I’m very happy to announce that my new book Ukulele Exercises For Dummies is finally available in the US!

If you are in the US, order the book at Amazon here.

I’ve caught word from some US friends who pre-ordered the book that they are starting to receive their copies of the book in the mail. If you pre-ordered the book and haven’t received your copy yet, it’s on the way and I imagine you’ll be getting your copy in the mail very soon.

I’ve learned that this book publishing thing can really keep you on your toes. Again, thank you for your patience with the delay. I know how anxious you’ve been, as have I. I sincerely hope you enjoy the book and hope it’s been worth the wait for you.

Have you received your copy of the book yet? Where in the world are you located? Let me know in the comments area below!

To select a winner, I had a little party on my back patio here in Detroit, MI. I put each individual entry into a big bowl, shuffled ‘em up, and from there, I randomly picked out one lucky winner. My brother Ian and friend Gabe even helped me record a video of the big event!

Congratulations to Kay Fraser for scoring a brand new ukulele. You are the winner!

To those who entered into the contest, thank you for celebrating the release of my new book with me. Again, I am so grateful for your support and encouragement at this exciting time.

If you are interested, get your copy of Ukulele Exercises For Dummies at any of the following online bookstores:

• Amazon.com
• Amazon Canada
• Amazon UK
• BookDepository (free worldwide shipping)

Thanks again, everyone.

This book is a practice-based book created for ukulele players who want to take their technique and skills to the next level. Ukulele Exercises For Dummies focuses on many different aspects of playing the ukulele like strumming, fingerpicking, learning the ukulele fretboard, soloing in different styles and much more. The book contains hundreds of different exercises and a broad selection of practical songs in various styles that get you making beautiful-sounding music on the ukulele.

Right now, pre-order the book for a special discounted price on Amazon:

• Amazon.com
• Amazon Canada
• Amazon UK

For my Australian, New Zealand, or worldwide friends, pre-order the book from BookDepository.co.uk, since they are stocking the book and offering free worldwide shipping.

Note: After the book officially releases, the price will go up, so be sure to take advantage of the special pre-order price these online bookstores are offering.

To write this book, I teamed up with Wiley Publishing (the For Dummies people). Alistair Wood, author of Ukulele For Dummies and founder of Ukulele Hunt, was so kind to recommend me to author this book. Even more so, I was absolutely honored to have him as a contributing editor for the book. Al’s role and expertise was pivotal in writing Ukulele Exercises For Dummies. I am very thankful for his and the rest of the team at Wiley’s hard work.

How This Book Will Help You

I wrote Ukulele Exercises For Dummies to be a book for ukulele players who want to take the next step and push their ukulele playing to a higher level. Still though, I wrote the book in a way that allows even entry-level ukulele players to jump right in and start improving their skills. In a whoppin’ 240 pages, I cover things like:

• Creating rock-steady strumming patterns and rhythms using a variety of ukulele chords
• Practicing advanced strumming techniques like the chnk strum, muted strums and rolling finger strums
• Becoming a better fingerpicker with patterns, arpeggio exercises and solo fingerpicking pieces
• Expanding your fretboard knowledge and crafting your own rock, blues and jazz riffs and solos
• Applying techniques to play actual songs on the ukulele – everything from the classic ukulele tunes to the 12 bar blues
• Downloadable audio files of the exercises found in the book (256 total audio tracks, to be exact!)

Ukulele Exercises For Dummies is a little different than most books in that the book is more of a reference book rather than one you would read from cover to cover. I wrote it in a way so you can skip around and focus on practicing the things that interest you most.

Inside the Cover (Table of Contents)

Ukulele Exercises For Dummies is organized in a way where you can jump around to the parts of playing ukulele that interest you most. As you use this book, don’t hesitate to select exercises and songs to practice from different chapters.

The following gives you a bird’s-eye view of what you’ll find in the book. Throughout the chapters, there are many practical songs that give you an opportunity to apply your skills and technique. To see the songs and specific techniques you learn in the book, download and see a more in-depth table of contents here.

