The Tutor - Nigel Jones

So I have been playing guitar since I was 12, which is now over 20 years. I’m a qualified guitar teacher with over 10 years experience, a member of the RGT. I have given lessons in schools and colleges across the UK, I have taught 1000s of guitar players in groups and one to one lessons; I’ve had many students get distinctions in grades. I’m now bringing my knowledge of guitar and experience of teaching to Rock Star Academy. I hope you enjoy my lessons…

Synopsis

Nigel has put together a great introduction to ukulele for you, it takes you from never holding the instrument right through to playing a full piece of music. He gives you tips and tricks that will help you get the best from the instrument. The course fits into 3 sections, the first ‘first look’ is all about the best posture when holding the ukulele and how to strum. It also gives you a little theory and shows you the best way to produce a note. The second section is all about different chords. The last section teaches you to put it all together. The course will give you a well-rounded approach to playing ukulele; We hope you have fun and enjoy the course.

Course Structure

Section 1 - First Look

1. Getting a grip
2. Right hand technique
3. Open strings and finding notes
4. Lets get warmed up
   
   Section 2 - Bag of Chords
5. A look at Major Chords
6. A look at Minor Chords
7. 7th and sus Chords
8. Fretted chords the next level
   
   Section 3 - Putting It Together
9. Dipping your toe
10. Sad sounds
11. Mixing it up
12. Ripping it up!

Challenges

To run alongside this Ukulele course there is a challenge for each lesson. The challenge will reflect the lesson you have done where appropriate. They start easy and get continually harder throughout the course. We hope you enjoy these, they’ll help improve your playing and don't forget to upload yourself playing to youtube or vimeo.

The Tutor - Stretton Payne

Stretton has spent a career working with guitars starting as boy learning to play on a beat-up old classical acoustic guitar. With success playing his own original music in bands up and down the country Stretton crafted his own style of guitar playing. After studying a Mathematic degree in 1997 Stretton went on to create the Stretton Payne guitar brand and designed and specified the range of guitars.

Synopsis

This course is designed from a guitarists point of view and will help a guitarist transfer their knowledge from guitar to ukulele. We do however encourage non guitarists to take the course as the section on tuning and strumming patterns is universal.

In this course first we start with how to tune the Ukulele. Then the course covers tricks for guitarist to easily transfer their skill to the Ukulele including comparisons between the Ukulele and Guitar for tuning and chord patterns. The course also looks at alternate tuning of a Ukulele to play like a guitar. Then the course covers general strumming patterns for the Ukulele.

Course Structure

1. How to tune a ukulele.
   About different sizes of Ukulele and different woods used.
2. Ukulele tricks for guitarists.
   How to see the Ukulele as a guitar and play common guitar chord shapes.
3. Alternate tuning for the Ukulele.
   Fun ways to experiment with the Ukulele including tuning it as a guitar.
4. Strumming patterns for the Ukulele.
   Getting the Ukulele sound with strumming patterns.

The Tutor - Nigel Jones

So I have been playing guitar since I was 12, which is now over 20 years. I’m a qualified guitar teacher with over 10 years experience, a member of the RGT. I have given lessons in schools and colleges across the UK, I have taught 1000s of guitar players in groups and one to one lessons; I’ve had many students get distinctions in grades. I’m now bringing my knowledge of guitar and experience of teaching to Rock Star Academy. I hope you enjoy my lessons…

Synopsis

Nigel’s Zero to Hero intermediate Ukulele course has been carefully constructed to take your ukulele playing to the next level. This course goes beyond the basic chord patterns and digs a lot deeper in to how and why things work. A combination of extended chords, scales and playing techniques will help you develop your own exciting style of ukulele playing.

Course Structure

1. Intro (A look at what the course is all about)
2. The Chromatic Order (Overview)
3. Notes under your fingers (knowing your way around the fretboard)
4. Talking notes not numbers (Testing yourself and using you knowledge)
5. What is a Chord (A look at what a chord is in its most basic form)
6. Finding Chords (Finding major, minor and power chords in barre position)
7. Extended Chords (Using extended chords and sus chords)
8. 7th Chords (bigger chord family’s)
9. Playing in key (A guide to how music keys work)
10. Using Rhythm (Time signatures and playing ‘in time’)
11. Chord Patterns (5 different chord patterns to have a go at, using all the chords so far)
12. Putting it together (Bigger chord patterns and full songs)
13. Pentatonic Power (Pentatonic scale)
14. Major Scales (A look at different Major shapes)
15. Minor Scales (A look at different Minor shapes)
16. Playing Melody In Key (Using the scales so far to play in different keys)
17. Technique tricks (Looking at playing techniques)
18. Your lick bag (building your own style)
19. Timing is everything (Playing melody ‘in time’)
20. Practice Routine (Making sure you practice you licks in the best way possible)
21. Putting it all together (Putting all the melody elements together)
22. Using melody and chords (Using Pentatonic’s to ad spice to chord patterns)
23. Using melody and chords extended (Using Majors and Minors to add spice to chord patterns)
24. Ripping it up! (5 different bass lines to ad melody and chords to)