Ukulele Lessons: Fundamentals

Learn from Grammy-winning artist Daniel Ho as he helps you pick up ukulele at your own pace.

Introduction

• Welcome

1. Getting Started

• Know your uke
• Reading tablature
• The notes on the fretboard

2. Strum, Strum, Strum

• Your first chords
• Changing chords
• Play some real songs
• Spice up your strumming
• More chords more chords
• Minor chords
• Waltz time, 3/4
• Right-hand tools and techniques

3. Reading Standard Music Notation

• Rests
• Dotted half notes
• Natural notes on the 1st string
• The C major scale
• Eighth notes, of course
• Dotted quarter notes
• Sharps and flats
• Accidentals in a key signature
• Ties
• Navigating a musical map

4. Theory without Fear

• The major scale is your measuring stick
• Intervals are your building blocks
• Harmony and chords

5. Old-Time Ukulele and Backing Up Fiddle Tunes

• Strum patterns and a tune in G
• Accenting the backbeat, the E and E7 chords, and "Sally Ann" in A
• Fiddle tune form and "Soldier′s Joy" in D

6. Old School: The Swingin′ Ukulele

• How to swing
• Sixes and sevens and chords
• The circle of 5ths progression
• The triple strum
• The triple burst strum

7. Rocking Out the Uke

• The syncopated strum
• Adding percussion with mute strokes
• Moveable chord forms, or how I learned to be my own chord dictionary
• Using moveable chords, left-hand mute strokes, reggae, and soul

8. Taking It Home: Island Style

• "Aloha ′Oe"
• New strums
• Hula for Ho′opi′i

9. Ukulele Blues

• The 12-bar blues
• The blues shuffle rhythm
• The minor pentatonic scale
• Transposition
• Transposing the blues and the minor pentatonic scale
• Blues in a Minor Key

10. Introduction to Fingerstyle

• The right-hand position
• Arpeggio pattern t, i, m, a
• Middle and ring fingers together
• Fingerpicking in 3/4
• Alternating thumb pattern t, i, t, m

Conclusion

• Conclusion
• End credits

Bonus Movies

• Daniel Ho’s ukuleles
• *Bicycle Holiday* performance
• *Living in Paradise* performance