Introduction

Part I: Getting Started with Ukulele Exercises

• Chapter 1: Preparing to Practice
• Chapter 2: Warming Up for Practice

Part II: Becoming a Better Strummer

• Chapter 3: Foundations For Strumming
• Chapter 4: Building a Repertoire of Strumming Patterns
• Chapter 5: Taking Strumming Patterns to a Higher Level
• Chapter 6: Refining Advanced Strumming Techniques

Part III: Becoming a Better Fingerpicker

• Chapter 7: Examining Fingerpicking Technique
• Chapter 8: Developing Rhythmic Fingerpicking Patterns
• Chapter 9: Improving Your Solo Fingerpicking Skills
• Chapter 10: Taking a Deeper Look at Single-Note Fingerpicking Techniques

Part IV: Mastering the Ukulele Fretboard

• Chapter 11: Learning the Fretboard with Major Scales
• Chapter 12: Taking On Three Minor Scales
• Chapter 13: Commanding the Fretboard with Chords
• Chapter 14: Using Scales to Solo and Improvise

Part V: The Part of Tens

• Chapter 15: Ten Ways to Improve Your Practice Times
• Chapter 16: Ten Tips for Every Performing Ukulele Player

Don’t forget to download and see a more in-depth table of contents here.

Grab the Table of Contents and Sample Chapter

As a way to say thank you for all of your support and patience while I was writing this book, please download, preview and enjoy the full Chapter 8 ‘Developing Rhythmic Fingerpicking Patterns’ from Ukulele Exercises For Dummies.

Download the full, sample chapter here.

Chapter 8 explores various rhythmic fingerpicking patterns that can be used to fingerpick the chord progression of a song. In this chapter, you use your fingerpicking skills to fingerpick two different songs: The Water Is Wide and I Am a Poor Wayfaring Stranger, made popular by Johnny Cash and Emmylou Harris. Rhythmic fingerpicking patterns provide a steady rhythmic foundation to a song, so you can sing out the melody of a song, or accompany other instrumentalists.

When you get your copy of Ukulele Exercises For Dummies, you will be able to download and listen to the audio demonstrations to hear exactly how the patterns and songs are played.

Pre-order the Book and Win a Free Ukulele

To celebrate the book’s release, I am giving away a free, brand new Kala Archtop Tenor Ukulele KA-JTE!

This ukulele is quite special and one-of-a-kind in its appearance: it’s an archtop ukulele. You’ll notice there isn’t a round soundhole directly beneath the strings; instead, there are two F-holes. The ukulele comes equipped with a spruce top, mahogany back and neck, rosewood fingerboard, and electronics (that is, a pickup), so you can easily connect and plug in the ukulele to an amplifier.

To enter to win a Kala Archtop Ukulele KA-JTE ($300 value), follow these three easy steps:

1. Pre-order two or more copies of Ukulele Exercises For Dummies (one for you and one to give to a friend) by April 15, 2013 (the book’s US release date).
2. Forward me a copy of your receipt that confirms you purchased two or more copies of the book to: book [at] ukuleletricks.com
3. On April 15th, when the book officially releases, I will randomly draw a winner and announce who it is right here on UkuleleTricks.com.

Update: We have a winner! The giveaway is closed for entry. Check out my video announcement of the winner here.

Again, you must pre-order two or more copies of the book to enter and email me your receipt. Ukulele Exercises For Dummies is available for pre-order for a special discounted price at any of the following online bookstores:

• Amazon.com
• Amazon Canada
• Amazon UK
• BookDepository (free worldwide shipping)

If you live in a country not listed here, post a comment, and I will try to help you find a way to pre-order the book.

My Sincere Thanks to You

I can’t overstate how thankful I am for your support. I’ve played music my entire life, and it’s truly a blessing and honor to be able to be supported by you, so I can help others learn how to play the ukulele. It’s unbelievable to me and I’m so thankful! To my students in the Ukulele Strumming Tricks course, thank you, and to those of you who will pre-order the book, I can’t thank you enough. I hope you enjoy.

