Public Lessons

How to Learn Fingerstyle Ukulele: A Complete Guide to Practicing and Progressing If you’ve worked through our Fingerstyle Technique guide, you might be asking, “Now how do I actually learn this stuff?” It’s a different question than “How do I move my hands?” Technique tells you what your fingers should be doing. Learning is everything … Read more

How to Play Fingerstyle Ukulele: A Complete Technique Guide Fingerstyle ukulele is built from a collection of small movements that work together. The way your fingers contact the strings, how your left hand places and releases each note, and how you shape the sound all contribute to the music you create. As these movements become … Read more

From Strumming to Fingerstyle Ukulele: Folk Songs That Help You Make the Shift Introduction Folk songs are a natural bridge from strumming chords to playing fingerstyle ukulele. The melodies are familiar and the chord progressions recognizable. Typically the songs follow a predictable pattern that is easy to follow. If you already know how to strum … Read more

Francisco Tárrega for Classical Ukulele From fundamentals to advanced music Spanish guitarist and composer Francisco Tárrega’s music is timeless and beautiful, and fits nicely on the ukulele. And yet, contrary to a popular opinion, his music is not well-suited for the beginner. In fact, his music serves as an entryway to advanced classical music on … Read more

Ferdinando Carulli in the Early Grades Ferdinando Carulli Ferdinando Carulli (1770–1841) was an Italian guitarist, composer, and teacher. Born in Naples, he first played cello and did not discover the guitar until he was twenty years old. He eventually settled in Paris, where he became known especially as a teacher and wrote many pedagogical works … Read more

Performance: Fernando Sor Study in G Lesson: Fernando Sor Study in G Sor Study 11 for Classical Ukulele Fernando Sor’s Op. 31, No. 3 comes from his 24 Progressive Lessons, Op. 31, a collection first published in Paris in 1828 under the title Vingt quatre leçons progressives pour la guitare. The original title describes the … Read more

My Yellow Ginger Lei for Ukulele [Performance and Lesson] Introduction “My Yellow Ginger Lei” is a graceful Hawaiian standard arranged here in the style of Dennis Pavao. This lesson blends strumming and fingerstyle, so you can carry the melody and the accompaniment at the same time. The piece is relaxed and lyrical with a steady … Read more

Learn Your Ukulele Chord Families How well do you know your chords on ukulele? In this blog we’ll walk you through the most common chord families on ukulele, with chord charts for each one. You may know C Major already, but did you know you can play a C7 by changing just one finger? In … Read more

Andantino by José Ferrer on Baritone Ukulele José Ferrer was an accomplished Spanish guitarist, composer, and educator who worked between Barcelona and Paris in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He taught at the Comédie Française in Paris and at the Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu in Barcelona. While his writing is grounded … Read more