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Table of Contents

Media at a Glance

Introduction

About This Book

Conventions Used in This Book

What You’re Not to Read

Foolish Assumptions

How This Book Is Organised

Part I: Getting Started with Ukulele Exercises

Part II: Becoming a Better Strummer

Part III: Becoming a Better Fingerpicker

Part IV: Mastering the Ukulele Fretboard

Part V: The Part of Tens

Accessing the Audio Tracks

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Part I: Getting Started with Ukulele Exercises

Chapter 1: Preparing to Practise

Equipping Yourself with the Right Practice Tools

Tuning up with a chromatic tuner

Keeping time with a metronome

Tracking your progress with a practice journal

Reviewing Ukulele Notation

Deciphering tablature

Understanding chord diagrams

Comprehending neck diagrams

Reading rhythm charts

Chapter 2: Warming Up for Practice

Limbering Up Your Body to Play Ukulele

Loosening up with stretches

Relaxing with breathing exercises

Strengthening your hands with exercises

Brushing Up on Perfect Playing Posture

Looking at Some Warm-Up Exercises on the Ukulele

Practising single-note exercises

Practising chord exercises

Part II: Becoming a Better Strummer

Chapter 3: Foundations for Strumming

Working Out Your Strumming Technique

Choosing the right strumming technique

Strumming with your index finger

Strumming with your thumb

Strumming with four fingers

Getting Acquainted With the Golden Rules of Strumming

Rule #1: Strumming is consistent

Rule #2: Strumming is relaxed

Rule #3: Strumming is intentional

Finding the Right Strumming Pattern for Any Song

Building a strumming repertoire

Listening to the song

Counting the song

Starting with down strums

Knowing when to change chords

Singing and Strumming at the Same Time

Playing the song through without singing

Humming first, singing later

Simplifying isn’t a bad thing

Chapter 4: Building a Repertoire of Strumming Patterns

Discovering How to Use These Exercises to Become a Better Strummer

Mastering the Universal Strumming Pattern

Counting along with down strums

Keeping the beat with up strums

Combining down and up strums

Playing ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’

Tackling Common Time Strumming Patterns

Developing eighth note strums

Building a multi-purpose strumming pattern

Practising chord changes on different beats

Playing ‘Jingle Bells’

Making Common Time Strumming Patterns More Interesting

Accenting the beat

Using syncopation in three different ways

Rearranging up strums to create different feels

Playing ‘I’ve Been Working On the Railroad’

Waltzing Along with 3/4 Time Signature Strumming Patterns

Practising versatile 3/4 strumming patterns

Playing ‘Oh My Darling, Clementine’

Getting More Advanced with 6/8 Time Signature Strumming Patterns

Developing delightful 6/8 strumming patterns

Playing ‘O Holy Night’

Chapter 5: Taking Strumming Patterns to a Higher Level

Getting Groovy with Shuffle Rhythms

Finding the pocket with shuffle rhythm exercises

Playing ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’

Strumming Faster without Getting Sloppier

Working on relaxing strumming movements

Minimizing wasted strumming motion

Drawing up a plan to improve strumming speed

Playing ‘Hello! Ma Baby’

Showing Off Subdivided Strumming Patterns

Souping up your strumming with sixteenth notes

Trying out triplet strums

Putting the pedal down with speed rhythm exercises

Making Your Strumming Dynamic

Playing loudly and softly

Varying rhythmic complexity

‘Oh! Susanna’

Recognising Offbeat Chord Changes

Switching to chords on offbeats

Variation on the 12-bar blues

Switching Chords without Interrupting Your Strumming

Setting up a chord change

‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’

Chapter 6: Refining Advanced Strumming Techniques

Playing Percussively with Two Muting Techniques

Developing your ‘chnking’ technique

Figuring out fret hand muting

‘Michael, Row the Boat Ashore’

Perfecting Alternative Strumming Techniques

Taking on the touch strum

‘Billy Boy’

Improving the thumb ’n strum

Playing ‘Rock a Bye Baby’

Wrapping Your Mind Around Rolling Finger Strums

Four finger roll

Five finger roll

Eight Finger Roll

Ten Finger Roll

Practising finger roll strumming pattern exercises

Playing ‘Sweet Lei Lehua’

