I want to learn to play the Ukulele

[NorthernRedneck]

"G" chord is killing me!

I was looking and the g chord looks basically the same as a d chord on the guitar. There's a trick to it. Hard to explain. Basically your finger are 1 2 3 4 with 1 being your index. Every chord chart I've seen shows 1 on the third string 2nd fret. 2 on the first string 2nd fret and 3 on 2nd string 3rd fret. With finger 2 being longer than 1, its often easier on the hand to swap 1 and 2 positions. More comfortable playing position.

 

[Melensdad]

OK so I am horrible but I'm plugging along in my lessons.

Today one of the kids on my high school fencing team brought in his Soprano size Uke, he's been learning for longer than I have been learning, but I was able to teach him an easy way to transition between C and G and back to C.

So apparently, while I am a total hack, I am improving enough to know at least ONE thing.

 

[NorthernRedneck]

Keep sticking to it. When I learned guitar I first learned 3 chords. G. D. C. I played them in that order.
This is slighty different since its on a capo but its the same thing.
https://www.youtube.com/shared?ci=tt4-G75Oi7s

I played it over and over again. It helped. Those 3 notes form the basis of many popular songs no matter what key its in. Once you master g d c throw in a f or am or em. They all work very well together.

 

[Melensdad]

I practice daily, well almost every day. Probably 6 out of 7. Usually short sessions. Often twice a day. I'm following the Ukulele Buddy lessons on DVD. Typical session is 20 minutes. Building up nice calluses on my fingers.

I have huge problems with the G chord. Shifting into G from any chord is a problem for me, my arthritis may be a part of the problem?

I'm very slow to change chords too. I tend to lose time when changing chords. I can change into some of the simple chords like A, F, and C and stay in time if the song is slow enough but not into other chords.

I presume all of the above can be solved with practice, practice and more practice.

The other problem I have, and I'm not sure that any amount of practice will help me, is that I have a very difficult time keeping time to music. I cannot clap to music. I cannot tap my foot to music. I tend to speed up, no matter how hard I try. The only way I can manage playing simple chord strings or simple 2 chord songs along with the DVD lessons is by watching the instructors hands move and then strumming in VISUAL tempo.

BUT I'm having fun.

Bought a hard case for my Uke. It came with a 'gig bag' that offered minimal protection. Since my Uke is fairly expensive and a real instrument rather than a toy I wanted to protect it. Also subscribed to Ukulele Magazine. So I'm pretty dedicated to making this work as well as I can make it work. The problem with keeping tempo will be my biggest challenge.

 

[NorthernRedneck]

Just stick with it. Don't give up. In time switching from one chord to another will become easier.
Since I can't do much else these days I been basically diving into various YouTube instructional videos for songs I recognize and working on them. The calluses are a good thing. I usually shed mine every few weeks.

 

[Melensdad]

Just stick with it. Don't give up. In time switching from one chord to another will become easier.
Since I can't do much else these days I been basically diving into various YouTube instructional videos for songs I recognize and working on them. The calluses are a good thing. I usually shed mine every few weeks.

I am pretty dedicated. The days I don't practice are days when I have a fencing event and am gone from early morning until mid-to-late evening. Otherwise I practice.

The chord changes are coming easier and faster, but clearly not fast enough. And my nemesis is, and apparently will be the G chord. I'm sure as I advance there will be be other chords that will give me trouble but I can manage the basics. I'm not saying all the chords are easy for me, but G is a problem, some are easy, one or two are manageable but not easy.

My problem with keeping tempo/time is my biggest, and perhaps, only real concern. Not sure how to fix that.

 

[NorthernRedneck]

I totally get that. I have a nemesis chord as well on the guitar. Its the B7. It's not an everyday chord so when we have a song with it at the church I'll usually either skip it or substitute in something else that fits.

 

[Melensdad]

Been working on my "G" chord, which is my nemesis chord and actually repeated practice is making it semi manageable. I can go from C to G and back to C. That is required for both Itsy Bitsy Spider and Hokey Pokey and both are not possible, as long as I do a little limbering up/practicing in advance of actually playing.

