Adult Group Class for Ukulele!!

I'm very happy to have the chance to give group class to my fellow friends in Cargill Melaka for Ukulele,
Sharing my knowledge and strumming and singing together gives a great feeling.
Looking at them learning from the beginning makes me think back my good old days when i used to practice the guitar and play along with my school mates for Teacher's Day. Such great joy only can happens when friends are all together sharing and celebrating music as a whole.
It's worth every second spend teaching....
Good Luck ya'all !!!!!

Uke's Style

I'm always amazed and admire strings instruments, first love the guitar. Second i know it's going to be the Ukulele. Favorite part of it is about them styles. For the Ukes.... we do have plenty of body types...
Below will be the findings of my hours on Google..

Flukes


This type of ukes can stand on their own flat 
feet...lol...
Love the headstocks ....

Banjolele

FLEAs


Flea type.... heard they are made from the UKs....
Almost the same as flukes but with a more round body....
Fluke + Pineapple ?????

Cigarbox Uke

Pineapple Shape..


To me the coolest shape of all...

Pear Shape

Bell Shape

And all this are just Few of the fantastic shape of the uke!!

More post i will do for Electric Uke !!!

Island in The sun - Weezer

This song take me back 10 years ago, when i first bought a Weezer album. Even simple 4 chord songs like this manage to smoother the heart of a Metal-head . Sometimes i even wonder if i'm into Metal? I always wanted to be the best metal guitarist of all time like Kirk Hammett of Metallica or Zakk Wylde of Black Label Society. Always wanted to....

Always did.....

But why when i heard this songs, i stop and wonder?......

ok, back to the song. Simple strumming, i only add a c note(1st string 3rd fret) while i play the Am chord on the intro for the hip sound... 

Em  Am  D  G
           Hip hip
Em  Am  D  G
           Hip hip
Em  Am  D  G
           Hip hip
Em  Am  D  G
           Hip hip

Em  Am            D     G   Em  Am
      When you're on a holiday
           D        G        Em  Am
You can't find the words to say
          D          G       Em  Am
All the things that come to you
       D      G      Em  Am
And I wanna feel it too

      D      G       Em  Am
On an island in the sun
           D          G      Em  Am
We'll be playing and having fun
        D        G       Em
And it makes me feel so fine
   Am        D       G
I can't control my brain

Em  Am  D  G
           Hip hip
Em  Am  D  G
           Hip hip

Em  Am             D     G      Em  Am
       When you're on a golden sea
           D       G   Em  Am
You don't need no memory
         D      G          Em  Am
Just a place to call your own
        D      G      Em  Am
As we drift into the zone

      D      G       Em  Am
On an island in the sun
           D          G      Em  Am
We'll be playing and having fun
        D        G       Em
And it makes me feel so fine
   Am        D       G
I can't control my brain

D            G
 We'll run away together
D                  G
 We'll spend some time forever
C             Am          D
 We'll never feel bad anymore

Em  Am  D  G
           Hip hip
Em  Am  D  G
           Hip hip

Em  Am  D  G [x5]


      D      G       Em  Am
On an island in the sun
           D          G      Em  Am
We'll be playing and having fun
        D        G       Em
And it makes me feel so fine
   Am        D       G
I can't control my brain

D            G
 We'll run away together
D                  G
 We'll spend some time forever
C             Am          D
 We'll never feel bad anymore

        Em  Am  D  G
Hip hip
        Em  Am  D  G
Hip hip [We'll never feel bad anymore]
        Em  Am  D  G
Hip hip
        Em  Am  D  G
Hip hip [No no]
        Em  Am  D  G
Hip hip
        Em  Am  D  G
Hip hip [We'll never feel bad anymore]
        Em  Am  D  G
Hip hip
        Em  Am  D  G
Hip hip [No no]......  

Anna (Go with him) - The Beatles

This song always reminds me of the movie Nowhere Boy, a story about Lennon's life before he  make it big. He was raised by his Aunt and when things got better His mum died. How tragic...:(

This song is from the album Please Please Me, and i found many simple yet wonderful songs.

Intro  : D Bm


Verse 1:
 D   Bm                 D       Bm             D        Bm
Anna   you come and ask me girl    to set you free girl

                      D        Bm              Em      A7
You say he loves you more than me   so I will set you free

         D      Bm              D   Bm
Go with him   (Anna)   Go with him


Verse 2:
 D  Bm                 D      Bm                D        Bm
Anna   girl before you go now    I want you to know now

              D       Bm              Em        A7
That I still love you so   but if he loves you more

         D    
Go with him   


Middle:
 G
All of my life    I've been searching    for a girl
        D
Who'll love me     like I     love her
   G                         Gm
But every girl I've ever had    breaks my heart and leave me sad
 E7                                 A7
What am I   what am I   supposed to do    oh...


