Uke' n play the ukulele

Mike Jackson

U K E ‘ N P L AY U K U L E L E Mike Jackson’s ‘Instant Play’ Method I D E A L F O R A C L A S S RO O M M U S I C P RO G R A M

AUSTRALIAN N ATION AL COUN CIL OF ORFF SCHULWERK

MOSAIC 2008

Uke’n Play Ukulele

Mike Jackson

Making Chords

C Place your third finger on the red dot - you have made the C chord.

F Place your first finger and second finger on the yellow dots - you now have the F chord.

G7 Leave your first finger on its yellow dot and place your second and third fingers on the green dots - this is the G7 chord.

Practice Chord Patterns Try repeating these chord patterns with 4 strums on each chord. If this is difficult, play the pattern with 8 strums on each chord, then four strums , then 2 until your chord changes are fluent. If a particular chord change is giving you trouble, slow down your strumming and practise only that change until you are comfortable with it.

F //// C ////

C //// F ////

F C //// //// G7 C //// ////

C G7 C G7 //// //// //// //// C F C G7 //// //// //// ////

Row Row Row Your Boat C Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily Life is but a dream Polly Wolly Doodle F C Oh, I went down south for to see my gal, sing Polly Wolly Doodle all the day F My Sal she is a saucy gal, sing Polly Wolly Doodle all the day CHORUS: F C Fare thee well, fare thee well, fare thee well, my fairy fay

F For I'm goin' to Lousiana, for to see my Susyanna Sing Polly Wolly Doodle all the day

AUSTRALIAN N ATION AL COUN CIL OF ORFF SCHULWERK

MOSAIC 2008

Uke’n Play Ukulele

Mike Jackson

ONCE AGAIN THE UKULELE IS TAKING THE WORLD BY STORM! The Ukulele: • Is a very simple instrument to learn to play • Encourages singing because it is a delightful instrument for song accompaniment • Promotes social inclusion as it sounds wonderful played in groups or ‘kollectives’ • Suits a vast range of musical styles • Has comfortable physical attributes which allow it to be played by the very young through to the very old.

• Is satisfying to play at a simple level but the instrument has also many young virtuoso players • Has a great sound and a very big ‘CUTE’ factor!

BUYING A UKULELE: 1. Buy it from a reputable music shop - you can't buy a real car from a toyshop, the same thing goes for musical instruments!

2. Buy the best instrument you can afford - it's easier and more pleasurable to play a good instrument.

3. Things to ask the music shop staff: Ask them to tune your ukulele (it won't stay in tune but it's a good start and does assist you to find a good instrument).

Ask them to test the ukulele's action - the store will know what that means (too high or too low both create problems).

Have them check the intonation (a badly measured fretboard or high action will mean the instrument never plays in tune).

4. Add an electronic tuner to your shopping list - a chromatic guitar tuner that clips onto the head of the ukulele seems to work best. The tuner will help keep you and your dog sane! (out of tune ukuleles sound Yuk!!).

5. Ask the music shop assistant to show you how to use the tuner.

6. If you're buying a ukulele for your children, buy two ukuleles - one for you and one for them - and get them (the children) to 'teach' you how to play. They'll learn much quicker and have a lot more fun if you appear to be the one having difficulty learning and have them explain what to do - to you.

TROUBLE SHOOTING Tuning My Ukulele won't stay in tune!

Tune your ukulele regularly - even the best stringed instruments go out of tune often, as tuning is affected by temperature, humidity and how hard you strum.

My Ukulele still won't stay in tune!!

1. Check that the instrument is holding together - sometimes going out of tune means a glue line has given up. Tuning up at such a time would be disastrous!

2. New strings take a while to settle in. Stretch them and retune until the notes hold firm My Ukulele still still won't stay in tune!!!

1. Check that the strings are not slipping around the tuning pegs as you tighten them.

2. Check that you have the correct thickness of strings - a music shop can help you there. Strings that are too thin are difficult to keep in tune.

3. Check that you do have a ukulele and not a ‘toy’. If you have the latter, save yourself a lot of pain and go and buy a real one from a music shop!

AUSTRALIAN N ATION AL COUN CIL OF ORFF SCHULWERK

MOSAIC 2008

Uke’n Play Ukulele

Mike Jackson

Strumming I can't get the rhythm right 1. Deaden the sound by gently pressing your non-strumming fingers across all four strings - don't press too hard or you'll get notes playing - now practice your strums while watching TV or riding your exercise bike - caution, not recommended whilst pedalling down the street!

2. Strum along in this way to the song you're trying to learn or for that matter any song.

Strumming hurts my fingers 1. Give it a rest for a while to give your fingers chance to heal.

2. Use your nails to strum rather than the fleshy parts of your fingers.

3. Buy a felt pick for a couple of dollars from a music shop.

Still can't get the rhythm right Time to seek help from a guitar teacher.

Playing Chords The Ukulele's in tune but the chords still sound dreadful Check your finger positions are correct and you are not stretching a string by accident.

Some of strings sound dead when I strum them Check that you are pressing the strings gently down onto the frets with just your fingertips. Make sure that your fingers are only touching the strings they are supposed to touch.

My hand hurts!

1. Relax your hands whilst playing - don't press too hard or hold in a stiff position.

2. Don't play too long especially when you begin learning to play.

3. Take regular rest breaks during practice.

4. Check your chording hand position. Make sure your thumb is at the back of the neck and pointing upwards. A space between the palm of your hand and the bottom edge of the ukulele neck allows for a good finger positions on the fret board.

AUSTRALIAN N ATION AL COUN CIL OF ORFF SCHULWERK

MOSAIC 2008