I totally get that. I have a nemesis chord as well on the guitar. Its the B7. It's not an everyday chord so when we have a song with it at the church I'll usually either skip it or substitute in something else that fits.

I found a chord that I physically cannot do.

Honestly I blame my arthritis for this one, but "B" is just not happening. I can't get my fingers on the correct strings/frets without a good deal of pain. So I'll need to skip those songs requiring a "B" chord, or perhaps use a complimentary chord.

This is the first chord that I've come across that I just cannot get my fingers/wrist to begin to cooperate with ... but I only know about a half dozen others so far.

 

[NorthernRedneck]

It'll come. Practice makes perfect. Rome wasn't built in a day. Etc etc.

 

[Melensdad]

It'll come. Practice makes perfect. Rome wasn't built in a day. Etc etc.

I'm happy with the progress I'm making on transitioning into/out of the G chord.

The other beginner chords that I've been learning by following the lessons are much easier for me, and transitioning into/out of those seems to be easier than the time I've had with G.

But I am not optimistic about B simply because of the arthritis. Since I started playing my left wrist has been in a constant state of pain. I'm not deterred by it. I have not reached for any pain meds, not even over-the-counter stuff. But there is some pain and its worse after I practice longer. So I'm thinking the B chord is just not meant to be. I'm OK with that.

 

[NorthernRedneck]

As far as most songs go not many use a B chord at least with guitar. Most songs are either in the key of G D C or A. If it's in G, there will most likely be a combination G D C EM. If its in the key of D most songs will go D A G with the occasional BM.

 

[Melensdad]

So I'm still practicing but today I hit a serious snag in my playing.

Been learning everything (as per the lesson plan I follow) in Quarter Time. Today the lesson shifted to Eight Time. Totally screwed me up. Somehow I can't strum to Eight Time.

So far we've been stemming down only, 4 beats (is that the right term?); down/DOWN/down/DOWN. The 'DOWN' is accented, while the 'down' is strummed lighter.

In Eight Time the strumming is down/up/DOWN/up/down/up/DOWN/up. Somehow I lose count, and I accent the on the odd 'down' instead of the even 'DOWN' and then it falls apart from that point.

To make matters even worse, the DVD lesson illustrated 2 different ways to do it, and the preferred method, which is what they were trying to teach, just didn't happen at all. So I was trying the simple method, and couldn't get that.

Disheartened? Yup.

 

[NorthernRedneck]

Don't let it beat you down. The strumming will come in time as you become more comfortable. A baby doesn't start off running. The have to crawl first then walk. Lol. Takes time.

 

[Melensdad]

Don't let it beat you down. The strumming will come in time as you become more comfortable. A baby doesn't start off running. The have to crawl first then walk. Lol. Takes time.

Thanks, I think its just a bad day. My daughter interrupted my first attempt at practice with some silly issues that she seemed to think were real problems. Then later when I came back to it the dogs decided to interrupt me, along with a couple text messages

Figured it was just better to walk away and try again tomorrow.

 

[zekeusa]

I could never get 6/8 time on the trumpet.

 

[Melensdad]

I could never get 6/8 time on the trumpet.

The whole rhythm thing is a problem for me

 

[Melensdad]

Maybe the best thing I did was skip forward to the next lesson, then skip backwards to the prior lesson.

First off, the "swinging 8ths" that they are trying to teach me in the lesson I described above just isn't working. So I decided to move forward to see what comes next. Best thing I did. The next lesson more clearly describes the 8th notes, something the problem lesson did not do. So skipping took me to a simple tutorial lesson that helped me understand what I was supposed to be doing before showing me how to do it. I found this very helpful. Then it showed me, then had me play along (very very slowly) and now I actually understand the 8th notes. Not saying I can keep up with a song and chord changes at normal speeds but at least I understand it. So now I can practice it.