Your Questions and Comments

Do you have a question about the book that I haven’t addressed here? Post a comment below and I can help you out!

Cordoba 20BM baritone ukulele

At the moment, I do not have any songs or lessons that specifically pertain to the baritone ukulele. I realize this is disappointing and a huge bummer for you baritone players, and I want you to know that I plan to create some baritone ukulele lessons in the future.

Until then, I want to show how you can use your baritone ukulele to still follow and play along with me in my standard-tuned lessons on UkuleleTricks.com. Many of my students in my Ukulele Strumming Tricks course, who own a baritone ukulele, use these tips to follow along and improve their strumming right with me.

1. Figuring Out Chords on the Baritone Ukulele

If you don’t know already, soprano, concert and tenor ukuleles are commonly tuned to standard tuning: g-C-E-A. A baritone ukulele is tuned lower like the bottom four strings of a guitar: D-G-B-E. A baritone ukulele has a deeper, lower-pitched sound. Learn more about the differences between ukulele types here.

Because of the differences in tuning, at the moment, the chord diagrams on UkuleleTricks.com sound in a different key when played on a baritone ukulele. This means, in order to strum along with me in my video lessons, you are required to figure out the chord positions separately on your baritone ukulele.

The easiest way to figure out chords on a baritone ukulele is to search the internet for ‘guitar chords’ and pay attention only to the bottom four strings of the guitar chord diagrams. The bottom four strings of a guitar chord diagram will give you the chord position that you play on your baritone ukulele.

When you’ve figured out the chord positions on your baritone ukulele, you can play and strum those chords along with me in my video lessons, or anyone else that is playing a standard tuned ukulele. The finger positions for the chords will be different between the ukuleles, but if played correctly, they will sound together in the right key.

I prefer a different way of going about using your baritone ukulele to play along with standard tuned ukuleles. Let’s take a look.

2. Use a Ukulele Capo to Transpose Your Playing to Standard Tuning

Shubb L9 ukulele capo

One of the easiest ways to follow along with me in my videos is to use a ukulele capo on the 5th fret of your baritone ukulele’s neck.

A ukulele capo is a small device that barres (that is, holds down) all of the strings at whichever fret you place the capo. By placing the capo at the 5th fret, you transpose your baritone ukulele’s tuning to G-C-E-A, which are the notes in standard linear tuning.

This means with the ukulele capo you can play the same chord positions on your baritone ukulele that I am using in my ukulele lesson videos, and your playing and my playing will sound together in the same key.

I recommend the Shubb L9 ukulele capo because of the ability to adjust how hard the capo clamps around the neck of your ukulele. The Kyser banjo capo is a cheaper and worthwhile alternative, but in my experience, if you’re not careful with how you place the Kyser capo, it can sometimes pull your strings out of tune relative to one another.

Moving Forward

My intention is to give you baritone ukulele players some love and provide you all with some really great baritone ukulele lessons in the future. Until then, hopefully this can help you bridge the gap that can sometimes exist with playing along with standard-tuned ukuleles.

Are you a baritone ukulele player? What questions do you have about playing your baritone ukulele with standard-tuned ukuleles? Tell me by posting your comment below.

Note: A few of these strumming patterns are taught in the Ukulele Strumming Tricks video lesson course. For sake of brevity, in this lesson, I won’t go into as much detail explaining these patterns as I would in my course. If you are looking for a progressive easy-to-follow, step-by-step practice plan towards becoming a better strummer with deeper explanations, I highly recommend my Ukulele Strumming Tricks course.

Foundations of Strumming

The first thing to realize about strumming is that it’s not about how fancy or complicated you make a strumming pattern. Since strumming is a form of rhythm, in order to be effective, it must be consistent and steady. A steady, consistent strumming rhythm is always more pleasing to listen to than a really complicated strumming pattern played out of time.

The following strumming patterns, as demonstrated in the video, are played in 4/4 time signature. This means each pattern is played to a steady, consistent count of four: 1, 2, 3, 4, repeat. You can use these patterns for any song counted in four. As you practice each of these strumming patterns, count out loud, and even use a metronome to keep your strumming as rocksteady as possible.

