Nice, I feel another tip is to try a different tuning. Whether it is a weird open tuning or just tuning a tenor down a minor third, it adds a whole new dimension to the sound of the uke
Hi Alex, great videos! I bought my uke last year at the age of 70 because: I've never learned to play an instrument and wanted to; Jake and Kimo just blow my mind; and I wrote a song for my 50th wedding anniversary later this year and wanted to play it for my wife (in Hawaii!). I've been playing for 8 months and play at least a little every day. Thanks for all you do,.
I am a fairly new ukulele player; two years. I like to use sheets to learn a song, then I leave it and start changing it to make it my own. Finger pick instead of strum, find the meter, change the tempo, create intros and outros, change the chords.. That makes an old song new again and interesting!
Great video. Really needed this boost. Started playing Uke during covid shut down and played it every day for 30 min to 2 hours for a year. Scaled back a little bit in year 2 but this last year and a half or so I have hit that wall. Hardly playing. Planning on switching to a new teacher to learn from for 2024 and going to try and get really good at reading TAB. Cheers!
Alex, well organized and valuable advice. Keep it coming! I use many of these daily with my collection of ukuleles. I have one tenor with a high G for that unique Hawaiian sound, another is open tuned and I use it for playing with a slide, a Martin mahogany concert strung low G is my strumming instrument, and an oversize all cedar uke has some mellow nylon strings and is for folky blues. I play one of them for 30 minutes every morning. My performing instruments are a low G redwood/rosewood tenor and a Kala U-bass. Playing those other instruments and styles each morning keeps me fresh for going back to my performing instruments.
The Ten Ukulele Commandments! I have already been following some of them for quite some time. Let me also recommend Christopher Davis-Shannon and his Learning Ukulele Standards. Thorough lessons each month for classic jazz songs lovers. I actually re-discovered the ukulele thanks to Woody Allen’s Magic in the Moonlight movie.
Thanks - lots of good tips. Lately I hear you on switching between high and low G - I thought I was a committed high G player, but over the last couple of weeks the fingerpicking possibilities of low G and a little bit of bass are really exciting me.
"learning the fretboard" is crucial. It opens so much potential of fun and one gets the looks of a professional player. 💪🤪 I used the chord shapes book from Brad Bordessa form livukuele! That so freaking amazing!
Alex, this is a truly fantastic video. Your advice is right on, sound, advice. Every single thing you said is on point, and as you hit each one, I said to myself “oh that’s a great one”. If forced to choose one favorite piece of advice, I would say-sometimes it’s good to take a break. As we’re learning, we all need to do that. I’m a retired music educator (band director in the public schools), have been playing/studying ukulele for many years now and your video is something I wish I had had with my students. One thing I would recommend for folks trying to learn chord positions in all positions is the Roy Sakuma treasury of ukulele chords. Very quickly, you will begin to understand the whole fretboard and what it all means. My two cents. I’m very excited because next summer I’m signed up for the UFGB and the Ukulele Retreat…who knows, I may run into you there, but I’m sure I’ll meet lots of folks from the “old England”, as opposed to my area “New England”.
Great video - thanks! I ordered your Low-G strings a week ago, can't wait until they arrive and I can test them out - so excited and curious for that change! And I am looking for a teacher to start with fingerstyle and chord melody ... not easy, the most I found yet, are for more advanced players than I am...
Thank you Alex, really helpful pointers there and heartfelt too. So true about having a uke on the wall to play for any moment! I'm off to look up campanella style now. Cheers!
Fantastic video. Loved the tip about playing w/o paper 😂 As you said it I was playing a song (from memory) but hadn’t thought about what I was playing. When you said it, I paid attention to what I was playing and realized I was playing in the key of F. That was cool :) Thanks.
Thank you for all these tips! I recently went from high G to low G on my Tenor Uke and I love it! But I also find having a high G on my Concert Uke keeps the tunes flowing between a more guitar like sound and the traditional Uke sound. I am a definite sheet music player. Just the thought of playing without the music in front of me scares me a lot. I am 68 and remembering the words to a song, as well as the chords, just doesn’t seem to stay with me, but I will try it! Wish me luck!
