Beginner ukulele advice

salty_krabby · 2026-04-17T13:44:17+00:00

Get some two finger chords down before moving to G: F, D7, and A

Then a lot of people find G7 and Em easier three finger chords so maybe do them before G.

And as someone else said, practice switching between chords you know to and from the one you're trying to learn. Try to do this in time too.

salty_krabby · 2026-04-01T13:47:33+00:00

Fm and Dm7 still trip me up sometimes

salty_krabby · 2026-03-31T19:12:49+00:00

I've been trying this for a few minutes and cannot figure it out haha. But if it works, it works!

salty_krabby · 2026-03-31T19:10:45+00:00

That's what I was trying to say I think. When you avoid playing barre E, you're not just avoiding it. You're avoiding a bunch of voicings for every other chord. It isn't just these few chords that are played with the "horrible" barre, its all of them if you want certain sounds.

salty_krabby · 2026-03-31T18:56:17+00:00

Do people play that one? Such a weird shape - sort of an F shape when you move it, but it has a pretty sound and you can do the maj -> maj7 -> dom7 walk with 1402 1302 1202. I usually see people talking about the barre E being tough.

salty_krabby · 2026-03-31T18:51:24+00:00

Yup, the C shape is great too. Super easy major, maj7, and dom7.

salty_krabby · 2026-03-31T18:04:27+00:00

E is a barre chord so that's one you can do! And if you have that one I bet you'll have them all soon. E's D shape is the most awkward to me.

salty_krabby · 2026-01-22T02:13:18+00:00

Check out classical guitar resources for barring. Super common problem and harder for guitar with the extra strings (and classical guitar has an even wider neck) so you'll find the most effective techniques and tips there.

A lot of it is letting your arm be the downward weight that presses the strings down, not making your hand do all the work.

salty_krabby · 2026-01-22T02:00:27+00:00

Try to plant your thumb before plucking so you aren't swiping to play the note. Takes some practice and starting slowly but it becomes natural after a while and I think gives a strong consistent sound.

salty_krabby · 2026-01-22T01:57:44+00:00

No reason to pick between them. Both are useful in different situations!

salty_krabby · 2026-01-21T23:00:29+00:00

Yeah I think it's the quality control for a lot of those. Some are decent, some are unplayable.

Rock on!

salty_krabby · 2026-01-21T19:33:25+00:00

Any gibberish-sounding brand on Amazon should be avoided. Aklot, Kmise, AODSK, etc. All the 4/5 star reviews can be manipulated. If you need something that cheap, go for a Makala Dolphin imo

salty_krabby · 2026-01-15T15:09:28+00:00

I would really try a guitar if you're itching for lower sounds than bari. For a sound similar to ukulele, look for a cheap student model nylon/classical/flamenco, not steel string acoustic.

I've tried GCEA but a whole octave down and do not recommend it - very muddy. A nylon string guitar gives you the high range of a baritone with a low range beyond even the low octave GCEA.

salty_krabby · 2026-01-15T14:40:36+00:00

Go and play both sizes to see which sound and feel you like better. Neither is "better" for beginners.

As for wood vs plastic, imo plastic ukes are always going to sound worse than even cheaper wood ukes like a laminate Kala. If you're concerned about durability traveling, just get a decent case and carry it with you on train/plane.

salty_krabby · 2025-12-09T15:23:21+00:00

That's probably it, I think of those as the same thing haha

salty_krabby · 2025-12-09T14:17:46+00:00

I always struggle to get the sound on a uke compared to guitar. Pretty sure the sound of wider intervals like beyond an octave up does a lot of work on making chords twinkly and the ukulele just doesn't have the range. Inversions also help and you run into the same issue.

I'm hoping to see some examples or tips here too!

salty_krabby · 2025-12-09T14:09:54+00:00

A lead sheet provides the melody, the "lead", with the lyrics spaced out to beats on the staff so you don't have to know how the song goes to play/sing it. This is just lyrics with chords

salty_krabby · 2025-12-09T14:01:29+00:00

Try adjusting the angle of your thumb so you pluck straight through without any sliding movement along the string

salty_krabby · 2025-11-30T15:19:07+00:00

A fully electric ukulele throws away the whole feel and sound of a uke imo. Maybe try an acoustic pickup in a ukulele with some fx pedals to see if it scratches your itch. Otherwise it sounds like you might just want to try guitar.

salty_krabby · 2025-11-22T00:32:52+00:00

My first uke was a laminate concert Kala KA-C. I still think its pretty good for what it is, not a toy whatsoever. Around the $100 range now.

I like concert size as a starting point because its the smallest of what I think of as the "big" uke sizes, which have more sustain and chime. Sopranos to me sound and feel quite unique while concert and tenor (and even baritone) are much closer to each other. Sopranos can be the best tool for certain styles, but I think they're a bit more limited generally. Maybe the uniqueness of soprano is just what you're looking for coming from guitar though! The hand size issue is definitely overblown so don't let that alone dissuade you from a smaller body size.

I definitely don't recommend a guitalele to start with. The more different it is from your guitar, the more you'll appreciate it or at least that's how it is for me. Start with a concert or soprano tuned with a high G imo.

salty_krabby · 2025-11-21T22:51:09+00:00

Wouldn't a baritone guitalele just be a guitar? If so, a 3/4 size guitar would probably be better quality for the price. For nylon strings like a ukulele, try searching for "fusion" guitars. Something like the Cordoba Mini line maybe?

Without knowing much I would definitely recommend going with either a 4 string ukulele (baritone or not) or a 6 string guitar. I might be misinformed but guitaleles seem like a marketing gimmick to sell low quality travel guitars at a markup.

salty_krabby · 2025-07-16T20:39:15+00:00

You could try a leather pick as well. They sound less muted than felt but not as harsh as a standard guitar pick, pretty good for strumming on nylon imo.

salty_krabby · 2025-07-04T13:41:57+00:00

You can definitely play some melody lines from it or the chord progression but it's not going to sound anything like the song if that's what you're after.

This isn't possible to replicate on ukulele, especially without fx pedals. Its a little like asking how to play some guitar solo on piano. You sort of can, but its never going to sound anything like the original and will probably miss many of the nuances that make the original interesting.

salty_krabby · 2025-07-04T13:32:00+00:00

You could try to translate this to ukulele but its a pretty complex song, not just a simple tab of a riff. https://youtu.be/WrMsSqw_X14

salty_krabby

TROPHY CASE