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Written by Steven Sproat
Edited by Ann Barkway
Music processed by Paul Ewers Music Design
Cover and book design by Samantha Marshall & Kay Leung Photography
by Matthew Ward and Geoff Green
Printed in the China
Images courtesy of:
Henry Diltz/Corbis (Tiny Tim), page 5
Hal Roach/MGM/The Kobal Collection (Laurel and Hardy,
from Sons of the Desert), page 5
Getty Images (George Formby), page 5
Gab Archives/Redferns (Cliff “Ukulele Ike” Edwards), page 31
LFI (Joe Brown), page 31
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Contents
Introduction
4
More chords 22
History of the ukulele
5
3-String technique 23
Which instrument?
6
My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean 24
Shopping around
7
Molly Malone 25
Parts of the ukulele
8
Fingerpicking 26
Tuning
9
Speed it up 27
Holding your instrument 10
My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean 28
Playing chords 11
Adding color 30
First five chords 12
Familiar tunes 31
Strumming 14
Yellow Rose Of Texas 32
Downstrokes & Upstrokes 15
My Grandfather’s Clock 34
Counting beats 17
Mama Don’t ’Low 36
Let’s play! 18
Happy strumming! 37
Rivers Of Babylon 19
Chord dictionary 38
Nobody Knows The Trouble I’ve Seen 20
CD track listing 40
3
4
Introduction
Welcome to Absolute Beginners Ukulele. The ukulele
has been around for more than 100 years but has
been enjoying a 21st-century worldwide revival! This
often misunderstood instrument will open up a whole
new world to you as you explore its history, charm
and versatility. The “uke” is stylish, portable and
loveable... so read on!
Easy-to-follow instructions will guide you through:
s
History of the ukulele
s
Tuning
s
Parts of the ukulele
s
First chords
s
Strumming
s
Fingerpicking
Listen to the CD several times to get the hang of
how the chords and exercises sound. Once you’ve got
them in your head, playing is so much easier.
Practice is very important: little and often is best. If
you can practice for just 15 minutes every day, that
will make you a better uke player than practicing for
two hours just once a week. Your fingers need to
adjust and get used to stretching, especially for
changing chords. This might be the first-ever
instrument that you’ve wanted to learn and it will take
time and patience – but it gets easier.
Get to know the names of the chords and how they
are positioned. This will help build up your speed
when you learn new songs, as you will start to
recognize familiar chords.
History of the ukulele
The ukulele has its origins in both Portugal and
Hawaii. According to various sources, back in the
1890s some Portuguese travelers made a long voyage
to Hawaii, taking with them their native instruments
including the braguinha and the cavaquinho. The
local islanders were enchanted with the selfaccompaniment that these instruments allowed and
the ukulele was developed and made popular.
It was nicknamed “dancing flea” or “jumping flea.”
In the 1920s and 1930s the ukulele had huge
popularity in the United States and Europe with most
sheet music showing ukulele chord boxes. The great
Laurel & Hardy even used the instrument in Sons Of
The Desert (below).
The ukulele waned in popularity during the 1950s
when rock ’n’ roll was emerging. However, various
artists, including Tiny Tim (above), brought it back
into the limelight in the 1960s, and the Ukulele
Orchestra Of Great Britain (below) has helped
establish the ukulele throughout the past two decades
by showing how versatile an instrument it can be and
how much fun can be had with it.
In the UK, the comic singer George Formby (left)
played the ukulele in his
developing career but
became more widely
known for playing a
“banjo uke” or ukulele
banjo – a standard ukulele
with the body of a banjo.
The late George Harrison was a big uke fan and Paul
McCartney, along with Brian May, Joe Brown and
Elvis Costello, have all been pictured with the
instrument.
There are now other young fine exponents of the
ukulele who have taken the instrument to its limits
(see page 37), proving that this is an instrument worth
learning.
5
6
Which instrument?
There are actually four members of the ukulele family
(five if you count the ukulele banjo). They are:
s
s
s
s
Soprano
Concert
Tenor
Baritone
The most popular type is the soprano or standard size
ukulele – it’s the smallest and has a higher pitch
compared to the others in the family. It is usually
tuned to G–C–E–A.
The next size up is the concert, which has a bigger
body and extended fingerboard. It is tuned in the
same way as a regular ukulele but is usually a little
louder and more mellow.
The tenor size is often used when playing
complicated classical or jazz pieces where
“solo” chord playing and individual strings are
plucked. Precision players such as Lyle Ritz, Elias
Sibley, James Hill and Jake Shimabukuro tend to
prefer tenor instruments.
Lastly and perhaps the least popular
are baritone ukes. These are almost
like a guitar in size but with a
narrow fingerboard, and can be
tuned in several ways.
