Where to begin?

Elysium82

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Hey guys,

My soprano ukulele is arriving in 2 days time. I have started reading Ukulele for dummies (1 hr a day) and Music Theory for dummies (1 hr a day). I am also planning to practise 1 hr a day once the ukulele is here.

I have very limited knowledge of music or playing an instrument.

Is there a youtube or online course (ideally free of charge) that I could follow? strumming patterns, chords, basic things like how to hold the uke, maybe some scales...etc....

I am asking this, because there is so much out there, but I don't know who to follow (on youtube or anywhere online) in order to pick up good habits.

Thank you.
 
Welcome to the club!
There are lots of resources online. You can start with Aldrine Guerrero. His full Ukulele Underground subscription service has a lot of lessons for people of different skill levels. You'll find many of his song tutorials on YouTube, too. Cynthia Lin has a Patreon channel that emphasizes songs rather than general instruction, but you'll find many of her songs on YouTube, too.

If you're looking for a structured program of study (at some expense), Craig Chee and Sarah Maisel have one on Artist Works, and James Hill has The Ukulele Way course. Aldrine has lessons, too, but I'd say they're less formal and structured. One of the strengths of his site is that he responds to questions people have with a lesson on the topic. So it's more immediate, but might be harder to find what you want. I think all of these, and many others, can help people learn. Like anything else, it's a matter of figuring out which person's approach is right for you. But right now you don't know enough to know which is best for you, so I'd just google Ukulele Lessons. You'll find plenty to keep you busy. It even looks like there are a few 'courses' including a 10 day course from 'Andy Guitar'. Some of these are probably teasers for paid services, but they should be a good place to start.

Personally, I wouldn't worry about the music theory at this point. I'd jump right in and start strumming. I think you'll know when you wish you knew a little more theory, and you can hit the book then.
 
I'm sure that there are a few other threads with suggestions of YouTube ukulele teachers, with hours of free tutorials. Check some of the bigger channels out, and see which teachers speak to you most. Once you feel you outgrow them, look for someone else.
Many beginners have built up a daily routine by following Bernadette's 30 Days Ukulele Challenge, and then later, her 30 Day Ukulele Course.
http://www.bernadetteteachesmusic.com/2019/03/30-day-uke-challenge.html

Cynthia Lin has a six lesson crash course, and then lots of individual songs to get you to play along.
I like Vasko from Ukulele Cheats, and he has some cool songs (though you may disagree).
Ukulele Zen, the Ukulele Teacher, Ten Thumbs Pro, Aaron Crowell and have lots of free material on YouTube.
If you'd like to explore jazz, there are Glen Rose, Neal Chin, Brian Liu, Diane Naline, Abigail Flowers (mostly on baritone ukulele) and Dani Joy.
Uke Like The Pros and One Music School also offer some free resources.
Check out some ukulele podcasts too!
 
My recommendation is the "Ready Steady Ukulele" course, by James Hill. It will get you on the path, teach you "the most important chord", have you playing your first song quickly, teach you how to read tablatures & music notation and more ... all that for One Dollar. It's true, I took this course myself and it is fantastic. Fork out a buck, learn ukulele.

https://www.uketropolis.com/ready

Listen to his explanation, watch his video, see what you think.
 
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A very wise professor of mine once said: "You should always start with what you know." It sounds trivial, except that so many of us try to skip ahead and get all confused and bogged down right off the bat because we've started from an unfamiliar place. Of course, his advice assumes we "know" something. And, invariably, we do. I bet you already know where a C chord is found, and an F, and a G. That, by itself, is enough for a start. Just begin working those chords in sequence, looking for and even strum, and maybe a little rhythm. I guarantee that you're musical journey will get a good start just from that.
 
Bruce Shimabukuro has a great series for free on YouTube that may help you out quite a bit. It will give you expert instruction on the basic techniques of Ukulele that you can master an apply to any song.

I will be spending some time on this recommendation. I was not familiar with it. I like the way it presents in small bites. I like https://jollyrogerukulele.com/ a lot but can see I will get a lot from following Bruces site
 
Hey guys,

My soprano ukulele is arriving in 2 days time. I have started reading Ukulele for dummies (1 hr a day) and Music Theory for dummies (1 hr a day). I am also planning to practise 1 hr a day once the ukulele is here.

I have very limited knowledge of music or playing an instrument.

Is there a youtube or online course (ideally free of charge) that I could follow? strumming patterns, chords, basic things like how to hold the uke, maybe some scales...etc....

