UCL LEVEL 1 - WEEK 1
"Anyone Else But You"

Welcome to week 1 if your beginner training. This week you will explore some basic chords shapes with your 1st strumming pattern that can be used in tonnes of songs.

This first song contains just 2 chords, G major and C major and was originally written by the Moldy Peaches to feature in the film 'JUNO". The song is called "Anyone Else But You".

​This is a great song to get you started and great fun to play once you get the hang of it. We have took a few of the verses out for beginning sake but once you get the hang of it try strumming along with the Moldy Peaches!

Don't panic if you can't strum and sing at the moment, that will come in time, and no pressure to sing at all!
Click on the audio player below to hear the UCL ukulele arrangement:

PDF DOWNLOADS

First of all, you will be introduced to a number of basic chords you will cover this term. Each week you will work on a few chords at a time to help build up your song repertoire with ease.

TIP: If you play in the left handed position, download the PDFs with "- LEFT", otherwise just download the top buttons for the right hand playing position. 
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. . . 

SONG 1 

ANYONE ELSE BUT YOU
Click on the buttons below to download the song & song structure PDF that you will work on this week. You can practice along to the video tutorial and the audio tracks and download the MP3 of the full track for practising offline. 

FINGER GYM

THE 16 FRET STRETCH 

This is a Finger Gym exercise to help strengthen your fingers for playing and develop finger co-ordination to give you more control when plucking strings. You will start each weekly session warming up with this exercise increasing speed as each week passes. 

Notice that each string should be plucked with the illustrated fingers:
  • G String - pluck with the thumb
  • C String - pluck with your index finger
  • E String - pluck with your middle finger
  • A String - pluck with your third (ring) finger

​Stick with these plucking fingers when practicing this exercise and you will be picking out melodic patterns like a pro in no time. 
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. 

VIDEO TUTORIAL

CHORD SHAPES - G & C Major


G Major
This chord requires 1, 2 and 3 fingers to fret the dotted positions. 

​C Major
This chord requires  just your third finger to fret the dotted position on the A string, 3rd fret. Using your 3rd finger will make it easier to switch to other chords. 

Strumming Pattern

This strumming pattern is a great one to start off with. All down strokes fall on each of the 4 beats, so practice those first, then try adding the up strokes in between beats 2 & 3 and after beat 4. 

AUDIO TRACKS SPEED PRACTICE

Click on the audio players below to play along to the different tempos for home practice.

MP3 DOWNLOAD

Click the button below to download the MP3 track to help with practice offline. 
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 practice session at alternative times, as bite sized practice sessions work wonders and help you develop the necessary muscle memory to become a great ukulele player. 
NOW OPEN