Playing a single note melody on ukulele seems easy but to make it sound beautiful is one of the hardest aspects of playing this instrument. This week in the Magic Ukulele Club we look at four ways to layout the melody of the Disney song 'When You Wish Upon a Star' across the fretboard and how each influences the sound.

While I spend a lot of time talking about music on this page also need to learn how to navigate the tool that is ukulele. The more easily we can play the instrument without thinking about the technical aspects the more we can focus on making music! If you're going to do one exercise for finger independence on the instrument this should be the one: the 1-2-3-4 Exercise. Simple in concept but hard to execute cleanly.

This week in the Magic Ukulele Club we are going over five exercises to get the left hand moving! Join us for an extended lesson, PDF as well as 100s of other lessons.

This week on the Magic Ukulele Club we’re looking at a song that is a staple in the ukulele works: We’ll Meet Again. Recorded by vera Lynn in 1939 it quickly became a timeless classic that keeps popping up in popular media even today.

This song comprises two of our most used chord progressions - The I III VI II V circle progression and the Honeysuckle Rose Bridge. Join the Magic Ukulele Club for exclusive lesson on this song: ‘How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love Tritone Substitutions’ which focuses on reharmonizing the familiar A sections as well as the bridge

This week in the Magic Ukulele Club we’re looking at a song that needs no introduction: ‘Fly Me to The Moon’. This song predates the Sinatra recording by nearly 10 years having been a minor success for Kaye Ballard in 1954 before Quincy Jones got a hold of it. That would become the swinging version that we all sing today!

This tune is a masterclass is starting to hear the difference between ii V I progressions that target minor and major chords as well as how many chord voicings can be used to imply different harmony depending on context. Another great song to look at this concept in is Autumn Leaves.

Join us on the Magic Ukulele Club to learn for a full lesson breaking down the chord melody intro, the chords I play as well as the Count Basie Ending.

This week in the Magic Ukulele Club we’re looking at moveable 7th chords and how four simple shapes can get us every 7th chord up and down the neck. As a seventh chord contains four notes there are only a limited number of ways we can arrange those notes. We’re looking at the four main inversions of the chords or what note we put as the lowest note in the chord. This gives us four shapes you are already familiar with: G7, C7, E7, and A7. By turning these into barre chords and being aware of where the root note is we are able to change them into any other 7th chord that we desire.

If you are new to chords and theory watch this quick video on how chords are built before diving into today’s lesson. You can continue diving into more harmony lessons in our Harmony/Theory Tab.

Join the Magic Ukulele Club for an extended video featuring the secret 5th moveable voicing and how to integrate open strings into your seventh chords!

This week in the Magic Ukulele Club have the first installment of a new monthly series: Ukulele Rudiments. Each month we’ll be looking at challenging rhythmic exercises to open up the possibilities of the right hand. This month we’re looking at the George Formby split stroke and how to apply it starting on different beats.

In the drumming world rudiments for snare drum are the small piece that build nearly every other rhythmic combination. By learning the rudiments first you are setting yourself up for success when tackling rhythmic concepts.

Join the Magic Ukulele Club for the extended lesson, PDF, and 100s of other ukulele lessons!

This week in the Magic Ukulele Club we’re looking at a few simple ideas to fine tune your strumming hand. No matter where you are in your ukulele journey taking a step back from time to time and addressing the fundamentals is an important part of making progress.

In all honesty, almost everything in the video can be solved with just step number one: Relax. Holding tension in our bodies and in our hands is one of the biggest obstacles to making a beautiful sound on the instrument. A great accompaniment to this lesson is my video on focusing on sound.

Join us on the Magic Ukulele Club for an extended video, worksheet, and hundreds of other lessons.

This week in the Magic Ukulele Club we’re looking at a few simple ideas to fine tune your strumming hand. No matter where you are in your ukulele journey taking a step back from time to time and addressing the fundamentals is an important part of making progress.

In all honesty, almost everything in the video can be solved with just step number one: Relax. Holding tension in our bodies and in our hands is one of the biggest obstacles to making a beautiful sound on the instrument. A great accompaniment to this lesson is my video on focusing on sound.

Join us on the Magic Ukulele Club for an extended video, worksheet, and hundreds of other lessons.

What does it mean to go further than simply memorizing a song but to truly learn it? In this new book and video series we look at what it takes.

Dive into the nitty gritty of how a song works with videos on harmony, chord substitutions, alternative chord voicings, chord melody, as well as exercises in all 12 keys.

Includes two hours of video instruction and Play-Along's for each exercise in the book.

*This course is also available as part of the Magic Ukulele Club membership along with over 200 other lessons and five other ebooks.

Friends join me on a journey! Starting with this humble little play-along with chords and lyrics in the key of C we're going to be diving deep into the old jazz standard Ja-Da over the next few weeks on this channel.

Dating back to 1918 this tin pan alley classic features a simple chord progression that most of us have already seen before along with an easily accessible melody.

Over on the Magic Ukulele Club we'll have additional videos breaking down the harmony, historical versions of the song, chord melody, and chord substitutions. our goal is to go further than simply memorization and start to truly learn songs. https://thetinman.co/magicukuleleclub

A solo ukulele arrangement of the classic Disney song from Mary Poppins 'Chim Chim Cheree' complete with tabs for y'all!

Pay close attention to the 8th note feel in the first two measures which changes from straight to swung (https://youtu.be/bPRfdqGu1yk) and then back to straight whenever the split stroke pattern comes up. While the left hard is fairly repetitive this is a good exercise to open up the rhythmic possibilities of the right hand.

A new edition of my series Chords Aren’t Real is here! Autumn leaves is one of the first jazz standards most people learn on ukulele for good reason as this song is a masterclass in learning the ii V I chord progression in both major and minor.

In this lesson we'll look at constructing more complex harmony from the original chord changes and how we can use Extensions, Substitutions, Alterations, and Passing Tones to build momentum throughout the A section of the tune. Join the Tin Man’s Magic Ukulele Club for an extended lesson and PDF download.

We've all seen that iconic video of George Harrison, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr Sitting in the park playing 'Ain't She Sweet', right? Did you ever wonder what was so distinctive about george's playing? In this lesson we'll decode that right hand and see that he was really giving a nod to one of his own musical Idols: George Formby. George Harrison was making great use of Formby's Thumb Roll Triple as well as Split stroke throughout the song. What if you just want to strum along with the chords? I've got you covered there as well :)

This week in the Magic Ukulele Club we are exploring the 1940 hit ‘How High the Moon’. First recorded by Benny Goodman it quickly became Ella Fitzgerald’s theme song. One pf the most recorded jazz standards of all time this a staple in the jazz world. In the lesson we dive into the harmony of the beautiful song, a chord melody introduction, as well as different comping techniques.

Join the Magic Ukulele Club for a 6 page PDF, 20 minute lesson, Backing Track, and exclusive episode of Coffee Talk exploring the history of this tune.