Ukulele For Dummies

Introduction 1

Part I: Introducing Ukulele Basics 7

Chapter 1: Exploring the Ukulele 9

Chapter 2: Tuning Up to Sound Great 21

Chapter 3: Discovering How to Handle Your Ukulele 31

Part II: Starting Out With Chords and Strumming 41

Chapter 4: Playing Your First Ukulele Chords and Songs 43

Chapter 5: Drumming Up More Strumming Patterns 65

Chapter 6: Meeting the Chords and Their Families 87

Part III: Picking and Single-Note Playing 111

Chapter 7: Getting to Grips with Tabs and Notation 113

Chapter 8: Discovering Fingerpicking Patterns 131

Chapter 9: Combining Melodies and Chords When Playing Solo 147

Chapter 10: Picking Up Some Soloing Techniques 157

Part IV: Discovering Genres and Styles 175

Chapter 11: Rocking Out With Your Uke 177

Chapter 12: Playing the Blues to Lift Your Spirits 191

Chapter 13: Saying ‘Aloha’ to the Hawaiian Style 209

Chapter 14: Jazzing Up Your Uke Playing 217

Chapter 15: Strumming Up the Jawaiian Style 227

Chapter 16: Getting Classy: Classical Masterpieces for Ukulele 235

Part V: Buying and Looking After Your Ukulele 249

Chapter 17: Weighing Up Your Options When Buying a Ukulele 251

Chapter 18: Splashing Out on Essentials and Accessories 259

Chapter 19: Restringing, Maintaining and Adjusting Your Uke 267

Part VI: The Part of Tens 277

Chapter 20: Ten (Plus) Ukulele Players to Know 279

Chapter 21: Ten Ways to Get Involved in the Ukulele Scene 285

Chapter 22: Ten (Or So) Tips for Improving Your Playing 291

Part VII: Appendixes 297

Appendix A: Chord Charts 299

Appendix B: Reading Standard Musical Notation 303

Appendix C: Audio Tracks 315

Index 323