Great video and advice Alex, thanks for putting this together. Strange but just last week I had heard a version of Portaloo (to the tune of Waterloo by Abba) and decided to make my own version based on experience of the Portaloos in the motorcycle racing paddocks in my racing days, so much fun 😂. Probably the silliest comment you will get but hey ho . ATB
I enjoy your tutorials and advice Alex. Only been learning a few weeks and I've already changed to a low G. As a guitarist I find it better. It's strange, of all the tutorials I've looked at so far, none seem to be playing in low G. Have you made any? Thanks. PS. Already decided I'd like a tenor uke, which I will purchase from your shop. 👍
Hey Alex, thanks! I'm right at the start of my uke journey but some very handy tips and resources for that too! Cheekily asking if you have any more tips of resources for learning songs with low g?
That is something that is in short supply... I've put some on my RUclips channel and done a course at ukeswith.com but I don't really have any other recommendations for low G. If anyone see this and has some suggestions hopefully they will chime in
Hi Alex I have a Kala low G tenor ukulele but thinking of getting an electric one. Have you a good recommendation of make please? Love your videos thank you.
Nice, I feel another tip is to try a different tuning. Whether it is a weird open tuning or just tuning a tenor down a minor third, it adds a whole new dimension to the sound of the uke
Hi Alex, great videos! I bought my uke last year at the age of 70 because: I've never learned to play an instrument and wanted to; Jake and Kimo just blow my mind; and I wrote a song for my 50th wedding anniversary later this year and wanted to play it for my wife (in Hawaii!). I've been playing for 8 months and play at least a little every day. Thanks for all you do,.
Great advice!
Gran vídeo! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
"put the stand away" yes! 👍
One of my main goals is to play the songs by heart!
Just had me a ukulele and I can jam along.
I am a fairly new ukulele player; two years. I like to use sheets to learn a song, then I leave it and start changing it to make it my own. Finger pick instead of strum, find the meter, change the tempo, create intros and outros, change the chords.. That makes an old song new again and interesting!
Great video. Really needed this boost. Started playing Uke during covid shut down and played it every day for 30 min to 2 hours for a year. Scaled back a little bit in year 2 but this last year and a half or so I have hit that wall. Hardly playing. Planning on switching to a new teacher to learn from for 2024 and going to try and get really good at reading TAB. Cheers!
Zen and the art of playing a ukulele
Wise words young man, thank you
Excellent advice--thank you!!
Excellent video- thank you! Just what I needed👏
Love tip#4.., exactly how I've approached guitar over the years..
Very inspirational Alex. thank you.
Number 6 is spot on. Same with learning a foreign language, put the book away.
Alex, well organized and valuable advice. Keep it coming! I use many of these daily with my collection of ukuleles. I have one tenor with a high G for that unique Hawaiian sound, another is open tuned and I use it for playing with a slide, a Martin mahogany concert strung low G is my strumming instrument, and an oversize all cedar uke has some mellow nylon strings and is for folky blues. I play one of them for 30 minutes every morning. My performing instruments are a low G redwood/rosewood tenor and a Kala U-bass. Playing those other instruments and styles each morning keeps me fresh for going back to my performing instruments.
The Ten Ukulele Commandments! I have already been following some of them for quite some time. Let me also recommend Christopher Davis-Shannon and his Learning Ukulele Standards. Thorough lessons each month for classic jazz songs lovers. I actually re-discovered the ukulele thanks to Woody Allen’s Magic in the Moonlight movie.
oh this was so good thank you!
Thank you Alex!
Thanks - lots of good tips. Lately I hear you on switching between high and low G - I thought I was a committed high G player, but over the last couple of weeks the fingerpicking possibilities of low G and a little bit of bass are really exciting me.
"learning the fretboard" is crucial. It opens so much potential of fun and one gets the looks of a professional player. 💪🤪
I used the chord shapes book from Brad Bordessa form livukuele! That so freaking amazing!
