Learn to play ukulele
45 posts
A Question of Fingernails
Tamás GállIf there can be a thorny question, perhaps there can be a nail-related one too :). And no, this is not about nail salons :D. Over the past few years I have received several emails about “fingernail policy”, so I thought the topic deserved a short post. Interestingly, questions have come from both di…
Read more
All Ukulele Chords (for Intermediate Players)
Tamás GállYou probably know the joke: "How many push-ups can Chuck Norris do? All of them." Now we are going to try to be Chuck Norris and put all the chords into a single chart. It may be easier for more advanced players, but I certainly do not want to discourage beginners either: anyone who understands and…
Read more
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…
Read more
Latin Tunes in the Forest
Tamás GállI love Latin music. I can listen to - and watch - its magical, emotion-filled songs and dances for hours. There are countless styles within it, and I think everyone can find a branch of Latin music that appeals to them. To whet your appetite, here is a video in which the guitarist plays some "Spanis…
Read more
Relative Tuning
Tamás GállIt is best to tune a ukulele with an electronic tuner or a tuning app on your phone, but sometimes neither is available and we still want to get reasonably in-tune chords from the instrument. One solution is what I call "relative tuning" - I could not think of a better term - where we compare the pi…
Read more
For New Ukulele Owners II - Your First Chords
Tamás GállI could just as well have called this post "the first steps", because learning to fret and sound chords is when the little masterpiece we call a ukulele truly becomes a musical instrument in our hands. Learning chords is a long process. Week after week and month after month we will encounter new one…
Read more
For New Ukulele Owners I - Holding and Strumming the Instrument
Tamás GállSince the blog began I have received many kind and complimentary messages (thankyouthankyouthankyou!), and at least as many questions, mainly from beginners who find the first obstacles in learning the ukulele difficult to overcome. With them in mind I made a two-part summary video that helps you ge…
Read more
Music Theory Basics — for the Patient!
Tamás GállI promise this is the longest and most boring tutorial video so far. The video below is about intervals and chords. I spent a long time thinking about the best way to introduce the subject, and it was not an easy task. There is a reason why children study all of this for weeks, months and even years…
Read more
Let's Get in Tune! — How to Tune a Ukulele
Tamás GállThis post is about the practical details of tuning a ukulele. Because many people asked me to explain tuning in greater detail — and because tuning really can be difficult for beginners — I decided to devote the first tutorial video to tuning. UPDATE (10 May 2019): The video above was made more than…
Read more