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Featured Ukulele Lessons
Learning Ukulele Strums - A Recipe for Success
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A strum is the execution of a rhythmic pattern - in a specific style at tempo.
Learning Strums, A Receipe for Success covers how to go about learning the various rhythmic patterns that are strums.
Strumming requires a specific set of skills. They are: 1) Memorization of chords 2) The ability to switch chords smoothly and 3) The ability to choose and execute a suitable rhythmic strum.
This series of lesson's focus is on the execution.
Six Essential Scales for Ukulele
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The six essential scale are: Blues, Major Pentatonic, Mixolydian, Dorian, Aeolian, and Ionian.
There are two scales that can be the memorized and all other essential scales referenced from these two. These two scales are the Major and Natural Minor scales. The Major and Natural Minor scales are traditional scales and common scales in all forms of contemporary music. This lesson explores the Major and Natural Minor scales and their derivations.
From these two scales the Blues, Major Pentatonic, Mixolydiand and Dorian scale can be created.
Core Chords - Creating the Big Six from F7, 1st Voicing
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Taking a movable F7 chord, you can derive each of the 'big six' essential chords. 7, maj7, m7, m7b5, dim7, and aug7.
Featured Books 
Learning the Ukulele Fingerboard - C Tuning
Beyond knowing the names of the open strings most ukulele players find it hard to learn the whole fingerboard.
If your goal is to finally learn the names of the notes on the ukulele fingerboard. Then "Learning the Ukulele Fingerboard" is your answer. "Learning the Ukulele Fingerboard - C Tuning" has a step by step approach to finally mastering the ukulele fingerboard. FREE download.
The Blues Scale
Learn to play the Blues scale on ukulele. Available in "C" Tuning. Scale diagrams in the QuickStart format and chords chart for all keys. This book is a FREE download.
Ukulele Chords
NEW This small (1/2 size) chord book is a great little book to carry with you. Ukulele Chords covers basic open position and basic movable form chords. From these two chord categories a variety of songs and styles can be played.
A Guide to Ukulele Chords
This book is designed as a guide to ukulele (pronounced “oo-koo-lele”) chords. Covering basic ukulele chords that ALL uke players MUST know, movable chord forms, rock uke chords, how to transpose chords, learning the ukulele fingerboard and an introduction to 4-part “jazz” chords and more...
Ukulele For Guitar Players
Ukulele for Guitar Players is a guide to transferring the accumulated experience and knowledge gained as a guitar played to the ukulele.
A Guide to Blues Chord Progressions for Ukulele A to Z
Covers the key of C major and C minor, including a detailed accompanying text explaining the principles behind each progression and the chord substutitions.
Exploring "Jazz" Chords on Ukulele
Exploring "Jazz" Chords takes the core chords from A Guide to Advanced Chords for Ukulele and shows their use over a variety of common chord progressions based on songs from the standard jazz repertoire.
A Guide to Advanced Chords for Ukulele
If your goal is to expand your chord vocabulary, The Advanced Guide to Ukelele Chords Series is your answer. Commonly referred to as "jazz" chords. A Guide to Advanced Ukulele Chords Volume I provides detailed information on voicing 4-part chords.
The Advanced Guide to Guitar Chords
Commonly referred to as "jazz" chords this provides detailed information on voicing 4-part chords.
Harmonic Analysis For Scale Selection And Chord Substitution
Harmonic Analysis is the understanding of the functional sequence of chords. It is the process used to analyze the harmonic structure of a progression, song or composition. This analysis is then used to make scale selections for improvisation and chord substitution.
Ukulele - Reading Music Series
Reading Music in Open Position, Single Note Studies- Primer. Reading music is not as hard as one might think. It may be new and unfamiliar to you but is not hard when you have a proper plan of attack.
