How to Play the Ukulele

Master musician and teacher Michael Poupko advises that this course does not require any musical experience, just a desire to play the ukulele. Learn general navigation of the uke, tablature, and tuning, all in this first video lesson. Your journey to the music of the islands begins right here.

After a thorough review of the material from Lesson 1, expand your understanding of tablature and add frets and finger placement to your complement of skills. Michael will take you through several short exercises with clear graphics and patient repetition before sending you off to practice your new skills with the course companion workbook.

Play along as your personal instructor guides you through fingering charts and six starter chords on your uke. Add a metronome to keep the beat, and this lesson will have you practicing the chords and chord progressions necessary to access hundreds of easy songs on your ukulele.

With several basic chords under your belt, it is time to turn to strum patterns to bring it together. Practice several chord progressions, then a variety of strum combinations. Finally, play along as you master “When the Saints Go Marching In” and “One, Five or Six to Four.”

Following some independent practice time, return to your lessons to learn about major scales and a little more music theory. He supports you through your next assignment—playing the C Major scale—and translating your knowledge into picking notes in the melody for two songs, including “Ode to Joy.”

The more you practice, the faster you will improve. If you put in the time this week, you will be ready to move on to this 6th lesson. Combine what you learned in Lessons 1–5 to play a chord melody for both the songs you have been practicing. This lesson represents a real jump in your musical skills, so take the time you need to bring it all together.