3 Important Things to Know Before You Learn to Play Ukulele

Are you ready to pick up a ukulele and start strumming? Ukulele teacher Willy M. shares three things you should know before you strum that first chord…

Since the ukulele has seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years, many people are interested in picking up this fun instrument. But before you dive in and start learning to play, there are a few things you should know. 

In this post, we’ll go over the basics of the uke and how to learn how to play the ukulele – from how to hold it to what chords you need to know. So if you’re thinking about taking up this enjoyable musical pursuit, keep reading!

Is it Hard to Learn to Play a Ukulele?

How difficult is it to play the ukulele? It depends on how you approach it:

• If you already know how to play another stringed instrument, such as a guitar, you’ll likely find it relatively easy to pick up the ukulele. The two instruments share many similarities, and so you’ll be able to transfer your existing knowledge to the new instrument fairly easily. 
• However, if you’re starting from scratch, it will take a bit more effort to learn the basics of ukulele playing. 
• You’ll need to learn how to hold the instrument, how to tune the strings, and how to make basic chords. 
• Once you’ve mastered these basics, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a ukulele virtuoso in no time!

Ready to get started? Sign up for ukulele lessons! You’ll learn everything you need to know about how to play this gorgeous instrument, plus tips like the ones you see in the video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3LUngJmO9E

How Long Does it Take to Learn to Play Ukulele?

There is no single answer to this question, as it depends on a number of factors such as prior musical experience, natural aptitude, and the amount of time you are willing to devote to practice. 

However, most experts agree that it is possible to learn the basics of ukulele in a matter of weeks. The key is to find a good teacher and to set aside enough time for practice. Those who are serious about learning to play ukulele can typically expect to spend several months mastering the instrument. 

But for those who just want to be able to strum a few chords and sing along with their favorite songs, a few weeks is usually all it takes. So regardless of your goals, there is no need to feel discouraged – with a little bit of effort, anyone can learn to play ukulele.

What to Know Before You Start Considering How to Learn to Play Ukulele

Hey budding ukulele players! I wanted to take a moment to tell you about three important things you should probably know before you decide to learn to play ukulele.

1. Make sure you have a ukulele and not a toy

When I first decided I wanted to learn to play ukulele, it was after a trip to visit relatives in Florida. I walked into a gift shop along the beach, and there it was! A beautiful ukulele with a sound hole cut out to look like a couple of palm trees swaying in the breeze. It called to me!

It was in a gift box so of course I couldn’t really examine the instrument very well, but the wood and tuners looked nice and the frets seemed real. Being a guitarist and mandolin player, I knew a few things about what to look for before buying a ukulele. It seemed to pass all of my inspections, so I thought it would be a good starter ukulele since it was less than $50.

I thought that until I got it home and tuned it up. Not knowing much at the time about the ukulele, I just tuned it to an open tuning and started strumming. It didn’t take me long to realize that the frets were not aligned properly. In fact, after a few minutes I learned that they weren’t real frets at all, but stick on pieces of metal glued in place. They weren’t even glued in the right place on the instrument, but were in fact just randomly placed on the neck anywhere the craftsman wanted to place them.

This leads to the first thing you should know about the ukulele. It is an instrument, not a toy. An instrument requires a certain precision when building it. The frets are there for a reason. When you divide the strings into shorter segments, it represents where the proper notes need to fall. If the frets are not placed where those notes need to fall, then you will never be able to play music on the ukulele.

So if Aunt Bertha gave you a ukulele as a present from her trip to Hawaii, make sure it is really a ukulele and not a toy! Starter ukuleles are cheap enough, and most music stores will have relatively inexpensive beginner ones that can fall between $20 and $50. If you are serious about wanting to learn the ukulele, spend the extra cash and make sure you get one that is well-built and has quality tuners.

2. Ukuleles are not tiny guitars

A ukulele is limited in the scope of music that can be played on it. A guitar, regardless of its size, has six individual strings that provide six separate notes which can allow a wide variety of musical styles, melodies, and techniques.

The ukulele, in contrast, has really only three strings that have individual notes. The fourth string is actually a repeat of the first string. Now, that being said, you can still play a great deal of music on a ukulele. You can use a lot of techniques that are similar to the guitar, and you can have a lot of fun with it, but there are things you will probably not be able to play on the uke.

Why am I telling you this? Well, think of it this way” if you want to learn how to play “Little Wing” by Jimi Hendrix on the ukulele, there are certain sounds, such as the dive bombing at the start of the solo, that require a specialized bridge that the ukulele does not possess. Just keep in mind that the ukulele’s purpose was to provide some musical accompaniment to singing. It’s the perfect instrument to have around the camp fire on the beach at sunset. But if you secretly want to be Eric Clapton, you might want to pick up your guitar.