Featured Song/TAB
Blue Bossa
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Blue Bossa is an instrumental jazz composition by Kenny Dorham (August 30, 1924 – December 5, 1972). It was introduced on Joe Henderson's 1963 album Page One. A blend of hard bop and bossa nova, the tune was possibly influenced by Dorham's visit to the Rio de Janeiro Jazz Festival in 1961. The tune has since been recorded numerous times by different artists, making it a jazz standard.
Includes: Play-along Lead Sheet, Ukulele TAB of Melody, Melody and Chord Ukulele rrangement, example chords and scales for accompanment and improv.
Over 1800 pages of
ukulele, guitar and music content. And 146 lessons for FREE or any donations.
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Fellow Ukulele Musicians
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Roy Sakuma
Roy Sakuma Productions, Inc.
3555 Harding Ave. Suite 1
Honolulu, HI 96816
Phone: 1 (808) 732-3739
Links
Artist Info
(From Roy Sakuma web site) Roy Sakuma credits the ukulele, a song and inspirational mentors with helping him turn his young life around after being kicked out of high school.
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Links
Info
(from artist's site ) Dan Sawyer "Soybean" is a composer and musician. He has been working in the animation field since 1991 when he created the music for Nickelodeon's Doug. Since that time he has written the music for many TV and film projects including 101 Dalmations, LA Lakers, Disney's Stanley and Survivor.
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Links
- www.earlywolf.com
- YouTube: WS64
Wolfgang Schneider goes by the handle "WS64" and is a prolific poster of ukulele videos on YouTube. Be sure to check them out.
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Links
Artist Info
“Derick Sebastian is definitely someone to watch, his commitment to his craft is above reproach. I am expecting and looking forward to his next project, and I am expecting continuous and progressive works from Derick in future years. Knowing this fine young man personally, I can also say that Derick is someone who shows great respect and humility, freely giving of his time to all he meets. Hawaiians call this kind of humility "ha'a ha'a".”
Barry Flanagan
Vocalist, Guitarist, and Producer of Hapa, www.hapa.com
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Links
Artist Info
(From web site ) - Ralph Shaw divides his time between recording music CDs, making DVDs (on how to play the ukulele), songwriting and live performance and is well known as Vancouver’s King of the Ukulele!
His earliest employment in show business was as a children's entertainer known as Ralph the Clown (motto = Making the World Laugh – music included no batteries required) Ralph the Clown
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Links
Curt Sheller plays an
America Archtop
guitar by master luthier Dale Unger.
I play a
Ko'olau Ukulele CS Contemporary Series 'Ukulele created by John Kitakis & family. The model I use exclusively for performance is a cedar top, rosewood back and side with a passive pickup. Currently using the 'Alohi Series strings with a low G and plain string three.
Artist Info
(From artist's web site) As an author and publisher I created Curt Sheller Publications in 1998 as a small pubishing company catering to the needs of musicians, guitar players and ukulele players worldwide. Curt Sheller Publications provides for the resources and information to develop as a musician. Curt Sheller has over 40 years of playing experience, 20 plus years of teaching experience and publishing for over 10 years.
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Artist Info
(From Bruce's Bio) Bruce views the ukulele as an "untapped source of music with unlimited potential. His ever expanding repertoire includes jazz, blues, funk, classical, bluegrass, folk, flamenco and rock. Countless hours of practicing and search for his own style, Bruce finally decides to produce his own first album in 2005.
Additional Links:
- YouTube Bruce Shimabukuro's Bruce Connection - How to play the Ukulele
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Links
- www.JakeShimabukuro.com
- www.JakeShimabukuro.net
- www.myspace.com/officialjakeshimabukuro
- allaboutjazz.com
- YouTube: Jake Shimabukuro - EPK (Electronic Press Kit)
Shot in New Orleans and Hawaii during the summer of 2006
Artist Info
(From Jake's bio) Jake Shimabukuro was born on November 3, 1976, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Having learned to play the ukulele from the young age of four, Shimabukuro marked his professional debut in 1998 after becoming a member of the group, Pure Heart, a few years after graduating from high school. Shimabukuro's appearance dramatically altered traditional perceptions of ukulele music. Playing with incredible technique and great feeling, he covers all types of music from Classical music to Jazz, Rock, Blues, Funk and of course, improvisation that comes naturally to the ukulele, Shimabukuro continues to be a source of inspiration to the Hawaiian music scene.
