Looking for a good gift for a music lover in your life? Musicians can be hard to shop for, so why not a book? Here’s a roundup of books that are either on my own wishlist or books I’ve read recently and recommend:

Keep on the Sunny Side is an American folk song that I describe as being "relentlessly optimistic." The composer, Ada Blenkhorn, tells us that there is a silver lining, no matter how dark our storm cloud.

Gamify your music-making with my free Ukulele Bingo Cards! Use the pre-filled page to inspire your ukulele practice, or use the blank sheet to create your own.

Jennie Jenkins is one of the songs included in my newest book, Americana: 15 Easy Folk Tunes for the Ukulele, which is AVAILABLE NOW. Go check it out!

Wildwood Flower is a beautiful ballad that uses just three chords. In this tutorial, I show you how to play it in the key of G with a beginner-friendly fingerpicking pattern. Play along on your baritone uke (like the one I’m playing) or on your uke in standard tuning—I show the chords for both!

The baritone ukulele is a delightful instrument that combines the accessibility of the ukulele with the sound of a guitar. Like standard ukuleles, baritone ukuleles have four strings but with a tuning that’s similar to a guitar. Let’s compare…

Clawhammer strumming is typically associated with the banjo, but it's a great option for the ukulele as well. In this video tutorial, I break down the clawhammer strum into really manageable steps and share an easy play-along for Li'l Liza Jane, my favorite song for practicing new techniques.

Shoo-Lie-Loo is one of my favorite American folk songs, and its simple lyrics and call-and-response format make it an easy and inclusive song for groups to sing and strum. The hope and optimism in this song make it a joyful choice to sing any time, but especially this Juneteenth, as we celebrate the emancipation of all enslaved people in the United States.

Summer is quickly approaching, bringing a lot of wonderful opportunities to play our ukuleles. Today I’m sharing a very happy (and free) digital download to help you make the most of your music-making this summer, and there are a couple different ways you can use it.

For this third installment in my series on time signature, I break down what 12/8 time signature feels like for those of us who don't have degrees in advanced music theory! Learn technical terms like "dreamy" and "swishy" and learn how to spot 12/8 time by singing through two great examples of it—"Perfect" by Ed Sheeran and "O, Holy Night" by Mariah Carey.

There is a grand tradition of folk singers and musicians repurposing a melody to create a new song, and This Train is Bound for Glory is just one example. This Train shares a melody with The Crawdad Song, though the songs feel very different. The Crawdad Song has an easy-breezy quality to it, but This Train has much more of a raucous, rock-and-roll energy. Even though we’re using the same combination of chords and the same melody, we have two very different songs!