Part III: Becoming a Better Fingerpicker

Chapter 7: Examining Fingerpicking Technique

Practising Two Different Fingerpicking Techniques

Polishing the four-finger technique

Perfecting the alternating thumb technique

Looking at the Golden Rules of Fingerpicking

Rule #1: Stay loose

Rule #2: Slow and steady wins the race

Rule #3: Repeat, repeat, repeat

Chapter 8: Developing Rhythmic Fingerpicking Patterns

Practising the Four-Finger Picking Technique

‘Inside-out’ pattern

‘Outside-in’ pattern

Simultaneous pinched patterns

Patterns in varied rhythms

Playing ‘The Water Is Wide’

Practising the Alternating Picking Technique

‘Inside-out’ pattern

‘Outside-in’ pattern

Simultaneous pinched patterns

Patterns in varied rhythms

Playing ‘I Am a Poor Wayfaring Stranger’

Chapter 9: Improving Your Solo Fingerpicking Skills

Tackling Solo Fingerstyle Pieces

Learning two pieces of music

Playing Carcassi’s ‘Andantino’

Strengthening Your Fingerpicking with Arpeggio Exercises

Trying your hand at ‘p i m’ arpeggios

Playing Tárrega’s ‘Étude in E minor’

Working through more advanced arpeggios

Playing Aguado’s ‘25 Piéces Pour Guitare, no. 17’

Developing Lightning-Fast Tremolo Technique

Tackling three-finger tremolo

Playing ‘Étude in C major’

Figuring out four-finger tremolo

Chapter 10: Taking a Deeper Look at Single-Note Fingerpicking Techniques

Speeding up Single-Note Passages

Practising four alternation techniques

Applying alternation techniques to pieces of music

Articulating Single-Note Passages

Hammer-on exercises

Pull-off exercises

Slide exercises

Bend exercises

Strumming and Fingerpicking for Melody

Playing ‘Silent Night’

Playing ‘Danny Boy (Londonderry Air)’

Part IV: Mastering the Ukulele Fretboard

Chapter 11: Learning the Fretboard with Major Scales

Taking a Quick Look at the Chromatic Scale

Building a Major Scale

Learning the major scale interval pattern

Creating a major scale in any key

Practising Major Scale Patterns in Three Different Keys

Learning natural notes with C major

Seeing how sharps work with G major

Figuring out flats with F major

Getting Your Fingers Moving with Major Scale Sequences

Faking Fretboard Knowledge

Recognising fretboard landmarks

Locating the same note on different strings

Finding octave notes

Using Major Scales to Play Actual Songs

Playing ‘Angels We Have Heard On High’

Playing ‘When the Saints Go Marching In’

Chapter 12: Taking On Three Minor Scales

Building a Natural Minor Scale

Discovering the natural minor scale interval pattern

Relating natural minor to major

Playing the Natural Minor scale

Homing In On Harmonic Minor

Mixing It Up With Melodic Minor

Practising Five Different Minor Scale Sequences

Playing Songs Using All Three Minor Scales

Playing ‘O Come, O Come Emmanuel’

Playing ‘Coventry Carol’

Playing ‘Greensleeves’

Chapter 13: Commanding the Fretboard with Chords

Building Major and Minor Triads

Constructing major triads

Putting together minor triads

Practising Triads Up and Down the Fretboard

Major triad exercises

Minor triad exercises

Combined triad exercises

Taking Triads and Playing Actual Songs

Playing ‘Red River Valley’

Playing ‘Joy to the World’

