Help on uke for noobs

[bunnyo]

I've just started reading this series and I'm a real noobie. When he talks about note progressions, I understand how that works on a piano, but on a uke you have four strings. I understand the strings are tuned to A C E G (I think...), So how does the note progressions deal with each of the strings?

Thanks so much!

 

[man0a]

I assume that you are talking about scales. You can find tutorials and drills for scales on UkuleleUnderground.com and other places.

 

[ploverwing]

There are a lot of resources for beginners. A lot of people here on UU forum like Matt Stead's approach.

You are close with the tuning. A is the first string, closest to the floor. Then next is E (2nd string), C (3rd string, and for many ukuleles, the lowest note available), and finally the 4th string, G is closest to you, furthest from the floor. If you have a reentrant ukulele, this G note is not the lowest. So to complicate matters somewhat, a scale on a reentrant could go back and forth across the strings a little. If you are familiar with piano, this might take some getting used to.

 

[Jan D]

Check out this webpage, bunnyo. It has a diagram showing the location of all the notes on a ukulele fretboard. Unlike a piano, some of the scale notes are repeated on different strings, giving you multiple location options to choose from.

Ukulele Fretboard Notes and How to Learn Them Quickly - Fretboardia

Learning fretboard notes on a ukulele might seem like a daunting task, after all there are 76 notes (4 strings and 19 notes on each) you can play on the uke. In reality, many of the notes on the fretboard repeat across the neck, meaning you can play exactly the same note in several different...

fretboardia.com

 

[HoldinCoffee]

Piano is cool cuz all the notes are laid out in a linear fashion . Learning the uke is tough because in the high g tuning (which is common) the notes aren't linear. With low g tuning you get the lowest not on your top string and get higher as you go down. Thats easier to get your head around at first.
BuT... most of the beginner lessons and tutorials are in high g .
Go figure.

 

[rainbow21]

Most beginners do not learn about note progressions and location on the fretboard. But if you read standard notation and want to play the note, then it is somewhat difficult on an ukulele.

There are 12 notes in an octave on a chromatic scale (piano is easy... just walk your fingers up starting at middle C and include the black notes. If you start on the C string, it is the same, but the notes are not colored or shaped differently. So you start open and that is a C, then fret 1 is the C# (first black key), next is D, D# E F F# G G# A A# and B. 12th fret is C again. But notes double up on different strings unlike a piano. So instead of playing the E on the 4th fret, you can play open on the E string. Instead of playing an A on the 5th fret on the E string, you can play the open A string. This is how most learn to play the C scale on an ukulele. So open C and D 2nd fret on the C string, open frets 1 & 3 for E F G on the E string, and open A, fret 2 and 3 for A B C on the A string.

Hope this helps more than confuses. Give us more of an idea of what you are seeking and more info (or links) can be provided.

 

[ploverwing]

Instead of playing an A on the 7th fret on the E string, you can play the open A string.

I think it's 5th fret on the E string = A? 7th would be B

 

[rainbow21]

I think it's 5th fret on the E string = A? 7th would be B

Oops… 5th fret. Thanks!

 

[bunnyo]

These have been such helpful resources! I thank you all and promise I'm checking in daily with Matt Stead and trying to learn notes on the fretboard. Ukes are so enchanting that I just keep wanting to work at it and improve . No other instrument has done that for me and I feel like the more I learn, the more instruments I might try again, too. Ukulele, the gateway drug, ha!

 

[ploverwing]

Ukes are so enchanting that I just keep wanting to work at it and improve . No other instrument has done that for me and I feel like the more I learn, the more instruments I might try again, too. Ukulele, the gateway drug, ha!

That's very much how it's been for me, too, thus far. I struggle, but I want to learn, so I keep working at it, because I just love it so much. Glad you're enjoying the journey, that's really the important thing.