Ukulele Lessons

Also known as the uke — or ukelele, as it is just as often spelled — the ukulele was born in 19th-century Hawaii, found fame in the USA a century later, and spread around the world from there. It belongs to the lute family, and its four strings are tuned like the guitar’s 3rd (G), 2nd (C instead of B) and 1st (E) strings, plus a top A.

Think of it as the low four strings of an eight-string guitar — G, C, E, A — but pitched higher. Smaller than a guitar and easy on the hands, it’s a favourite with kids and, as a superb strumming and vocal-accompaniment instrument, with singer-songwriters of every age.

For kids & beginners

We start with some basic chords and strumming patterns, then move on to melodies as you progress. For children, the soprano and concert sizes are the ones I’d suggest — comfortable to hold and easy to play.

For singers

Here you’ll also learn to play with your fingers, so the sound turns more harp- or lute-like and flows like a waterfall under your voice. Throughout, we keep a close eye on the pulse of the music — that’s what lets you sing and play at the same time without either one falling apart.

Sizes, tunings & buying tips

The uke’s tone and volume change with size — from the small, bright soprano up through concert and tenor to the rounder, fuller baritone. Most ukes come in standard re-entrant High-G tuning (great for accompaniment), while Low-G tuning suits guitarists switching over, as it opens up more scalar and melodic playing. The baritone is the exception, tuned like a guitar’s top 4 strings — D, G, B, E. When buying, choose one where you can see the wood: coloured varnish ruins the sound. Fun variants exist too, from the pocket uke (sopranissimo) to the U-bass and the guitalele.

Your first three months on the ukulele

The ukulele reaches a first real song faster than any instrument I teach, and month one proves it. We tune up, get a loose, relaxed strumming hand going, and learn the four chords that between them unlock hundreds of songs — C, F, G7 and A minor — with changes clean enough to keep going without stopping. Children usually get there in three or four lessons, adults often in two.

Month two is about rhythm rather than new chords: down-up strumming, the swung feel behind most uke standards, and chunking — the muted percussive chop that makes one ukulele sound like a small band. We play in time with a backing track or with each other, and add D, E minor and B flat, which cover the keys most songs actually sit in.

Month three moves off chords and onto notes. You pick single-string melodies along the first five frets, read TAB properly, and start the harp-like campanella-style fingerpicking that lets the instrument carry a tune and its own accompaniment at once. Singers begin putting voice and hands together here — a skill of its own, and worth the time it takes.

Where the level goes after that

After the first term the routes fan out. Some students build repertoire — Hawaiian standards, pop covers, folk, a jazz standard or two — and learn to arrange a song for solo ukulele. Others go technical: barre chords, movable shapes up the neck, and Low-G tuning to open up the lower register for melodic playing. Children who started on a soprano often move up to a concert around this point, simply because their hands have grown into it.

Milestones instead of grades

I do not put ukulele students through graded instrument exams — here the milestones are performance ones: your first song front to back, your first time playing and singing at the same time, your first solo arrangement, and for the youngest players, the group song they help write. If you do want something certificated, the music theory and ear-training grades (ABRSM or LCM) are open to any instrument, ukulele very much included.

My daughter is 6 years old and she really enjoys learning the ukulele from Malcolm. He is very systematic and patient especially with a 6 year old… If one would follow the ways he teaches, the foundation would be really strong.— Palak, mother of Anaiya, ukulele student

Where lessons happen

In-studio in London SE16 — Rotherhithe, Canada Water and Surrey Quays — at your place anywhere within TfL Zone 3, including Bermondsey and Borough (SE1), Walworth (SE17), Deptford (SE8), New Cross and Peckham (SE14, SE15), Lewisham (SE13) and Canary Wharf (E14), or live online worldwide over Zoom/similar. When the weather’s kind, studio lessons can even move out to a private front-garden area. Get in touch and we’ll pick what fits you best. I teach music lessons right across South East London — see the areas I cover →.