Transcript Introducing the Ukulele

Introducing the Ukulele!
To pupils - welcome!
I do hope you enjoy learning an instrument.
This year you will be learning the UKULELE together.
There will be a lesson each week, on Tuesday afternoons,
and you will be taking a ukulele home with you to practice too.
I hope in a little while you will be able to join your class playing
the ukulele at assemblies and concerts!
What does a ukulele
sound like?
Click on this symbol to
hear “Ukulele Rag”.
There are lots of recordings and videos of
ukulele that you can watch on the YouTube website.
Here are two links to get you started:
A ukulele with other instruments in a Hawaiian band.
A ukulele solo at a festival.
Get to know your ukulele
strings
soundhole
frets
tuners
bridge
fingerboard
Looking after
your ukulele …
DO !!
• Keep it in its hard case when you are not using it.
• Handle it with care – it is an instrument, not a toy!
• Get it out in the week and practice what we did in the lesson.
• Ask for help if you have trouble keeping it in tune.
• Report any damage to Mr Asher.
DON’T !!
• Twiddle the tuners, unless you know how to tune up.
• Let brothers and sisters play with it.
• Pick it up or hold it by the tuners, or by the strings.
• Leave it next to a radiator or in a freezing cold car boot.
Tuning a ukulele soundclip
The ukuleles have coloured labels for each string
– blue, red, green and pink.
If you click on the symbol you will hear the sound
of the correct notes for the four strings:
Click here to see the
notes on a music stave.
A new ukulele will need repeated tuning to begin with while the strings settle down and stretch.
It should settle down over the first few weeks and will then only need fine tuning.
Tuning a ukulele with
a piano or keyboard
If you have a piano or
keyboard at home, you
can find the notes for
the four strings by
following this diagram:
Click here to see the
notes on a music stave.
A new ukulele will need repeated tuning to begin with while the strings settle down and stretch.
It should settle down over the first few weeks and will then only need fine tuning.
Basic playing position
plucking a single string with your thumb
Fingertips tucked under the side of the ukulele.
Shape of the left hand
Good
Not good
Ukulele rests on
the base of the
1st finger. There
is a gap between
the palm and the
ukulele neck.
The ukulele neck
is cupped in the
palm of the hand
– this restricts
finger movement.
Good
There is a small gap
between the bottom
of the thumb and the
ukulele neck.
Not good
Gripping too
tight - no gap
between the
bottom of the
thumb and the
ukulele neck.
Fingerboard diagrams (1)
Here is a diagram of the end of the ukulele fingerboard, where the neck meets the head..
Nut
1st
fret
2nd
fret
3rd fret
This space is normally for your 1st finger
This space is normally for your 2nd finger
This space is normally for your 3rd finger
Fingerboard diagrams (2)
This means
“pluck the red string, open”
This means
“pluck the red string,
with your 2nd finger
pressed down in the 2nd space”
Finger workouts
To begin with, you may find it hard to move your fingers on the fingerboard!
Here are some exercises to train and strengthen your fingers.
You can do these exercises on any string.
0 1 0 1 etc.
0 2 0 2 etc.
*0 1 3 0 1 3 etc.
0 3 0 3 etc.
*0 2 3 0 2 3 etc.
*0 1 2 3 0 1 2 3 etc.
•Tip: when you go e.g. from 1st finger to 3rd finger on the same string,
try to do it without lifting your 1st finger.
It takes practice but it will help you play more smoothly.