Ukulele For Dummies

Learn to:

Fully understand ukulele basics Play the key ukulele chords and strumming patterns Tackle guidance on fingerpicking instruction Develop your skills by downloading the accompanying tracks from Dummies.com

Pick up a uke and start playing fast

Do you want to learn to play the ukulele? This friendly guide covers everything from chords and strumming patterns to finger picking and style variations. With clear instructions and musical inspiration on every page, it will have you making a big splash with this tiny instrument in no time.

First things first weigh your buying options, grab the essentials, check out the accessories, and master maintenance Start strumming get to know the ukulele chords and their families, play your first songs and create more strumming patterns for great results Play your heart out rock or jazz, Hawaiian or classical, find the groove that fits your mood Pick a winner discover fingerpicking patterns, get to grips with tabs and notation, plus solo techniques with melody/chord combos

Open the book and find:

How to hold a ukulele and position yourself to play Guidance on developing your strumming The ′three–chord trick′ that′ll help your playing What to do if things don′t sound right How to diagnose and solve uke problems Unbeatable tips for improving your playing Ten ways to get involved in the ukulele scene Chord charts and guidance on reading standard musical notation

Alistair Wood is a ukulele player, transcriber and arranger who owns the most popular ukulele site on the Internet, ukulelehunt.com. His expertise and the continuing ukulele boom has led to media hits that include The New York Times, The Guardian and BBC News.