Lesson 2: The F chord and strumming

To make an F chord, start with Am, which we learned in the previous lesson, then add your index finger to the first fret of the second string.

(More coming soon...)

In progress

I'll add chord diagrams to the previous lessons and write a new lesson soon...

The next lesson

I'm still trying to think of something absurdly easy but fun to add, building upon the previous lesson...

Lesson 1: Your first two chords, C and Am

Let's learn two chords that are so easy, they only take one finger!

However, first you do need to know what frets are and which string is which. Frets are the thin metal strips running parallel to the strings. The 1st fret is the one closest to the tuning pegs. The others follow in order: 2nd fret, 3rd fret, etc. My ukulele has 12 frets. Yours may have the same or possibly a few more.

The string we'll call the 1st string is the one tuned to A. The 2nd string is the E-string. The 3rd string is the C-string. And the 4th string is the G-string. (In case you are playing your ukulele on the beach, please do not confuse this G-string with the one down below that is failing to protect your modesty).

Got it?

Now you should be able to play a C chord.

Pinch the 1st string against the 3rd fret with your ring finger. (To be precise, you'll want your finger just slightly above the fret). Now you should be able to strum all four strings from top to bottom, 4-3-2-1, and get something that sounds musical. If the positioning of your finger on the 1st string isn't quite right, you'll get three nice notes plus a 'plunk' sound. If necessary, play around with how you pinch the A-string against the 3rd fret until you get a clean note from it.

Now we'll learn to play an Am chord, which should be just as easy.

For this chord, use your middle finger on the 2nd fret of the G-string. Once you have the right position and pressure with your finger, you can strum the strings--again, from top to bottom--and get a clean musical sound from it.

Now let's practice going back and forth between the two one-finger chords you now know. [Insert practice here.] You are hopefully finding these lessons easy, but it will take a smidge of effort on your part.

Can you confidently move back and forth between C and Am yet? Once you can, it's time to play the first few bars of a beautiful but ultra-cliche song that has already been covered by everyone and his brother. I am speaking, of course, of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah."

The Jeff Buckley version may be the most famous, but he plays it in a different key. To play along with the music on YouTube, you can use Rufus Wainwright or John Cale.

There are more interesting ways of strumming or fingerpicking this song, but for now we'll just strum twice per measure. I'll use a slash / to represent strumming a chord.

Intro (no lyrics): C / / Am / / C / / Am / /

C                                       Am
I've HEARD there WAS a SECRET CHORD
          /                   /             /              /

C                                            Am
That DAVID PLAYED and it PLEASED the LORD
         /              /                       /                     /

This of course is only a small piece of the entire song, but you did get a lot of mileage out of minimal effort, right?

So what next? Try writing your own lyrics to amuse your friends. For example:

C                                            Am
I LIKE to play WARCRAFT WHEN I'm BORED
     /                          /                /                 /

C                                     Am
I RUN all aROUND and SWING my SWORD
    /               /                     /                   /  

F                                      G                                C
But YOU don't REALLY CARE for GAMING, DO YOU?
         /               /                 /                /                /         /

Okay, so I cheated and threw in two more chords. Please tune in next time to learn more. If you'd like a sneak peak at how to play an F chord, just start with Am but then add your pointer finger, pressing the 2nd string on the 1st fret.    

Lesson 0: How to tune a ukulele

So you've left your chromatic tuner on another continent and you have a lousy ear for music? No problem!

If you have an internet connection and a working microphone for your computer, you can tune a ukulele to perfection. Some fantastic human being (whom I've never met) created a free online tuner!

The link is: http://www.seventhstring.com/tuner/tuner.html.

The strings should be: G4, C4, E4, A4.

The tuning doesn't have to be perfect--unless you're one of those lucky people with perfect pitch, in which case you won't need a tuner anyway, right? If you get each note within +/- 2 cents, that should be close enough.

**Note: If ever in doubt, just don't over-tighten and break your strings!**

If you then pluck the strings one at a time from top to bottom (4th string G, 3rd string C, 2nd string E, 1st string A), you should hear the tune "My Dog Has Fleas."

Got it? Congrats! Now you should treat yourself to a brilliant performance by a master of this humble instrument to find your inspiration. I would recommend Jake Shimabukuro's rendition of "Bohemian Rhapsody."

...or, if the process of turning the pegs to adjust the pitch wasn't obvious enough, leave me a message and I'll hopefully get back to you soon. 

What this blog is for

Having left my guitars on the other side of the Atlantic, I finally picked up a ukulele at Argos for £19.99.

I'd like to help other people who are starting out with the ukulele by writing easy tutorials (probably on the most cliche songs you can imagine) and in pointing out the most useful content elsewhere on the web.

Since I haven't yet done much, my first suggestion is to look up "Ukulele Mike" on YouTube. He's a jolly, Wilford Brimley-looking gent. His lessons are excellent and free. I'm endorsing him entirely out of appreciation for posting such useful content.

Until next time, cheers!