Reading Music - The Basics

Congrats, you have finished the Reading Music on Ukulele - The Primer series. This next series of lessons will take your reading to the next level and have you reading like a pro.

This is a series of lessons for reading music for ukulele at a pro level.

Reading Music can be thought of on many different levels. 1) the ability to slowly and painfully _work out_ the written music. 2) the ability to _hear_ the music by looking at the notation. 3) the ability to _notate_ your ideas in standard music notation. 4) the ability to _read_ music as you read a book or an article. 5) the ability to communicate with other musicians in the written language of music. 6) the ability to learn songs that you've never heard.

Here is a 10 step program for really learning the ukulele fingerboard.

Sequential Fret Order - One fret at a time and same string order. Random Fret Order - One fret at a time and same string order. Key Frets Concept - Secondary and derived frets from string four to one / one to four., Three Element Drill - fret, name, string?, Geometric Shapes, Chord Shapes, Isolation Drill, Visualization, Name Notes in Rhythm, Random, Rapid Note Jumps and Skips

This is one the elements of learning a fretted stringed instrument that really and I mean really has one of the biggest return for the time and effort it takes to really learn the neck.

"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.

Music notation or musical notation refers to various systems of writing music. Diverse systems of musical notation have developed in various cultures. In fact, many cultures simply do not notate their music in any form.

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.

Learn to read single note melodies in the first/open position. It is a lot easier than you might think with this step-by-step easy to use approach. Tunings: C with low or high G - (GCEA or gCEA).

This is not really a song, but simply saying that for the purposes of a lot of the lessons and lesson series on this site ANY song will do for exploring the lesson's material and concepts presented in the lesson.

Reading can be thought of on many different levels. 1) the ability to slowly and painfully work out the written music. 2) the ability to hear the music by looking at the notation. 3) the ability to notate your ideas in standard music notation. 4) the ability to read music as you read a book or an article. 5) the ability to communicate with other musicians in the written language of music. 6) the ability to learn songs that you have never heard.

There are a few things in music that students and players avoid. These are things like learning to read and knowing the notes of their own instrument. It is hard on guitar - but not so hard on ukulele. With the right guidance and plan of attack. IT IS EASY.

Reading music on ukulele is all about learning what the notes look like and where they are on the instrument for your favorite tuning.

A handy reference chart of all 15 major and relative minor key signatues. US Letter 8.5 x 11 sized.