The ukulele banjo (or banjo uke)
As popularized by the late George
Formby in the 1930s and 1940s, the
banjo uke has a much louder, harsher
sound compared to the lilt of a standard
ukulele.
There are several tunings for
this instrument. Generally
the playing style is the
same but certain
strumming techniques
work better with a banjo
uke than a standard
ukulele and vice versa.
Soprano
Concert
Tenor
Baritone
Shopping around
Buying a ukulele
These days, because of the popularity of the ukulele
and cheap imports, it is possible to own a reasonably
good instrument.
Try to check out a music shop that has several models
to look at, and be inquisitive. Compare what you’re
getting (or not getting) for your money. Avoid the
very cheap models, which are often brightly colored,
and be prepared to move up a model or two! This
ensures that your uke will have decent tuning pegs
and be reasonably set up and ready to play.
There are also some fine luthiers making excellent
ukuleles too: Phil Davidson, Phil Cartwright and
Pete Howlett are just a few makers producing highquality ukes.
Jargon Buster
Luthier. Someone who makes or repairs stringed
instruments.The word “luthier” comes from the French
word for lute, luth.
Old or “vintage” instruments are extremely sought
after and cost thousands of dollars, but once you’ve
developed your playing you might wish to consider
buying an old one – but do seek advice.
Tip
When you’re at home, keep your uke away from radiators
or from open windows, but by all means, keep it out of its
case and near your music stand – you’re more likely to play
it and practice it if it’s at the ready!
Looking after your instrument
Avoid any extremes of temperature and don’t be
tempted to leave your ukulele in a car on a hot sunny
day or overnight in the trunk on a frosty day. Invest
in a decent hard case for your instrument (bags or
zipped cases don’t offer enough protection from
weather or knocks).
7
8
Parts of the ukulele
headstock
tuning peg
nut
frets
fingerboard
(or fretboard)
fretmarker
neck
fretwire
body
strings
soundhole
bout
rosette
saddle
bridge
Strings
Good quality strings can make a big difference to the
sound of your instrument. It is good to experiment
between brands and see which strings suit your
ukulele the best.
Once you’re happy, you shouldn’t need to change
your strings all that often (unlike a guitar). Some
players keep the same ones for years!
There are clear nylon and black nylon strings, and
recently a company named Aquila has produced
specially developed white strings called “Nylgut.”
These strings (along with black nylon) usually
improve the tone and give more volume on most
ukuleles.
Tuning
The ukulele can be tuned in several keys,
but the most popular tuning is:
G
C
E
Tip
The ukulele is unusual among string instruments
in that the strings are not tuned in order of pitch.
Watch out for this!
A
These are the strings in order:
G (4th string)
C (3rd string)
E (2nd string)
A (1st string)
Tuners
There are various tuning aids available to keep your
ukulele in correct tuning. Years ago, players were
limited to pitch pipes or tuning forks but these days
electronic guitar tuners are ideal. In particular, the
“headstock” tuner (see below) is a neat, compact
electronic tuner that clamps onto the end of your
instrument, making it possible to tune conveniently
and accurately.
You can always refer to the CD and tune to the
individual strings that we play. Track 1
Metronome
A metronome acts as a
time-keeper, and as the
ukulele is mainly a
rhythm instrument it is
crucial to learn the
secrets of keeping good
time early on. There are
electronic metronomes
as well as traditional
manual types.
9
10
Holding your instrument
Sitting position
This is probably the easiest way to start. Sit
comfortably on a stool or chair, and hold the uke just
above your hip (don’t allow the uke to sit on your
lap).
Your right forearm should be gently “clutching” the
uke and lightly pressing into the side of your body.
The left hand is offering support and balance. It
should be quite relaxed, with just enough pressure to
keep the uke secure.
Standing position
This is harder and needs more practice (especially
with a banjo uke). The same principles apply as
before, but practice rising out of your chair while
holding or playing your ukulele, and go from
sitting to standing until you feel comfortable with how
you hold your instrument. It is always better to play
standing up.
Tip
Why not try using a mirror to see
how your playing looks?
Playing chords
At first, holding down a chord will seem like a
challenge. You have to be able to apply enough
pressure from your fingertips and also be pressing
into the fingerboard just behind the fret
(not actually on the fret).
2nd finger
1st finger
3rd finger
4th finger
Your fingers will not be used to pressing down
on the strings and so some chords will seem like
a real effort and possibly make your fingertips a
little sore. Be encouraged that your fingertips will
harden with regular playing, and your fingers will get
used to stretching.
Chords that once looked near impossible become less
challenging!
Tip
Try to keep the nails on your left hand quite short,
but allow the nails on your right hand to grow longer
for strumming!
Sometimes it is okay to allow your thumb to appear
to hang over the fretboard. On other chords you
might find that pressing your thumb into the middle
of the back of the neck works better – it depends on
your fingers and the chord shape.
11