On this page you will find required materials for lessons on ukulele here at Promethean Studios and various other resources for the ukulele as well. The resources on this page are specifically for the ukulele, more generic resources (music stores, recording studios, etc) are listed here. At the time this information was entered, all links worked and products listed were available. For information purposes only; we won't post resources when we know there might be any sort of problem with a product, business, or person listed but please check out the reliability, appropriateness, and reputation of any resource you plan to use.
Please have these for your Lessons
A ukulele in fair condition (suggestions and details below) - I can advise you on the suitability of specific instruments.
Picks: 2 Dunlop Jazz I (red or black) OR Dunlop .96 Gator Grip picks - suggestions and details below.
Strap(preferably leather) - Always play with a strap, suggestions and details below.
Strings - Aquila Soprano Low Wound G Set, ASLWG (Soprano uke) or Aquila Tenor Low Wound G Set, ATLWG (Tenor uke).
3 ring binder - with loose-leaf paper and pockets for holding handouts.
Pencil - Erasable, colored pencils are best.
Manuscript paper (music paper, staff paper) -Click here and print 5 sheets of ‘medium music paper, treble clef only’, bring them to your lesson. Feel free to download any of the other types of music paper you want and your friends can, too. For assignments and written exercises.
Ukulele tab paper - While at Music and Tab paper in Resources, print 5 sheets of ‘Mandolin and Ukulele tab paper, medium’ and bring it to your lesson. Feel free to download any of the other types of tab paper you want and your friends can, too. For assignments and written exercises, songs, and licks.
5 GB flash drive or larger - suggestions and details below.
Download Audacity (optional) – details below.
Metronome or Drum machine - suggestions and details below.
Sheet music for 5 pieces - Click here to download them and print them out. This list grows weekly and the great advantage of using the songs here is that the charts are pretty accurate and easy to follow. If you don’t see songs you like here, find music for 5 songs of your choice. See below for guidelines on choosing music.
Tuning fork (preferably C or a piano or keyboard) - Suggestions and details below.
More details and resources
A ukulele in fair condition - I can advise you on the suitability of specific instruments. Always get the best instrument you can reasonably afford. There are commonly soprano, concert, tenor, baritone, and bass ukuleles. If you have no particular preference, get a tenor ukulele for the larger sound and ease of use.
Beginning ukulele $100 - $200.
Intermediate ukulele $250 – 450. This intermediate ukulele should have a solid wood top. You might enjoy it if it has pick-ups in it also.
Top ukuleles will cost $750 to $1500 and probably be Hawaiian made.
2 Dunlop Jazz I (red or black) OR Dunlop .96 Gator Grip picks. The Jazz picks are small and the Gator grips are normal-sized - These specific picks are what all beginning and intermediate students will use for at least the 1st year, to develop basic technique. Different picks do different things well; these picks above are well balanced for many techniques. They may not necessarily be your forever picks.
Strap (preferably leather) - Levy's 3/4" A Style Mandolin Strap Brown ($16), Walker & Williams M-78 Soft Leather Adjustable Strap ($21), Neotech 8001002 Mandolin/Ukulele Strap, Black ($22). Regardless of the material of the strap, it must grip the back and not slide, so the left hand develops the greatest skill. Cotton and Neoprene are other good materials. Use the strap even when you’re sitting down.
Your strap will also need 2 strap buttons - Mushroom Head Guitar Strap buttons, chrome – unless they are included with your strap or are already on the ukulele.
Strings - Unless you only want to strum the ukulele and NEVER want to play melodies, or solo pieces, or improvise, replace the strings on your uke with Aquila Soprano Low Wound G Set, ASLWG (Soprano uke) or Aquila Tenor Low Wound G Set, ATLWG (Tenor uke). If you think you really will only strum, I still think the low G is best, but here are the strings for high G - Aquila Soprano Regular C Set, ASRC (Soprano) or Aquila Tenor Regular (All Nylgut) C Set, ATRC (Tenor). You will like the nylgut feel.
Pencil - Musicians write with pencils because they make changes to their music and make frequent notations on the pages. Erasable, colored pencils are best.
5 GB flash drive (or larger) - To record your lesson, when you begin each lesson, give your flash drive to your instructor and they'll record your lessons. Be sure and take the drive with you when you leave and listen to it in your computer the day of or the day after your lesson. This will give you a way to review the lesson and give me a way to send demonstrations of technique or songs home with you. If you'll review your lesson each week, you'll progress about 5 to 10% faster.
Audacity - Also, if you'd like to get a even more out of some of your own practices, download Audacity, a free computer-based recording program. It does many great things to help you practice; people even make professional albums with it. You can change the pitch of your song, record yourself, record yourself playing with your song, or isolate sections of songs for practice. Many good things.
Metronome - Leave your metronome at home, but you need it to practice. Apps for iphone – Tempo Advance is the best - $4. For Android, Tempo - $2. Standalone metronomes: Planet Waves PW-MT-02 ($15), Korg MA-1 ($20-25). Use the metronome whenever possible. It will develop your sense of rhythm and counting; equally important, it will show you where you should be practicing. If you follow the beat from the metronome in songs and exercises, the areas where you don't do well will be revealed, and you'll know where to spend extra practice time. The metronome is your drummer.
When you’re having trouble getting into the metronome, use a drum machine. For iphone, use Garage Band, for Android use Drummer Friend - $3. Standalone drum machine: Boss DB-60. And a little home keyboard with rhythms and metronomic markings works well, too. Students who practice with metronomes or rhythm machines will also progress about 5 to 10 percent faster.
Sheet music for 5 pieces - Click here to download them and print them out. This list grows weekly and the great advantage of using the songs here is that the charts are pretty accurate and easy to follow. If you don’t see songs you like here, find music for 5 songs of your choice, within these guide lines: 1) No songs where violence, drugs, cursing, or sex figure largely, 2) No songs where what you like about the song is how super hard it is – for now. Just pick songs you think are cool.
Be careful not to get instructional material (for songs); TAB-only (internet) should only be used only very occasionally, because there's no way to know how long any of the notes or chords last. You will work through 1-2 songs per month, and will need to keep a steady supply of cool songs available, as we learn the old ones. If you have recordings of these songs, that's great and very useful, but not required.
Tuning fork - (preferably C or use a piano or keyboard) - This is to learn to tune your ukulele. Develop your ear and become a great musician. We discourage the use of electric tuners (unless you're playing on stage and can't hear your ukulele), because it prevents musicians from developing their ear. But here are 2 cheap tuners: Grover GP680T Chromatic Clip-On Tuner - $13 – 16 and Boss TU-01 Clip-on Chromatic Tuner - Black - $18 – 24.
Harvard Brief Dictionary of Music - Recommended, but not required. Definitions for many useful musical terms are found here.
More Ukulele resources
Ukulele repair
Dan McCarthy, http://www.dallasukulelerepair.com, Johnson Square Building, 2701 Fondren Dr., Suite 123, Dallas, TX. 75206, 214-724-2789. M-F, 10-7pm.
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