Turning Triads Into Moveable Chord Positions

Making moveable major chords

Assembling moveable minor chords

Practising moveable chord progressions

Getting Jazzy with Moveable Seventh Chords

Figuring out dominant seventh chords

Mastering major seventh chords

Tackling minor seventh chords

Practising jazz chord progressions

Chapter 14: Using Scales to Solo and Improvise

Rocking Out with Pentatonic Scales

Learning the minor pentatonic scale

Constructing the major pentatonic scale

Practising pentatonic scale licks and exercises

Playing a rock solo

Expressing Soul with the Blues Scale

Building the blues scale

Practising blues scale licks and exercises

Playing a blues solo

Sounding Jazzy with the Bebop Scale

Discovering the dominant bebop scale

Mastering the major bebop scale

Practising bebop scale licks and exercises

Playing a jazz solo

Part V: The Part of Tens

Chapter 15: Ten Ways to Improve Your Practice Times

Setting a Location

Scheduling a Time

Creating Time Limits

Keeping a Practice Journal

Trying Out Different Musical Styles

Practising with Other People

Writing a Song

Working on Active Listening

Leaving Your Ukulele Out On a Stand

Taking a Break

Chapter 16: Ten Tips for Every Performing Ukulele Player

Becoming a Better Performer

Getting Involved in the Local Music Scene

Finding a Place to Perform

Building a Set List of Songs

Preparing to Play Before an Audience

Handling Nerves Right Before the Show

Mastering the Art of Focus

Remembering to Breathe

Engaging With Your Audience

Being Confident in Yourself

Cheat Sheet

Media at a Glance

Audio

Chapter 2

Single-note exercise #1 (0:25)

Single-note exercise #2 (0:21)

Single-note exercise #3 (0:29)

Single-note exercise #4 (0:16)

Single-note exercise #5 (0:17)

Chord exercise #1 (0:21)

Chord exercise #2 (0:21)

Chord exercise #3 (0:22)

Chord exercise #4 (0:21)

Chord exercise #5 (0:20)

Chapter 4

Down strum exercise (0:10)

Up strum exercise (0:10)

Down and up strum exercise (0:27)

'Mary Had a Little Lamb' (0:25)

Eighth note down and up strum exercise (0:11)

Eighth note down strum exercise (0:11)

Eighth note up strum exercise (0:11)

Combining quarter notes and eighth notes (0:10)

Creating your own strumming pattern (0:10)

Multi-purpose strumming pattern (0:17)

Changing chords on the third beat (0:17)

Changing chords on other beats (0:17)

'Jingle Bells' (0:38)

Accenting beats 1 and 3 (0:09)

Accenting beats 1 and 3 in a strumming pattern (0:10)

Accenting beats 2 and 4 (0:10)

Accenting beats 2 and 4 in a strumming pattern (0:10)

Adding a rest to create syncopation (0:10)

Using a tie to create syncopation (0:11)

Offbeat syncopation with the calypso strum (0:16)

Offbeat syncopated strumming pattern (0:10)

Changing around offbeat syncopation (0:10)

Removing down strums from the second and fourth beats (0:10)

Removing down strums for the second and third beats (0:10)

Challenging syncopated strumming pattern (0:17)

'I've Been Working On the Railroad' (0:39)

Basic 3/4 strumming pattern (0:07)

Adding up strums to a 3/4 strumming pattern (0:07)

Creating more variety in a 3/4 strumming pattern (0:07)

Syncopated 3/4 strumming pattern (0:10)

'Oh My Darling, Clementine' (0:27)

Basic 6/8 strumming pattern (0:10)

Adding up strums to a 6/8 strumming pattern (0:10)

Creating more variety in a 6/8 strumming pattern (0:09)

Eliminating down strums in a 6/8 strumming pattern (0:10)

'O Holy Night' (1:52)

Chapter 5

Basic shuffle rhythm (0:24)

Shuffle rhythm exercise (0:23)

Syncopated shuffle rhythm exercise #1 (0:23)

Syncopated shuffle rhythm exercise #2 (0:24)

'Swing Low, Sweet Chariot' (0:48)

Strumming a basic pattern fast (0:08)

Speeding up the calypso strumming pattern (0:08)

'Hello! Ma Baby' (0:26)

Subdividing a strumming pattern into sixteenth notes (0:13)

Sixteenth note strumming pattern played faster (0:08)

Triplet strum (0:09)

Adding a triplet strum to a strumming pattern (0:11)

Moving a triplet strum to a different beat in a strumming pattern (0:11)

Strumming pattern with multiple triplet strums (0:10)

Sixteenth note strumming exercise (0:12)

Sycnopated sixteenth note strumming exercise (0:13)

Modifying a sixteenth note strum (0:13)

Adding a triplet strum into a syncopated strumming pattern (0:13)

Combining sixteenth notes and a triplet strum into one pattern (0:12)

Alternating between loud and soft strumming (0:15)

Gradually strumming louder and softer (0:15)

'Oh! Susanna' (0:25)

Changing chords on the 'and' of the second beat (0:09)

Changing chords on the 'and' of the fourth beat (0:10)

