The accompanying video from Lil Rev to go alongside his article on Boogie Woogie in UKE Magazine Issue 38
UKE Magazine Issue 38 - Ask Andy
In issue 38, Andy Eastwood gave answers to two questions. Here are the accompanying videos, made in conjuction with Octopus Ukulele.
First, how do I prevent damage to my nails when playing ukulele:
And next, how to take care of your ukulele:
UKE Magazine Issue 38 - Ōdō shinkō - the Royal Road progression
Here’s an example from Marius-Antonin Fleck, of the Roal Road chord progress, as described in UKE Magazine Issue 38.
As it is a YouTube ‘short’, it’s not possible to embed the video on the blog here, but if you click this link, you’ll find it!
Resources for new ukulele players
I am often asked by new players what books / videos / courses I would recommend.
I thought it might be helpful to summarise what I have replied with - so I can point people to this blog post in future! To be honest… I really should have done this before, as I’ve typed a version of this out in countless emails before now!
It’s great of course if you can get face to face teaching, but that’s often not possible, the cost might be prohibitive and these days, plenty of people want to learn by themselves too. Luckily there are vast resources to draw from online. That’s the good news. The bad news is there’s plenty of poor stuff out there too! I taught myself to play and I did lots of things wrong… so if I was to do a course teaching ukulele, I’d be passing on my bad habits. So I don’t. But plenty of people do. And there’s a phenomenon of ‘I can play three chords, so I’m going to teach!’ out there too.
If you’re looking for a introductory YouTube course, I’d start with Phil Doleman’s Complete Beginners Ukulele.
You can see a playlist of these videos here.
Phil is Mr Ukulele in the UK… he’s been playing for many years, well before the latest wave of ukulele popularity, and is a talented musician using the uke and other instruments as well. He understands theory and is a really clear teacher. That last part is crucial - he can explain things clearly and at a sensible pace.
So many times I, a player since 2010, have watched a video and had to pause and rewind a video when someone says rapidly something that sounds like, ‘OK and now we just add the augmented diminished 5th’, and quickly contorts their fingers into an odd shape that leaves me baffled. As a beginner that’s much worse, of course! Phil takes things slowly and points out critical things, things that seem obvious once you know how (how to hold, where to strum etc.), but if you’re totally new? Well, you need to know these things.
Another thing that I’d recommend is Jim’s Ukulele Songbook. This is a free download, a massive collection of songs that have been worked out for the ukulele and shared. You can download that here.
The contents pages at the start is many, many pages long for a start - with an alphabetised list of artists, of all types, and usually multiple songs for each. Each page has chord diagrams on it, small grids with dots on to show you where to put your fingers. I think it is a good way to start playing, if you’re on your own, and make some music. Pick your favourite artist, look up a song you know when, and dive straight in. Even if you can only manage it slowly, or part of a song only, it’s really rewarding to hear what you play sound like a song you recognise. It’s great learning what to do - but it’s encouraging to actually make some music!
The benefit of knowing the song is you have an idea of what it should sound like. So if you put your fingers where the diagram says, it’ll sound familiar. And if you get a chord shape wrong, it’ll sound wrong - and you’ll know you have to correct something.
I would do this myself, right at the start, and quickly discover some songs had too many chords, chords I found too hard, or a combination of both (often with the dreaded E chord in, which is a bit tricky!). I’d give them a go, try and get them right, and then before I got bored or frustrated, move on to something else. Something easier perhaps. There are so many songs you can’t fail to find a selection that you can enjoy and get to the end of, before long. But I’d go back to those hard songs each time, and try those difficult parts again, but never for so long I wanted to give up entirely!
With these resources, I’m using links to external sites that I don’t control the contents of - so if Phil or Jim moves things about, and I don’t know… then the links might not work. So, if you read this and find the links don’t work anymore, let me know and I’ll find them and refresh them.
There are of course, many other excellent resources out there. If you have enjoyed one - leave a comment below with what has helped you.
Thank you,
Matt
UKE Magazine Issue 37 - Mike Haysom Bossa Nova Tutorial
To accompany Mike Haysom’s article in UKE Magazine Issue 37, here’s a great tutorial he has made to demonstrate how the theory works in practice.
Uke Express South - September 2024
NOTE - THIS EVENT IS NOW ON SALE - SO NO NEED TO ENTER YOUR DETAILS - JUST VISIT THE EVENTS STORE
We’re bringing the Uke Express South back in September 2024, working on the final details now.
This will be a weekend event, with music and playing together on a Friday night, followed by a trip on the West Somerset Railway on a steam train on Saturday, from Minehead to Quantock. Here we’ll have a singalong at the Quantock Brewery, followed by a return to Minehead for more music and fun.
The dates and times are to be confirmed, but if you’d like an e-mail when we have all the details ready and tickets are on sale, please complete your details below.
UKE Magazine Issue 37 - Competition
UKE Magazine readers who wish to enter the competition in Issue 37 should complete the form below before 1 May 2024.
UKE Magazine Issue 37 - Mr Hill
Here’s a playthrough of Mr Hill from Issue 37 of UKE Magazine, part of ‘Ten Exercises to Explore the Neck’, a digital download available here.
