Tamás Gáll has just developed a new chord training site called It’s Chordtime, which allows you to change chords to a regular metronome tempo and help become a smoother player. Read the rest of this entry »
Tag Archives: Chord Progressions
PLUC Weekend Workout
Posted by webmasterpluc on September 8, 2017 in Interesting Uke Sites, Playing Help – Sites & Resources, Uke Utilities
Tags: Chord Progressions, Chords, Fretboard, Fretboard Map, It's Chordtime, Learn Fretboard, Learning Chords, Learning Notes, Learning Resource, Metronome, Music Theory Net's, MusicTheory.net, Practice Tips, Tamás Gáll, Test, Ukuele Chords, Ukulele, Ukulele Utilities, Uncle Rod, Uncle Rod Higuchi, Uncle Rod’s Ukulele Boot Camp, Weekend Workout
PLUC Weekend Workout
The latest Ukulele Underground YouTube tutorial fits in perfectly with our current moveable chords theme. Aaron explains how to work out how to play the same chord in different ways by using a fretboard diagram. He also shows you tips for easy chord progressions, ways of working out unusual chords you don’t know & learning how to play scales with that same diagram,
If you haven’t understood the principles behind it up until now, I’m sure you’ll find this really helpful as he illustrates it very clearly:
Other PLUC music theory postings.
Posted by webmasterpluc on August 29, 2014 in Playing Help – Sites & Resources
Tags: Beginners Music Theory, Chord Progressions, Fretboard Map, Moveable Chords, PLUC Weekend Workout, Ukulele, Ukulele Underground, YouTube Tutorial
PLUCking Ukes – Ten Minute Practice Tips
Over the last few weeks, both Chris & Simon have mentioned how useful it can be to play the same song in a number of different keys, to expand your repertoire to learn the full range of chords. It is also a good way to start understanding more about music theory; to see how chords relate to musical keys & begin understanding how transposing works (ie putting tunes in another key).
Doctor Uke has a good selection of songs on his site in multiple keys: Five Foot Two; Amazing Grace; Why Do Fools Fall In Love; Tiptoe Through The Tulips & It’s A Blue World. You’ll soon spot that some keys are easier to play on the uke than others. Going through one of these sheets until you can play all variations easily will give you a good workout.
If you look on several song sites, such as Chordie or Tontonremy & find a song you want to play, there are options on the page to trranspose it, so with a quick press of a button, you can have the song in a new key. Or you can use the PLUC Transposing Tool to work it out manually. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by webmasterpluc on November 10, 2013 in Playing Help – PLUC Tips, Playing Help – Sites & Resources
Tags: Amazing Grace, Beginners Music Theory, Chord Exercises, Chord Progressions, Chordie, Doctor Uke, Dr Uke, Five Foot Two, Flickr, Improving Technique, It's A Blue World, Key Signature, Larry Jacobsen, ljguitar, Music Theory, PLUC Transposing Tool, Practice Tips, Ten Minute Tips, Tiptoe Through The Tulips, Tontonremy, Ukulele, Ukulele Chords, Why Do Fools Fall In Love
PLUCking Ukes – Key Facts
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. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by webmasterpluc on March 31, 2013 in Playing Help – PLUC Tips, PLUC - Songs We Play
Tags: Beginners Music Theory, Bohman, Chord Progressions, Circle of Fifths, Flickr, Introduction To Music Theory, Lola, Music Theory, Musical Key, Musical Notes, Richard G, Richard G's Songbook, rod, The Kinks, Ukulele, Ukulele Boogaloo, Ukulele Chords, Uncle Rod, Uncle Rod Higuchi, Uncle Rod’s Ukulele Boot Camp
PLUCking Ukes – Striking A Chord
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: Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by webmasterpluc on January 20, 2013 in Interesting Uke Sites, Playing Help – PLUC Tips, Playing Help – Sites & Resources, PLUC News & Info
Tags: Chord Drills, Chord Exercises, Chord Progressions, Chords, Disposable Method, Disposable Song Method, Flickr, Improving Technique, Learning Chords, Metronome, pootsie, pootsie's ukulele bootcamp struggle, Self-Assessment Test, Song Learning, Ukulele, Ukulele Chords, Ukulelerob1, Uncle Rod, Uncle Rod Higuchi, Uncle Rod’s Ukulele Boot Camp, YouTube
PLUC Weekend Workout
Theta Music Trainer has a huge variety of different music training games on their site. You can sign in for free & play the first few levels of all their ear training games without paying for a subscription, which gives you access to the higher levels.
