2

Selecting Your Ukulele . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Parts of the Ukulele . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Caring for Your UkuleleTuning Your Ukulele . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5How to Hold Your Ukulele . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Strumming the Strings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Strumming with a PickStrumming with Your FingersTime to Strum!

Strumming Notation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8BeatsIntroducing the Quarter-Note SlashThe Staff and Treble ClefBar Lines, Measures, and Time SignaturesMore Time to Strum

Using Your Left Hand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Hand PositionPlacing a Finger on a StringHow to Read Chord Diagrams

The C Chord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10My First Chord

The Quarter Rest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Three Blind Mice

The C7 Chord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12My Second ChordTroubadour Song . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

The F Chord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14My Third Chord

Three Chords in One Song . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Rain Comes DownSkip to My Lou . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16London Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

The Repeat Sign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Merrily We Roll AlongLove Somebody . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

The G7 Chord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20My Fourth Chord

Using G7 with Other Chords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21A-Tisket, A-Tasket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Aloha ‘Oe (Farewell to Thee) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23When the Saints Go Marching In . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Yankee Doodle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Getting Acquainted with Music Notation . . . . 26NotesThe StaffThe Music AlphabetClefs

Introducing the Quarter Note . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Clap and Count Out Loud

Notes on the First String: Introducing A . . . . 28

Abby, the Armadillo

The Note A with Chords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Note and Strum

Notes on the First String: Introducing B . . . . . 30

Up-Down-Up

The Notes A and B with Chords . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Notes on the First String: Introducing C . . . . . 32

The Mountain Climber

The Notes A, B, and C with Chords . . . . . . . 33

Brave in the Cave

Notes on the Second String: Introducing E . . . 34

Two Open Strings

Two-String Melody

Jumping Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Notes on the Second String: Introducing F . . . 36

Ping Pong Song

Soccer Game

The Half Rest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

When I Feel Best

Notes on the Second String: Introducing G . . 38

A-Choo!

The Half Note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Hot Cross Buns

Notes on the Third String: Introducing C . . . . 40

Three Open Strings

Little Steps and Big leaps

The Old Grey Mare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Notes on the Third String: Introducing D . . . . 42

Introducing the Whole Note

D Is Easy!

Taking a Walk

Ode to Joy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Jingle Bells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Mary Had a Little Lamb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Over the Rainbow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Music Matching Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Certificate of Promotion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

StrummingStrum the four-string C chord on each quarter-note slash . Make sure your strums are even . Count aloud as you play:

1–2–3–4 | 1–2–3–4 .Listen to the recording or watch the video to hear how it should sound!

Use finger 3 to press the 1st string at the 3rd fret . If you have any trouble holding finger 3 down to play the C chord, place fingers 1 and 2 on the 1st and 2nd frets behind finger 3 until you are able to play with just finger 3 .

1st fret

2nd fret

3rd fret

Strum

3

O O OC

10

My First Chord

This double bar line tells us the music is finished.

& 44 Û Û Û ÛStrum Strum Strum the

Û Û Û ÛThree String C Chord!-

CRemember: This means there are 4 beats in each measure.

Hear

this chord!

Track 5

Track 6

Practice TipTo change quickly from C7 to F in the last two measures, move your 1st finger to the 2nd string—that’s not very far—and then put your 2nd finger on the 4th string .

C7 F C

16

& 44 Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Œ Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Œ

& Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Œ Û Û Û Û Û Û Û Œ

Skip, skip, skip to my Lou!

Skip, skip, skip to my Lou!

Skip, skip, skip to my Lou!

Skip to my my dar - ling!Lou

F

F F

C

C7

Skip to My Lou

Remember to move your 1st finger to the 2nd string and then put your 2nd finger on the 4th string to

play the F chord on the next beat.

Track 15

11st fret

2nd fret

3rd fret

First finger

F Warm-Up

F

36

& 44 œo oœ œ œ œ

1

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ1

œ œ ŒE

F

F

& œF

A note on the 1st space of the staff is called F . Use finger 1 to press the 2nd string at the 1st fret . Pick only the 2nd string .

Ping Pong Song

Soccer GameHold

Track 49

Track 48

Track 47

Hear

this note!Track 46

44

Jingle Bells

& 44 œoœ ˙

Jin gle bells,

œ œ ˙jin gle bells

œ œ3

œoœ2

jin gle all the

œo Û Û Û

way.-

& œ1

œ œ œOh what fun it

œ œoœ œ

is to ride a

œ œ2

œ œo

one horse o pen

˙2 Û Œ

sleigh.- -

& œoœ ˙

Jin gle bells,

œ œ ˙jin gle bells

œ œ3

œoœ2

jin gle all the

œo Û Û Û

way.-

& œ1

œ œ œOh what fun it

œ œoœ œ

is to ride a

œ3

œ œ1

œ2

one horse o pen

œo Û Û Œ

sleigh.- -

C

C

C

G7

Track 68