It was recorded some time ago when I was ill, with undiagnosed thyroid issues - so sorry for the haunting appearance!
You will need to jump ahead to 6.51
UKE Magazine Issue 37 - Galway Hookers
There’s a very early recording of Galway Hookers, performed by Warehouse of Thieves here, to accompany the article in issue 37.
We have recorded this in the studio but we’re still waiting for that to come back… so there’s a video of an early performance of it here - it’ll give you an idea!
UKE Magazine Issue 37 - Lil Rev, Asheville Junction
Lil Rev has prepared two videos to accompany his article in Issue 37.
First we have the strumalong version with GCEA tuning… using the boom chuck strum
And here is the melody
UKE Magazine Issue 37 - Ask Andy
Here we have the video to accompany Andy Eastwood’s article in Issue 37, discussing the differences in tonewoods used to make ukuleles.
UKE Magazine Issue 36 - David Foley Chord Progression
From UKE Magazine Issue 36 - this is a demonstration of the chord progression from my old guitar teacher, David Foley. It uses the chord shapes presented in the magazine, with some improvisation. Remember, you can play the chord shapes in Issue 36 in any order and don't have to stick to to it, as written.
Christmas 2023 - Delivery Cut-off Times
For ukuleles in the UK to arrive before Christmas
The cut off for ukulele orders is noon on Wednesday the 20th of December. In theory - I can dispatch on the 21st of December for delivery on Friday the 22nd too - but that doesn’t give any leeway should there be any unexpected holdup. I can certainly try though, and I use a next working day service as standard.
This applies to mainland UK excluding the Highlands, where an extra day should be allowed.
For accessories orders / magazines in the UK to arrive before Christmas
The cutoff for smaller items sent by mail is also noon on Wednesday the 20th. This follows Royal Mail’s guidelines for the post - with 1st class items sent by the 20th arriving before Christmas according to them.
For ukuleles to the USA to arrive before Christmas
I use FedEx to send to the US and they are fast. Often taking 2 days, but allowing for a busy period, the cut off here is 9am (UK time) on Tuesday the 19th of December. (The cutoff is a little earlier here so I can arrange for FedEx to collect the package on the same day).
For ukuleles to the EU to arrive before Christmas
This is more difficult to summarise, because different countries have different timescales. Customs are busy across the EU - and my packages have to be assessed. Monday 18th of December at noon should be OK.
One more thing…
I will dispatch orders, if received by these deadlines, in time for couriers / postal services to deliver to their destinations on time. However, I am dependent on these services to do that and stick to their own published deadlines. This information tells you what is possible, and I’ll certainly do my part! But the earlier you can order the better, of course!
UKE Magazine Issue 36 - Competition / Survey
In UKE Magazine Issue 36, you can win one of a number of kindly donated ukuleles by answering a reader survey about the future of UKE Magazine and the content you’d like to see.
Entries are only considered from UKE Magazine readers (winners will be chosen at random, but status as a reader checked, to make sure only people who read the magazine can get one of the prizes). This needs to be done by 1 February 2024 to be in with a chance of winning.
UKE Magazine Issue 36 - Ask Andy
A discussion of how to approach chords with lots of extensions - a video that accompanies the ‘Ask Andy’ section of UKE Magazine Issue 36, with performer and teacher Andy Eastwood.
UKE Magazine Issue 36 - Matt Stead, Aurelian
A demonstration of the fingerstlye ukulele piece Aurelian, written and perfomed by Matt Stead.
UKE Magazine Issue 36 - Sam Muir, Moderato
Sam Muir discusses and plays the piece Moderato, one of the tabs in UKE Magazine Issue 36.
Temporary Store Closure - 15th to 20th November
World of Ukes is closed until the 20th of November
You are welcome to place orders while I am closed for a short while, and I’ll do my very best to get things on the way as soon as I return.
It’s a busy time of year for a ukulele retailer, so not the normal time to be away! I am travelling to Berkshire to visit my best friend, who is very ill. His condition can no longer be treated and the situation is sadly now close to the end. I want to spend some time with him and try and help him sort some things out at home before, well… it’s a sad scenario and I think you get the picture.
I just wanted to write a bit of an explanation as no retailer would normally take a break from work as things start to ramp up for the festive season. I won’t be away long, and I will work very hard to get caught up as soon as I return. I fully expect all orders to be dispatched by close of business on Tuesday the 21st.
I don’t want to put you off from ordering, but wanted to just let you know the situation.
Thank you,
Matt
UKE Magazine Issue 35 - Win a ukulele competition
In Issue 35 of UKE Magazine there is a chance for one lucky reader to win an Enya Nova U Pro tenor ukulele.
It’s quite a straightforward entry this time, with the name of a ukulele brand required.
Simply use your copy of Issue 35 to decipher the clues and enter the uke brand on the form below, with entries needed by 1 November, 2023.
UKE Magazine Issue 35 - Paul Mansell Tutorial
In this video, Paul Mansell provides a tutorial for ‘What if a day or a month or a year’, the tab of which appears in Issue 35.