I’ll probably be adding to these in future so if you’ve got any suggestions for categories (and what should be in them) let me know in the comments.

Ukulele Players

Soloists
Ukulele Ladies
Indie Ukulele

Ukulele Videos

Video of the Year Winners and Runners Up
Most Popular

Ukulele Info

Ukulele History

The story of the ukulele starts in Europe. By the 18th Century stringed, fretted instruments had a long history. Larger instruments such as guitars and lutes had developed smaller cousins of particular benefit for sea-faring musicians. In Portugal the guitar had shrunk down to became a machete – retaining the figure of 8 shape despite the size making it redundant.

In 1879 the Ravenscrag set off for Hawaii with four Portuguese cabinet makers on board. The market for large, ornate Portguese furniture amongst Hawaii’s largely poor and agrarian population presumably not being large enough to support them all, the four started to make instruments. The one that took hold was the machete in a new form.

The truth behind much ukulele mythology that surrounds the ukulele – where it got its name, the tuning and ‘my dog has fleas’ – is mostly lost to us. What is true is that the uke became a big hit with the Hawaiian Royal Family and the Hawaiians in general and had become firmly established as their instrument by the start of the 20th Century.

After the US’s annexation of Hawaii – or when the, “business men stole Hawaii from the Hawaiians” as Bob Brozman puts it – the new owners were keen to sell it on to mainland America as a dream tropical island. Their big push was the Panama Pacific international Exposition in 1915. Their show included plenty of ukulele music and featured the ukuleles of Jonnah Kumalae. It sparked the original ukulele boom in the 1920s amoungst people dreaming of

The ukulele started to move away from purely a Hawaiian novelty and became such a part of music making that by the start of the 30s most piano scores featured ukulele chord diagrams. Thanks to Ukulele Ike, the uke’s image turned almost 180 degrees to become associated with smoky bars, trilbies and jazzy songs.

When Wall Street collapsed in 1928 the economy and the uke’s popularity in the US took a big dive.

However, the uke – in it’s louder, harsher banjolele form – started growing in popularity in music halls of the UK. The biggest star of the era was George Formby whose banjolele strumming was the sound of the Second World War.

WWII also provided an impetus for the revival of the ukulele in the US. Troops returned with souvenier ukuleles from Hawaii and the islands’ accession to offical US statehood proved the perfect occasion for a celebratory strumming.

The booming consumer economy of 1950’s US saw mass produced plastic goods flooding shops. The ukulele was a prime instrument for mass selling to kids and – jazz guitar manufacturer – Maccaferri jumped on the opportunity with their ranges of plastic ukes.

This was bolstered by the use of the ukulele by huge TV star Arthur Godfrey and the second ukulele boom came into being.

The rather less aspirational figure of Tiny Tim was the soundtrack to the uke’s crashing popularity in the 60s and 70s.

For most of the 90s alternative music scene was dominated by traditional guitar bands and, as a reaction to this, the first decade of the 200s saw a growing acoustic alternative scene using more eclectic sounds and more unusual instrumentation. The ukulele found its place in this sound with bands like Beirut and

Two huge trends that helped bring the ukulele back to popularity were the proliferation of the internet and the huge increase in imports from China and the East. The internet has put ukulele music in front of people and has created a groundswell growth of people being inspired to pick up the instrument by others like themselves who are playing for their own enjoyment rather than superstardom.

Who? Dark humorist and dour songwriter with Magnetic Fields, Gothic Archies and other projects.

What’s so special? The first alternative act I heard use the ukulele (in 1999’s 69 Love Songs). Put to rest the idea that everything sounds happy on the ukulele. Introduced the ukulele to a generation of youngsters who are a little too intelligent and cynical for Harry Potter by providing the soundtrack to Lemony Snicket.

Want to hear more? Gothic Archies – The Tragic Treasury

Learn to play like him Smile Tab

Zach Condon – Beirut

Who? Interrailing indie star.

