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!
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Basic Beats: Backing Drum Tracks You Can Jam Along To!
Playing along to a metronome is a great way to build up your sense of timing, but hearing the “click-click” for minutes on end can get a little tiring! You can accomplish the same goal, and have a little more fun, by playing along to a backing track. Here I’m sharing a very basic rock beat for 4/4 time signature set at four different tempos: 60 bpm, 80 bpm, 100 bpm, and 120 bpm. Play along with them, won’t you?
Read MoreDesign Your Music-Making This Summer with This Happy and Free Digital Download
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.
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Why Learning to Play an Instrument Can Feel So Frustrating (and What You Can Do About It!)
I was introduced to The Four Stages of Learning through a podcast (can’t remember which one, though!) a handful of years ago, and it’s a concept that’s really stuck with me. I find myself reflecting on it when I’m teaching and also when I’m thinking about my own development as a musician. If you’ve ever felt impatient by the pace of your progress, I think you’ll find this framework to be really valuable as you continue on your musical path. First I’ll explain the framework and then I’ll share a few tips on how to handle the frustration that inevitably arises when we’re learning something new. Ready?
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Ukulele Permission Slips
Oftentimes, we musicians can be quite hard on ourselves when we aren’t mastering skills as quickly as we think we should. But the problem isn’t our skill level, it’s our expectations.
Read MoreEasy-to-Follow Play-Along Videos for Brand New Ukulele Players
Having a creative outlet is crucial in normal times, but during a pandemic it’s absolutely essential. The ukulele is the perfect option for many of us— it’s great for adults and kids alike, it has a beautiful sound, and it’s a relatively easy instrument to get started on. Learning anything new takes some commitment, but I’ve done my best to make learning to play the ukulele as simple as possible…
Read MoreLearn to Play the Ukulele with All the Videos from Let's Play! The Ukulele Handbook for Beginners!
Over the coming weeks, I'll be sharing all of the videos that accompany my book, Let's Play! The Ukulele Handbook for Beginners. I've done my best to replicate the experience of in-person lessons, and I break down each skill and song from the book into bite-sized steps to make learning to play the ukulele as easy as possible.
Read MoreFeeling the Difference Between 3/4 and 6/8 Time Signature
Way back in 2017, I published a video tutorial to help you feel the difference between 4/4 and 3/4 time signatures, and today’s post will help you feel the difference between 3/4 and 6/8 time signatures.
Read MoreUkulele Fingerpicking Patterns for Beginners
In my latest video tutorial, I show you how to play four different beginner-friendly fingerpicking patterns. Training your hand to play one of these patterns smoothly and evenly takes a lot of repetition so to make things a bit easier, I’ve paired these patterns with my favorite one-chord song, “Li’l Liza Jane.”
Want the handy-dandy PDF that goes along with the video?
Read MoreHow to Sound Good Singing While You Strum Your Ukulele
I’ve heard too many people state matter-of-factly that they can’t sing, but that’s simply not true. The trick is to know which keys are a good fit for your vocal range! With this video, you will learn how to identify the key of a song and how to use my Ukulele Chord Chart to easily change the key. Watch as I play two familiar songs in different keys so you can get the hang of this and start to figure out which keys are a more natural fit for your voice. Sing along as I play “You Are My Sunshine” and “When the Saints Go Marching In,” won’t you?
Read MoreThe Best Ukulele Chord Chart for Beginners
How is Shelter in Place going for you? With everyone at home, it’s been a challenge to find time to make tutorials and post on the blog, but I've finally been able to work on a project that I've been excited to share with you since last fall— my Ukulele Chord Charts!
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50+ Ways to Entertain Your Kids During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Please excuse this break from my usual ukulele-related content to address what’s become an immediate pressing issue for my community…
Yesterday I learned that my kids’ school is closing and, starting on Monday, we’ll be doing remote learning with the kids at home. My peers and I are trying to figure out what this means on a practical level. How will we manage our own work, assist our children with their school work, endure prolonged social distancing, and maintain our sanity, all at the same time? It’s a tall order, isn’t it? I cope better when I feel prepared, and planning for how I will manage the kids and our schedule helps me feel composed in this very unpredictable reality. You’ll find that many items on this list of ways to keep your kids entertained as we live through the Coronavirus pandemic are geared for elementary-aged kids (my kids are 9 and 7 years old) but many of them can be adjusted depending on the developmental stage of your kids. Here we go…
Read MoreEasy Ukulele Play-Along Video Tutorial for "When the Saints Go Marching In"
I love songs that are well-known and easy to learn, and “When the Saints Go Marching In” is both. I’ve set the song in the key of C using the C, F, and G7 chords—the first three chords most beginners start out with—which makes it incredibly approachable for new players. The video is accompanied by chord diagrams and lyrics, and after the play-along section I provide some history on the song, discuss why it’s such a great option for players of all skill levels, and offer up a few different challenges for more seasoned players. Play along with me, won’t you?
