Ukulele Lessons - Online, Group, and Private Options Available

The ukulele is a creative adaptation and redesign of the machete de braga, a small stringed instrument that was introduced to Hawaii by Portuguese immigrants in August of 1879. The Hawaiian people fell in love with the sound of the instrument and named it “ukulele" because the fingers of the performer dancing around on the neck and strings as a song was played resembled jumping fleas. Ukulele means jumping fleas in the Hawaiian language. Since the ukulele is related to a European instrument and the guitar from Spain, the relative tuning is the same. It should be tuned a perfect fourth up from a guitar, so the first string is tuned to an A, second string should be tuned to an E, third string will be a C, & the fourth string should be tuned to a G an octave up. Most ukuleles have a fourth string that is an octave above what the normal progression would be of most stringed instruments. If your G string is not tuned an octave up it’s a larger size than the average ukulele G string and would be considered a “drop G” tuning. I use a drop G tuning on my instrument because I prefer that configuration. The scale and chord patterns on the ukulele are similar to guitar, so if you know how to play some guitar you will have a big head start on the ukulele. You can think of it as a guitar that has a capo placed on the fifth fret. You can play a C chord on this guitar with the fifth fret capped, but it’s not really a C chord, right? It’s now an F chord because it must be transposed up a perfect fourth. Now play a D chord on the ukulele. It’s really a G chord because it must be transposed up just like if you were playing a guitar with a capo on the fifth fret. Simple, right? I have been a professional working musician for over thirty years and while my main instrument is guitar, I do use the ukulele in my work from time to time. I also have been teaching this instrument since 2009 because so many people are interested in it now. It has really seen a huge resurgence in the last couple of years. Previously it was very popular back in the 1920’s. I sincerely hope that we have a chance to get together and work on developing your talent. I am certain that you will consider this to be one of your most interesting and rewarding experiences.

I am an indie-pop singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. I have received a degree from Utah State University, and have been teaching lessons since 2014. As a teaching artist, I've written hundreds of songs, performed at dozens of venues, and helped innumerable people learn the ukulele. Alongside singing and songwriting, I assist my students in learning the ukulele. I also have experience teaching individual ukulele lessons. I created curriculum and taught over 200 group music classes at a summer camp. I worked with kids as an assistant teacher at Mountain West String Academy. As a continuous learner, I've attended over a dozen songwriting music conferences and I have completed my music teaching training program at Songsmith Studio.