Strumming Pattern #1

Before learning any other strumming pattern, learn this one. This pattern is very simple, as it is only down strums, but it is highly effective. For example, in my performance of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”, I use all down strums for the last half of the song.

As you practice this, set your metronome, count out loud, and focus on lining up your down strums with each beat. Try to make your strums as even in tone and in volume.

Strumming Pattern #2

When you have the previous pattern mastered, add in up strums between each down strum to make the pattern more interesting. You would count these up strums in between the main beats by counting the word “and” like: 1 and, 2 and, 3 and, 4 and, repeat.

In addition, practice changing between chords on the first beat of the strumming pattern. For example, you might switch between a C, Am, and F chord. Take your practice further by coming up with your own chord progressions too.

Strumming Pattern #3

This strumming pattern combines the first two patterns. For this pattern, insert an up strum on the “and” of beats 2 and 4.

Strumming Pattern #4

You can get creative by rearranging the order of your down strums and up strums within the count of four. This pattern is like pattern #3, but in this pattern, you insert an up strum on the “and” of beats 1 and 3.

Strumming Pattern #5

This strumming pattern is sometimes referred to as the calypso strum. This pattern is the most complicated out of all of the patterns. This is because the down strum on beat 3 is removed and you only play an up strum on the “and” of the third beat. You’ll want to be sure to watch the video to get a sense for how this pattern sounds and feels. Once you get it down, you’ll find that it’s an easy pattern to apply to a lot of different songs.

Practicing Strumming Patterns

I recommend practicing these strumming patterns while playing just a C chord. Strumming is all about practicing a pattern to the point where it comes second nature and you don’t have to think about it too much. Don’t forget to practice these strumming patterns at a slow and fast tempo.

After practicing each pattern for awhile, practice changing between chords. Check out my lesson “Knowing When to Change Chords While Strumming a Song” for some practice examples.

When you’re ready, try applying these strumming patterns to a few different songs:

• I’ve Been Working On the Railroad
• Jingle Bells
• You’ve Got a Friend In Me

How’s the strumming going for you? What questions do you have? I’d love to hear from you.

Post your comment below.

Photo credit

For the most part, ukulele songs are displayed online and in print using chord charts. A chord chart includes the lyrics of a song with letters above to indicate the chords. Most of the ukulele songs I’ve posted on Ukulele Tricks are presented through chord charts.

The big downside to chord charts is that there is no indication of the rhythm (or strumming) of a song. By itself, a chord chart doesn’t inform you about how long to strum a chord or when to exactly change a chord. The chord letters are written to line up with the lyrics, as to try to indicate when the chord changes happen, but as you’ve probably found, it’s not that easy.

In this lesson, I show you some ways I go about approaching a chord chart and learning a new song. More specifically, I give you some practical examples and exercises from actual songs that allow you to get the knack for identifying chord changes in a song, while keeping a steady strumming pattern rhythm.

The following figure shows the strumming pattern I will use as an example in this lesson. If you are a complete beginner and need some direction, watch this video lesson before proceeding, which demonstrates the following strumming pattern:

3 Main Ways Chord Changes Happen In Songs

When you approach a chord chart, you need to know three of the most popular ways chords change throughout a song. Most songs have chord progressions that follow these three rules.

Changing Chords Every Measure

Most songs are counted in four (4/4 time signature). This means you count one, two, three, four to the rhythm or strumming of the song. In a song counted in four, each group of four beats is considered one measure. The strumming pattern in the figure above is played over the span of one measure.

If this talk about counting and measures is confusing, be sure to watch my video lesson Ukulele Strumming Patterns for Beginners.

