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Top 5 ukuleles for beginners
Hey there, these are our personal top tips for ukulele beginners:
1. Buy a proper ukulele not a toy
Having a toy ukulele will sound horrible, and demotivate you to play the Ukulele (in my opinion a toy ukulele is £20 or less). In the instrument industry, you generally get what you pay for. So you are better off buying a good ukulele like the ones on Uke Universe’s cherry-picked ukuleles for beginners. Good ukuleles will strum better, sound sweeter, and are easier to play than toy ukuleles. If you would like more help picking a ukulele, give us a call or email and we are happy to help you!
2. Learn how to hold your ukulele, and sit/stand comfortably.
This is an important tip to get you started. Let the body of the ukulele rest on one of your legs and rest your strumming arm softly on the top of the ukulele. The neck should be ‘’still but hovering’’ in the air. When standing, hold the body against your lower chest. This may be tricky at the start but it will be worth it in the end. If you are struggling to hold whilst standing, buy a strap, which will help balance your Uke -whilst you are rocking away!
3. Learning the basics!
Right, let’s start playing! The best way I feel is to learn by playing, and the best way to learn ukulele on YouTube. There are plenty of channels to learn from- a couple of stand out favourites are Cynthia Lin tutorials & One Music School. Learn 5 chords through YouTube and you will be on your way!
4. Record yourself playing.
A great way to improve is by recording yourself playing. You don’t need a fancy camera, just a normal smartphone will do the trick. Try to listen carefully to the sound that the ukulele makes with the different strumming patterns and chords – the specific sounds will cement in your memory making it easier to improve how you play.
5. Last but not least… Have fun and be patient!
Learning to play any instrument should be joyful and fun. A lifelong skill that can be passed down to generations. Saying this, it takes commitment to get good at playing the Ukulele, so don’t give up. Try to play for 5-10 minutes every day and within a few weeks you will really start enjoying the Ukulele!
Thanks for reading and if you have any comments/questions please write them below! Keep on rockin’ !!