Week two of learning the ukulele has actually left me feeling hopeful. I am nowhere near to sounding what I would consider presentable to any kind of audience, but I can see (or I suppose hear) a definite improvement.

I know where my fingers need to be placed for my three chords (C, F, and G7), but I sometimes don’t put enough pressure on the strings and thus my chords sound buzzy or altogether wrong. When I am simply practicing the chords themselves this is less of an issue. However, when I am transitioning between chords I am not always consistent with where/how I am pressing the strings, and thus the issue arises. I am not very concerned about this particular problem though, as I think the solution is simply continued practice. Regarding what is going well, I think my transitions between the two easier chords (C and F) are becoming smoother. I am able to play the first line of the song fairly fluidly as that part only consists of these two chords.

I have also been working on strumming. There is no special strumming pattern for “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”, so the strumming consists of a downward strum for each syllable of the lyrics. Despite there not being a particular pattern, I still have to be mindful of my strumming. For example, making sure all of the strings are included in the strum, strumming with consistent speed, and strumming with consistent pressure for a consistent volume (or different volume where appropriate). In other words, my strumming largely controls the dynamics and rhythm of the song.

This week I also incorporated some video tutorials into my learning, and have attached two that I found particularly helpful. The first is a tutorial video by the channel Bernadette Teaches Music. Bernadette outlines the necessary chords, how to play them, and then teaches the song in segments. The segmented teaching is really helpful, as it allows you to learn and focus on one section until you feel comfortable moving on to the next.

The second video is a play-along by the channel Ukulaliens – Ukulele Club. There is no teaching incorporated into this video, so it is a good resource after you have already learned the chord progression and have been practicing for a while. I find the play-along structure helpful because I will often play the song slower when I am practicing on my own, due to the time I need to transition from chord to chord. Having a play-along gives me a reference point to gauge my level of playing in comparison to the tempo the song is traditionally played at. Being able to hear the song quality that I hope to achieve is not only great motivation, but as I mentioned before great for tracking my own progress.

Featured image by Christy Ash on Unsplash