Got A Ukulele Beginners Tips - Top Ten Tips for New Players! 4K

[@kev5125]

I'm early seventies, been learning the uke for a couple of years. I'm never gonna be an accomplished player, But your point of having fun is number 1 for me. As they say, you PLAY an instrument you don't work it. Just the fact I can pick up my uke and get a tune out of it , feels great. If I could add a tip I would say, do a little practice on that new chord or new song just before you sleep at night. While you are sleeping you brain collates information such as finger memory and other information helping you learn. Great vid as usual Baz, cheers

[@GotAUkulele]

Thanks Kev!

[@RondelayAOK]

exactly

[@jenniferherbert5956]

Great tips- I’ve only recently started playing-yay COVID- and learning chords was soooo difficult for me. I made myself flash cards of the most used and would take five at a time and practice each one for a couple minutes apiece. Then I would practice changing from one to another. There’s confidence when you know the chords, or at least only have to figure out an odd one or two when learning a new song. Oh, and I play every day and it makes me happy. If I’m getting upset I know it’s time to take a break.

[@GotAUkulele]

Thanks!

[@cierragrove4745]

Beginner here - Your tip about starting with simple strum patterns is great. Thank you!

[@GotAUkulele]

My pleasure! Keep it simple to start with, trust me!

[@vividdreaming1]

Have fun. An often overlooked tip. Glad you included it too.

[@GotAUkulele]

Probably the most important!

[@EagleUkes]

Superb Baz....so helpful and every tip an absolute gem....clear and concise....thanks so much for this...:)

[@GotAUkulele]

Glad it was helpful! Cheers Graham!

[@brendacotter5455]

If you can, play at least 5 minutes every day. It's better for learning to have regular short practices than very irregular longer ones.

[@GotAUkulele]

Yep - agreed!

[@marianolopez4257]

Great tip!

[@raymondstebbins5904]

All great tips you touched on adjusting your nut and bridge beyond that don't assume your new ukulele doesn't need a set-up a lower end to mid range uke can sound and play better with a good setup and many after being shipped or not good quality control need this service

[@marieandersson6655]

The 11th: play on a uke you really love. It is not fun playing on a dull uke 😃😉 Thanks for producing a nice video 💕

[@nickiemcnichols5397]

Thank you Baz! I'm teaching 4 beginners right now, and I can say that these are all very important. I'm teaching them simple finger-picking songs while they learn chords, too, so they'll have more fun.

[@GotAUkulele]

Great job!

[@marieandersson5730]

Even if I have played the ukulele for a couple of years, I found this video very useful. At nr 7 I smiled a lot. My strum patterns is a kind of weird, but so far no one have complained about my strumming, when playing in public 😅 Thanks a lot! You're the best ❤

[@GotAUkulele]

Glad it helped! I thought about updating this - but still stand by all of them!

[@MrEricgal]

The comments about strum patterns and a light touch particularly helpful..... I went wrong there when I started!

[@GotAUkulele]

There's a time and a place for them is my advice. But only when you know all the chords and can move between them at will whilst keeping basic time with the song. If you skip that basic rhythm learning, any 'pattern' is going to sound out of time.

[@davidgallie1365]

@@GotAUkulele Yep..... I learnt that the hard way!!

[@squeakynib]

Thank you for this video! I really needed to hear tip #7. I am brand new to the ukulele and have no music experience at all. I was starting to think I had some sort of defect because I have the hardest time keeping track of a strumming pattern AND chord changes at the same time. I was about to give up. After hearing your advice I will keep going and hope that with some build up of muscle memory I will get there eventually. Thanks!!!

[@GotAUkulele]

You are so welcome!

[@finnmcool2]

When you hit a wall with your progress get a run at it. What I mean is go back several lessons, exercises, pages of your method book what ever. Practice them again and see what you missed last time. By the time you get back to that wall it won't seem as high any more.

[@GotAUkulele]

Good tip

[@suziofftheplanet977]

'Play with other people'! I didn't realise how important and how much fun that was until I got myself a guitar tutor recently to sort out my bad habits. I hadn't played guitar or ukulele with anyone else in all my years as a lone fireside player! I improved in one lesson and had so much fun!! Great tips Baz

[@GotAUkulele]

Yep! Thanks Suzi

[@stephpicher]

"I'm not a teacher." *Proceeds to give a small essentials course without even reading notes.*

[@GotAUkulele]

Ha ha - What I mean is... my music theory is TERRIBLE!!

[@RiemannFan]

My main tip to a beginner us take it out of its case or bag, and then put the bag / case away somewhere until you need it again to take your use out of the house. If a Uke is in a case then that is the easiest excuse not to pick it up and have a quick strum.

[@GotAUkulele]

Exactly why I own a Flea and a Fluke - they stand on their bases and are built like tanks if they get knocked over - always have one to hand!

[@danielhoffman2663]

I'd like to add to the part about keeping it simple. I found it confusing to try singing while playing for quite a while. One thing that helped me was to play without trying to sing until I felt comfortable playing the tune. Then I would hum while playing for a few times. Only then would I play and sing at the same time. I found it much less confusing. But, that might just be me. After five years of playing, I still like to practice songs a few times without singing unless I know the song really well already.

