The Ukulele Handbook

by Gavin Pretor-Pinney, Tom Hodgkinson

The definitive illustrated guide to the ukulele, from it's history to how to play, including a fantastic songbook.

The ukulele has gone from strength to strength in recent years, undergoing a massive resurgence. You can hear the uke all over the place, from trendster indie rock to top ten pop songs, from unshakeable TV ads to YouTube megahits. And this obsession shows no sign of abating - all over the country people are picking up a ukulele and starting to strum, at home, in classes and down at the pub. Schools are even replacing the faithful recorder with a jazzy, inexpensive uke. Famous idlers Gavin Pretor-Pinney and Tom Hodgkinson have spent hours idling away on their ukuleles to produce the ultimate uke an illustrated guide to its history crossed with a how-to guide and songbook. This is the book that will bring the underground movement into the mainstream.

The first half of the book delves into the rich history of this eccentric little instrument, from its birth in Hawaii to its popularity across the world, with a timeline from 1879 to today and a ukulele hall of fame that includes George Formby, Hawaiian legend Israel Kamakawiwo'ole and YouTube ukulele superstar Jake Shimabukuro.

Then on to the the anatomy of the ukulele, which uke to buy, how to play it, how to strum, pick, read chord charts and tune the strings. Once you know all this, you can get playing the songbook, which includes a wide spread of songs from medieval lays and nursery rhymes to blues and rock 'n roll. Beautiful presentation and tab notation make reading the music easy, even for beginners.

With the highest production values, a light touch and an irresistible instrument at centre stage, this book is a must-have for all aspiring Formbys.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, History

144 pages, Paperback

First published September 12, 2013

About the author

Gavin Pretor-Pinney is cofounder of The Idler magazine in England and founded of The Cloud Appreciation Society in 2005.

Reviews

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of this book is a history of the ukulele and covers pretty much all you would want to know about the instrument and the best of the ukulele virtuosos. The rest of the book is instruction but not the clearest that I have seen.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A kind of interesting mix of ukulele history and how to play the ukulele. I found the history interesting, and I thought the 6 week lesson plan looked good, but this was a library book and I don't think the lesson plans at the end were essential enough to make it a must buy. I have some other ukulele books that cover similar ground. But if you're interested in the ukulele's evolution in pop culture, the first half is a good overview. (And if you don't have other learn to play books, the second part is useful, as well.)

[B & A & F · Rating 4 out of 5]

I consider its short history of the uke useful and informative, which gives me a quick overview of the origin and development of the instrument up today. As for the instruction and songbook part, I have better books to use so it’s a nice supplement although short and limited.

[Alan Fricker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not that bothered by the history bits in the end and the learning to play stuff is limited if quite clear

[Nathan]

The Ukulele Handbook is divided into three sections--a History of the Ukulele, a 6-week primer for newbies, and a song section.

The history is fascinating, but plagued with usability issues. I found the frequent call-out sections distracting. Every two or three pages, there's a biographical subsection on an Important Ukulele Personage. Sometimes these subsections would be several pages themselves. By the time I finished reading the subsection, I forgot what the mainline text was about, and I'd have to flip back and forth to recover the train of thought. In addition, while the full-color photos are nice, the black text on wood-grain background is difficult to read. The authors' tone was condescending at times, with personal music preferences coloring objective data--Virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro's playing is praised, while his choice of songs (he covers Adele and Sting, among others) is impugned.

The Primer is useful for beginners. It begins with a "Buying a Ukulele" section, and I have pet peeves with that, viz. most people using this book will already have a ukulele of some sort, possibly a low-end or beginner's version. These sections only serve to make ukulele owners dissatisfied with their current instrument.

Continuing in the primer, the book shows how to tune the ukulele, how to replace strings and restring for southpaws, and other Before You Get Started information. It's pretty detailed, although I would have preferred more detailed photos on how to wind the strings around the tuning pegs rather than how to drop knotted strings into a slotted bridge, which I think is pretty self-explanatory.

The primer continues with how to make basic chords and various strumming techniques.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good ukulele book, by the The Idler guys, changing the world one tiptoe through the tulips at a time. There's uke history, as much as most people would want. No, here's as much uke history as most people want: the proto-uke was invented in the 19th century on a Portuguese African island, & transplanted to Hawaii by immigrants, and then became popular in the US & UK in the Roaring Twenties, and then became passe in the Depression '30s, and then came back again recently. There's plenty to explore further, after reading this book: uke-ist pop music of the past century, online uke resources, recommended books, etc. There are handy chord charts & easy-ish songs that are tasteful.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little handbook. The how to section is pretty short, compared to other self learning manual, so you can pick up quick tips and start playing right away. The history section is longer than what's usually in other books; I was impatient to read through it at first but it's actually great to learn more about the history and culture behind this fun little instrument.

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

As this was a library book, I didn't have time to go through all the exercises/lessons, but the history was interesting. Last night at my local uke lesson, my instructor commented - don't hold your thumb & finger together, which was the one tip I thought was cool. Not so much I guess. Nice chord charts front & back.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is nice for the compact format an easily-accessible chord charts on the fold-out back flap. Beyond that, there's not a lot that's not covered in other, similarly just fine uke books.

[Anne Ku · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book. I read it in the library and then waited for it to be available to borrow. The history of ukulele, the main characters, and six first lessons ---- really make the ukulele accessible.