After doing that lesson, and practicing it, I then skipped backwards over the problem lesson to the lesson before the problem lesson. It played Itsy Bitsy Spider in quarter time and I found it easy and that boosted my confidence ... which clearly was shattered by the "swinging 8ths" lesson.

Now I still can't do the "swinging 8ths" technique but at least I can do the simple 8ths and I clearly now understand it so maybe with practice/repetition I'll actually make progress again.



Oh, and for those of you who have been playing any instrument ... do you look forward to buying another ... and another ... and another? Because I can't even play a real song but I'm looking for my next 5 or 10 Ukes already

 

[Melensdad]

Still NOT working on the "swinging 8ths" but I'm now getting somewhat better at doing "straight 8th" notes. I need to do some serious work on my chord changes. Every time a new cord is introduced I have a difficult time going from the new chord to one of the older chords. But I'm starting to get ever-so-slightly better at changing chords in close to time!

 

[NorthernRedneck]

Lol. Yes. I totally understand about wanting another and another etc. In the past year I've bought 3 guitars. Not because I need them. But because I want them. I did good this month though. I decided I NEED a Taylor acoustic. But told myself I'm going to downsize. So I've sold my acoustic bass and both my main home and church guitars so I can justify spending that kind of money on the Taylor.

 

[Melensdad]

Lol. Yes. I totally understand about wanting another and another etc. In the past year I've bought 3 guitars. Not because I need them. But because I want them. I did good this month though. I decided I NEED a Taylor acoustic. But told myself I'm going to downsize. So I've sold my acoustic bass and both my main home and church guitars so I can justify spending that kind of money on the Taylor.

I think I need a Pineapple shaped one next I've found that most are cheap toys, and most are in the small Soprano size and roughly $49.

There are a few in the concert (alto) size that I've found, which would be my choice because my Uke is a concert size. So for the piss poor playing I can barely manage, it seems logical to stick with 1 size.

I like this Ohana. Its all solid, so not a toy. Spruce top. Mahogany sides and back. Chinese, so not outrageous in price, MSRP is $479 but I've found it online for $309. I have found a few others. Clearly I need to learn how to play before expanding my collection

 

[Catavenger]

It looks nice anyway

 

[Melensdad]

Well I've got The Itsy Bitsy Spider memorized, I can play it in 2 different keys.

And, while it is hard to believe, it actually sounds like it is supposed to sound

I started moving ahead on the lessons. My lesson chart says do a lesson, then go back and redo and older lesson, then redo another older lesson, then move forward. And I've been doing that. But then I decided to just go forward without past reviews. So today I went back and started the reviews. Can't believe that the lessons I struggled with a week or so ago are now pretty easy for me. So apparently I'm actually learning.

My arthritis is a constant problem. My left wrist is in constant pain. Its aggravated by the way I am supposed to hold the neck of the Uke. But its manageable.

I also have a very difficult time strumming with my index finger, which is the finger I am supposed to be using for strumming. So I switched to using my thumb. It sounds a little different because instead of using my index finger nail I end up using the 'meat' of my thumb, so the sound is warmer, but it seems to be working for me. Since I have no concert/performance ambitions, if I get a slightly warmer sound out of the Uke than might be traditional I'm OK with that. I'd rather have a warmer sound the NO SOUND AT ALL

 

[NorthernRedneck]

That's great. Keep it up.

I'm going to head to the border to pick up my new guitar tonight. Then put it to the test on stage tomorrow night.

 

[Melensdad]

I think in about 30% of my posts inside this thread about learning the ukulele I've mentioned that I have arthritis and that it causes me some issues. And in most of those I've mentioned its manageable.

But one problem I have, that sometimes is a big issue, is that the Uke slips and my left hand has a hard time holding while I try to play due to the arthritis pain. The arthritis in my left wrist is the joint on my body where it is the worst. Today has been a big problem for wrist pain. I typically have fairly short practice sessions. Earlier I got in about 5 minutes because the pain became a problem. Later today I got closer to 20 minutes of practice.