I am asking this, because there is so much out there, but I don't know who to follow (on youtube or anywhere online) in order to pick up good habits.
I would like to improve my ukka skills so that I can use it in my projects. I make documentaries about the biggest problems our society faces. I am proud that they attract attention. Based on my last film, various human trafficking essays were written https://paperap.com/free-papers/human-trafficking/ Usually, in addition to interesting facts and high-quality video, I want to make high-quality sound. So I want to get new skills and learn more musical knowledge.
Thank you.
A good tip from a professor has already been written here) I personally started training from the very beginning, studied notes, chords ... I'm sure your initial level was better, maybe you would be interested in finding like-minded people and playing together and exchanging experiences.
 
Matt Stead has a playlist for beginners that walks you through just about everything and unlike the VAST majority of YouTube instructors, he actually thought out the curriculum to build you up in an order.

There’s also a stopping point so you can chart your progress and not feel like you’re working hard but going nowhere.

And, when you finish that, he has other courses that are bundled up in playlists the exact same way so you can keep your focus, chart your progress, and see how good you’re getting.
 
Almost all of the online instructors have free videos you can watch to see if you like their method of teaching. Some you will gravitate to, others you won't care for.

I jumped around from book to book & instruction videos to different instructors videos. I don't recommend it. Find someone you like and follow it through. But take the time to find and play some songs you like a long the way. To keep it fun as well.

I would suggest you find a book or video series for absolute beginners. Follow the book from beginning to end. It will tell you how to hold, strum and finger the chords. Maybe introduce sme of the notes on each string. GCEA. The four notes of the strings on a ukulele (except baritones). Fretting changes those notes.

Be aware that there are more than one way to do things to play a uke. One instructor may tell you to do something one way and another will tell you a different way. That got me very confused until I realized that both, all, were correct! That's why I recommend you follow one resource until finished. That will give you a base level of knowledge upon which to build.

For example. One person said to play using the thumb to strum. Another said to use the nail of the index finger to make a downward strum, and the fleshy part for the up strum. Another preferred to use all four fingers to strum—because you get more volume that way. All three are correct. You can use all three methods to produce different sounds. The index finger is the most commonly used method.

If you don't already do this, start tapping your foot to songs. This will help develop your sense of rhythm and timing. 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. Critical for playing.

Dive in and start. If you get frustrated, stop and relax. Play a song. Practice your chords. Go back tomorrow and tackle it a fresh.

Keep it fun.
 
I have a free starter course on my YouTube channel, with links to free PDF materials, called GCEA U. The intent of the course was to help new players start with a solid foundation so they could then move on to other resources. I look very different now (having losing weight by choice/design), but the content is still solid and valid.
 
I have a free starter course on my YouTube channel, with links to free PDF materials, called GCEA U. The intent of the course was to help new players start with a solid foundation so they could then move on to other resources. I look very different now (having losing weight by choice/design), but the content is still solid and valid.
Sure wish I had found the DGBE University a year ago. Great resource and going to go through this page by page to restart the right way.

Thank you so very much for this beginner baritone resource.
 
I want to second the recommendation of Matt Stead's beginners course. It's organized, comprehensive, free and very well done.


Thirding! He really does start at the VERY beginning, and does it in a way that I found enjoyable to revisit as a novice who could have benefitted from a little more direction.

These are substantial, too, most at least half an hour, up to an hour, but without being a drag. He's a very gentle, open soul - obviously not uncommon in the ukulele community, yay! - but he's also clearly delighted with all this.

Again not uncommon among people who've taken the trouble to share their knowledge, but Matt also giggles, a lot. It's adorable and infectious, and as a giggler myself, makes me aware of the exceptional joy I find with him.

The courses are amazing, but you really, REALLY need to check out his Kanikapila Monday live jams. They harken back to the old way of learning -- "watch this, now you try, now let's do it together" -- that's so much more engaging than staring at chord charts and song sheets and trying to keep everything straight.

(Not that Matt doesn't ever use printed material. Just not for this, although he does provide lyrics and other support material. The point of the sessions, though, is to be more open, and focus on the pleasure of playing.)

Here's the kicker, the thing that will change your life. He bases this around chord numbers, so you're going to learn some theory, explicitly in the context of helping you play THIS song, right NOW. It's a delightful (that word again) playful look at how understanding a little theory helps you turn chord sequences into words and sentences. You'll find your learning and your playing progress will go so, so much faster!

It's kind of like learning a foreign language. You have to learn a few basics, but your progress speeds up when you stop looking up every single word in the dictionary. At some point, you have to start talking. LOL "Music theory" is a scary way of saying "how chords work, and how they make songs." You don't need to grasp it all, but that moment when you feel a song turning from a pile of chords that you have to wrestle individually, into an elegant, portable WHOLE that you can comfortably navigate, well, that changes everything.

I also can't emphasize how much sharper and more engaging his repertoire is than any other teachers I've encountered. One's mileage will vary here, of course, but you're every bit as likely to encounter twee indie (a label that Matt embraces) like Belle and Sebastian or The Go-Betweens as The Beatles, Dylan, and Beach Boys. Plenty of Hawaiian music, gospel, and blues too, including MANY songs that I've not seen anyone else teach...