As a rule of thumb, the majority of chords in a song change on the first beat of a measure. For example, in the popular folk song “I’ve Been Working On the Railroad”, in the first line of the song, chord changes occur on the first beat of every measure, as shown in the following figure:

If you click over to the chord chart for “I’ve Been Working On the Railroad”, you see how the above rhythm chart example is represented in the chord chart:

Changing Chords Every Two Measures

While chords often change on the first beat of a measure, chords in a song don’t always change every measure. Sometimes you strum a chord for more than one measure. The following example shows a Jason Mraz “I’m Yours” chord progression, where each chord is strummed for two measures. This means you play the strumming pattern twice for each chord.

If you were just following a chord chart for “I’m Yours”, this is how the above would look:

Changing Chords In the Middle of a Measure

Chord changes sometimes happen in the middle of a measure–often times on the third beat. For example, in the first lines of “Ain’t She Sweet”, there is an occasional chord change on the third beat:

And this is how this progression would look in a chord chart:

Learning to Play a Song from a Chord Chart

Learning a song from a chord chart is actually pretty difficult–even for a seasoned ukulele player. This is because a chord chart gives you no indication of the rhythm of the song or how the song is counted. Because of this, it becomes a bit more difficult to find a strumming pattern that fits with the song.

Here’s how I approach learning a new song, which allows me to find the right strumming pattern for a song.

Tip #1: Listen, Listen, Listen

So you’ve found the chord chart of your favorite song, and you want to figure out how to play it on ukulele. Before even picking up your ukulele, at first, you must listen to the song. Find a recording of the song on YouTube or download it off of iTunes.

As you listen, do the following things:

1. Tap your toe to the beat. Try to count along to a count of four. If that doesn’t quite fit, try a count of three to see if it fits better.
2. Pay attention to where chord changes happen. When you hear a “shift” in the harmony or melody, this usually means a chord has changed.
3. Sing or hum the melody of the song. The tricky part is to sing and strum at the same time, so you’ll want to have the melody of the song ingrained in your brain so it’s second nature.

Listening is so important because it gets the song stuck in your head. It also allows you to pick up on things like rhythm and melody, which will inform you for the next step.

Tip #2: Start with Down Strums

Once you’ve listened to the song, take a look at the chord chart for the song and start learning the chords. When you are comfortable, start strumming the first chord of the song with just down strums.

Always start with down strums. Strumming isn’t about being fancy. It’s better to be able to play a song with just down strums rather than playing a really fancy, complicated strumming pattern that is played out of rhythm.

Practice changing between the chords of the song. As shown in the examples above, try switching the chords on the first beat of every measure. If that doesn’t feel right, try switching chord every two measures, and if that’s not working, experiment with changing chords in the middle of a measure.

At this point, you are just trying to get a sense for how and when the chords change. You are going to have to experiment. Use your ear, and don’t be afraid to go back and listen to the song.

Tip #3: Strum First, Sing Later

The tricky part about any song is that more often than not, the rhythm of the melody of the song (the part you sing) is a little different than the strumming. This means your singing won’t always match up completely with your strumming. This complexity is normal in any piece of music and is often what makes a piece worth listening to.

When it comes to singing and playing at the same time, it’s important you’ve practiced your strumming to the point where it becomes second nature. This way when you try singing a vocal line you don’t get thrown off. It’s a lot like patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time!

For more on singing and playing the ukulele at the same time, check out my lesson How to Sing and Play Ukulele At the Same Time.

Conclusion

A lot of the ideas presented in this lesson are unpacked more in my comprehensive video lesson course Ukulele Strumming Tricks. If you are a complete beginner, or if you want to have a more in-depth understanding of rhythm and strumming on the ukulele, I recommend joining me in my course.

How’s the strumming going for you? What questions do you have? Do you have any tips that I might have missed? Post your comment below.

As normally instructed, to play a Bb chord, use your index finger to hold down or barre the bottom two strings of the ukulele at the 1st fret; place your middle finger on the 2nd fret of the third string and your ring finger on the 3rd fret of the top string, as shown in the following picture.

A common way to play a Bb chord

This position requires you to bend your index finger in what can seem like a really difficult and uncomfortable way. If you struggle with stiffness or even arthritis in your fretting hand, this position can seem near impossible. Not to mention, this way of playing a Bb chord requires quite a bit of strength.