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Artist Info
Shorty Long is a four piece string band with roots in the Novelty Jazz styles of the 20th century. Shorty Long is from Austin, Texas.
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Tiki King's Ukulele: Brand name database: VitaUke
Artist Info
Known as the 'Wizard of the Strings'
Born Ray Smeck, 6 February 1900, Reading, Pennsylvania. Died 4 April 1994, New York City, New York
Additional Links:
- The Hawaiian Music Directory - link
- Roy Smeck: The Wizard Of The Strings In His Life And Times by Vincent Cortese - link
- YouTube - Roy Smeck
- YouTube - very cool performance from a movie (what movie ?)
- YouTube - Roy Smeck, the wizard of the strings performance from the movie "His Pastimes"
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Artist Info
Fred loves to write and teach about the artists who shaped the music and helped it evolve, whether it's Robert Johnson, Bob Wills, Doc Watson, the Beatles or Wes Montgomery.
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( from artist's web site ) - STEVEN’S musical history began in the early 1970s when his father bought him a ukulele at age 10. A love of George Formby and a determination to play as well as him eventually had its impact and Steven was playing and singing in his native North East (Lanchester, Durham) in pubs and clubs.
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Links
“A very entertaining evening. Sunshine & Company is another high score for theatre” - The Daily Freeman
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Links
- www.Swansonillustration.com/ukulele.html
- Shaun's day job www.Swansonillustration.com
Artist Info
(from artist's site) -
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Links
( from artist's web site ) - Tim Sweeney is a polished, passionate virtuoso performer. He is a multi-instrumentalist, whose purchase of a ukulele and a chord chart in the summer of 2003 was a musical life-changing experience. Quickly discovering the compatability between his voice, the ukulele and the songs of the Great American Songbook, Tim shifted his focus, discovered his passion, and is enjoying an exciting resurgent music career.
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Links
( from artist's web site ) - Sweet Soubrette features the songwriting, vocals and ukulele of Ellia Bisker, whose dark, edgy love songs have captured fans' hearts since she began performing solo in 2006. Her poetry, fiction, and essays have been published in a variety of online and print magazines, and her songwriting was honored with an ASCAPlus Award for 2009/2010. Bust Magazine describes her as "Brooklyn's fishnet-clad femme fatale."
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Hard Copy Book: $9.95
PDF Download: $4.95
A Guide to Ukulele Chords - 2nd Edition
A Guide to Ukulele Chords is designed as a guide to ukulele (pronounced “oo-koo-lele”) chords. Covering the basic ukulele chords that ALL ukulele players SHOULD know. A Guide to Ukulele Chords covers movable chord forms, rock chords, how to transpose chords, learning the ukulele fingerboard and includes an introduction to 4-part, a.k.a “jazz” chords and more...
From a few “core, basic chord shapes and a understanding of how chords are constructed. Your chord vocabulary can be dramatically increased without memorizing countless chord shapes. There are too many chord shapes to memorize.
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Content is always being added and updated. So check-in often. Thanks, Curt
P.S. You may think from the look of it that Curt Sheller Publications is a slick, profitable business, but it's actually not (maybe a car payment a month, cheap car). I spend a lot and time money creating the content, lessons and books for this site (a labor of love), so if you dig my content and want to see more of it. I could use your help by spreading the word and maybe buying a book or two if you haven't already, to help defray the cost of running the site. Thanks in advance for your help. This is a labor of love and I'd do it even if I didn't make a lot of money, hey I don't!
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