[@GotAUkulele]

I would not disagree with that at all Daniel! Another one I would add to that part - is using the good old 'foot tap' - perfect in built metronome - far better than strum patterns!

[@wylancslass]

Baz, this is awesome! I have to say, one of the things I am most, most, most grateful to you for is the page on your website about 'sore fingers', as you mentioned in this video. I thought I was doing something wrong (well, I was actually squeezing the life out of the fret board) but I didn't realise that my fingers would be so sore learning to play the Ukulele. So I Googled and up popped your page about sore fingers. It was like a breath of fresh air. If it hadn't been for that article, I would probably have given up but because I learned that everybody goes through that when starting out, I persevered. I am so glad I did. Thanks to you! There are so many things you have mentioned that I could touch on from a Beginners point of view but I just had to mention that one thing.

[@GotAUkulele]

Awww thanks Wendy - when I put my beginners posts together - I deliberately chose topics that no other guide books or websites touch on - that's really what they are - all the 'other stuff'. But the other stuff is what a lot of people get tangled up with. Learning to play isn't just about a chord chart. Few books really talk about the basics of holding, changing strings etc... Like I say - I am not a teacher of music and never pretend to be.

[@kathleenhickey7793]

Thanks, Baz! I’m not a beginner, but there were some important reminders in here for me. I always enjoy your videos. Stay safe and well!

[@GotAUkulele]

Thank you Kathleen!

[@evanssm1]

I'm not an expert (and no one who's ever heard me would disagree with me on that) but, based on my first 18 months with a uke here are my thoughts: Everything comes at it's own pace - some things will come quickly, some things come slowly and some things might never come at all. Once you start learning pieces, don't spend all your time plugging away trying to master just the one tune - work on a few things at once. Once you've got 4 or 5 pieces in the bag just spend a bit of your practice time on your latest piece and spend the rest of the time going over the tunes that you know. Don't be afraid to give up on something - it's a fine line between putting in the hard work and banging your head against a wall. Most books tend to be set out so that the "easier" pieces are towards the beginning and the more challenging pieces are at the end. You might find that the order of difficulty in the book doesn't match your own order of difficulty, so, if you're not getting on with a piece don't feel as if you're cheating by going on to the next one, or going off at a tangent - it doesn't matter how you progress, as long as you feel you're progressing and every little thing you pick up will come back to help you out somewhere along the line.

[@GotAUkulele]

Don't disagree with any of that - and you are right with the books thing. It's why I advised keeping it simple. No point trying to master a Frank Zappa opus with your first ukulele if you can't play Twinkle Twinkle in perfect time!

[@cazhowe737]

As always you are spot on with good advice. 👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@GotAUkulele]

Thanks!

[@emm_arr]

Great stuff. Thank you. Playing with other people turns practice into music.

[@GotAUkulele]

Indeed it does!

[@tcuker6819]

@Baz absolutely brilliant! Thank you!

[@GotAUkulele]

My pleasure!

[@andynew2]

An excellent bunch of tips for beginners. Love the Eastman too. I have one of their acoustic guitars and they are wondeful quality!.

[@GotAUkulele]

Review of it coming in a couple of weeks!

[@tommorrisey3999]

Amen to #8. I recommend to beginners that they make a game out of fretting familiar chords by seeing if they can get a clean sound without touching the strings to the fretboard. The only tip I’d add is to play frequently. I have two friends (Petey Mac and Ukulele Gent) who have been leading regular, free, online jams through the pandemic, and both have noticeably polished both their play and their singing - Pete has been doing so daily (on Sundays, he puts on a necktie), so he is keeping a professional schedule, and Greg leads jams weekly, although he and I also get together one other night a week and spend 2-3 hours putting together his set for the following week. The more you play, the better you play!

[@GotAUkulele]

All good stuff Tom!

[@alexcarter8807]

Nursery rhymes, church songs, and Xmas carols are good. Also consider folk music, Kingston Trio and old protest songs and so on, lotsa 3-chord wonders written for average voices out there

[@GotAUkulele]

Yep - most of them are simple, and the benefit is that we have a lot of it ingrained in our minds already - one less thing to be worrying about remembering!

[@RondelayAOK]

I've taught a thousand or so. Best to find one song you want to learn starting out, and play each day. Chord changes and remembering chord shapes the biggest challenge for all.

[@greggibson2207]

You’re the real deal. Thank you!!

[@GotAUkulele]

Any time!

[@David1131955]

Excellent video. My top tip is: Keep your ukulele to hand so you can pick it up and strum a chord or two as often as you like!

[@GotAUkulele]

Great tip! Always have one next to my armchair for that reason

[@daveadriffield7296]

Thank you 😊 stay safe.

[@GotAUkulele]

Thanks, you too!

[@chuckvt5196]

Great tips for everyone!!

[@GotAUkulele]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Jazzbanjorex]

❤️ Number 10!!!

[@GotAUkulele]

But of course!

