Learn The Ukulele in Preston | CRB Checked Teacher
The ukulele has undergone a radical boost of popularity over the past 20 years – so much so this little instrument often associated with Music Hall tradition and Hawaii has a dedicated orchestra playing much more contemporary material to a much more modern audience.
Even members of The Beatles were fans of this fantastic versatile little instrument.
Is The Ukulele Difficult To Play?
The short answer is no! The popularity of various ukulele societies that have sprung up over the past 20 or so years are testament to that.
Several uke societies are in the Preston area alone and these interest groups have led to popular variants of the traditional build instruments as well as some interesting takes on songs for the uke.
It is also a great introduction to fretted string instruments for those who are worried whether they can handle a larger instrument like a guitar. The uke helps with discovering your talent.
I can teach someone with absolutely zero prior experience of playing a musical instrument inside of a half hour lesson how to :
- Read and understand chord grids
- Strum and develop rhythm
- Change from chord to chord
- Focus on producing a nice tone
- Have fun in making music
What Is The Best Ukulele For Me?
There are 4 traditional sizes of ukulele and these are
- Soprano
- Concert
- Tenor
- Baritone
Over the past number of years more and more types of ukulele have appeared on the market including Bass Ukulele, Pocket Ukulele and the Double string 6 and 8 string Ukuleles.
Soprano Ukulele
This is generally the smallest of the ukulele family and the easiest for children to learn with.
Concert
This is very similar to the soprano uke but it is the next size up, boasting a slightly longer neck and body. It has a slightly fuller sound.
Tenor
My personal preference due to a bigger body and longer neck making the Tenor Ukulele a very popular choice for older children and adult players.
Some brands now have the C string as a wound Bass string which gives a richness of tone that you just don’t get with smaller size ukuleles.
Baritone
The Baritone Ukulele is the largest instrument in the ukulele family and was popularised by many folk musicians.
The big difference with the Baritone Ukulele and the others is the actual tuning which in most cases is the same as the top 4 strings on a guitar. For my money the Baritone Ukulele is an odd one because in a sense its more guitar than ukulele!
Is The Ukulele Just A Gimmick?
Absolutely not! The Ukulele is a relatively easy instrument to learn depending on the material or musical genre you wish to develop.
Like any other musical instrument you can make it as challenging as you want. Its one thing bashing out a few pop songs in a singalong fashion but if you want to get serious about the ukulele then you could have a go at playing like the master.
George Formby made the uke famous in the UK and his style was formidable!
The legendary lad from Wigan with the funny voice and cheaky songs that were incredibly popular in the 1930’s and 1940’s was a master musician on the ukulele and the banjolele.
His style is the high benchmark in the ukulele world and to try and play George’s songs and emulate his remarkable technique is not for the faint hearted.
The long and short of it is the ukulele can be a difficult as any other instrument and it does all depend on where you want your musical journey to go.
Versatility
As the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain and the great Jake Shimabukuro have successfully demonstrated the ukulele is a versatile little beast. The wealth of material available for people to learn and to play is immense.
While one can study and learn the traditional ukulele repertoire almost all contemporary music covering all genres of music can be adapted and arranged for solo and group ukulele settings.
Also, and this is a big plus, learning to read and understand the ukulele chord grids and develop strumming and picking techniques does not limit the player to one fretted instrument:
- All skills can be fully transferred over to the guitar, banjo and mandolin!
- The ukulele is by no means a one trick pony.
Ukulele For A Child’s Musical Development
Over the years I have introduced the ukulele into several schools in Lancashire as part of an educational program I call “The Little Fingers Club”.
Once upon a time the Recorder was the instrument that some Primary Schools would encourage children to have a go with but the Times They Do A-Change to almost quote Bob Dylan !
So many children are drawn to the guitar which is a very difficult instrument to learn however, the point of the development of The Little Fingers Club was to use the ukulele as a springboard to learning the guitar whilst giving the child some experience in playing a fretted instrument which incorporates the same skills as a guitar but on a much more manageable instrument.
The ideal age for a child to try a ukulele is from the age of 6. The guitar at such a young age is a non-starter really because of the bulk of even a half size guitar – it looks like the child is trying to play a wardrobe hence the ukulele or more to the point a Soprano Ukulele. Most good musical instrument shops retail beginner soprano ukuleles for around the £20 mark which is relatively inexpensive for a proper instrument.
Professional Ukulele Tuition | Start Your Musical Journey TODAY!
No matter what age you are – it is never too late to learn a musical instrument especially when it is an instrument YOU can TAKE anywhere!
Certainly learning how to play your favourite songs on a ukulele is a lot of fun and as I said earlier in the article there is an immense amount of repertoire available and indeed I can arrange almost anything to fit the ukulele.
Give it go – you’ll be surprised about how quick you can learn with some expert tuition. BOOK A TASTER LESSON!
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