Ukulele Basics

Lessons

1. Getting Started and Tuned

   Pick up the instrument, learn the parts, and get it in tune before you play a single note.

   • •What you actually need to bring (a cheap uke is fine)15 min
   • •The parts of the ukulele and how to hold it15 min
   • •Tuning with a clip-on tuner, not your phone20 min
   • •Why the dry air here keeps knocking you out of tune10 min
2. Your First Chord: C

   One finger, one clean chord, held correctly before you rush anywhere.

   • •Fretting the C chord clean20 min
   • •When it hurts, stop. Calluses need time15 min
   • •Hold C four times clean before we move on20 min
   • •Debugging a buzzing string (usually it's you, not the uke)15 min
3. Adding Chords: Am, F, and G

   Three more shapes to round out your four essential chords, one at a time.

   • •A minor, the easy one15 min
   • •The F chord and where the fingers go20 min
   • •G, the awkward one, taken slow25 min
   • •Switching between two chords without a big pause25 min
4. Basic Strumming

   Down strums first, then down-up, learned too slow on purpose.

   • •The down strum and keeping steady time15 min
   • •Adding the up strum without tangling up25 min
   • •Why we play everything too slow first15 min
   • •A simple pattern you can loop on one chord20 min
5. Putting Chords and Strums Together in Songs

   Combine your four chords and a strum into real, recognizable songs.

   • •"You Are My Sunshine" with two chords25 min
   • •Adding a third chord to the same song20 min
   • •"Riptide" and the four-chord loop25 min
   • •Reading a chord chart instead of sheet music15 min
6. Keeping Going On Your Own

   A practice routine, honest limits, and how to play in front of another person.

   • •Five minutes daily beats one long Saturday15 min
   • •When to upgrade your ukulele (not yet)10 min
   • •Playing and singing at once is a separate skill20 min
   • •Playing for one person without freezing up20 min
   • •Where to go next if you want more15 min

Class discussion