Uncategorized | Learn To Play the Ukulele

Complicating Our Chords: Maj 6, Maj9, 7ths, 11ths and 13ths.

We have already discussed major, minor, seventh, augmented, diminished, and suspended chords in a previous article. Of course we can always complicate matters from there. First a quick reminder that the uke only has 4 strings, as we get into more complicated chords we run into trouble with having enough notes to actually give a proper sounding to certain chords. And because of the 4 strings many chord formations on the uke can actually be multiple chords at the same time. For example, if you play the uke with no frets on any string you get a C6 chord or you can call it an Am7. That’s because a C6 is CEGA and an Am7 is ACEG… they are made of the same notes. So essentially with no frets down on the uke we have an inversion of both C6 and Am7. However, the goal here isn’t to confuse you,[…]

How to get a percussive sound on your Uke

Basic String Muting When you first start playing the ukulele, you often will be doing your best to not mute any strings at all. As you practice new chords it is common to play each string to make sure each note in the chord sounds. All fretted strings need to be pressed down firmly right before the frets and any open strings can’t be touched by any of your fingers. However, there will come a point where you will want to purposely mute strings. We mute a string by barely pressing down on that string that we do not want to sound. Using your index finger cover all the strings on the second fret, this will be a barre chord Bm7. Play this chord as normal, making sure each string is sounding. Now take much of the pressure off the fretboard so your finger is barely laying across the strings.[…]

For many of us who pick up the ukulele it is not enough to just play, we also want to sing! While there are specific vocal techniques used in singing, in this article we are going to discuss a few pointers on how to start singing along with our uke. What is most important isn’t just an ability to sing, but a will to sing. A great singer works on their voice for many years, but in the very beginning they had to have the confidence to just do it. And think about this, some of the most famous singers out there really don’t sound all that great. Some singers are raspy, some sound like they are heavy smokers, some sing quietly, the key is they sing. It isn’t always necessary to have a great and trained voice, instead have a confident and maybe even a unique voice! Are You in[…]