Essential Elements for Ukulele (Hal Leonard)

Playing the ukulele is an enjoyable, easy, and inexpensive way to get involved in music. It provides a way to learn musical concepts and skills that can apply to any instrument you decide to study. Moreover, it will give you a great opportunity to share the joy of making music with other people. This book will help to provide you with the basic skills and musical background you need to get started. This carefully crafted method emphasizes chord strumming skills; teaching students HOW to practice; note reading exercises; “chord challenges” to learn how to figure out chord progressions; tab reading; and more. It also includes nearly 30 familiar songs that students can play while still learning, including: All My Loving • Home on the Range • Hound Dog • Jambalaya (On the Bayou) • La Bamba • The Lion Sleeps Tonight • The Rainbow Connection • Take Me Out to the Ballgame • and more! Practice, experiment, and have fun playing the ukulele!

Named “The Best Ukulele Method for Beginners” by Wirecutter: “...Essential Elements for Ukulele Book 1 emerged as our clear favorite. Surprisingly, it's one of the few books that start out by explaining chordal playing instead of single-note playing and playing chords is what almost all beginners really want to do on uke, since that gets them directly into playing songs. We like that Essential Elements for Ukulele includes some useful, unintimidating lessons on music theory, and that it offers chord and strum charts in the back...”

• All My Loving

• Amazing Grace

• Frere Jacques (Are You Sleeping?)

• Go Tell Aunt Rhody

• He's Got The Whole World In His Hands

• Home On The Range

• Hound Dog

• Jamaica Farewell

• Jambalaya (On The Bayou)

• La Bamba

• Li'l Liza Jane (Go Li'l Liza)

• The Lion Sleeps Tonight

• Marianne

• Michael Row The Boat Ashore

• Octopus's Garden

• Ode To Joy

• On Top Of Old Smoky

• The Rainbow Connection

• Rockin' Robin

• Shortnin' Bread - Pick A Bale O' Cotton

• Simple Gifts

• Skip To My Lou

• Stand By Me

• Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

• Take Me Out To The Ball Game

• This Land Is Your Land

• When The Saints Go Marching In

• Yankee Doodle

• You Are My Sunshine

Essential Elements Ukulele Book 2 is a great next step for players who are ready to expand their knowledge of music and further develop their skills on the ukulele. This comprehensive method book uses familiar and popular songs to introduce more advanced strumming options and fingerpicking techniques. A combination of traditional notation and tablature are used to illustrate new ideas. As in Book 1, the ukulele is used to explore concepts that apply to any instrument and can provide a basis for future musical experiences. The accompanying online audio provides demonstrations of songs and play-along accompaniments, making this method a nice framework for individual practice or group instruction. This book also includes many well-known songs, including: “Amazing Grace,” “Rock Around the Clock,” “This Little Light of Mine,” the Beatles' “Eight Days a Week” and “Yellow Submarine,” Bruno Mars' “Count on Me,” Jack Johnson's “Upside Down,” and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” as made popular by Israel Kamkawiwo'ole

• All I Have To Do Is Dream

• Amazing Grace

• Barbara Allen

• Catch A Falling Star

• Count On Me

• The Crawdad Song

• Devil's Dream

• The Drunken Sailor

• Eight Days A Week

• Everyday

• Follow The Drinkin' Gourd

• The Galway Piper

• Go Tell Aunt Rhody

• Goodnight, Irene

• Guantanamera

• A Hard Day's Night

• I've Been Working On The Railroad

• Joshua (Fit The Battle Of Jericho)

• Love Me Tender

• Love Potion Number 9

• Midnight Special

• Minuet In G

• My Girl

• Over The Rainbow

• Rock Around The Clock

• Scarborough Fair

• Shall We Gather At The River?

• Shalom Chaverim (Goodbye, My Dear Friend)

• Shenandoah

• Shortenin' Bread

• Sloop John B.

• The Streets Of Laredo

• Sweet Home Chicago

• This Land Is Your Land

• This Little Light Of Mine

• This Old Man

• This Train

• Three Little Birds

• Upside Down

• Wayfaring Stranger

• William Tell Overture

• Worried Man Blues

• Yellow Submarine

This supplement to the Essential Elements Ukulele Method includes 12 songs arranged with melody, lyrics and chord frames with suggested strum patterns so students can play great songs while still advancing in their studies. The book also includes access to online audio play-along backing tracks for all 12 songs so they can sound like a pro in no time! Songs include: Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) • On the Road Again • Peppermint Twist • Time for Me to Fly • Walk of Life • With or Without You • Wonderful Tonight • and more

• Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)

• Iris

• Jealous Heart

• Losing My Religion

• On The Road Again

• Paint It, Black

• Peppermint Twist

• Sundown

• Time For Me To Fly

• Walk Of Life

• With Or Without You

• Wonderful Tonight