Month: December 2011

Jake Shimabukuro will offer a ukulele performance at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 26 at Wingate University’s Batte Center.In the hands of Shimabukuro, the traditional Hawaiian instrument is stretched and molded into a complex and bold new musical force. On his most recent album “Peace Love Ukulele,” Jake mixes jazz, rock, classical, traditional Hawaiian music and folk.Tickets are $25 and on sale via the Batte Center box office, www.battecenter.org, and the CarolinaTix phone room and website. Details: 704-233-8300.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/12/25/2869270/around-the-belt.html#storylink=cpy

Anytime is a good time to listen to the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain. They do it all! Here is their YouTube Channel and an example…

Here is Aaron from Hawaiian Music Supplie’s video on Chunking. Not sure why it is larger. Sorry.

The Chucking Strumming Technique –

Advanced Strumming Techniques –

Fun Ukulele Progressions –

Hawaiian Vamp Chord Progression –

Some Minor Chords (Am, Bm, Cm, Dm, Em, Fm, Gm)

>>>> Click Here to Learn to Chunk

Thanks to Aaron from Hawaiian Music Supply and Zelda Sheldon of Ukulele Lessons Today for their excellent tutorial videos!
The videos below are his videos from Aaron’s channel (sorted from oldest to newest). http://bit.ly/tdf3eb
and Zelda’s channel – http://www.youtube.com/user/zeldauku?feature=watch

If you know of other videos to recommend that would fit well into this sequence, please let me know.

Tuning and Holding the Ukulele –

Positioning the Left Hand –

Very Basic and Slow Strums with Zelda Sheldon (UkuleleLessonsToday.com)

Strum Styles how to strum with your index finger (Zelda uses a pick in the last example which is not generally recommended but it is up to you)

1 Down Strum per Measure or Bar to 8 Down Strums per Measure

Down, Down, Down, Up-Down Strum

Down, Down-Up, Down-Up, Down-Up
Down, Down-Up, Down-Up, Down-Up

Strumming with the Right Hand –

Playing some Basic Chords (C, A, G, F, D, B, E)-

>>>> Click Here for More Beginning Ukulele YouTube Tutorial Videos

This is a good tutorial for learning to strum in 3/4 (3 beats per measure) with Aaron from Hawaiian Music Supply.

Clap the rhythms first.

 – Down  |  Down / Up  |   Up / Down

Ukulele Player Magazine featured an article, Byron Yasui: The Learned Ukulelist, about a professor emeritus of music composition and theory at the Univ. of Hawaii at Mahoa. In 1964 he wrote an undergraduate paper pointing out the ‘value of using the ukulele to teach music, reading, ear training and ukulele playing, not just for music majors, but for everyone in the community.’ Today he says, ‘I still feel the same; even more so. The ukulele is relatively inexpensive, easy to learn to play, and very portable. As one of my retirement projects I plan to write a textbook that would be useful for such a class. Music literacy for all is my mission in life, and the ukulele is an ideal vehicle to attain this goal.’ Mr. Yasui, we look forward to seeing your textbook. P.S. if you are looking for a ‘curriculum’ for teaching or learning the ukulele check out James Hill and J. Chalmer’s Doane’s Ukulele in the Classroom. Other Ukulele Method Books are listed here on UkuleleClass.com.

You can pick up a copy of Barry Maz’s uke handbook, ‘What Ukulele Players Really Want To Know’ in ebook format for only $1.99 until the end of 2011. That’s half price! If you know a new player looking at getting a uke for Christmas, now is the time to tell them to grab a deal on this book. The book is on the Amazon Kindle stores at Amazon.com and also on Barnes & Noble now for Nook readers
Barnes & Noble Nook

You can also find it on Smashwords and iTunes. Oh, and if you prefer a real book its available in paperback on Amazon!

(Note that these are not ‘affiliate links’. I am making nothing on this recommendation nor do I know the author. It’s just a bargain at this price!)