Ukulele Learning
Group Leader Ken Cockburn
Ukulele Stage 1 and Stage 2
Stage 1
If you’ve never played an instrument in your life, you can play a ukulele! It’s relatively cheap and easy to play, and is a much more versatile instrument than many people realise. It will add a new dimension to your life.
Our eight week Ukulele Stage 1 course is for anyone wanting to learn. You don’t need to read music, or even have a uke; you can start from absolute zero. We will show you how to hold and tune it, and then a few (very few) basic chords, and how to strum along. We will help you develop the speed and variety of chords to play a wide selection of music, and develop rhythm and colour in your playing. We have a WU3A music book to buy with 170+ songs of all types and you will quickly be playing them. With practice, you will soon be able to play well enough to join our Thursday Ukulele Playalong group or a local club and become a musician!
If you have a playable uke, bring it along. If you can’t beg or borrow one, we can give guidance on choice, cost and sources. If you are not sure, we can loan you one. The only thing we can’t teach is how to sing!
Stage 2
When you have been playing for a while, and have mastered the basic chord set (Major, minor, sevens, etc) and can change them with speed and accuracy, you may wish to join our six week Stage 2 course.
We will explore rhythms and tackle some of those ‘difficult’ chords (e.g. barred chords like D7 and B♭) and show how these moveable chords can extend your range and introduce more variation into your performance. Various strumming styles will be covered, as well as changing key, playing in different keys and ornamental and passing chords, as well as different types of chord notation in songs (diagrams, number/fret and tabs notation). Finger-picking for ballads and country-style playing will be introduced. We will demonstrate different uke sizes and types and their purposes, and what to look for in an up-graded instrument. There will also be opportunity to deal with any problem areas and broaden your knowledge.
These courses are not practice sessions but will show the way forward, so that individuals can develop their skills at their own pace.
Dates and times are shown on the WU3A Schedule. For more information or to book a place, contact me via the message link on this page or visit the Ukulele Desk after the monthly General Meeting, as for practical reasons, numbers are limited.
Ken Cockburn