'12 Bar Blues' (0:33)

'O Little Town of Bethlehem' (0:50)

Chapter 6

Chnk exercise (0:09)

Chnk strumming pattern (0:11)

Hawaiian-style chnk strumming pattern (0:10)

Fret hand muting exercise (0:09)

Reggae-style strumming pattern (0:16)

Sixteenth note muted strumming exercise (0:08)

Funky James Brown-style strumming pattern (0:07)

'Michael, Row the Boat Ashore' (0:24)

Touch strumming pattern (0:08)

Alternate touch strumming pattern (0:09)

Syncopated touch strumming pattern (0:08)

Touch strumming pattern in 3/4 time signature (0:14)

'Billy Boy' (0:24)

Hawaiian-style thumb 'n strum pattern (0:18)

Country-style alternating thumb 'n strum pattern (0:23)

Reggae-style thumb n' strum pattern (0:10)

Waltz-style thumb 'n strum pattern with a melody (0:21)

'Rock a Bye Baby' (0:27)

Playing a roll strum on the first beat of a strumming pattern (0:10)

Playing a roll strum on the second beat of a strumming pattern (0:10)

Play a roll strum on multiple beats of a strumming pattern (0:09)

Combining a roll strum with chnking (0:09)

'Sweet Lei Lehua' (0:45)

Chapter 7

Fingerpicking pattern using the four-finger technique (0:09)

Fingerpicking pattern using the alternating thumb technique (0:09)

Chapter 8

'Inside-out' fingerpicking pattern (0:11)

'Inside-out' fingerpicking pattern with a chord change (0:10)

'Inside-out' fingerpicking pattern over a chord progression (0:17)

'Outside-in' fingerpicking pattern (0:12)

'Outside-in' fingerpicking pattern over a chord progression (0:17)

Switching between the 'inside-out' and 'outside-in' patterns (0:11)

Simulataneous pinched fingerpicking pattern (0:10)

Simulataneous pinched fingerpicking pattern over a chord progression (0:18)

Varying a simultaneous pinched fingerpicking pattern (0:11)

Alternating simultaneous pinched fingerpicking pattern (0:11)

Simultaneous pinched fingerpicking pattern variation #1 (0:12)

Simultaneous pinched fingerpicking pattern variation #2 (0:11)

Simultaneous pinched fingerpicking pattern variation #3 (0:11)

Simultaneous pinched fingerpicking pattern variation #4 (0:11)

Quarter and eighth note fingerpicking pattern (0:11)

Syncopated fingerpicking pattern (0:11)

Fingerpicking in a shuffle rhythm (0:26)

Fingerpicking the 12 bar blues (0:35)

Fingerpicking pattern in 3/4 time signature #1 (0:08)

Fingerpicking pattern in 3/4 time signature #2 (0:08)

'The Water Is Wide' (0:49)

'Inside-out' fingerpicking pattern over a chord progression (0:17)

'Outside-in' fingerpicking pattern over a chord progression (0:17)

Switching between the 'inside-out' and 'outside-in' patterns (0:11)

Simultaneous pinched fingerpicking pattern variation #1 (0:11)

Simultaneous pinched fingerpicking pattern variation #2 (0:11)

Simultaneous pinched fingerpicking pattern variation #3 (0:11)

Simultaneous pinched fingerpicking pattern variation #4 (0:11)

Quarter and eighth note fingerpicking pattern (0:11)

Syncopated fingerpicking pattern (0:11)

Fingerpicking in a shuffle rhythm (0:22)

Fingerpicking pattern in 3/4 time signature #1 (0:08)

Fingerpicking pattern in 3/4 time signature #2 (0:08)

'I Am a Poor Wayfaring Stranger' (1:04)

Chapter 9

'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star' (0:34)

'Yankee Doodle' (0:20)

Carcassi's 'Andantino' (0:33)

‘P i m’ arpeggio variation #1 (0:11)

‘P i m’ arpeggio variation #2 (0:11)

‘P i m’ arpeggio variation #3 (0:11)

‘I m p’ arpeggio variation #1 (0:11)

‘I m p’ arpeggio variation #2 (0:11)

‘I m p’ arpeggio variation #3 (0:11)

‘M p i’ arpeggio variation #1 (0:11)

‘M p i’ arpeggio variation #2 (0:11)