What’s so special? Made it passe for anyone to play something as obvious as a guitar and widened the hipster’s sonic palette to include brass, accordions and, yes, ukuleles.

Want to hear more? Beirut – Gulag Orkestar

Learn to play like him Beirut Chords and Tabs

Dent May and His Magnificent Ukulele

Who? Crooning ukulele lounge singer.

What’s so special? Giving the ukulele equal billing and lending the instrument a barrow-full of nerd-cool.

Want to hear more? The Good Feeling of Dent May and his Magnificent Ukulele

Learn to play like him Meet Me in the Garden Chords

tUnE-YaRdS

Who? Crazy cat lady with a ukulele.

What’s so special? Easily the most startling ukulele player around today. Completely original and endlessly compelling.

Want to hear more? tUnE-YaRdS – BiRd-BrAiNs

Learn to play like her Hatari Tab

Mirah

Who? Prolific indie folkie.

What’s so special? Ukulele packed debut You Think It’s Like This, But Really It’s Like This in 2000 showing that the ukulele can do more than just gentle strumming.

Want to hear more? Mirah – You Think It’s Like This, But Really It’s Like This

Learn to play like her Million Miles Tab

Who? Hawaiian Queen 1891 – 1894.

What’s so special? The ukulele really took hold in Hawaii thanks to its extensive use by the Royal Family. Queen Lili’uokalani and her brother King David Kalakaua were massive supporters of the early ukulele makers and players. She is said to have written the ultimate ukulele tune ‘Aloha Oe’ and caused rows by saying that ‘ukulele’ means ‘gift from afar’.

May Singhi Breen

Who? 20s and 30s ukulelist, singer, arranger and radio star. The original Ukulele Lady.

What’s so special? A tireless promoter of the ukulele responsible for the almost universal adoption of ukulele chord diagrams in sheet music and for convincing the Musicians Union that the ukulele is a real instrument. Put together and taught numerous ukulele groups. She brought in the talents of Albert Allen to create the first electric ukulele.

Want to hear more? Take a listen here.

Learn to play like her May Singhi Breen’s New Ukulele Method

Tessie O’Shea

Who? Welsh girl with a Lancastrian voice and a Vegas sensability.

What’s so special? Tessie started out in the music halls of Blackpool before making it big in London – even having Noel Coward create a role for her. She rocketed to US startdom thanks to her appearance on the legendary Beatles edition of the Ed Sullivan show. Her signature tune was a rousing banjolele version of Two Ton Tessie from Tennessee

Want to hear more? Tessie at Sea Sounds

Ingrid Michaelson

Who? Ukulele songstress and GIGAPUS figure-head.

What’s so special? Her catchy, laid-back tunes have made her the female Jason Mraz and inspired a slew of arty girls to pick up the correct instrument.

Want to hear more? Ingrid Michaelson – Be OK

Learn to play like her You and I Chords

Julia Nunes

Who? Leading light of the UkeTube generation.

What’s so special? Julia Nunes started out making ukulele videos in her dorm room and became a weblebrity after being featured on YouTube. Her success has spawned the ‘cute ukulele girl’ trend and been responsible for thousands picking up the uke and making videos.

Want to hear more? Julia Nunes – I Wrote These

Learn to play like her Build Me Up Buttercup Chords

Ernest Ka’ai

Who? Hawaiian ukulelist who set the groundwork for all ukulele soloists to come.

What’s so special? Earnest Kaai was the first person to establish the ukulele as a solo instrument. He was massively influential in the Hawaiian music scene in the first decade of the 20th Century. As well as being the greatest ukulele player of his generation, he wrote the first instruction books for the ukulele and established a ukulele manufacturing company.

Learn to play like him You can find a number of his ground-breaking arrangements in John King’s book Famous Solos and Duets for Ukulele

James Hill

Who? Canadian virtuoso ukulele player who has released 4 albums since his debut in 2002.