In my conversations with you, a lot of you have found an alternative way to play a Bb chord that works extremely well. To play a Bb chord, rather than barring only the bottom two strings at the 1st fret, barre all the strings with your index finger. This means, you hold down all four strings at the 1st fret with your index finger. Then, position your middle finger on the 2nd fret of the third string and your ring finger on the 3rd fret of the top string. Check out the following picture to see a Bb chord played in this alternate position.

An alternate way to play a Bb chord

Note: Ensure the end of your thumb is firmly planted on the neck of the ukulele to provide leverage and support.

The benefit to this alternate position is that you are able to keep your index finger extended, rather than bending it in an awkward way. Many find this much more comfortable, and because you are using the entire index finger to hold down the strings, the amount of strength and energy required to fret the strings is a little less.

I want to hear from you. How do you play a Bb chord? Any tips that you have for your fellow ukulele players? Post your comment below!

In standard ukulele tuning, the top g-string of the ukulele is tuned higher than the middle two strings of the ukulele. More specifically, the top g-string is tuned to the “G” note above middle-C on a piano (learn more about standard ukulele tuning).

In low G tuning, all of the strings stay tuned the same except the top g-string is tuned down an octave to the “G” note below middle-C, as shown in the following figures:

By tuning the top g-string down an octave, you add five additional notes to the bottom of the ukulele’s range of pitch. This produces a fuller, deeper sound to the ukulele.

Often times, people prefer the low G tuning on a tenor sized ukulele versus a soprano or concert sized (read more about ukulele sizes). You can see why a lot of ukulele players have more than one ukulele! This allows them to tune each ukulele to a different tuning.

Please note that if you want to tune your ukulele to low G tuning, you need a special low G string set for your ukulele. If you try to tune the g-string of a regular ukulele string set down an octave, you will find that the string doesn’t hold tension very well and doesn’t stay in tune. To remedy this, you need a thicker, wound low G-string.

Whenever I tune my ukulele to low G, I like to use Aquila’s low G string set. You can buy a pack online depending if you have a soprano, concert, or tenor sized ukulele (links take you to product pages on Amazon for Aquila low G strings).

To tune up your low G string set, use a chromatic tuner (I recommend it), or use the “low G” setting on my free ukulele tuner tool.

If you run into any problems tuning your ukulele to low G, just post your comment below! I’d love to help.

Photo credit

This lesson is apart of a larger lesson series that will help us learn the ukulele fretboard. So far, we’ve learned how to play a C major scale and a G major scale on ukulele. Now, it’s time to learn how to play an F major scale.

Scales not only help us learn the ukulele fretboard, but they also allow us to understand the music we are playing. For example, if we know the notes across the fretboard, we can build chords, craft solos, and look at a piece of sheet music and play it.

Each of these lessons build on the other, so if you’re just joining us, you will want to start learning the C major scale first.

Alright. Are you ready? Let’s do this!

How to Build an F Major Scale

First, we want to build an F major scale in theory. This way, when we get to actually playing these scales on the ukulele, we understand what we’re playing.

You might be wondering why I chose to teach an F major scale and a G major scale after a C major scale. If you recall, a G major scale has only one sharp (#). As you’ll find, once we build an F major scale, the scale has only one flat (b). Remember that sharps raise the pitch of a note a half step; flats lower the pitch of a note a half step.

As you remember, a C major scale has no sharps or flats, so it makes sense that the next easiest scales to learn would be a G major and F major, since they are only changing one note from a C major scale.

Do you remember the major scale interval pattern we talked about in the first scale lesson? It is whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half.

Because we want to build an F major scale, we can start on an F note, apply this pattern, and build a major scale. Let’s visualize this on the piano keys.

From F to G, we have a whole step, from G to A, we have a whole step, from A to Bb, we have a half step, from Bb to C, we have a whole step, from C to D, we have a whole step, from D to E, we have a whole step, and from E to F, we have a half step.

From this, we see that the notes found in an F major scale are: F, G, A, Bb, C, D, E, F.

