Originally posted on Tim the Guitarist:
(pic courtesy of ukulelemusichawaii.com) So you’ve bought your first ukulele & learned a few chords. But now you’ve noticed that it’s gone out of tune. No matter, you have a tuner, you tune up. Done. But after a pretty short time, it’s out of tune again. Why? I get…
A while back I came across the following video detailing a flamenco style uke strum I’ve seen Shimabukuro and others use. In the video, Jake breaks down the whole strum step by step. When I first watched the video I thought that it would be pretty hard to get the strum up to speed but…… Continue reading Jake Shimabukuro Triple Strum Technique (video)
I was working with a student recently and was reminded of all the subtleties of uke strumming. For instance, I use my index finger, sometimes supported by my thumb, to strum. When I do a downstroke, my index finger is curled upward and the nail part of my finger drags against the strings. When I…… Continue reading The nuances of uke strumming
My mom got me Jake Shimabukuro’s new album for Christmas and I listened to it last night. On this album he does a lot of something I’ve heard him do in other places, a kind of single string tremolo picking that sounds like a mandolin being picked fast. I’ve been curious as to how to best…… Continue reading Ukulele tremolo picking Jake Shimabukuro style
This is a baritone uke piece I’ve been toying around with for a while. I’m always interested in the design of music and thought I would break down the song here. The tune starts off with a series of arpeggios all built off chords in the E minor scale. This section then repeats with a…… Continue reading A look at “Justine’s Garden” (uke song/video)
I’ve been working on ukulele strums and decided to write up a blog post on the topic. While this post is uke focused, much of it can be applied to guitar or any “strummable” instrument. How to Strum A key question arises quickly: how does one strum a ukulele? I have a preferred technique but…… Continue reading Strumming a Ukulele (or guitar)
