Six Secrets of Ukulele Fingering - Introduction

Think of the fingering as a series of pathways. When you learn to connect these pathways, there are benefits not only to technique but also to creativity. All fingering on the ukulele can be reduced to 6 principles of motion. Each principle has physical and musical characteristics that you can use to improve your playing.

Technically, fingering problems are linked to an instruments tuning. The characteristics of a tuning can force constant adjustments in fingering and contribute to the diTculty of learning the notes on the neck*. Note duplications, open strings and unequal tuning all contribute to the complexity of fingering. Since strings vary in diameter, notes produced on difierent strings vary in tone color. Generally, thicker strings produce warmer or darker tone color. Thinner strings produce a brighter or more cutting tone color.

This book is devoted to the application of the six principles of guitar fingering as applied to the ukulele. The study of fingering can be broken down into several topics of study. They are: position and technique, finger independence and strength and the principles of motion with their applications. The first step is a good hand position. Critical for technique, a good hand position eliminates the needless waste of efiort and energy so typical of under developed fingering technique.