‘M p i’ arpeggio variation #3 (0:11)

‘M i p’ arpeggio variation #1 (0:11)

‘M i p’ arpeggio variation #2 (0:11)

‘M i p’ arpeggio variation #3 (0:11)

Alternating thumb 'p i m' arpeggio variation #1 (0:11)

Alternating thumb 'p i m' arpeggio variation #2 (0:11)

Alternating thumb 'p i m' arpeggio variation #3 (0:11)

Alternating thumb 'p i m' arpeggio variation #4 (0:11)

Tarrega's 'Etude in E minor' (0:33)

'P i a' arpeggio (0:11)

'P a i' arpeggio (0:11)

'P m a' arpeggio (0:11)

'P a m' arpeggio (0:11)

'I m a' arpeggio (0:11)

'A m i' arpeggio (0:11)

'M i a' arpeggio (0:11)

'M a i' arpeggio (0:11)

'P a m i' arpeggio (0:13)

'P m a i' arpeggio (0:12)

'P i a i' arpeggio (0:13)

'P a m a' arpeggio (0:13)

Aguado's '25 Pieces Pour Guitare, no. 17' (0:45)

Three-finger tremolo (0:09)

Three-finger tremolo with alternating thumb (0:10)

'Etude in C major' (0:27)

Four-finger tremolo (0:09)

Four-finger tremolo with alternating thumb (0:10)

Chapter 10

Bach’s ‘Minuet in G’ (0:31)

Carulli's 'Variations On a Theme, Op. 194' (0:40)

Hammer-on exercise starting with the index finger (0:16)

Hammer-on exercise starting with the middle finger (0:16)

Multiple finger hammer-on exercise (0:12)

Pull-off exercise starting with the middle finger (0:17)

Pull-off exercise starting with the ring finger (0:16)

Multiple finger pull-off exercise (0:12)

Half step slide exercise (0:13)

Whole step slide exercise (0:12)

Half step bend exercise (0:09)

Whole step bend exercise (0:12)

‘Silent Night’ (0:53)

‘Danny Boy’ (1:20)

Chapter 11

C major scale position #1 (0:12)

C major scale position #2 (0:11)

C major scale position #3 (0:12)

C major scale position #4 (0:11)

G major scale position #1 (0:12)

G major scale position #2 (0:11)

G major scale position #3 (0:10)

G major scale position #4 (0:11)

F major scale position #1 (0:11)

F major scale position #2 (0:11)

F major scale position #3 (0:10)

F major scale position #4 (0:10)

Sequence pattern #1 in C major (0:29)

Sequence pattern #2 in C major (0:29)

Sequence pattern #3 in G major (0:29)

Sequence pattern #4 in F major (0:30)

Sequence pattern #5 in F major (0:29)

Sequence pattern #6 in G major (0:16)

'Angels We Have Heard On High' (0:47)

'When the Saints Go Marching In' (0:19)

Chapter 12

C natural minor scale position #1 (0:12)

C natural minor scale position #2 (0:11)

C natural minor scale position #3 (0:11)

C natural minor scale position #4 (0:13)

G harmonic scale position #1 (0:13)

G harmonic scale position #2 (0:12)

G harmonic scale position #3 (0:11)

F melodic minor scale position #1 (0:13)

F melodic minor scale position #2 (0:13)

F melodic minor scale position #3 (0:11)

Sequence pattern #1 in D natural minor (0:30)

Sequence pattern #2 in C natural minor (0:30)

Sequence pattern #3 in E natural minor (0:30)

Sequence pattern #4 in F harmonic minor (0:17)

Sequence pattern #5 in E melodic minor (0:30)

'O Come, O Come Emmanuel' (0:56)

'Coventry Carol' (0:38)

'Greensleeves' (0:51)

Chapter 13

Root position major triad exercise (0:13)

All position major triad exercise #1 (0:21)

All position major triad exercise #2 (0:21)

Root position minor triad exercise (0:13)

All position minor triad exercise #1 (0:21)

All position minor triad exercise #2 (0:22)

Major and minor triad exercise #1 (0:37)

Major and minor triad exercise #2 (0:37)

'Red River Valley' (0:41)

'Joy to the World' (0:33)

Moveable chord progression #1 (0:20)

Moveable chord progression #2 (0:22)