[@patrickkerns2022]

hey barry is that a eastman tenor? how about a review of it?i know alex from souther uke loves them .they remind me of the vintage vibe but how do they cmpare with pono or kala ohana?they look like a step above would love to hear your thoughts on the tenor .i did see the soprano review you did seems you liked it except for the tuners .thanks barry

[@GotAUkulele]

Coming in a couple of weeks!

[@keithhicks1750]

Nice one Barry.

[@GotAUkulele]

Thanks!

[@FerrisFareMusic]

I bore my students repeating "Better to play 5 minutes a day, every day, than an hour once a week". And, add 'yet' to everything. "I can't play Bb . . . yet." "I can't strum and sing at the same time . . . yet", etc.

[@GotAUkulele]

Yep - good way of approaching it!

[@connormaczee]

I think something else to consider is learning multiple instruments. I started on the uke, and I have some harmonicas, I fiddle and noodle on a keyboard and tin whistle, aswell as play guitar. It gets you used to hearing music and learning scales. Personally that’s what’s helped me on my musical journey. Also my first uke song was itsy bitsy spider 🤟😎

[@GotAUkulele]

Yep - true that!

[@evanssm1]

Good advice - I started with 4 different instruments (a soprano, two tenors and a concert)

[@julieannwilliams9134]

I would include practice daily too even if it’s ten mins going over chords or a strum 😁

[@GotAUkulele]

Goes without saying!

[@TripleMoxy9]

Great video. What ukulele is that? I think I must've missed the review of it.

[@GotAUkulele]

Not been reviewed yet!

[@MrEricgal]

Best very basic tip, which I may have got from you: get a decent Uke! Using your reviews of course....

[@GotAUkulele]

Ha !

[@besley]

One thing I would add to your "be comfortable" and use a strap theme, is that it IS acceptable to use a pick!

[@GotAUkulele]

They'd be out for me with pitchforks if I did that!

[@GotAUkulele]

(Actually, I probably will!)

[@Martin_Entertains]

When you start working on a song, put the lyrics and tabs in a document that reflects your arrangement, strumming, and any notes you might have. Put them in a binder. Make a section for songs you've mastered with a table of contents. Add a section with the music for songs you're working on with its own table of contents. List the songs you would like to do someday along with the chords they use so you can get an idea of their difficulty.

[@GotAUkulele]

Good tip!

[@alexcarter8807]

Playing with others is great... I'm in an area where there are a fair number of uke players .... of course everyone's isolated now. There are KZbin videos where you learn a song and the teachers go slow and you can play along with 'em too.

[@GotAUkulele]

Yep -whichever way you can do it - play with others!

[@josedelondres2320]

People who pay music shops to change their strings for them are missing a real opportunity to develop the kind of physical connection between themselves and their musical instrument that makes this such an emotionally rewarding pastime.

[@GotAUkulele]

Amen to that José - I keep telling people that - it's part of the ownership and partnership with an instrument. You cannot know your instrument if you don't know how it works.

[@nilsudere]

Hi Baz, ı could find a button its ben more than a like. I love your revive over top 10 rules for beginner. I am a beginner too and play it from my I tablet only to learn the cords place. I could decide to buy an ukulele soprano or concert ?? we will see. any way thank you so much to let us learn each ukulele and tips for it.

[@GotAUkulele]

Glad it helped

[@Joel-UkeAlot]

Dont try to keep up with a song. Learn it slow and in time. If you learn in wrong it's very hard to undo the muscle memory. Practice it slow and correct, speed comes naturally

[@GotAUkulele]

Quite agree!

[@dpetro1377]

Be patient and don't expect to get the song on a first play. Don't be afraid to slow the tempo down to get the chord changes. And finally, even professional ukulele virtuosos need to practice and sometimes struggle when learning a new song.

[@GotAUkulele]

Going slow is indeed a great tip. Racing at things rarely ends well

[@guitardzan5641]

ON ANY INSTRUMENT, Everything begins with the FIRST NOTE that sounds perfect! Then another.....

[@GotAUkulele]

Quite true!

[@faethe000]

Are there ukuleles all over your house? I ask, since it's your job and that's how things seem to go. I sell knives for a living, so there are knives EVERYWHERE lol.

[@GotAUkulele]

There are at the moment - but most are not mine - virtually everything I review is on loan to me and goes out the door again.

[@joeobyrne3189]

11: Don't buy a Ready Ace.

[@GotAUkulele]

Ha ha!!! (Mind you - it is near Halloween / Bonfire night!)

[@lewisfreiberg8189]

You may disagree but buy the best sounding uke you can afford. You will be more anxious to pick it up and more likely to enjoy the playing.

[@GotAUkulele]

I wouldn’t disagree in the slightest!

[@clawhammer704]

You really ought to move to New Mexico or Arizona for the dry climate for your sinuses. They will clear up in a day or two.. I'll duce you to the tribe. That's my tip ....the one for beginners of any instrument is get a metronome to get timing down in your head..

[@GotAUkulele]

No they won't - caused by a heart condition. Jeeeez..

[@llaptoo]

Get some Lavender Oil to treat your sour fingertips.