We can see an F major scale represented on a musical staff:

Let’s build an F major by starting on the F note on the 1st fret of the E string.

Notice the pattern of half steps in whole steps in the above example by looking at how many frets separate the notes in the scale.

How to Play an F Major Scale on Ukulele

We want to be able to play an F major scale in five different positions across the ukulele fretboard. To do this, we are going to refer to the C major scale we learned in the last lesson. Again, by now, you should be pretty comfortable and familiar with the C major scale.

Tell me again. What is the only flatted note in an F major scale?

Bb.

All of the other notes in an F major scale are notes we already know how to play on the ukulele. This means we can take each of the five C major scale positions we learned and change all the B notes to Bb.

F Major Scale: Position #1

For this position, assign your index finger to fret any of the notes that fall in the 1st fret, your middle finger to fret any of the notes that fall in the 2nd fret, your ring finger to the 3rd fret, and your pinky to the 4th fret.

Compare this position with the first position of the C major scale. As you can see, it’s not much different. We are just lowering the B note to a Bb on the top string and bottom string.

F Major Scale: Position #2

This position is a little different. For the notes on the top two strings, your four fingers will hover over the 2nd to 5th frets. When you get to the notes on the bottom two strings, your fingers will shift to hover over the 3rd to 6th frets to fret the notes.

F Major Scale: Position #3

Like the last position, for the notes on the top two strings, your four fingers will hover over the 4th to 7th frets. When you get to the notes on the bottom two strings, your fingers will shift to hover over the 5th to 8th frets to fret the notes.

F Major Scale: Position #4

Assign your index, middle, ring, and pinky finger to fret the notes that fall between the 7th and 10th frets.

F Major Scale: Position #5

For the notes on the top two strings, your four fingers will hover over the 9th to 12th frets. When you get to the notes on the bottom two strings, your fingers will shift to hover over the 10th to 13th frets to fret the notes.

Final Notes

By now, you’re probably noticing a lot of the same patterns between the C major, G major, and F major scales. This is nice because your fingers are probably getting used to many of these shapes.

However, since your fingers are getting used to these shapes, you have to be really intentional about saying the notes you are fretting out loud. The goal in all of this is to understand what you’re playing. That understanding will help you in the long run. Shapes will only take you so far.

If you’re looking for some practical ways to apply your newly acquired knowledge of the ukulele fretboard, take a look at my post 3 Easy Songs You Can Fingerpick On Ukulele Today. For each of the songs I teach, I include sheet music. I recommend printing this music off and identifying the notes on the staff and seeing where those notes fall on the ukulele fretboard.

As always, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post your comment below! Let’s talk about it.

F Major Scale: All Positions

Photo credit

Right now, we are in a big lesson series dedicated to learning the ukulele fretboard. We’re doing this by learning all major scales in the twelve different keys. This is the second lesson in the series. If you’re just joining us, welcome!

In the first lesson, we looked at how to play a C major scale on the ukulele. By now, you should be able to comfortably play a C major scale in all positions across the ukulele fretboard.

Learning the C major scale is a critical starting point. All of the lessons from here on out will be building off of our understanding of a C major scale.

So again, if you haven’t learned the C major scale, go here before reading on. If you don’t have a solid understanding of that lesson, this lesson probably won’t make much sense to you.

From here on out, I will be structuring each of these major scale lessons very similarly. First, we will look at the theory behind the scale, or how to build the scale, and then, we will look how to play the scale across the ukulele fretboard.

How to Build a G Major Scale

In the last lesson, we learned that we can build a major scale from any note by applying a whole step, half step interval pattern. We remember that a major scale interval pattern is whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half.

Let’s start on a G note and apply this interval pattern. We will use an example of the piano keys to help us visualize the scale.

From G to A, we have a whole step, from A to B, we have a whole step, from B to C, we have a half step, from C to D, we have a whole step, from D to E, we have a whole step, from E to F#, we have a whole step, and from F# to G, we have a half step.

From this, we see that the notes found in a G major scale are: G, A, B, C, D, E, F#, G.

