UCL1 - WEEK 1
"BASIC CHORDS, FINGERGYM & SONGBIRD"

Welcome to week 1. This week you will explore your 1st strumming pattern with some basic chords shapes that can be used in hundreds of songs. You will also work on your first song containing a 2 chord progression. See below to find out more and have fun!

PDF DOWNLOADS

Please click the buttons below to download and print out your PDF materials for class.

PLEASE NOTE: If you play in the left handed position, download the PDFs with "- LEFT", otherwise just download the top buttons for the right hand playing positions. 
Recognising chord names can take a bit of getting used too, but to help you get started they are generally illustrated in short hand as follows: 
Before long, you will start to get used to the sound and feel of the different chord types.
On the right are examples of A chords for the 3 different chord types and how you would identify them. . . 

FINGER GYM EXERCISE - 16 FRET STRETCH 

This is a Finger Gym exercise to help strengthen your fingers for playing. You will need this PDF for the first 5 weeks of the course and will start each session with a warm up playing them. It's a great way to get your fingers moving and to develop strength in your fingers, especially the third finger (ring finger) and little pinky.  
Have a listen to the audio track to hear this exercise at 60BPM. Each week you will speed up by 10BPM but start off slow for now. 

SONGBIRD - VIDEO TUTORIALS

STRUMMING PATTERN TUTORIAL - DDuDDu
SONGBIRD - SONG STRUCTURE BREAKDOWN
SONGBIRD - PLAY ALONG VIDEO

AUDIO TRACKS FULL SONG PRACTICE

Click the button below to download the MP3 track to your device to help with practice offline. Make sure to save it in a folder that is easy accessible. 
That's it for week 1. To get the most out of your training, we recommend that you practice each of the exercises above at least 3 - 5 times per week. Try and dedicate just 10 mins to each tutorial at alternative times, as bite sized practice sessions work wonders and help you develop the necessary muscle memory to become a great ukulele player. 
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