Ukulele for Beginners: How To Play Ukulele in Easy-to-Follow Steps

Please note: While I am a member of the Vine Voices review programme, this book was purchased with my own money. - - - - - - - Author Will Grove-White is well placed to write a book about this diminutive instrument as he was, for many years, a member of the legendary 'Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain'. Uke books can broadly be split into three categories. The first (and one of the largest) is the 'How to play' group. There are myriad books on this topic which will take you from your first, faltering steps playing a 'C' chord (very commonly used and only requires one finger, so it's inevitably the first one you learn), to challenging manuals which will teach you a variety of strumming techniques, chords that you didn't know existed, let alone would want to use, and techniques such as legato, tremolo, vibrato and other things that end in 'o'. Second are the music books which will teach you to play specific songs - again, hundreds available in every genre from Folk to Classical via Christmas tunes, pop songs and more. And then thirdly, the considerably smaller category of 'Books about the Uke itself'. Mr Grove-White's book covers a good chunk of this last category, plus an introduction to playing the instrument. It's value, I feel, is in this first section. I've just finished reading another book that purports to be a history of the Ukulele and it was one of the most long-winded, rambling 'shaggy-dog stories' that I've ever ploughed though, and for every relevant Uke fact, there were ten that I could have done without. 'Get Plucky' sticks to the subject in a light-hearted and engaging manner and is, for all but the most dedicated of Ukulele students, probably the only 'About the Uke' book you'll ever need. The first sixty-odd pages covers the origins and history of the instrument, famous (and celebrity) Uke players, its heyday, its 'dark ages' and plenty more. There's a useful section for those considering their first Uke purchase - what size to get, how much to spend, what to look for in an instrument, accessories that you might need and a warning - which should be heeded - about 'Ukulele Acquisition Syndrome', a very real problem which sees money which should be allocated for sensible things clothing or Ikea furniture, spent on 'just one more Uke'. The remaining 90 or so pages form a tutorial that'll get you started, covering basic chords, your first strumming patterns and simple songs to play, plus more advanced topics such as alternate tunings, which you can come back to when you're feeling more confident. This will get you going, but stick with it and you'll soon want to either find a more comprehensive manual or, better still, grab your four-stringed friend and go off and join your local ukulele group. Highly recommended, and deserving of a place on any ukulele player's bookshelf. N.B. This book has since been republished, with a different title and cover, as 'Ukulele For Beginners : How To Play tHe Uklulele In Easy To Follow Steps'. I am reliably informed that the content is identical.

This ukulele beginners book is exactly what I was looking for! The instructions are easy to follow, and the layout is beginner-friendly. I especially appreciate the great chord diagrams and clear step-by-step guidance. It covers all the basics, and is a great resource for learning ukulele at home. Highly recommended for new players!

If you like to know about your instrument as well as just how to play this is a great book. The star stories are a little repetitive, you could almost have just had a list of names. But the lessons start at the absolute basics and the tunes with a single chord, 2 chords etc. And most of the tunes are very recognisable if not exactly street cool.

Liked the book and it was informative and helpful. I found it amusing and enjoyed the writing style. I suppose that was to be expected as I enjoy the humour of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain and the author was a long time member. Exercises were easy to follow and I was strumming out a tune in no time, badly, but that's on me not the book. Some nice history on some notable players as well which I enjoyed.

A crackin read for anyone who has a uke, or indeed is thinking of dipping a plectrum into the wonderful world that is playing music for fun at minimal cost. Easily read sections deal with Ukulele history, famous players, and even how to set up and play your uke from out of the Christmas present wrapping paper. There is a link to Will's website which then gives access to a set of demonstration audio clips( amongst other interesting stuff) which match up to the text in the book. its lavishly illustrated with plenty of pictures of chord shapes etc....easy to follow diagrams and its all written with the humour that you would expect from a UOGB member like Will. Well done Mr Grove-White you have spotted a gap in the market and supplied a book which fills the space very well indeed.

This is clearly a very popular book indeed, and we love it! Many of our family & friends who are into ukuleles will be getting this for Birthday/Christmas/whatever... But... A word of warning from reading all the other reviews - it seems to be unanimous that the Kindle edition does not work well on the Kindle-slab itself - reportedly OK on the Kindle App when installed on something more substantial. We loved everything about the book - it's a mini-encyclopedia of all things Ukulele - the fascinating history and personalities who have played and promoted the Uke particularly interested me. Jimi Hendrix started with a ukulele! Who'd have thought it? So very many fine reviews have already been written that (to save your time) I'll recommend the one by my new friend "Urbanmeister" whose review immediately persuaded me to buy this excellent book. ....................What he said!................. <grin> Strongly recommended for anyone who enjoys the ukulele, or just thinks they might.

NOT the best book to learn the ukelele... But not a bad read and at current sale price its good value. Contains lots of interesting stuff about the ukelele and is a good general intro but contains too few songs to learn. I was disappointed at first until I came across Robert Johnsons "Hot tamales" which gave me a real sense of satisfaction. Useful but not on its own you will need a better range of songs in a more focussed book. Still, no one book does it all that I have found.

Brilliant! Written by the amazing Will Grove-White of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, this book is superb. If you only buy one uke book, this is the one to get! It is packed with useful info for all levels of uke playing, and it is full of Will’s witty one-liners and hilarious comments. Visually, it is very appealing with useful diagrams and some songs to sing along with (there are links to Will’s website). There are also interesting sections about uke history. I absolutely love this book.

Ouvrage passionnant avec de l'humour british. Moins une méthode qu'un livre qui traite du ukulele de son histoire, ses artistes majeurs, mais aussi avec une partie plus technique et des grilles d'accords. A posséder pour qui s'intéresse au ukulele et lit l'anglais.

User friendly, but overstuffed. More than 100 pages of filler. About 70 of information (how to strum, tune, and make chords.) I'm sure there are better books out there for the novice and purchasing a second hand book can probably save a bit.

Kaliteli bir basım. Ukulele tarihi, ukulele seçimi nasıl yapılmalı, ukulelelerin yapısı ve başlangıç seviye eğitimi vs. hakkında gayet güzel bilgi veriyor. Benim ihtiyacımı karşıladı ancak müzik eğitimi odaklı bir kitap isteyenler için başka bir seçenek daha iyi olabilir çünkü kitabın yarısı ukulele hakkında tarih dersiyle geçiyor.

Will Grove-White who is a member of the great Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, has written a very entertaining and informative book on the History and mechanics of playing Ukulele. While I'm an experience player, I found it to be a fascinating read both in the contents and the beautiful layout. Lots of tidbits and inside info on the ukulele world and the UOGB. Even though I have read and own all the books I could find about the history of the Ukulele, Get Plucky brings a fresh view with good narrative, plenty of information and lots of fun anecdotes. I highly recommend this book as a must have addition to any Ukulele enthusiast, be it a beginner or an advanced player. Well done Will, Well done!

Nice