What’s so special? He’s the best ukulele soloist in the world today. As well as being a virtuoso performer, he is continually pushing the boudaries to get new sounds out of the ukulele and has set up a guide to teaching ukuleles in schools with Ukulele in the Classroom.

Want to hear more? James Hill – True Love Don’t Weep

Read James Hill Interview

Learn to play like him James Hill has recently produced the Ukulele in the Classroom set of books intended for teaching ukulele in schools. You can find tab for his tunes on Dominator.

Roy Smeck

Who? Multi-instrumental vaudeville star of stage and screen in the 1940s proclaimed ‘Wizard of the Strings”

What’s so special? He’s the most entertaining ukulele player ever and a true innovator. His trick bag was full of unusual techniques, new sounds and ukulele-juggling. He also pioneered audio and video techniques, creating multi-tracked video years before Les Paul got around to doing multi-track audio.

Want to hear more? Roy Smeck Plays Hawaiian Guiar, Banjo, Ukulele and Guitar

Read Vincent Cortese’s Roy Smeck Biography

Learn to play like him Roy Smeck produced a number of instruction books in his day, many of which are still available. You can find tab for a number of his tunes here.

Jake Shimabukuro

Who? Hawaiian ukulele superstar whose slick playing, flawless technique and stylish arranging has proved an inspiration to a generation of aspiring soloists.

What’s so special? Easily the most influential and well known ukulele soloist today. His talents have taken him to perform at TED in front of the world’s intelligensia where he impressed Bill Gates.

Want to hear more? Jake Shimabukuro – Gently Weeps

Learn to play like him Jake has been promising a tab book for a while but has been less slow in having tabs of his tunes taken off the net.

John King

Who? American classical guitarist who fell in love with the ukulele and Hawaiian culture and became the leading writer on the ukulele.

What’s so special? John King’s arrangements are some of the most beautiful ever made. He resurrected the campanella style of playing (playing one note per string) and adapted it for the ukulele. His tab books are the best available.

Want to hear more? John King – Johann Sebastian Bach For Unaccompanied Ukulele

Read 10 thing I learnt from John King

Learn to play like him John King’s The Classical Ukulele is a must buy for any serious ukulele soloist.

With over 1,000 blog posts on Uke Hunt and a bunch more in the other sections, it’s getting impossible for people to find what they’re looking for. So these posts are designed to guide people towards the stuff that they’ll find most useful.

The first set of ‘lessons’ are divided by difficulty with a couple more focusing on styles (fingerpicking – which needs a bit of filling – and blues).

If you’ve got a suggestion for a section or something that should be included in a section, let me know in the comments.

For Beginners

Learn:

- How to read chord charts.
- Songs using only basic chords.
- Strumming technique.
- Essential equipment.

Click here for beginner lessons.

For Improvers

Learn:

- Barre chords.
- Songs with more jazzy chords.
- How to get a good sound.

Click here for improver lessons.

For Intermediates

Learn:

- To read tab.
- Useful licks.
- Guitar riffs for ukulele.
- Scales.

Click here for intermediate lessons.

For Advanced Players

Learn:

- Advanced techniques.
- To combine single notes and accompaniment.
- How to make your own arrangements.
- Fingertwisting tunes.

Click here for advanced lessons.

Blues Lessons

Learn:

- Blues scales.
- Blues licks and riffs.
- Solo blues tunes.

Click here for blues ukulele lessons.

Fingerpicking Lessons

Learn:

- Basic fingerpicking technique.
- Fingerpicking tunes.

Click here for fingerpicking lessons.

For this section you’ll need a good understand of ukulele tab.

Step 1: Basics

Blues Scales:

- Minor pentatonic scale
- Blues scale

Five steps to blues mastery

How to Play Blues Ukulele – ebook covering blues licks, riffs and soloing.

