Learn to play ukulele
45 posts
Chords 19: F7
Tamás GállF7 can be derived from two other chords in two different ways. The most logical starting point is probably F major, because we add only one note: place the ring finger on the third fret of the third string, giving us an Eb. If we want to find a relative in terms of the fingering shape, think of G mi…
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Chords 20: B Major
Tamás GállAfter many chord-learning videos, we have reached a real milestone: this is the first barre chord we learn. A barre chord means using one finger — usually the index finger — to fret all four strings at once (or two or three strings in the case of a partial barre), while the remaining strings are fre…
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Chords 21: B Minor
Tamás GállIf you happened to skip the blog post about B major, please read it. At the beginning of that post I summarize the basic things you need to know about barre chords, so I will not repeat them here. B minor differs from B major in that you do not need to place your middle finger on the third fret of t…
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Chords 22: B7
Tamás GállIf you happened to miss the blog post about B majorplease read it. At the beginning I summarize the basic things you need to know about barre chords, which I will not repeat here. The barre version of B7 differs from B major in that you do not need to place your ring finger on the fourth fret of the…
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Strumming Techniques for Beginners
Tamás GállI have received several messages asking, "Okay, I can hold the chord, but what rhythm should I strum?" If I wanted to give the simple but not very helpful answer, I would say: strum in whatever way the particular song or musical style requires. That is actually true. The more music we listen to - es…
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The Metronome
Tamás GállI know, the title is not exactly exciting — no “naked woman” or six-pack gentleman anywhere — but despite that we really do need to talk about the metronome because it is extremely important. I remember that during piano lessons as a child this square-based pyramid with a little metal rod would ofte…
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Rhythm and Strumming 1
Tamás GállDear Ukulele Players! Before I turn to the subject in the title, please allow me a brief announcement. As you may have noticed, we removed the blog posts about the Spring Ukulele Meetup planned for March 24, and we also posted on Facebook that — because of circumstances I think everyone is familiar…
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Rhythm and Strumming 2 — Muting the Strings
Tamás GállYou can never practice rhythm enough, and almost every day the internet offers new rhythmic patterns and techniques connected with the subject. If you would like to see the Rhythm and Strumming 1 blog post and video, click here . Most videos about rhythm focus primarily on the movement of the strumm…
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Chord sequences for warming up
Tamás GállI would like to show you two chord sequences in the next video. I “developed” them a few years ago because I became bored with strumming the same basic chords as a warm-up or whenever I tried a new instrument. In these sequences we alternate between two chord shapes, and it does not matter where — m…
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Working out songs on your own
Tamás GállAfter the instrument reviews, let us move on to an interesting and exciting blog post. I was certainly excited about making it, because I had only one chance to record the video with the particular song involved. From time to time I see questions on forums and Facebook – and I receive emails asking…
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Singing and Playing the Ukulele
Tamás GállThe title could just as well be "Singing and Playing an Instrument", because it makes almost no difference which instrument we pick up: we can run into the same difficulty when we try to sing and play at the same time (wind instruments excepted ). This is no magic trick either, and of course it can…
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Chord progressions
Tamás GállBeginners and advanced players alike often ask the same question: what should I practise, and where do I go from here? More experienced players may find it easier to come up with ideas, but beginners who are still discovering the mysteries of chords can easily get stuck. I found a very useful little…
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