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Five Fun Duets to Play on Your Ukulele This Valentine's Day
Valentine’s Day is tomorrow, and what better way to celebrate than to make music? Here is a roundup of five duets to strum and sing with your sweetheart, and— here’s the good news for beginning ukulele players— two of them can be played with just C, F, and G7!
Read MoreHow to Achieve Your Ukulele Goals in 2020
Have you set any ukulele-related resolutions this year? January’s coming to an end, but there’s plenty of time for making music. Read on for my tips to help you achieve your uke goals this year. Ready? Let’s dig in!
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A Quick Tip to Help You Start Playing Again
January is a time when many of us take stock of our habits and choices and think about what changes we may want to make. And if you’re anything like me, your playing time drops during the holidays! It’s normal to fall out of the habit of playing ukulele when life gets busy, so today I’m sharing a simple tip to help you get back on track…
Read MoreA Song to Commemorate Juneteenth - Free PDF Download with Ukulele Chord Chart and Lyrics
Update 6/15/20 to add a little historical conte†: After the Civil War, many African-Americans were imprisoned and forced to work building railroads or in mines. Take This Hammer is a prison work song men would sing as they worked on the railroad line. This song has common chord progressions and very simple lyrics but don't let that fool you— it’s a powerful song that feels incredibly relevant for our time. Strumming and singing Take This Hammer is a dynamic way to connect to the past while we go marching on, and I hope you find a little time to make music this week. Let's play in honor of all who have marched toward freedom's light.
In honor of Juneteenth (June 19th, a day that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States), I thought I’d share one of my very favorite American folk songs. Take This Hammer is a song to sing when you’re feeling fed up, down and out, or ready to break free from something that’s weighing you down. Lead Belly’s recording is probably the version that’s imitated the most but, like many folk songs, Take This Hammer has been covered by hundreds of artists, so it’s always interesting to listen to multiple versions and hear how differently artists can interpret a song.
In the audio clip above, I’m playing Take This Hammer on a tenor ukulele with a low-G string in the key of A with A, A7, D, and E7 chords, paired with a strum you can learn from a YouTube video by TenThumbs Productions. How will you play it?
Track Your Progress with My Weekly Play Log (Free PDF Download!)
Even when I’m having a good run of playing my ukulele daily, I can feel a little disorganized. I was pondering this last night, then realized I would feel so much better if I was simply tracking my playing and making notes of what I was working on. It sounds incredibly obvious to me now, but it was a big a-ha moment at the time!
I used to maintain practice logs when I took piano lessons as a kid, but haven’t used one since. And since so many uke players are learning how to play on their own, I thought creating a weekly play log might be a helpful tool for me to share here on the blog. So here it is!
I hope this Weekly Play Log helps you:
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Free Printable: Ukulele Binder Cover Pages
Yesterday I suggested you put all of your song printouts and handouts into sheet protectors and stick them in a three-ring binder. Today I’m offering four free printables to help you keep your music organized and looking pretty. There’s a beach scene (for your island music), a geometric option (for your modern tastes) , a watercolor floral design (for pop music), and a beautiful meadow (for your folk tunes).
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How to Organize Your Chord Sheets and Songbooks
Close friends and family members know that I love to tidy. I read organizing books for fun, I enjoy cleaning out closets, and I get energized by finding new homes for the things my family no longer needs or uses. An organized life makes for an easier life, and an organized music system makes for easier playing. There’s nothing more annoying that trying to find a lost song sheet or not being able to find your beginner’s handbook!
Make playing your ukulele easier by taking a little time to organize your materials with these tips for organizing your printed chord sheets, songbooks, and digital files…
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