36 Ways To Become A Better Ukulele Player

Stuck in a rut and looking for some help to keep you improving? Here are 36 ways to become a better ukulele player. Get back on track with your learning and become a ukulele master…

Stop playing things you already know 

Focus on what you don’t know and can’t do in your practice sessions and you’ll develop faster.

Switch from high G to low G or vice versa

The change will force you to learn a new way to play.

Learn a new technique

Never tried clawhammer before? What about incorporating some percussion on your playing?

Turn the metronome on

Try practicing with a metronome for a while, you should see your timing improve hugely. This is a great way to get faster at playing ukulele too.

Try a new musical genre

Pick a genre that you’re not familiar with, there are lots of different techniques used in different genres.

Put some percussion into your playin

Give your uke a few slaps and see if you can emulate a drumbeat.

Move up the neck

Get away from the first 3 positions and start playing further up the neck.

Learn the chords in different positions

Chord inversions will make you a more versatile player and your music will sound more interesting for it.

Improvise

Grab yourself a backing track (Youtube has plenty) and improvise over the top of it.

Stop looking at tab

Use your ears to learn songs rather than your eyes.

Play with less strings

Playing with fewer strings forces you to be a little bit more creative.

Take a ukulele course

Ukulele courses are a great way to maintain progress as you’re following a structured path.

Switch it up

Switch songs from strumming to fingerpicking and vice versa.

Play with someone else

Not only will you pickup some new tricks but you’ll start to create better arrangements. try using my clubs map to find a local ukulele club near you.

Teach

There’s nothing to consolidate your knowledge quite like teaching.

Get On Stage

The thing with getting on stage is that it forces you to learn, it’s like having a deadline to work to.

Practice fingerpicking without your uke

You can develop your finger independence by simply tapping out patterns onto your thumb.

Train your ears

Grab yourself an ear training app and develop your note recognition.

Scales

Learn to play and recognise scales.

Don’t use your index finger

By fretting open chords without using your index finger you’re making the transition to barre chords much simpler.

Mimic melodies

Heard an annoying advert jingle? Try and copy it. Tv theme tunes are also good to try and copy.

Stand up

If you tend to play sitting down, try standing up. It will change the way you hold the uke.

Single chord

Pick a single chord song and try and play it keeping it interesting throughout.

Capo up

Ever played with a capo? It can really mix your playing up when you start to experiment with a capo.

Memorise the fretboard

Learn every note up to the 12th fret.

Don’t look down

Try not to look at your uke as you play, feel your way around your ukulele. This will improve your understanding of the fretboard and at the same time your ears will develop.

Relax

Tension gets in the way of fluid playing and leads to mistakes, learn to relax your hands and arms. Try and be aware when you’re becoming tense.

Tap tap tap

Improve your timing by taping your foot on each beat (this made a huge difference to my playing)

Work on your musical theory

I played for years without any real knowledge of music theory but it definitely helped me to get to grips with even some basic theory.

Routine

Set specific time aside to practice and stick to that time like glue – try and get yourself a practice routine to maximise your time.

Dynamics

Play with the dynamics when you’re playing and your performances will sound so much more professional.

Make mistakes

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, fear is a big block to progress so just go for it.

Listen

Yeah it sounds really obvious but too many people play without really listening.

Cut the distractions

When its time to practice, it’s time to practice. No TV, no laptop, no distractions. Just you and your uke. A small period of dedicated focus is better than a longer period with a lack of focus.

Take some lessons

The right teacher can bring your playing on leaps and bounds. If you’re completely stuck in a rut, find yourself a great ukulele teacher.

Try some books

Youtube is great but it’s very disjointed and the lessons are mainly just one-offs. Books have a natural progression to work to which will help you to progress.

Visit a ukulele festival

You’ll get chance to meet other players and artists that will inspire you.

If you have any suggestions to add to this list then please drop them in the comments below, I’d love to make the list even longer!