Topics include Scales, Intervals, Melody, Chords, Chord Progressions, Theory & Notation, Rhythm, Tuning & Pitch and Sound. If you have a microphone, you can even test your singing! Just playing regularly for a few minutes at a time will help improve your listening skills.
Other quizzes include: PLUC Weekend Workout – EarMaster Reference Songs For Intervals; PLUC Weekend Workout – On-line Ear Trainer; PLUC Weekend Workout – Speak Ukulele Challenge!; PLUC Weekend Workout – memrise on-line courses; PLUC Weekend Workout – Flashcard Machine; PLUC Weekend Workout – Music Reading Knowledge; A Question Of Uke – TV & Movie Themes; PLUC Weekend Workout – Fretboard Master Game; PLUC Weekend Workout – Guitarator Chord Quiz; PLUC Weekend Workout – Vocal Match Game
Posted by webmasterpluc on September 15, 2012 in Interesting Uke Sites, Playing Help – Sites & Resources
Tags: Chord Progressions, Chords, Ear Training, Intervals, Listening Skills, Melody, Music Theory, Notation, Pitch, Rhythm, Scales, Singing Practice, Sound, Theory, Theta Music Trainer, Tuning, Weekend Workout
PLUCking Ukes – Striking A Chord
For those of you brushing up on your music theory, especially if you’re learning ukulele chords for the first time, here is a nicely laid out chord chart from the DaSilva Ukulele Co’s songlist & tutorials.
Instead of just listing the chords, it summarises a lot of information on one sheet. It’s tabulated by key signature, showing principal chords (I – IV – V7); relative minor (Vm – IIm – III7) & alternative chords (ie I6/VIm7, diminished, augmented, IV6, VIm6 & IIm6).
This works well if you also print off the uke-specific Circle of Fifths diagram from Gary Jugert on Ukulele Underground. This page shows you the familiar wheel, with notes, chords & key signatures, along with ukulele chords.
These two pages are a good easy reference. If you are interested in knowing more of the basics, there are plenty of good lessons out there you can find – we will pick a few another time.
Even if you don’t understand the theory yet, many tunes will use these sequences of chords or chords from the same key, so it’s useful to recognise their patterns & be used to playing these progressions.
Other music theory postings: Learn Uke Notes Without Fretting; PLUC Weekend Workout – Music Reading Knowledge; PLUCking Ukes – Transposing; PLUC Weekend Workout – Theta Music Trainer; Very, Very, Very Basic Understanding of Music for Absolute Beginners; PLUC Weekend Workout – memrise on-line courses; PLUC Weekend Workout – On-line Ear Trainer; PLUC Weekend Workout – EarMaster Reference Songs For Intervals; PLUC Weekend Workout – Howard Goodall’s Story Of Music; PLUC Weekend Workout – Fretboard Master Game; PLUC Weekend Workout – Guitarator Chord Quiz; PLUC Weekend Workout – Vocal Match Game
Also see the PLUC Transposing Tool
Posted by webmasterpluc on July 28, 2012 in Interesting Uke Sites, Playing Help – Sites & Resources
Tags: Berkeley Ukulele Club, Chord, Chord Chart, Chord Progressions, Circle of Fifths, DaSilva Ukulele Co, Gary Jugert, Key Signature, Michael DaSilva, Music Theory, Principle Chords, Relative Minor, Transposing Tool, Ukulele, Ukulele Chords, Ukulele Underground