Hi to the participants who are coming along to the next Beginners Ukulele Workshop,

In these COVID times we are trying to be as hygienic as possible. Please print or download this music so we do not have to hand it out. And this web page might make for a handy after or before resource anyhow.

Perhaps you are a digital person with a tablet. Download this music!

If not natively digital, then it’d be preferable if you could print your own music.

Otherwise, we’ll have paper music for you. We’ll sanitise our hands before handing it out.

Enjoy! Download! Gosh, maybe even practise BEFORE! (But don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s all for fun really). It’ll make much more sense after you’ve done the workshop.

These songs are selected to help you learn chord shapes, and how to change chords in a methodical manner. They are not selected for being the latest pop song (although we do those too). They are carefully selected to help you best learn.

Deep in the Heart of Texas

This is the best ‘first song’ ever. Lots of good (musical and educational) reasons. Download it here. Daggy, but good. This does not mean that this is a children’s workshop.

Jambalaya

Jambalaya – our second song, which gets along faster with the chord changes. We don’t do it anything like this, but at least you’ll get to be more familiar with the song.

Runaround Sue

Runaround Sue is our first four chord song. C, Am, F, G. Get the fingers doing the right sequencing, and you are well on the road to playing a billion songs. Used in a slightly different order, you get another billion songs – Brief Language Warning on the video.

Rhiannon

Rhiannon is a three chord song. And Fleetwood Mac play it in the same key that you will be learning it in! The same three chords – Am, F, C.  When you get home after the workshop, perhaps you could play along. If Lindsay Buckingham could be replaced by Neil Finn, you may have an in after some practice!

Extra Stuff you’ll want

A chord chart of everything – we won’t go over this very much in this workshop, but it is a very handy resource for you.

Strumming Patterns  – strumming is something that is more felt than learned. But this chart is an exercise that we do in the workshop and which you should do to help your strumming hand develop discipline and to remember patterns. 

All the notes up the neck – really. Don’t fuss on this one too much. We won’t be talking about it in the workshop.