We can see a G major scale represented on a musical staff:

The most important thing to know about a G major scale is, unlike a C major scale, it has one sharp.

The term “sharp” refers to a note that has been raised a half step. A sharped note is indicated by a “#” symbol. If we go back up to our piano keys example, you’ll see that in order to maintain the whole step, half step interval pattern for a major scale, we had to raise the F natural note up a half step.

Lastly, we can apply this whole step, half step major scale interval pattern to the ukulele fretboard. Because we want to build a G major scale, again, we have to start on a G note and then apply this pattern.

Let’s build a G major scale starting on the open G string:

The blue dots represent the tonic note of the scale (G). Again, if this discussion about whole steps and half steps doesn’t make sense to you, go to the previous lesson to review.

Now that we know how to build a G major scale, let’s learn some more practical ways to play this scale across the ukulele fretboard.

How to Play a G Major Scale on Ukulele

We want to be able to play a G major scale in five different positions across the ukulele fretboard. To do this, we are going to refer to the C major scale we learned in the last lesson. Again, by now, you should be pretty comfortable and familiar with the C major scale.

The cool thing is that you pretty much already know how to play a G major scale. Check this out.

Let’s list the notes in a G major scale:

G, A, B, C, D, E, F#, G

Now, let’s list the notes in a C major scale:

C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C

Tell me. Which single note is found in the G major scale that isn’t found in the C major scale?

The F# is the only different note.

This means all we need to do is take our C major scale positions that we learned in the last lesson and raise all the F notes up a half step to F#. If we do that for each of the five positions we learned, we have completely learned how to play a G major scale in all positions across the ukulele fretboard!

Pretty nifty, huh?

G Major Scale: Position #1

For this position, assign your index finger to fret any of the notes that fall in the 1st fret, your middle finger to fret any of the notes that fall in the 2nd fret, your ring finger to the 3rd fret, and your pinky to the 4th fret.

Compare this position with the first position of the C major scale. As you can see, it’s not much different. We are just raising up the F note to an F# on the second to bottom string.

G Major Scale: Position #2

Like the last position, assign your index, middle, ring, and pinky finger to fret the notes that fall between the 2nd and 5th frets.

G Major Scale: Position #3

This position is a little different. For the notes on the top two strings, your four fingers will hover over the 4th to 7th frets. When you get to the notes on the bottom two strings, your fingers will shift to hover over the 5th to 8th frets to fret the notes.

G Major Scale: Position #4

Like the last position, for the notes on the top two strings, your four fingers should hover over the 6th to 9th frets. When you get to the notes on the bottom two strings, your fingers will shift to hover over the 7th to 10th frets.

G Major Scale: Position #5

Assign your four fingers to fret the notes that fall between the 9th and 12th frets.

How to Practice These Scale Positions

Since you know how to play a C major scale, the G major scale shouldn’t throw you for too much of a loop. The key with practicing these new positions is to be very conscious and aware of what notes you are playing.

As you’ll notice, there are already some patterns repeating themselves between these two scales. For example, if you look at position #4 of the C major scale, and then compare it with position #2 of the G major scale, it’s the exact same fingering.

You’ll notice that these positions will repeat themselves like this in different places on the fretboard for different scales.

This is great because our fingers get used to these different positions pretty quickly. However, this can cause a bit of a challenge in the long run because we don’t want to just be learning the finger patterns. What we really want to know is what notes we are plucking and why we are plucking them. So again, as you pluck each note of these scales, continue to verbalize the note you are plucking.

As you practice the G major scale, continue to incorporate the C major scale in your practice too.

Final Notes

There is a lot in this lesson!

Take your time with it. It’s possible you’ll need to spend a couple weeks on all of this. If something didn’t make sense, don’t hesitate to reread it.

In the last lesson, there were a lot of great questions that were brought up in the comments area. When we’re looking at a topic like scales, there are bound to be a lot of different questions. This is good! Chances are somebody else is asking those same questions too, so don’t be shy.

Post your questions and comments below.

G Major Scale: All Positions