Ukulele For Dummies

by Alistair Wood

Strum a tune on your ukulele―no Hawaiian shirt required! Picture it the sun sets over the shimmering sea, and, as the beach bar falls quiet, you begin strumming Queen Liliuokalani's "Aloha 'Oe" to a mesmerized crowd. ... Okay, while this doesn't happen every day for ukulele-players, you'll still have a lot of fun learning your favorite tunes on your ukulele. Widely associated with Hawaiian music, the ukulele has exploded in popularity in recent years as kids and adults alike have started their music education with a uke or added it to their collection of instruments. Learning to play this versatile instrument is made easier for the experience and inexperienced alike with this new edition of Ukulele For Dummies . Following its straightforward instructions, you'll pick your way from the basics of purchasing your ukulele and accessories to confidently strumming through simple chord progressions and jamming through various styles and standards, including pop, folk, and those much-loved holiday favorites. Aloha, Santa Claus! Whatever you want from your ukulele adventure―strumming on the beach or adding its island style to your distinctive new pop sound― Ukulele For Dummies will have you making a big splash with this tiny instrument in aloha no time at all!

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Reference, Self Help, Ebooks

336 pages, Paperback

Published November 10, 2020

Reviews

[Gabriela Ventura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eu vou resenhar um livro sobre ukulele para principiantes? Mas é claro que vou. É por que eu tenho muito tempo livre nas mãos? Não, na verdade é justamente o contrário. Quanto menos tempo tenho, mais pareço investir em tarefas absurdas. Não vou insistir em investigar essa correlação, apenas apontar que ela existe e seguir adiante.

Senta que lá vem história.

Em dezembro do ano passado decidi riscar um item da minha "bucket list" e começar a aprender um instrumento. Os critérios foram baseados em expectativas realistas de sucesso e relação custo-benefício:

1) Eu tenho mãos muito pequenas. Não poderia ser nada que exigisse dedos especialmente longos.
2) Eu respiro muito mal por causa de uma intermitente rinite alérgica: todos os instrumentos de sopro foram sumariamente cortados, portanto.
3) Eu já passei dos 30, não vou virar nenhuma virtuose, convenhamos. Por mais que eu sempre tenha sonhado com violoncelos ou baixos acústicos, investir grana pesada num troço que eu sequer teria onde guardar é o tipo de ideia idiota que é a minha cara, mas convém evitar.

Cheguei ao Ukulele. Pequeno, barato, portátil, amigável às mãozinhas e bônus +2 de humanas. De lá pra cá tem sido uma enxurrada de textos e tutoriais do Youtube. O mais recente foi o Ukulele for Dummies.

Olha, o livro é útil. Talvez tivesse sido mais útil se eu tivesse começado a ler em dezembro, tão logo botei a mão no primeiro ukulele que comprei. O rótulo "for dummies" se aplica, e não de uma forma pejorativa: como é que gente não-musical com mais de 30 anos e zero verba para pagar aulas particulares vai começar a aprender um instrumento? Pois é. Para além dos inúmeros exercícios, dicas e referências, o senso de humor de Alistair Wood me ganhou: se eu vou tentar tocar ukulele a esta altura do campeonato na vida é indispensável que eu saiba rir de mim mesma.

Inclusive, encorajada pelo sucesso da empreitada, já penso em arriscar, no futuro, instrumentos mais elaborados. Banjo com certeza, e quem sabe um alaúde para a minha alma barda. Se daqui a 30 anos eu estiver comprando um baixo acústico vocês já sabem que não é senilidade.

(Por enquanto acho que vou ficar mesmo é com o Musical Theory for Dummies)

Mas, de todo jeito: indico muito a qualquer um que tenha assistido Steven Universe e esteja pensando em tocar as musiquinhas em casa.

[Altivo Overo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Glad this came from the library rather than an overpriced purchase. It is definitely written for someone with little or no musical background, so half the content is 'music for dummies' rather than ukulele. Guess I need 'Ukulele for Musicians' instead.

[rumbledethumps · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really useful book to help learn some basics, and also advanced enough to keep around for reference after I feel comfortable with the basics. It sometimes moves too fast, but it’s a book, and you can always refer to it again when you’ve caught up to the content.

[Fatemeh]

Went through it once just to know what I have to expect when I actually buy a uke :D

[Stretto · Rating 4 out of 5]

This goes in to some depth of playing on the Uke. A lot may be beyond an absolute beginner but will be a continual resource as they develop.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! I managed to read all of the parts that I needed before starting with playing my ukulele and I am very excited about it (and the sense of humour..).

