Starting off with the right gear is essential to having fun playing the ukulele! There are many different brands of beginner level ukuleles that cost around $20-30. Some even less than that.
Many people start learning how to play the guitar at this price, so why not give the smaller, simpler ukulele a try? They are great for anyone who wants to learn how to play the instrument quickly and easily.
There are several things that can be done to improve your player skills as you practice more. Changing up the strums, picking styles, and using various techniques will help you hone your skills. Using helpful apps and tools to track your progress will also inspire you to keep practicing.
This article will talk about some basic tips and tricks for developing your player skill on the ukulele.
Practice makes perfect
Many people start learning how to play ukulele by picking up a set or few strings of the instrument and trying to play some songs. While this is great way to begin, it can be tricky to know what next!
There are over 20,000 different songs in the music world, so choosing one song to learn your notes for is not the best way to learn how to play the guitar. It’s like going into a restaurant and only ordering dessert — wonderful to do, but not a good way to eat!
If you’re more confident starting with a beginner chord structure, that’s totally fine! But don’t stop there! Once you feel comfortable playing some chords, try moving onto some bass lines and then eventually melodies and riffs.
Create a practice schedule
When someone says they want to learn ukulele, one of the first things that usually comes up is how much there are so many sizes and shapes of strings you can use. This looks like a fun thing to know!
But knowing all these different types of strings can be overwhelming for beginners because it doesn’t feel meaningful until you get into the habit of using them.
It’s also easy to start buying lots of different strings and never actually use any of them. The hard truth is that no matter what string brand you buy, it will not help you if you do not use it. You have to put the string in your mouth and pull it out very slowly or it will hurt too much.
That is totally normal! Strings are made of latex which is why most people don’t really need to worry about choosing ones before starting. But some people are sensitive to latex and that could be you. Your skin might react to it.
So what about steel? Or nickel-plated copper? Or nylon? All those strings work just as well as regular gut and none of them costs more than around $10 per roll.
Buy a good quality instrument
A lot of people begin learning how to play ukulele by buying a cheap, plastic model. These are usually marketed as being more affordable, but they can be hard to work with due to not having very many features or comfortable ergonomic designs.
The strings will also quickly get stuck in the hole since there is no mechanism for holding them down. This could easily cause you to lose your song or even give up!
It is important to find an instrument that feels sturdy and professional. An easy way to do this is to try out some from the floor price before deciding on the final purchase.
Connect with other ukulele enthusiasts
One of the greatest things about learning to play the ukulele is that you never really need to stop doing it. There are always more tools to learn, new techniques to explore, music to listen to, and people to meet who can help you hone your skills or give you some inspiration!
Many musicians begin playing the guitar at a young age and then progress onto another instrument like the bass or the violin. By adding another string to their toolbox, they develop their musical talents in different areas.
For many people, the sound of the uke gives them joy and it helps soothe their nerves or get rid of stress in their lives. For others, it is simply a way to spend time creating something beautiful that they enjoy listening to.
Whatever your reasons for picking up the ukulele, there are plenty of ways to connect with other players and learn from each other. You could start a group with friends, organize an open jam session, or even create your own YouTube channel.
Learn to read music
It is very easy to pick up ukuleles these days, but how hard learning ukulele really is comes down to reading music!
If you have ever seen someone play the guitar or the piano, you know that most people cannot do this easily. Even if they could play some simple notes, it would be difficult for them to tell what note to make next, or even to recognize a song by just its melody.
Luckily, mastering the basics of reading musical notation does not require much more than understanding numbers! This article will go into detail about the different styles of music, and how to read those songs.
What are modes?
A mode is like a key in music. A major scale is made out of seven natural integers (or whole number positions) such as one, two, three, four, five, six, and seven. The third position is called the mediant, because it is half way between the other two integer positions. In this case, the mediant is three, which means the fourth position is one plus three, or one and eight.
The fifth position is one and two, which are both halves of one whole number, so the sixth position is one and one, and the seventh position is one and zero. These all add up to one, your base position.
By changing the order of the integers and adding or removing integers, you can get many different keys, or modes.
Learn some popular songs
There is no wrong way to start learning how to play ukulele! Many people begin by trying to learn a song that sounds like it would take them ten minutes to accomplish, which can be quite frustrating.
It is totally fine to do this! If you feel motivated then go ahead and try to nail your favorite song as quickly as possible. The important thing is to just have fun with it and enjoy music in general.
Once you are more comfortable playing short pieces, you can advance to easier songs or ones that use different strums and finger positions.
Practice makes perfect
The hardest thing about learning to play ukulele is that there are no hard and easy songs! There are only songs you know or can learn how to play. Once you have learned some basics, like playing simple chords and scales, then it’s time to pick your favorite style of music and start trying to imitate those sounds and notes with ease.
Ukuleles come in many different styles and shapes and we recommend picking one out that fits your personality. Some people love the look and feel of the instrument while others find it more practical. No matter what kind of person you are, everyone needs to begin by practicing their strumming pattern and their first few chords.
Just because something seems difficult does not mean you will never get good at it. It may take you longer than expected to achieve success but don’t give up! Keep practicing and soon you’ll be rocking away.
Take it slow
There is no wrong way to learn how to play ukulele. If you feel that you have hit a wall, give yourself some time to work through it. Don’t get discouraged!
Many people begin playing guitar at a very young age by simply picking chords and strumming patterns. That’s great if you like that style of music!
But we all know that not everyone loves rock. For this reason, many musicians these days emphasize learning songs rather than just chord structures.
This makes it much more practical to start with something easier! By starting with simple melodies and notes, you will easily be able to pick up the instrument and sound out easy tunes within the genre that inspire you!
Don’t worry about going faster or harder- those things would only hinder your progress.