Step 2: Blues Riffs

Mannish Boy
Cream – Sunshine of Your Love

Step 3: Robert Johnson

They’re Red Hot
Walkin’ Blues
Come On In My Kitchen

Step 4: Blues Tunes

Neal Paisley – Gossip
Mississippi Blues
For a bunch of blues ukulele tunes check out daddystovepipe’s How to Play Fingerpicking Blues

Extra Credit: Bored of using your fingers? Check out How to Play Slide Ukulele for a new perspective.

Coming soon.

Easy Fingerpicking

Playing one note at a time.

Stephin Merritt – Smile
Earlyguard – Busy Bee
Silent Night
Oh Christmas Tree

Moderate Fingerpicking

Introducing chords and melody notes.

Hawaii Five-O
Indiana Jones
Super Mario Theme
Godfather Theme

Tricky Fingerpicking

John King – Larry O’Gaff
Baby Elephant Walk
Davy Graham – Angi
Upstairs, Downstairs Theme
Avett Brothers – Murder in the City

Coming Soon

Introduction to campanella.
Playing melody and chords together.

Step 1: New Tabs and Techniques

Fingering and repeats
Advanced strums and rhythms
Hammer-ons and pull-offs
Slides
Advanced repeats, accents and trills
Vibrato, grace notes and bends

Extra Credit: Harmonics on a ukulele

Step 2: Full Tune Tabs

Theme tunes to films, games and TV shows provide a great test for your tab playing abilities and give your something instantly recognisable to play for friends and family.

Indiana Jones
Super Mario Theme
Godfather Theme
Good the Bad and the Ugly
The Office

Extra Credit: Get more tab arrangements for more popular instrumentals in the ebooks How to Play Christmas Ukulele, How to Play National Anthems and How to Play Ukuleles for Peace

Step 3: Make your own arrangements

Once you’ve got the hang of other people’s arrangements of tunes, have a go at making your own. Here’s my tutorial for While My Guitar Gently Weeps in the hopes that you’ll work up your own rather than apeing Jake’s.

Extra Credit: Learn how to read sheet music to expand your repetoire.

Step 4: Finger Twisters

Tricky tabs:

Sigur Ros – Hoppipolla
Sailors’ Hornpipe
In the Mood
Penguin Cafe Orchestra – Music for a Found Harmonium
James Bond Theme (difficult version)

More tricky ukulele tabs

Nightmare tabs:

Iron and Wine – Naked As We Came
Nick Drake – Cello Song
Radiohead – Street Spirit

More Nightmare tabs

Extra Credit: Check out John King’s Classical Ukulele, Mark Nelson’s Fingerstyle Solos for ‘Ukulele and my ebook How to Play Ragtime Ukulele for some fingerpicking challenges.

Step 1: Learn to Read Tab

- Frets and Strings
- Rhythm
- First ukulele tabs. A few short and simple but highly effective bits of tab:

WIUO – It’s A Heartache Introduction
Postcards from Italy Introduction
Kings of Leon/WIUO – The Bucket
Black Sabbath – Iron Man

Extra Credit: Follow the fingerpickinng lessons.

Step 2: Useful Licks

Hawaiian turnaround
Outros

Extra Credit: Play a bunch of blues licks, riffs and solos in the How to Play Blues Ukulele ebook.

Step 3: Theory

- Learn some scales:

Minor scales
Major scale
Minor pentatonic scale
Blues scale

- How I work out chords
- Playing slash chords on the ukulele

Extra Credit: Harmonizing a melody

Step 4: Get a Solid Ukulele

Once you’ve reaching this stage in your ukulele playing, you’ll have put in many hours of practice. Before you get much further it’s time to get yourself a really nice, solid-top ukulele. Ohana and Kala both have solid ukuleles at affordable prices. If you budget stretches a bit further, take a look at KoAloha and Pono.

Now head to the advanced section and prepare to blow people’s mind with your mad-skills.

If you think there’s a post that deserves a link here or have a topic you’d like me to cover in this section, leave a comment.