Week 23 of 24
Goal: You learn D, A and E7 and play a song in A and in D.
Review
Play the C major scale up and down once.
Step by step
- A: middle finger G string fret 2, index C string fret 1. The E and A strings stay open. Chart: A.
- D: index, middle and ring fingers side by side at fret 2 on the G, C and E strings. The A string stays open. Chart: D.
- E7: index G string fret 1, middle C string fret 2, ring A string fret 2. Chart: E7.
- In A you need A, D and E7 – in D you need D, G and A7. That way you play the same song in two new keys.
- A preview for the brave: Bb – index across the E and A strings at fret 1, middle C string fret 2, ring G string fret 3. A real little barre that takes weeks. Tips: Tricky ukulele chords.
Time to make music: your piece
“Alle meine Entchen” in A with A, D and E7 – then in D with D, G and A7. The same tune in two new colours.
Homework for next time
Five days, about ten minutes each:
- Day 1: fret and check A, A ↔ D.
- Days 2–3: add E7, then “Alle meine Entchen” in A.
- Days 4–5: the same song in D with D, G and A7.
- Fun: let someone guess which key you are playing in.
Done when …
- your A and your D ring clearly
- you accompany all of “Alle meine Entchen” in A once
If you get stuck
- Three fingers won’t fit in fret 2 for D? Angle them slightly one behind the other – or lay just your index across three strings.
- The A – E7 change sticks? Your middle finger moves from the G to the C string and stays at fret 2 – let it glide along the neck.
For teachers: lesson plan
- ≈ 10 min Warm-up: finger gymnastics – tap fingers one by one on the neck, then three side by side at fret 2.
- ≈ 15 min Practice: three stations (A, D, E7), partners check each other. Anyone who is done tries Bb.
- ≈ 20 min Song together: “Alle meine Entchen” in C, in A and in D – the class hears how the key changes.
Differentiation: those who are confident play the piece with down-up or help a partner; those who need more time strum only on beat one of each bar.
For the board: openstring.de/ukulele/en/lesson/23/