5 Steps to Ukulele Fame

6 November 2015

A guide to uke stardom, the easy way, by online ukulele pioneer GUS RAUCOUS.

Get hold of an actual ukulele.

There are lots of them out there - do your research online then do your local music shop a favour and buy one from there.

Start off with a cheap one and get an idea whether you like it or not. Luckily playing the ukulele is a relatively cheap hobby, with entry-level ukes at around £15 and perfectly decent ones starting at around £50.

Get someone to tune it for you: the guy in the shop; or a tuned-in friend. Get them to ensure it will stay in tune for a while by pulling/stretching the strings and making sure the tuners are properly set.

Play this chord [C]...

Then this one [F]...

Then this one [G]...

Now strum them in various combinations...

C / / / F / / / G / / /

then

F / / / G / / / C / / /

then

G / / / C / / / F / / /

That's it - you've got it. Now do it over and over again till your fingers and your brain go numb.

Here are some songs that only need these 3 chords: Hey Jude (The Beatles), The Lion Sleeps Tonight, The Gypsy Rover, Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer, I Can’t Give You Anything ( The Ramones), the list goes on...

When you start feeling it's time to progress on to new horizons then go and learn some new chords.

Look for the chords for your favourite songs online.

If you’re lucky the chords given will be in the same key as the original song. Then you can play along to the record.

If not then you need to struggle on on your own until you're happy with what you hear.

Once you think you can hold a tune, let your friends listen to you to increase your confidence.

Or maybe you could join a local uke club.

Note: Don't play a song in public until your chord changes are smooth and relatively seamless, as there's nothing more irksome than making your audience (no matter how supportive) wait while you locate the frets for the next chord.

Once you consider yourself a ukulele player (it's up to you to decide)...

...Then register yourself here.

Then post your first video on YouTube (other video sharing websites are available). Be prepared for comments like the popular: “YOU SUCK” - but don't give up. Generally people tend to be fairly lenient with ukulele-ists especially if you are a) very young b) very old or c) very enthusiastic.