The photos on how to place the hands and fingers on the instruments are very helpful for a beginner like me.

I like a fact that music theory is also explained, because I can't learn an instrument (or anything else) without the theory (practical tips don't help me).

Also, the audio tracks help a lot, but it would be even more helpful if we had some audio tracks for the appendixes, to listen to how the notes are played eg when they are tied etc.

I highly recommend it!

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is a great go-to guide for someone who wants to pick up this fun instrument. It has step-by-step instructions, starting with easy one-cord songs. There is a link to an internet sound file which is as good as having a teacher in the room playing along side. I particularly liked the "Holidays" a special section , so I can polish " silent night" ; the partridge song and the auld lang syne in case they are needed at the moment.
This method of learning is for the self-driven motivated learner. It will be very rewarding. I got my copy from the library, but I intend to buy this book so I can continue to learn and become a competent ukulele strummer.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Everything you could possibly want to know when learning the ukulele, from chord fingerlings to advanced techniques, the history of the uke to modern players to listen to, from buying a uke to tips for composing your own pieces. Lots of inspiration and pieces to get you started and move beyond simple strumming.

[DW · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty decent introduction to the instrument. I appreciated the variety of styles, though I wish that it had touched on fast strumming. I used the chord charts a lot, though I wish that they had been arranged to fit all on one page.

[Melissa McClelland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative. Great for beginners.

[Angelyn Kornelsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really helpful for me. Definitely one of the more helpful ones out there!

[Margit Hundley-Stritzel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent resource for all levels

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource for new learners.

[Shudi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for beginners

[Mike Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought it would be fun to learn to play the Ukulele.

The first few chapters were very helpful, and got me off to a good start learning the basic chords. It had a few good songs in it. I especially liked learning to play the chords to "House of the Rising Sun."

After I got the basics, I ended up transitioning to Youtube videos to learn strum patterns and new songs/chords.

The middle to end of book gets into some more advanced stuff, like picking out the melody while playing chords. I'm too fossilized and unmotivated to try to get that good right now, but maybe I'll come back to it someday.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so much fun to read and play from. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in the ukulele. Lots of great information about buying and maintaining a uke and the history of ukes, but my favorite part was that Alistair Wood teaches how to play different styles of music on the ukulele. Comes with an audio track so you can hear him play the examples. As the copy I read came from my library, I hope to obtain a personal copy of this book very soon to use as a reference and to improve some of my skills.

[Ravencrantz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is super useful and easy to read.

It came with a companion CD so you can compare what you're playing to how it's supposed to sound and it's probably the best thing besides a personal instructor. I actually got the basics down within an hour, including how long it took to figure out how to tune it.

If anyone out there wants to learn how to play the ukulele, check this book out :D

[Jamesjohn Jamesjohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The For Dummies series are the gold standard of instruction for me, and this book doesn't disappoint. It's got everything, covers all conceivable aspects of how to have, play, and think about this instrument, in the usual breezy manner that makes it all fun.

The book contains far more information than I will ever be ready for, but there's plenty of support for the simple level I'm at, and it's a great reference for when I get creative.

[Krollo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing beginner's guide, took me from never having played the uke before to playing pop songs within literally two hours, and now three weeks later I'm just starting my YouTube channel. I skipped bits of no interest to me and it's not as chock-full of pieces like others, but great for skills, beginner to advanced.

[Pixie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unlike most "Dummies" books, this one is really helping me to hands-on learn something. I think the later chapters may be too complicated for me, but I can go page by page through the first part and really start to learn to play the uke. It even comes with a CD of examples so I can hear the melody of the practice tunes.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a good introduction to chords and strumming for Uke. I'd have liked the full songs instead of just the first stanza and chorus so that practicing would have felt more like singing a full song. Makes me want to take lessons.

[Helen Fleischer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm 20% done with Ukulele for Dummies: As recommended in the introduction, I am not reading this book in order. I headed for the care and maintenance chapter first and hit a few others before going back to chapter 1.

Done with the reading, the rest is reference and practice.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oddly, this is probably the uke book I use the most, even though I don't like the tone of the writing and find the format lacking (the organization of all Dummies books are the same, even when it doesn't make sense for the subject).

[Jeanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've never been a fan of the "Dummies" books. This book has some good information, but the format is lacking. There is a little of everything and not enough of anything to really get going. I wouldn't recommend it.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is accessible and interesting. It includes videos and audio files that really help you learn how to play. I have it on my nook and it wasn't too expensive.

[Aina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful ^^

[J R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for that newbie to the ukulele.

[Nati]

Helped me sooo Much!!