal feedback either via Zoom or video exchanges.
 
Like everything, it totally depends. Good lessons are worth it. Bad lessons are not.

Folks who I believe will give you a good lesson experience: Kevin Carroll, Matt Dahlberg, Aaron Crowell, to name a few.
 
If you have an uke in hand, then I would first begin with free online sessions. These will get you started and allow you to sample different instructors and courses. Do you want to strum and sing? Do you want to play chord/melody without singing? Do you want to ultimately perform or just play for enjoyment?

There are then courses whereby they have structured progression based on your direction. Some offer a monthly video feedback session specific to your questions and progress. Annual cost may be less than the cost of one or two personal lessons.

Once you get started, you can decide if a lesson will help. Or maybe by then, you can do it in person with restrictions lifted.

Added: Courses to look into should include James Hill's "The Ukulele Way", Andrew Hardel's "Rock Class 101", and Chee and Maisel's "Artist Works" course. You should be able to find sample free sections on the Hill and the Hardel sites.
 
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Like everything, it totally depends. Good lessons are worth it. Bad lessons are not.

Folks who I believe will give you a good lesson experience: Kevin Carroll, Matt Dahlberg, Aaron Crowell, to name a few.

I took lessons for 2 plus years after purchasing my first high end tenor. I had strummed casually for a few years and wanted to learn finger style. I came to the uke after years as a working trumpeter and a degree in music ed. I already had the theory thing down. Once I got relatively proficient we worked on on a variety of things. Some was material I was interested in and the guy I was studying would suggest something. Overall it was money well spent.
 
Having a good teacher has been huge for me.I have regular teacher https://www.thetinman.co/ that I have been working with for about five months. My playing has taken off. Recently, I signed up for four lessons from Aaron Crowell, and my first lesson was great. I wanted to get a new perspective on intense strumming and shake up what Chris and i have been doing. I get that not everyone can afford to do this, but if you can, I highly suggest it. Nothing like a good teacher (says a college professor)...
 
for sure it will help but you still have to put in the work offline! goodluck.
 
hello. i was wondering if paid classes are worth it. i'd want to do it over zoom for obvious reasons and i have no clue where to start when it comes to a uke. i have played an instrument before in school but it was a clarinet. i did much better with a teacher since i could ask questions. would it be worth it to pay for an online class that teaches you how to play the uke? if you think it's a good idea it'd be cool if you gave recommendations and if you think it's not such a good idea it'd also be cool if you could give some alternatives. thanks!

There are so many variables here that alter the initial balance of is it worth it or not, and then there’s the dynamic part of the balance too. How affordable might lessons be to you, what are your targets, who might be available to teach, do you do better in group or in one to one lessons, is the particular teacher right for you, is either face to face or on-line either best or not practical, and at what rate can you sustain learning are all questions that form part of the decision making process - I’m sure that a lot more questions could be added to that list too.

I had a Uke for sometime before I started to play it. Eventually I found some affordable beginner group lessons and that got me started playing, within weeks I then joined a Uke Club and have never looked back - an ongoing mix of ‘club’ playing and progressive/structured group lessons. For me that interactive and affordable mix has been near enough perfect but my route and balance might not be right for someone else. Would I be playing now without having had that first lesson? I doubt it but some other folk would have been able to bridge the initial skills gap without a personal guide and the commitment of regular structured lessons.
 
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In-person instruction with a solid plan is probably the best, but online is more practical.

There are lots of good instructors online, but actually doing the sessions is the challenge. Just Google ukulele instruction, and you'll find plenty: Chee/Maisel, James Hill, Aldrine Guerrero, Stu Fuchs, Curt Sheller, etc. The other half of the equation is a good student.
 
Hey Swag, I was in a similar situation. Before the uke I had played woodwind instruments, so I knew what I was supposed to do. So I bought a book with ukulele scales and a book about ukulele chords (which I had never played before being a woodwind musician). Then I practiced them. It can as simple or as complicated as you want to make it.

I never enrolled with an instructor because I never wanted to learn songs and that seems to be what people teach. I wanted to learn music. Therefore I looked at a lot of guitar and piano videos because they seemed to be more into what I wanted. I will mention that I like Tenthumbs Productions on youtube. I know that Tenthumbs does skype lessons. I also like Stu Fuchs but I don't know if he does personalized lessons; I never looked into it.
 
Everyone is different. Way back when, after I had been playing guitar (self-taught) for around 20 years, I took a couple of lessons.

I don't read standard notation (okay, I can find middle C on a piano), and my teacher (who is a very good teacher, and was a touring performer at the time) tried to teach me to read tab.

Oil and water.

I hear the stuff in my head, and that's what I play. I can't adapt to strumming patterns (down, down, up, up, down.. and repeat!) unless the rhythm catches me.

I stopped playing guitar over 12 years ago after arm surgery, but picked up the ukulele in 2010. The duality of the instrument (simple, yet amazingly complex) allows for a range of expression that I'm barely experiencing. I find it easier to play melodies on than I ever found with a guitar, and when I'm playing in a group, I can play with and around the other folks.
One of the groups I was playing with (before this whole pandemic thing) is lead by a very talented teacher, and several of the people in the group have joined because of his classes. I've watched their progress, and he is a good teacher. But again, his teaching style and my learning style don't mix too well.

I've been to workshops lead by Sara Maisel, Stu Fuchs, Jim Beloff, Joel Eckhaus, Marcy Marxer, and others - some I've gotten a lot of good, solid information from, some not so much.