So this afternoon I ordered a few things from Amazon that I'm hoping will help solve that problem.

#1 a strap
#2 a plug that fits into the electronic output jack on the base of my Uke
#3 a strap connector that fits around the head of my Uke that connects to the strap

I did NOT want to screw in any strap buttons in my Uke for fear that I'd screw it up, damage it, and basically just because I didn't want to do so. So digging around I found a strap connector that plugs into the output jack. Since I don't connect up to an electric amp the output jack in my Uke simply goes unused, seems like a good alternative mounting point and it doesn't require me to screw anything into my nice wood Uke.

The strap connector on the other end that wraps around the head, under the strings is another solution that then holds up the other end. There were straps with strings on them that you tie around the head but that seemed slightly less desirable because you'd have to leave it tied on or keep tying/untying. So this seems like a good option.

And then there is the obligatory TIKI design Uke strap

 

[NorthernRedneck]

Yes. A strap is a MUST. Even when sitting I use a strap so I don't have to fight with it to hold it up. Even my little merlin has a strap. I've had to screw in strap pegs in the past. Usually at the base of the neck where it joins the body.

I had to install this one. Just predrill the hole no deeper than the length of the screw. A good trick I use is to measure the screw length against the drill bit then mark the bit with tape. Make sure the drill bit is just a few curly ones smaller than the thread of the screw as well so the screw bites good into the wood.

Personally I prefer my strap mounted at the base of the neck rather than around the headstock under the strings as I find it muffles the strings and can put them out of tune easier.

 

[Melensdad]

Yes. A strap is a MUST.
...
Personally I prefer my strap mounted at the base of the neck rather than around the headstock under the strings as I find it muffles the strings and can put them out of tune easier.

Seems that with Ukes, as they are small and lightweight, its actually not that common to use a strap.

Most Ukes don't come with any strap buttons installed. There are Uke straps that clip into the sound hole; straps with only 1 point of connection, etc.

 

[Melensdad]

Well so far, so good. At least until I got to today.

Lesson today is to do an 8th note strum to the song Achy Breaky Heart.

Uh, no.

I have a hard enough time doing the strum. And the song was a bit too fast, well maybe way too fast, given that I have a heck of a time with strumming 8ths. Replayed the video several times. I think its time for a drink, well I know it is, but I gave up bourbon for the Lenten season

I'll have to come back to this one. Probably 10 times


But I really like the addition of the strap, that helps a lot. Except for today. By the time I was done I was ready to hang myself with the strap.

 

[Melensdad]

Well I'm pretty much an idiot but I'm having fun.

I have Itsy Bitsy Spider memorized (actually I can play it in a couple different keys) and I started to learn Amazing Grace and a couple other songs. I can't keep up to fast tempos and falter on medium tempo, but I'm getting better.

So to reward myself I bought another Uke.

USED ... picked it up at 1/2 retail off of Ebay.

This one is from a company called MagicFluke, which makes a couple different modle ABS plastic body Ukes. They are actually considered real instruments, not toys. Their Ukes get very good reviews. Of course nothing like a solid tone wood, custom made, Hawaiian Koa Uke but the reviews are very good for their price point, and very good compared to many traditional style Ukes. They are generally considered to be among the best of the "knock around" type Ukes that can be taken to the beach, campfire sing-along, etc. Oh, and they are American made... if you consider Massachusetts to be America.

The face is always some sort of wood, but its typically plywood; this one has a custom walnut finish with a lighter, decorated rosette. Standard models come with a hole, this one has a fancy hole The fretboards are also ABS plastic over a wood neck. Seller even tossed in a free padded case.

Figured WTF, I'm just spending Melen's Law School tuition $$$, so nothing important

 

[Catavenger]

It looks just like wood

 

[NorthernRedneck]

I like!

I may have to look into one. As for the lessons, amazing Grace is one I teach to my guitar students when they are first learning. Who doesn't know it? Right? Easy song with only two chords.