Jazz chord progression #1 (0:16)

Jazz chord progression #2 (0:15)

Jazz chord progression #3 (0:23)

Chapter 14

F-Eb-Bb chord progression backing track (4:04)

Minor pentatonic scale exercise (0:17)

Major pentatonic scale exercise (0:17)

Adding variety to a minor pentatonic solo (0:19)

Using slides in a major pentatonic solo (0:16)

Adding pull-offs and slides to a minor pentatonic solo (0:16)

Playing an 8 bar rock solo using the major pentatonic scale (0:32)

D7-G7 chord progression backing track (4:04)

Blues scale exercise (0:16)

Blue note sliding exercise (0:17)

Blue note bending exercise (0:17)

Blue note hammer-on and pull-off exercise (0:16)

12 bar blues backing track (4:05)

Playing a solo over the 12 bar blues (0:39)

Dm7-G7-Cmaj7 jazz progression backing track (4:04)

Bebop scale exercise #1 (0:16)

Bebop scale exercise #2 (0:28)

Bebop scale exercise #3 (0:15)

Bebop scale exercise #4 (0:16)

Playing a jazz solo over a 12 bar ii-V-I progression (0:39)

Introduction

Whether you’ve played ukulele for years or just started playing a couple of weeks ago, Ukulele Exercises For Dummies is a practice book for anyone who wants to become a better ukulele player. With hundreds of exercises and dozens of songs, you have a practice roadmap for improving your chops and becoming a more confident ukulele player. Through the exercises in this book, your fingers will come out stronger and more agile, and your mind will be sharpened and opened up to new and exciting ways of playing the ukulele through the different styles and techniques to which I introduce you.

One of the best parts of the ukulele is that it has such a relaxing, peaceful and joyful aura when played. Because the ukulele originates from Hawaii, some people say it carries the Hawaiian Aloha Spirit. It’s hard to listen to someone play the ukulele and not crack a smile or grin from ear to ear (I dare you to try). In this way, this book isn’t about rigorously practising an overwhelming amount of exercises; it’s about equipping you to go from practice to playing those songs that carry the joyful spirit of the ukulele.

About This Book

Ukulele Exercises For Dummies isn’t necessarily meant to be read from cover to cover like a normal book. The cool thing about this book (if I do say so myself) is that it’s written so you can look over the table of contents and flip to the chapters that cover the techniques and aspects of playing the ukulele that interest you most. In fact, as you practise, you might choose several different exercises to practise at a time from multiple chapters.

At the same time the chapters of this book are organised and developed the way they are for good reasons. When learning about music, different concepts and ideas tend to compound and build on each other. This is only natural, and you should expect it. For example, in Part II ‘Becoming a Better Strummer’, Chapter 3 addresses a lot of foundational ways of thinking and approaching the strumming exercises that come in Chapter 4, 5 and 6. The goal throughout each part of the book is to develop and improve a particular aspect of your technique, so at times, there is a gradual but noticeable progression of growth throughout each chapter. In this way, if you do come across something that seems unfamiliar, flip a few pages back because it was most likely covered a little earlier. When later chapters pull on information taught in earlier chapters, I do my best to include a reference for you.

There are a lot of exercises in this book. The exciting thing about these exercises is that almost all of them are designed so you can come back to them even after you’ve ‘mastered’ the techniques. I say ‘mastered’ because I’ve been playing ukulele my entire life and I still use the exercises in this book in my practise sessions. These exercises will always assist as a way to challenge your fingers and improve your overall playing technique.

Because of the amount of exercises presented throughout this book, avoid tackling all of the exercises from a chapter in one sitting. It’s best to take a couple of exercises from a chapter and spend time practising those for a day, week or month – however much time you need – before moving on. It’s okay to mix and practise exercises from multiple chapters during your practice times, but if you do this, I recommend using a practice journal to write out the things you are practising to keep track of your progress. In Chapter 1, I discuss more about how to use a practice journal.

Overall, with this book, I want to help you unlock the parts to playing the ukulele that allow you to approach your playing more creatively and expressively, so you are able to go beyond the pages of this book and be more inspired as a musician and artist. To that end, along with the practice exercises, I include many songs in a variety of popular ukulele styles that you are able to learn and apply your skills.