The best - for me, anyway - workshop I've attended was by Jim D'Ville, his basic Play By Ear workshop. Why? Because that is what I do, and it gave me a different perspective on how to approach it. I mean, face it - I'm never going to play in the style of Roy Smeck, I'll never get the Formby Strum down (not intentionally, anyway. It happens on occasion, but not when I try), and I'll never play like Ledward.

But I play like Me, and I enjoy it, and occasionally got paid for doing it.

I know that there are several tremendous instructors available through Zoom and YouTube, both in group, individual, pre-recorded, and live formats. Some have free samples, some are low-cost, and some are not cheap. I'd suggest trying several, and then decide. Who knows - you may have an instructor local to you that will be just what you need to get started.

Good Luck, and remember that the most important part is that you enjoy what you are doing.

-Kurt​
 
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I think that you can teach yourself a lot, but having someone you can ask questions and get answers from really saves a lot of stumbling around in the dark trying to figure it out. You will learn faster.
 
I've been to workshops lead by Sara Maisel, Stu Fuchs, Jim Beloff, Joel Eckhaus, Marcy Marxer, and others - some I've gotten a lot of good, solid information from, some not so much.

When I began going to uke fests, I was looking forward to actually learning. After a while, I began seeing the workshops as entertainment, rather than instruction. As most of them say, "Now, I'm going to be giving you two hours of information in forty minutes, so don't expect to understand everything right away." I'd rather get twenty minutes of information in forty minutes.

I've improved by going to weekly jam sessions and playing a lot. If I want to learn, I'd look at the online instructors and take what I wanted from them. There are probably thousands of hours of instruction available for free online.
 
I never enrolled with an instructor because I never wanted to learn songs and that seems to be what people teach. I wanted to learn music. Therefore I looked at a lot of guitar and piano videos because they seemed to be more into what I wanted. I will mention that I like Tenthumbs Productions on youtube. I know that Tenthumbs does skype lessons. I also like Stu Fuchs but I don't know if he does personalized lessons; I never looked into it.
A good teacher should be able to structure your lessons to what interests you. A song is a song, your teachers shouldn't be stuck on one unless there is a compelling reason, and then they should be able to tell you what they expect to accomplish with the song and how that will fit into what you want to do. My teacher and I went off in a tangent a month ago. I asked him last week if we needed to get back to what we were doing and he very kindly told me, "when you're ready." That's how it should be, at least for me.
 
When I began going to uke fests, I was looking forward to actually learning. After a while, I began seeing the workshops as entertainment, rather than instruction. As most of them say, "Now, I'm going to be giving you two hours of information in forty minutes, so don't expect to understand everything right away." I'd rather get twenty minutes of information in forty minutes.

I've improved by going to weekly jam sessions and playing a lot. If I want to learn, I'd look at the online instructors and take what I wanted from them. There are probably thousands of hours of instruction available for free online.

One of the great things about weekly jams is the sharing of information. One person in the group can lead a session on "This is how I do 'A'", if people want to know. I did a brief on on 8-bar blues with turnaround one evening, and about 8 months later, when I was at a different group, someone was leading a song, and a group member said "Hey, that's the way Kurt was showing us the turnaround!"

I also like when we get a "This is how I do 'A'", countered with "But I do it this way.", and when we pick it apart, we find out that they are doing the same thing but in different keys, so we all get to see how to make it work in multiple forms.

That is something you can get from a good teacher, whether the class is formal or informal.

-Kurt​
 
When I began going to uke fests, I was looking forward to actually learning. After a while, I began seeing the workshops as entertainment, rather than instruction. As most of them say, "Now, I'm going to be giving you two hours of information in forty minutes, so don't expect to understand everything right away." I'd rather get twenty minutes of information in forty minutes.

I've improved by going to weekly jam sessions and playing a lot. If I want to learn, I'd look at the online instructors and take what I wanted from them. There are probably thousands of hours of instruction available for free online.

One of the great things about weekly jams is the sharing of information. One person in the group can lead a session on "This is how I do 'A'", if people want to know. I did a brief on on 8-bar blues with turnaround one evening, and about 8 months later, when I was at a different group, someone was leading a song, and a group member said "Hey, that's the way Kurt was showing us the turnaround!"

I also like when we get a "This is how I do 'A'", countered with "But I do it this way.", and when we pick it apart, we find out that they are doing the same thing but in different keys, so we all get to see how to make it work in multiple forms.

That is something you can get from a good teacher, whether the class is formal or informal.

-Kurt​
 
It'll save alot of your money and many times will make you better than had you taken a course. For skills like machine learning, deep learning, AI , Data mining , Data analytics , you're better off starting with a good online course (paid or free) and then use books to gain mastery .
 
I think it depends on what you're trying to accomplish. If you just want to be able to strum some songs, and sing along by yourself or with a group, then you don't need to spend the money for paid lessons. There are plenty of totally free online resources that will get you started and help you along. On the other hand, if you know nothing about the technical side of music, and would like to learn some music theory and how that applies to what you're playing, then lessons are a great help. Also, if you want to progress at best pace beyond the simple strumming to a more complicated style of playing, then lessons are the quickest way to get there. That's one of the greatest features of Ukulele. It's immediately accessible to everyone, almost instant gratification you might say. And, it offers a lifetime of study and improvement if that's the way you want to go. My nephew started as a beginner thinking he'd just get into something easy. Last time I spoke to him, he said how amazed he is by the Ukulele, he said "it's endless." And, he's right.
 
I’m doing group lessons via Zoom, through a local non-profit music school. I find them very helpful to give me structured learning, and feedback. It’s fun too. I think it’s less expensive because they are group lessons at a non-profit. I’m enjoying them, and find it well worth what I’m spending.
 
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