PLUCking Ukes – Key Facts

Keys. (Photo credit: Bohman)

Two different people asked me about musical keys this week.

A key is a collection of notes in a particular pattern. If you start singing a song on one note & then sing the same song but begin it on a different note, it’s still the same song but is in a different key.You’ll also have to play different chords to make it sound right.

Here are two different versions of The Kinks’ Lola – one on Ukulele Boogaloo & one from Richard G’s Songbook. You’ll notice the difference when you play them – you might find the chords easier to play in one version or that you can sing along better on one.

 

PLUC Weekend Workout

Ukulele (Photo credit: morberg)

Play the Fretboard Master Game to learn the notes on the fretboard. Just configure it for a four-string uke, with the strings G – C – E – A (or the appropriate tuning for your instrument), then choose your difficulty level; whether to name the note or find the note; & if you want to play a timed game.

Jeanette

Other useful music theory postings: Learn Uke Notes Without Fretting;

Other quizzes include: A Question of Uke – TV & Movie Themes; PLUC Weekend Workout – Flashcard Machine Ukulele Chords; PLUC Weekend Workout – Theta Music Trainer; PLUC Weekend Workout – memrise on-line courses; PLUC Weekend Workout – Speak Ukulele Challenge!; PLUC Weekend Workout – On-line Ear Trainer; PLUC Weekend Workout – EarMaster Reference Songs For Intervals; PLUC Weekend Workout – Music Tech Teacher

 

PLUC Weekend Workout

I’ve been enjoying the BBC Two series Howard Goodall’s Story Of Music – in six parts, covering the origins of music from the Stone Age until the Digital Age. It’s being shown on Saturday nights until 23 Feb (with episodes available on the BBC iPlayer for around a month after broadcast). It’s a good way to put the theory into context with different types of music you hear & play.

 

Chord A Day

Csus4 ukulele chord – 31 Jan (Photo credit: Ukulele Chords)

Fancy learning a new chord every day? Then hop over to Curt Sheller’s All Things Ukulele site.

There are also a number of other useful free resources on there – including lots of lessons covering chords, techniques, learning the fingerboard, strumming, finger-picking, scales, rhythm, ear-training & songs.

Jeanette

 

PLUCking Ukes – Striking A Chord

Mojo practices the uke (Photo credit: petehoffswell)

We’ve mentioned in some of our previous postings that it can be helpful to split up your playing into different components – eg chords (melody), strumming (rhythm) & singing – either to help you focus on improving each of those aspects or just when learning a new song.

Rod Higuchi (Uncle Rod), from Seattle Ukulele Players Association (SUPA), has produced a number of useful free resources to assist with developing your ability to make smooth, consistent chord changes:

 

PLUC Xmas Weekend Workout

Ukulele Club Christmas (Photo credit: Simon Scarfe)

As a Christmas treat, we offer you two festive fun quizzes for the price of one:

1) Guess from which songs do the ‘Christmases’ come (NB If you get enough questions right you’ll win a surprise that can make any song into a Christmas tune!). I managed 10/12, so see if you can better that.

2) And here’s Ukulele Hunt’s annual puzzler – the Ukulele Christmas Quiz 2012 - which I’m just about to enjoy doing. There are also links to previous year’s quizzes.

Jeanette

Other quizzes include: PLUC Weekend Workout – EarMaster; PLUC Weekend Workout – On-line Ear Trainer; PLUC Weekend Workout – Speak Ukulele Challenge!; PLUC Weekend Workout – memrise on-line courses; PLUC Weekend Workout – Theta Music Trainer;  PLUC Weekend Workout – Flashcard Machine; PLUC Weekend Workout – Music Reading Knowledge; A Question Of Uke – TV & Movie Themes

 

PLUC Weekend Workout

Music note bokeh cutout (Photo credit: rob.wiss)

EarMaster is another interactive music theory site, with a useful page for learning how to recognise the interval (ie musical gap) between two notes. You can listen to ascending & descending intervals and play a daily quiz, Plus there is a long list of songs that start with each interval: choose the ones you know to make a customised reference chart as an aide-mémoire.

Other quizzes include: PLUC Weekend Workout – On-line Ear Trainer; PLUC Weekend Workout – Speak Ukulele Challenge!; PLUC Weekend Workout – memrise on-line courses; PLUC Weekend Workout – Theta Music Trainer;  PLUC Weekend Workout – Flashcard Machine; PLUC Weekend Workout – Music Reading Knowledge;  A Question Of Uke – TV & Movie Themes

 

PLUC Weekend Workout

Woman listening to Music (Photo credit: RelaxingMusic)

Here’s a free on-line ear trainer from Rick, who writes the I Was Doing All Right blog. There are full instructions on the page & it has several different customisable options for you to identify note intervals, chords & melodies, so you can make it as hard or easy as you wish.

You’ll need Java running (answer any prompts you receive on-screen & scroll down to the bottom of the page for troubleshooting if you encounter any problems).

Rick’s article also describes other hints & tips for ear training & gives his song mnemonics for learning intervals (you may want to use your own – it;s easier to pick tunes you know well if you use this method).

The ear trainer is also available for free download if you want to use it off-line.

Other quizzes include: PLUC Weekend Workout – EarMaster Reference Songs For Intervals; PLUC Weekend Workout – Speak Ukulele Challenge!; PLUC Weekend Workout – memrise on-line courses; PLUC Weekend Workout – Theta Music Trainer;  PLUC Weekend Workout – Flashcard Machine; PLUC Weekend Workout – Music Reading Knowledge; A Question Of Uke – TV & Movie Themes

 

PLUCking Ukes – Striking A Chord

learning chords (Photo credit: khrawlings)

Especially when you are new to playing or are learning a tune with some unfamiliar chords, you often find it’s useful having the chord diagrams to hand on your songsheet. To save you drawing them on freehand, here are a few of our members’ tips:

• Colin recommends the self-inking five-fret blank ukulele chord stamp bought recently from Shropshire firm Pencraft. He found it invaluable when going through his songbooks putting the songs into 2nd and 3rd positions. They do two sizes for ukes & each currently costs £10 plus £3 p&p. At present, they include a free Wheel of Fifths and a Ukulele World DVD with every order.

 

PLUC Weekend Workout

chord-ukulele (Photo credit: themissy)

Turn up your volume & see how many of the chords you can correctly identify in the Speak Ukulele Challenge! from the Uke Can Play site.

Jeanette

Other quizzes include: PLUC Weekend Workout – EarMaster Reference Songs For Intervals; PLUC Weekend Workout – On-line Ear Trainer; PLUC Weekend Workout – memrise on-line courses; PLUC Weekend Workout – Theta Music Trainer;  PLUC Weekend Workout – Flashcard Machine; PLUC Weekend Workout – Music Reading Knowledge; A Question Of Uke – TV & Movie Themes