Conventions Used in This Book

One of the most challenging aspects to learning and progressing at the ukulele can be sifting through the musical terms and lingo that gets thrown around. In this book, when I introduce an important, new term, I italicise the term and follow it with a definition. At the same time, there are a few common terms that show up over and over again that are worth going over since they can be confusing if you’re a relatively new ukulele player.

For example, when I refer to your fretting hand, I’m talking about the hand that forms the chord positions and presses against the strings on the ukulele fretboard. If you’re a right-handed player, your fretting hand is your left hand. If I refer to your strumming hand or picking hand, I’m talking about the hand that strums or plucks the strings. If you are a right-handed player, this is your right hand. For left-handed players, reverse hands.

All of the exercises in this book are written for a ukulele tuned in standard tuning: g-C-E-A. If I refer to the top string of the ukulele, I’m talking about the g-string, and if I refer to the bottom string of the ukulele, I’m talking about the A-string. Additionally, if I refer to the 1st string, I’m talking about the A-string; the 2nd string indicates the E-string; the 3rd string indicates the C-string; and lastly, the 4th string indicates the g-string.

In the context of strumming the ukulele, the terms down and up refer to the direction to strum across the strings. Strumming down requires you to strum starting from the top string to the bottom string. Strumming up requires you to strum starting from the bottom to the top string.

The terms high and low are often used in this book to refer to the pitch and positioning of a note on the ukulele fretboard. When I say a note is played high on the neck, I mean that the note is played on the fretboard of the ukulele closer to the sound hole. If a note is played low on the neck, it is played closer to the headstock. Thus, notes played higher up on the fretboard are higher in pitch, whereas notes played lower on the fretboard are lower in pitch.

There are two separate ways to indicate which fingers are used for an exercise. The numbers 1–4 are used to indicate the fingers in your fretting hand – often used for chord diagrams and in certain music notation. The number 1 indicates the index finger, number 2 the middle finger, number 3 the ring finger and number 4 the little finger (or pinky). When referring to your picking hand, four letters are used. The letter p indicates you pluck the string with your thumb, i indicates the index finger, m indicates the middle finger and a indicates the ring finger. This way of identifying fingers is unpacked more in the pages ahead.

Lastly, in an effort to present the exercises, this book makes use of ukulele tab and notation, chord and scale diagrams, and metronome markings, which are discussed and explained in more detail in Chapter 1.

What You’re Not to Read

Each exercise in this book is created and presented with as much necessary information as possible, so if you wanted, you could play the exercises without having to read the surrounding text. At the same time, the explanations surrounding the exercises often give you helpful pointers and help you understand what you’re playing on a deeper level, which gives you the ability to take the concepts behind the exercises and apply them to actual pieces of music.

More importantly, be sure to listen to the audio demonstrations that go along with the exercises. The audio is the biggest aspect to this book. These audio recordings provide a demonstration so you can get a really good, quick idea for how the exercise should sound and feel when you play it. Additionally, you can use these audio examples to play along with me. Notice that I play all of these audio examples to a metronome so you can get an idea of how to practise with a metronome too, if you have one. In Chapter 1, I talk more about using a metronome in your practice.

Foolish Assumptions

You don’t have to have a lot of experience playing the ukulele in order to use this book. Throughout the book, I provide detailed explanations of the exercises to ensure you’re up to speed with what’s being presented. Still though, because this is a practice book, I try to spend less time talking and more time getting the ukulele in your hands with practice exercises. If you need information on things like learning basic chords, tuning the ukulele, or buying a ukulele, I highly recommend checking out Ukulele For Dummies.

The biggest assumption I do make is that you have a soprano, concert, or tenor ukulele that is tuned in standard tuning (g-C-E-A). Unfortunately, if you have a baritone ukulele tuned to D-G-B-E, or if you tune your ukulele to another tuning, you will be unable to follow along with the majority of the exercises presented in this book.

How This Book Is Organised

There are three main focuses to this book: strumming, fingerpicking and learning the ukulele fretboard. Within each of these focuses, there are many different techniques to learn and explore. Depending on the technique, each part of the book can look a little different in terms of what kind of exercises are used. Check out the following descriptions to get a bird’s eye view of how this book is organised.

