Ukulele Playing Tips: The 6 Essential Steps You Need To Take

Learning how to play the ukulele is a continuous process. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced player, improving your skills requires focus and discipline to get you to the next level. Just as with any other skill, you must have some helpful guidelines to get you started. To help you out, here are six practical tips.

Focus on mastering the basics.

To begin with, learn what the ukulele parts are and how to tune them. Get into the habit of tuning the instrument before playing. It's important to learn how to properly hold your ukulele so that you can play more comfortably and produce better sounds. If you are sitting, use your leg to support the weight of the ukulele; if you are standing, lean the body of your ukulele against your chest or belly as you strum. Your strumming hand should rest on top of the uke's body to play more comfortably. By memorizing the most basic chord shapes, you will increase your chord bank, which will prove to be extremely helpful as you master new songs.

Play a simple song first.

With so many songs you can play on the uke, you might get overwhelmed. Seriously, when you're a beginner, you might become overly excited and want to learn every song you come across. And most likely, these songs have complicated chords, which can be frustrating when you’re just starting out. So chill out. Take your time and find simple songs with a few basic chords first. The goal is to improve your ability to switch from one chord to another. Become familiar with on-beat strumming, keeping your grip steady, and producing a clear sound on your ukulele. The easiest way to improve all this is to start with ukulele songs that have three or four basic chord progressions.

Fingernails are important.

Surprise? We’re dead serious about it. Here’s what we mean. Ukuleles have a distinctive sound that is affected by the fingernails of the fretting hands. Keep your fretting fingernails short and neat for a cleaner fretting sound. Alternatively, some great players allow their strumming fingers to grow a little so their strumming sound will be crisp and clear. If you want to achieve the same sound quality, you could try growing your strumming fingernails.

There is no substitute for practice and repetition.

According to Zig Ziglar, “Repetition is the mother of learning, the father of action, which makes it the architect of accomplishment.” Any expert knows this quote to be true, for any master was once a beginner. Studying the subject till they know it by heart has taken them years of hard work and dedication. Learning how to play the ukulele is no different. Practising the uke consistently will surely make you great at playing the instrument in no time!

Choosing the right Ukulele.

If you are interested in learning how to play the uke, you will need to do some research to find out what qualities make a quality ukulele. Whether you want to start with a cheap model to see if it is the right instrument for you initially, or you already know that you want a premium model, you will need to do some research. The good news is, we’ve already done the hard work for you. The ultimate ukulele buying guide is the perfect place to start your ukulele search.

Enjoy the journey and have fun!

The idea of playing the ukulele is to have fun, so don't stress yourself out. Take it slow and enjoy the learning process. Share your music with your friends and family. Allow the ukulele to bring them joy with the ukulele's sweet sounds and make your community happy!

That's it for today! We hope you learned something new. If you have any questions, feel free to shoot us a quick message through email or chat us on the lower right side of this page. Happy strumming!