Alex, this is a truly fantastic video. Your advice is right on, sound, advice. Every single thing you said is on point, and as you hit each one, I said to myself “oh that’s a great one”. If forced to choose one favorite piece of advice, I would say-sometimes it’s good to take a break. As we’re learning, we all need to do that. I’m a retired music educator (band director in the public schools), have been playing/studying ukulele for many years now and your video is something I wish I had had with my students. One thing I would recommend for folks trying to learn chord positions in all positions is the Roy Sakuma treasury of ukulele chords. Very quickly, you will begin to understand the whole fretboard and what it all means. My two cents. I’m very excited because next summer I’m signed up for the UFGB and the Ukulele Retreat…who knows, I may run into you there, but I’m sure I’ll meet lots of folks from the “old England”, as opposed to my area “New England”.
Love Roy Sakuma but because he's part of the old guard of Hawaiian ukulele teachings I totally forget to mention him... love this suggestion.
How about adding two strings to the ukulele. A six string uke would be awesome, especially a baritone.
Great video - thanks! I ordered your Low-G strings a week ago, can't wait until they arrive and I can test them out - so excited and curious for that change! And I am looking for a teacher to start with fingerstyle and chord melody ... not easy, the most I found yet, are for more advanced players than I am...
Thank you Alex, really helpful pointers there and heartfelt too. So true about having a uke on the wall to play for any moment! I'm off to look up campanella style now. Cheers!
Great tips, Alex! Hope we can meet up for a coffee someday and talk uke 😃🤍
Absolutely mate! Hopefully next time I see you face to face its not as awkward as the first time
Thank you, Alex. Exactly what I needed (and maybe quite a few others!) A wonderful list of kick-butt tips for getting reinvigorated.👍
Fantastic video. Loved the tip about playing w/o paper 😂 As you said it I was playing a song (from memory) but hadn’t thought about what I was playing. When you said it, I paid attention to what I was playing and realized I was playing in the key of F. That was cool :) Thanks.
Wonderful!
Thank you for all these tips! I recently went from high G to low G on my Tenor Uke and I love it! But I also find having a high G on my Concert Uke keeps the tunes flowing between a more guitar like sound and the traditional Uke sound. I am a definite sheet music player. Just the thought of playing without the music in front of me scares me a lot. I am 68 and remembering the words to a song, as well as the chords, just doesn’t seem to stay with me, but I will try it! Wish me luck!
You got this!!!
Thanks for this Alex
😊
Great video and advice Alex, thanks for putting this together. Strange but just last week I had heard a version of Portaloo (to the tune of Waterloo by Abba) and decided to make my own version based on experience of the Portaloos in the motorcycle racing paddocks in my racing days, so much fun 😂. Probably the silliest comment you will get but hey ho . ATB
I love this. So random 😅
I enjoy your tutorials and advice Alex. Only been learning a few weeks and I've already changed to a low G. As a guitarist I find it better. It's strange, of all the tutorials I've looked at so far, none seem to be playing in low G. Have you made any? Thanks. PS. Already decided I'd like a tenor uke, which I will purchase from your shop. 👍
Thank you. All the tutorials on this channel and my course are low G.
Have you got a tutorial on scales and jazz please?
Good helpful tips!👍✌️
Hey Alex, thanks! I'm right at the start of my uke journey but some very handy tips and resources for that too! Cheekily asking if you have any more tips of resources for learning songs with low g?
That is something that is in short supply... I've put some on my RUclips channel and done a course at ukeswith.com but I don't really have any other recommendations for low G. If anyone see this and has some suggestions hopefully they will chime in
Brilliant thankyou! I will have a gander!
I hesitate btw Flight Mustang and L.Luthier The Maho. What do u recommend to me ?
Hi Alex I have a Kala low G tenor ukulele but thinking of getting an electric one. Have you a good recommendation of make please? Love your videos thank you.
I like the flights
Alex I need some help because I bought some ukulele strings but there's no tags on the strings,now I don't which order to put the strings
The C is the thickest
The E is the second thickest
The A is the thinnest but only slightly thinner than a High G.
30 people at a uke jam all looking at their iPad for the next chord instead of connecting with each other.
Seen it a million times.
Getting your groove back on the ukulele? Simple, just get another ukulele 😁
Thanks so much Alex, timeless reminders and advice, just so you know "absolute shit songs" are my niche' !