...but the main thing is that you'll discover that YOU CAN DO THIS, and even better, that you can do more than you imagined.

Me, I take no pleasure from improvising, but if you're interested in learning to solo, these sessions will get you going from the start. I almost don't want to tell you how he does this because it almost seems like magic, and everyone deserves to see it at least once without knowing how the trick works. 😊

You may hear "theory" and "improving" and assume that you're not ready yet, but I'm begging you, don't. Jump on this now and save yourself months of wasted time. I hear people ask all the time, "Why should I learn theory? What does it matter?" You'll find the answer here. Learn more, faster, easier. Why would you wait to do that?

Honestly, though, everybody should get in on these. Definitely not just beginners. I can barely believe that anything this awesome exists. No matter how embryonic your skills, you'll be able to play along. No matter how advanced your skills, you'll be challenged. It really is magical!

Here's the first in the series, where he introduces chord numbering, the personalities and roles of the chord types that those numbers represent (it helps a LOT to understand these), and how little things like adding another finger or changing the rhythm of your strum can open up new possibilities.

There are a handful of "appointment viewing" events in the uke world for me. The UU podcast, The Ukulele Site podcast, @4stringboy's Fingerstyle Fursday, and @bazmaz's Got A Ukulele weekly reviews, are the biggies...but Kanikapila tops them all for me. The balance of approachability, challenge, and inspiration is amazing to me.

There's also a TON MORE on his channel. After the Beginners series is another full series of Intermediate videos, series for Next Steps, Playing Up The Dusty End (that's right, a whole series on inversions), another on jazz standards, a series on clawhanmer, lots of song-based one-offs, a chord melody playlist that pulls from several of his series, and I know I'm leaving stuff out. It's all free, no Patreon, but I think you'll find yourself saying yes now and again to his occassional and subtle requests for donations.

So you should definitely check out the beginner series he offers, but please, please, please don't miss the Kanikapila sessions! And for anyone who hasn't explored his channel yet, please don't let the enthusiasm that I and others on this thread have expressed for his beginner tutorials think that he stops there. Quite the contrary -- he goes as advanced as anyone I've yet seen, so no matter where you are or where you'd like to go, you're going to find plenty here to keep you busy.

Good luck, @Elysium82 and don't forget to breathe. It can be a lot in the beginning. 😁
 
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Well, I have never done ANY of these things when I learned... I just went online and printed out some chord charts to songs I already knew, and just kept at it. Four years later, I'm sounding pretty good. An hour a day is all it takes if you can keep your self motivated!

BUT: I do advise stretching and finger warm ups before playing. Here is the routine I use when I am teaching my students how to play:

Ukulele warm up exercises

  • First, we tap our fingers to our thumbs - hard enough to hear it if possible and with both hands working independently... 1-2-3-4-4-3-2-1 and in other patterns (1-1-1-1-2-2-2-2 4-4-4-4-3-3-3-3, etc) for half a minute. They love to try "contrary motion": one hand doing 1-2-3-4 the other doing 4-3-2-1
  • Hands as if in prayer, then spread fingers apart and flex them. Then, more tapping: Tap thumbs together, pointers, middles, rings pinkys 4X each in 4/4 time... then change up the order
  • Wrist extensions: Bend gently but a bit farther than you can bend them naturally helping with the opposite hand, 5X each side
  • Wrist rotations, both directions, two sets of five
  • Finger massages, with gentle rotation for each digit
  • Shoulder rolls, forward back and side to side, 5X each
  • "underwater swimming": Arms move like you are swimming the crawl stroke but leading with the elbows pointing out and hands folded up near you chest
  • Touch hands behind your back, switch hands and try again
  • Left hand out palm facing left, right hand over facing right, clasp hands, then rotate both downward and towards you. We call this motion "tie and untie" . Reverse hands and do it again
  • Imaginary weight lifting: pretend you are curling with imaginary (but heavy) weights. 5X each side while flexing muscles the lower arm muscles to stimulate blood flow
And now we are ready to play!
 
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I’m a big advocate for learning music theory but I’d say that in the first days, weeks, month(s) it can probably go on the back burner.

I would highly recommend joining Rockclass101 as you progress through your first year this is a really good base for learning

For the first month or so I would just find songs you like and use them as a way to learn chords.
 
Is there a youtube or online course (ideally free of charge) that I could follow? strumming patterns, chords, basic things like how to hold the uke, maybe some scales...etc....
I am newbie here and also had a similar situation like you, But I think app would be the great and easiest way to learn about guitar or any instrument instead of watching youtube online course.
 
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