Part I: Getting Started with Ukulele Exercises

I get you up to speed on the things you need to know to get the most out of the exercises in this book. If you’ve been playing ukulele for awhile, chances are some of this information will be familiar for you. In Chapter 1, I recommend and explain the use of three different practice tools that make your practice sessions more productive. I also review how to read ukulele notation and tab, chord diagrams, scale diagrams and rhythm charts, which helps you easily follow along with the exercises in this book. In Chapter 2, you start warming up your fingers and hands with stretches, breathing exercises and strength-building exercises. You also pick up the ukulele and play through several practice exercises.

Part II: Becoming a Better Strummer

You strengthen your rhythm, timing and ability to find the right strumming pattern for any song. Because strumming is a form of rhythm, you learn how to count, feel and play to the beat. I teach you exercises that break down strumming into its simplest parts, and then, I show you how to add to these simple strumming patterns to make them more complex and interesting sounding for your listener. Throughout this part, you learn how to play more than a dozen songs in different styles. By the end of this part, you will be able to build your own strumming patterns that’s right and fits for whatever song you’re playing.

Part III: Becoming a Better Fingerpicker

There are a couple of different styles of fingerpicking on the ukulele. The first way is rhythmic fingerpicking (Chapter 8), where you fingerpick a repeating pattern that allows you to pick the chords and sing the melody of a song. The second way is fingerstyle (Chapter 9), where you take beautiful and intricate sounding classical guitar pieces and perform them on ukulele. The third way, which is another form of fingerstyle, is often referred to as solo fingerpicking (Chapter 10), where you fingerpick the melody of a song that is normally sung. Throughout this part, you practise a variety of picking exercises that improve the speed, flexibility and fluidity of your picking hand.

Part IV: Mastering the Ukulele Fretboard

To master the ukulele fretboard means to learn the notes of the fretboard and how you relate those notes with one another in meaningful ways to play songs. In this part, you learn how to build major and minor scales across the neck of the ukulele (Chapters 11 and 12), and then you see how those notes relate to one another by building chords in different positions across the ukulele fretboard (Chapter 13). This means you won’t ever have to look at a chord diagram again. You also pick up some soloing techniques in musical styles like rock, blues and jazz (Chapter 14).

Part V: The Part of Tens

In case you’re not familiar, in any For Dummies book, there is a special part of the book called the Part of Tens. This part breaks away from the exercises in the rest of the book to give you some extra, free-of-charge tips about improving your practice sessions (Chapter 15) and learning about how to take those steps to taking your ukulele skills and performing for an audience (Chapter 16). Both of these chapters include ten quick tips that you can apply to your ukulele playing today.

Accessing the Audio Tracks

Ukulele Exercises For Dummies comes with 256 audio tracks – each one an essential aid to mastering the songs, techniques and exercises that I cover in the book. If you’ve purchased the paper or e-book version of Ukulele Exercises For Dummies, just go to www.dummies.com/go/ukuleleexercises to access and download these tracks. (If you don’t have internet access, call 877-762-2974 within the U.S. or 317-572-3993 outside the U.S.) Each exercise in the book which ties into an audio track has the track number above it in a black box, so you’ll always be able to match what you see on the page to what you’re hearing.

Icons Used in This Book

In the left-hand margins of this book, you’ll find the following icons:

This icon reminds you of important information that is essential to playing the ukulele. This is the stuff you never want to forget.

Every now and then I go a little deeper in my explanations of certain musical terms, techniques, or ideas. This icon indicates interesting information that is a bit more technical. Not essential, but you might find it interesting.

These quick pointers help make the exercises and songs easier to play or understand.

I use this icon to caution you of anything that could cause discomfort, pain or injury to you or your ukulele.

Where to Go from Here

Flip right over to Chapter 1 if you need a refresher on some of the basics. To get your hands warmed up and ready to practise, start at Chapter 2 for some stretches and exercises. If you are a relatively new ukulele player, after going over Chapter 1 and 2, I recommend starting at Part II ‘Becoming a Better Strummer’ as this will get you playing some of the ‘staple’ ukulele songs right away. If you’ve been playing ukulele for awhile, or if you already have a pretty specific practice routine, skip around through the book to pick and choose exercises you’d like to add to your routine to improve different aspects of your technique.

Ukulele Exercises For Dummies®, Enhanced Edition

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Ukulele Exercises For Dummies^®, Enhanced Edition