It seems like everyone in the whole world got a ukulele for Christmas which isn’t a bad thing at all, it means there’s more people to play with. You’re probably wondering what to do next though…
It can be a bit daunting when you get your first ukulele, particularly if it was a gift as whoever bought it for you will be waiting for you to show your skills. Fear not though, the learning curve is a steady one and you’ve come to the right place.
Get in tune
The first place to start is get your ukulele in tune. There’s no point strumming the thing if it isn’t in tune. If you’ve got a clip on tuner then you’re all set – if not, find out how to tune your ukulele and get your uke sounding oh-so sweet. Get in the habit of tuning your ukulele every time you pick it up to play it.
Show me the chords!
After that you’re probably going to want to play a few chords, you’ve got to show off sometime! The first thing you’ll need to know is how ukulele chord boxes work. Once you’ve got to grips with that you’ll want to play a few of them – here’s a few chords to get you started. Work on learning a couple of chords at a time – there are even songs out there you can play with just one chord!
Extra chord help
- If you’re hungry for more chords then check out my chord progressions tool
- Find chords that sound great together
The little strummer boy (or girl)
You’re tuned up, you’ve got some chords down. Now learn a few strumming patterns. Keep it simple to begin with, focus on keeping good timing and repetition. If you want to get more bang for your buck then get to grips with the most important strumming pattern you’ll ever learn.
If you just can’t get enough of strumming then check out my PDF download showing you 32 strumming patterns.
Learn some songs
Armed with an in tune ukulele, a handful of chords and some useful strumming patterns. It’s time to go and learn some songs!
I’d highly recommend having a read of my post learn to play hundreds of songs with just 4 chords.
Find out how to read tab
You’re likely to encounter a lot of tab on your ukulele journey. Check out this post which will explain how to read ukulele tab.
Play some riffs
It’s Christmas, you’ve probably got family or friends there and I’ll bet they’re waiting for you to play something they recognise. If that’s the case you can keep them at bay by learning a few ukulele riffs.
Get some ebooks
If you’ve got this far then you’re on a roll. Articles and Youtube videos are great but there’s nothing like a dedicated ebook to really focus your attention and get some structured learning down. Check out these ebooks.
That’s it, you’re all done – you’re ready to become the new Jake Shimabukuro! Ok, maybe not just yet but who knows!