UCL2 - WEEK 1
"12 bar Blues In C & Hound Dog"
Welcome to week 1 of your level 2 course. Please click the buttons below to download and print out your PDF materials for class.
This week you will explore how to play the 12 bar blues with additional blues notes to really get your rocking along with a finger gym exercise to get you warmed up. Remember to tune up and warm up with some stretches before you begin and have fun!
This week you will explore how to play the 12 bar blues with additional blues notes to really get your rocking along with a finger gym exercise to get you warmed up. Remember to tune up and warm up with some stretches before you begin and have fun!
FINGER GYM EXERCISE
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 at different speeds starting off nice and gently at 60BPM.
12 BAR BLUES
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.
The 12 Bar Blues is a great way to take the C, F & G chords to the next level and works great with tonnes of songs.
The key to getting that shuffle sound is to play a 2 bar pattern with a slight delay on the adding the relative minor notes on beats 2 & 4. Are you are keen to explore the theory behind then you need to understand the relationship between relative major & minor scales.
Watch the video below to find out more about the relative minors, their positions and which fingers to use to play them!
The key to getting that shuffle sound is to play a 2 bar pattern with a slight delay on the adding the relative minor notes on beats 2 & 4. Are you are keen to explore the theory behind then you need to understand the relationship between relative major & minor scales.
Watch the video below to find out more about the relative minors, their positions and which fingers to use to play them!
SONG 1 - HOUND DOG
This 12 bar pattern works well with the instrumental parts of Hound Dog. This song was originally recorded and released by BIG MAMA THORNTON in 1952 with some slightly different lyrics but made famous a few years later in 1956 by ELVIS with this version of lyrics. The song was originally written and produced by song writing partners, Lieber & Stoller. Apparently it only took them 15 minutes to write this song!!!
Click on the MP3 below to download the full UCL version which includes L3 parts, bass and baritone. It's good exercise to practice your part along with the full arrangement for future live UCL performances.
AUDIO TRACKS
The audio play along tracks are a great way to help with home practice.
12 Bar Blues - Straight 8 & shuffles example
12 Bar Blues full track - All examples as shown on worksheet
MP3 DOWNLOADS
Download the MP3 track below to help with home practice offline for 12 bar blues practice.
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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