Lesson 3: Pressing the string properly

Week 3 of 24

Goal: You press a string so the note rings clearly – and play the blues with the band.

Review

Tune your ukulele and say the string names. Then four times C.

Step by step

  1. Press with your fingertip, not the flat of your finger. Your fingernail needs to be short.
  2. Put your finger just behind the fret wire – right next to the metal strip, not on top of it and not in the middle.
  3. Not too hard! Press only until the note rings clearly. Try it: very lightly first (it buzzes), then a bit more (it rings).
  4. Your thumb rests loosely behind the neck, roughly behind your index finger. It doesn’t squeeze like pliers.
  5. Practise with the note F: index finger on the E string at the 1st fret. Plus the open strings C and G. More: Clean fretting.

Time to make music: your piece

Blues with the band, level 1 in C: play the root note four times in each bar. C and G are open strings, F is on the E string at the 1st fret.

Play the blues Level 1 · Root note, key C

Homework for next time

Five days, about ten minutes each:

  • Tune, then F on the E string: light – more – it rings!
  • Place your finger just behind the fret wire, ten times.
  • Strum C four times to warm up.
  • Fun: blues with the band, level 1, very slowly.

Done when …

  • your F rings clearly and doesn’t buzz
  • you have played along with all 12 blues bars once

If you get stuck

  • It buzzes? Move your finger closer to the fret wire instead of pressing harder.
  • Your fingertip hurts? That’s normal at first. Practise briefly several times rather than once for long – calluses will form soon. More.
For teachers: lesson plan
  1. ≈ 10 min Warm-up: experiment “buzz – ring”: everyone presses the E string at fret 1, first very lightly, then a bit harder. When does it ring?
  2. ≈ 15 min Practice: the teacher calls “C”, “F” or “G”, the class plays that note once. Slowly first, then faster.
  3. ≈ 20 min Together: blues with the band, level 1 in C over a speaker – everyone plays the root notes.

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/3/

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