Verse 3:
 D  Bm                 D        Bm
Anna   just one more thing girl    

                    D      Bm                Em        A7
You give back your ring to me     and I will set you free 

         D    
Go with him   


Repeat middle 
Repeat verse 3


Ending:
  Bm             D      Bm
(Anna)  Go with him   (Anna)

                 D           Bm              D
You can go with him girl   (Anna)   Go with him

Dream - The Everly Brothers

Easy song and lovely song to play on the Uke as a beginner. 

Heard this song on my friend's dad car 

when we're going to KL on the holidays 10 years ago.

I was amazed by this song and loved it ever since .



C	Am	F		G7
Dream	dream	dream	dream	dream	dream
C	Am	F		G7
Dream	dream	dream	dream	dream	dream

Verse 1:

	C	Am	Dm	G7
When	I want	you	in my 	arms
	C	Am	Dm		G7
When	I want you	and all you 	charms
	C	Am	F		G7
When	ever I want you	all I have to	do is 

Chorus:

C	Am	F		G7
Dream	dream	dream	dream	dream	dream
C	Am	F		G7
Dream	dream	dream	dream	dream	dream

Verse 2:

	C	Am	Dm	G7
When	I feel	blue	in the	night
	C	Am	Dm		G7
When	I need	you	to hold me	tight
	C	Am		Dm7		G7
When	ever I	want you	all I have to	do is
C	F	C	C7
Dre.............Am

Bridge:

F			Em
I can make you mine	taste your lips of wine
Dm	G7		C	C7
Anytime	night or	day
	F		Em
The	only trouble is	gee wiz
	D7			G7
I’m	dreamin’ my life	away.

Verse 3:

  C		Am	Dm		G7
I need you	so 	that I could	die
	C		Am	Dm		G7
I 	love you 	so 	and that is	why 
	C	Am		F		G7
When	ever I	want you	all I have to	do is 

Chorus:

C	Am	F		G7
Dream	dream	dream	dream	dream	dream
C	Am	F		G7
Dream	dream	dream	dream	dream	dream

First 4 Chords on a Uke

The First 4 Chords of the Uke that I learned,

The basic I VI IV V progression , C Am F G7. This progression have been widely use during the 60’s till now and even modern pop songs nowadays used them. 

As what I have learn and experience in song writing , you need to write a song or a tune that is familiar to most people but not exactly the same. 70% the same I would say may be perfect. 

Many people can’t write songs because of this worry, the worry of writing the same tune or write up something that have been written before.

I have advise to many of my students that the blues originate with the same progression to most of all songs, different song but same progression. 

SO what is it to worry about, you are now still not a famous composer, why worry yourself to a position as the star of music writing?

Writing music is actually an expression , not something to be famous of in the very beginning.

C major = 3^rd finger on the 1^st string 3^rd fret

A minor = 2^nd finger on the 4^th string 2^nd fret

F major = 1^st finger on the 2^nd string 1^st fret + 2^nd finger on the 4^th string 2^nd fret

G7 = 1^st finger on the 2^nd string 1^st fret + 2^nd finger on the 3^rd string 2^nd fret + 3^rd finger 1^st string 2^nd fret.

** tip on changing chords, seek for the fastest way possible, the less movement is always the best J

Yes, these are the first chords I think practically to learn in the very first beginning to aid you in learn strumming and keeping on time. As one of the most important aspect in music playing is keeping in beat or tempo = on time.

I practice changing these chords from one to another until I get used to it….. Key word.

Get        Used     To           It             !!

Then make sure every strum produce a nice and even sound of the chord, remember… If it doesn’t sound good to you…how is it going to sound good at all??!!!

**Don’t just changing and remember the chords just for the sake of remembering. Learn it passionately. Important!!

The Uke's Sizes

As for the Ukes,
i see them like the breed of Poodle which come in 3-4 sizes.
Like the Poodle family we have the toy, miniature , medium & standard ,
hence the Ukulele have as the following ;

Soprano/standard  -  21" / 53cm


Concert  -  23" / 58cm


Tenor  -  26" / 66cm


Baritone  -  30" / 76cm






As for the size differences , the tuning for the ukulele may vary, higher or low key.
I first bought a soprano ukulele, later a concert then a tenor.
After a year i might have them all...lol
The soprano have shorter fretboard so it's good for beginner or
just to strum chords then more advance stuffs.
It's always fun to have many ukes, as they are not as expensive then to purchase a guitar.