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The Three Standard Ukulele Sizes
Unlike most instruments in the guitar family, ukuleles come in a number of different sizes. The three regular sizes of ukulele are soprano, concert, and [more…]
Anatomy of a Ukulele
Ukuleles are usually shaped like small guitars, but other shapes are also common (the pineapple shape is popular). The shape of the ukulele doesn’t usually make a great deal of difference to the sound, [more…]
The Different Ways to Tune a Ukulele
Ukulele tunings have changed over time, and plenty of variety still exists, with different players using different tunings for their ukuleles. The note a string plays [more…]
How to Tune a Ukulele
You can use a number of different ways to tune your ukulele, depending on what you have available and who you’re playing with. When you play alone, you only have to be in tune with yourself. When you play [more…]
How to Fret Your Ukulele
To actually play your ukulele, you need to press down on the strings to produce different notes — a procedure called fretting. When you hold down a string, you make it shorter and therefore higher in pitch [more…]
How to Read a Ukulele Chord Diagram
Luckily, you don’t need to be able to read music to play your ukulele — you can play chords just by looking at the pictures. A chord diagram shows you exactly which finger you need to put where in order [more…]
Playing Your Ukulele Using Strumming Notation
After you master the basics of playing your ukulele, you’re going to want to fancy things up a bit with some strumming. Like chord diagrams, strumming notation [more…]
Tips for Improving Your Ukulele Playing
The number-one tip, and the only sure-fire way, to improve your ukulele playing is to practice. Put in the hours on your ukulele. To get the most from your practice time, keep yourself motivated, and build [more…]
Considering an Electric Ukulele
Electric ukuleles are useful for two very different occasions: when you want to play very loud and when you want to play very quietly. Electric ukuleles come in two types: [more…]
Buying a Ukulele
Buying a ukulele in a shop used to be a very dispiriting experience. You’d see walls packed with guitars and a couple of ukuleles collecting dust in the corner. Fortunately, that situation is slowly changing [more…]
Ukulele Brands
Many ukuleles are made by companies that specialize in ukes, although some ukulele manufacturers also produce other string instruments, such as guitars. Some of the most popular makes and manufacturers [more…]
Accessories for Your Ukulele
The extras you can buy for your ukulele range from the very useful to handy non-essentials to indulgently expensive. Once you get hooked on playing ukulele, you'll find yourself considering these accessories [more…]
Tune Your Ukulele to an Audio Clip
The wonders of modern technology provide an opportunity to tune your ukulele to an audio clip on the Internet. For the basic and popular gCEA ukulele tuning, play [more…]
How to Read Ukulele Strumming Notation
Strumming, or playing each note in a chord quickly in rhythm, is a way to make your ukulele more interesting to play and to listen to. There’s no right way to strum any particular song, but make sure that [more…]
How to Read Ukulele Tablature
Standard notation is useful because it’s universal and remains the same for every instrument, including the ukulele. However, notation is quite tricky to read, and for instruments where you can play the [more…]
How to Tune Your Ukulele with an Electronic Tuner
Using an electronic tuner is by far the easiest way to tune your ukulele. If you’re just starting out with the ukulele, use a tuner. You can branch out into other tuning methods as you become more experienced [more…]
How to Hold Your Ukulele for Playing
The way you hold a ukulele is a vitally important part of making it sound good. The uke is such a small instrument that choking all the sound out of it is all too easy. A general guideline for holding [more…]
What to Consider When Buying Your First Ukulele
With all the different sizes and brands available, choosing your first ukulele can be a bit daunting; but you need to put some thought into this important choice. Without a decent ukulele, you won’t get [more…]
Stretching the Strings on a Ukulele
New ukulele strings need to be stretched prior to tuning. Learn and master the technique, so you'll have perfect strings every time. [more…]
Holding a Ukulele
Holding your ukulele correctly allows you to get more resonance and amplification from the instrument. [more…]
Getting Your Ukulele in Tune with a Digital Tuner
Playing your ukulele successfully starts with tuning. Learn how to use a digital tuner, and get strumming. [more…]
How to Tune a Ukulele to Itself by Ear
If you don't have a tuner handy, don't worry! You can tune a ukulele to itself by ear. A tuned instrument is the first step to playing well. [more…]
Simple Ukulele Picking Patterns
On ukulele things start simply and build slowly. Start with a C chord and simple finger picking, add a chord progression around it, and soon it builds to complex tunes. [more…]
Ukulele Basics: How to Play a Simple Melody
Discover proper ukulele fret and strumming hand placements, that make playing simple melodies a breeze. [more…]
