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Getting Started with `Ukulele?

After getting a ukulele, just what is next? Here are a few First Steps you can take.

photo by Louis Martin
Page Updated:
13 October 2025
First thing is to Get A Yourself a Ukulele .
It is generally true that you get what you pay for when it comes to buying any musical instrument and a ukulele is no different. Get a few, they come in four sizes and all different shapes, wood, finishes, acoustic, electric, solid body, archtop. There is even a banjo and bass ukulele. Plus they are fun, any size.
For selecting a ukulele take a look at the over 100 Ukulele Manufactures & Builders I've collected. And, a page of `Ukulele Dealers to get you started.
four ukes
four ukes
The above image is a selection of the characters available in a FREE font from www.ffonts.net showing the wide variety of ukulele shapes — all of them real.
Second, You Might Ask: Now What Do I Do With It?
Musically, you can take your ukulele playing to ANY level. From a few simple basic chords to complicated Solo Ukulele Arrangements like available right here on LearningUkulele.com.
But — first is to learn to tune you new ukulele
Ukulele Study Plans
One of the hardest things about learning a musical instrument is the overwhelming amount of material available. And with the Internet and YouTube this is more more true than ever. Even an instrument deemed to be as simple to learn as the ukulele. However, with the right plan of attack and taking inventory of what you might already know – It can be done.
I've been asked many times to put together a plan of attack for getting started and getting beyond the basics. There is no better recipe for success that a proven plan and organization for development. These lesson pages are intended to provide material for developing your ukulele skills and expanding your music knowledge.
Music..., regardless of your instrument, involves parts or all of these elements: Melody, Harmony and Rhythm. Then putting it all together in Songs, Compositions, Arrangements, Orchestration, etc...
Visit the `Ukulele Study Plans section of the site
UL101
Common `Ukulele Tunings

Any tuning is possible on a ukulele, as long as the ukulele’s construction supports it and a string is available.

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UL101a
Tuning Your Ukulele

From tuning by ear to using an electronic tuner. The lesson goes over the various tuning methods for tuning your ukulele. You ALWAYS need to play in tune.

UL22
Reading Ukulele TAB - Alternate Notation

"TAB" or "Tablature", is an alternate form of musical notation, which tells players where to place their fingers on a particular instrument rather than which pitches to play. TAB is sort of a secret language between guitar players and ukulele players. Although a shortcut to getting started it actually serves to alienate one from the rest of the music world.

ULM40
Basic `Ukulele Chord Fingering

The art and science of chord fingering. Learning your basic open position chords in common keys. We have four fingers and there're all not equal. Some shorter then others and some stronger that others. Everybody's hand is a little different. This does play a role in fingering chords.

UL23
Natural, Sharp and Flat Notes of the `Ukulele Fingerboard - C Tuning

Standard music notation, the natural, sharp and flat notes of the ukulele fingerboard for C tuned ukuleles. Covers both high C and low G tuning variations.

UL32
Which Way Is Up? - Up, Down, Ascending, Descending, etc...

Just what is "Up, Down, Ascending, Descending, Higher, Lower, Top, Bottom" as related to music?

UL07
Learning the `Ukulele Fingerboard (Finally!!!)

Most players struggle with learning the names of the notes of the ukulele fingerboard. There doesn't seem to a pattern and notes repeat. There is an easy way and "it's easier that you think." Most players know the names of the open strings for their favorite tuning.

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UL112
Fingerstyle Basics for `Ukulele - t i m r, ( p i m a )

This lesson covers the common terms used for identifying the fingers used. And, presents a series of single string exercises for exploring and developing the techniques needed for this style.

UL124
The Harmonized Major and Minor Scale Charts

The "Major Scale" or Ionian scale is a diatonic scale, made up of seven distinct notes, plus an eighth which duplicates the first one octave higher. In solfege these notes correspond to the syllables Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti/Si, (Do), the Do in the parenthesis at the end being the octave of the root.

UL43
The Trouble with TAB

TAB, short for tablature is a form of musical notation using numbers and letters on a staff that that corresponds to the number of strings of fretted string instrument. Theses number tell a player which fret to place their fingers on the fingerboard. TAB has a history with lute music from centuries ago and has found wide use in the music publishing industry catering to the guitarist who can?t or doesn't want to learn to read.

Now grab your uke and let's get cracking!
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art by Curt Sheller
On the web since 1992 and a Mac since 1987 (Mac II) • Serving up Ukulele content since 2003 ( 22 years ago )Lets Kanikapila!!! v12.13.0 (8.2.23) • And, since Sept 2020, happily on Pop!_OS Linux & COSMIC-DE and a System76 Thelio . Half the cost of the iMac and a real treat to use. I use it for ALL development work. Only wish the Affinity Suite of apps by serif where available on Linux (and I do know you can run them in Wine with a few hacks).
This sit has ben profesionaly red. awl tpyos aree free and no aditonal chrge • I'm blaming it on “jazz” fingers. “Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
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