Ukulele 101: Strings, Frets, What is a chord?

Summary

Mix and match activities to create a fun lesson in which students will learn what the frets and strings are, and how to play the two easiest chords on the ukulele (C and Am). Integrate Solfeg.io in teaching the basics of ukulele playing.

🎲 What’s included in the activities:

• Choosing and describing a song
• Getting familiar with the parts of the ukulele
• Memorizing the names of the ukulele strings
• Understanding how frets are organized on the ukulele
• Learning the C and Am chord on the ukulele
• Playing C and Am chords in a song
• Reflecting
• Ideas for homework & further lessons (Beyond the lesson)

💻 Materials:

• Solfeg.io web app best used with Chrome browser
• Projector or computer and access to WIFI
• Ukuleles
• Mobile devices with the Solfeg.io mobile app installed (optional)

Listen to ukulele

🕐 Time: 7 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Get familiar with the chosen song
• Recognize instruments in a song
• Describe the sound of an instrument

🎶 Recommended Songs:

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🎲 Activity:

• Select the song “Riptide” by Vance Joy or “House of Gold” by Twenty One Pilots from the Song library. Click on 'Ukulele' under ''Visuals' so that the ukulele chord diagrams are visible.

• Listen to a part of the song, for example, a verse and a chorus.

What string instruments do you hear? (Ukulele, depending on the part of the song, there might be also a bass guitar)

What other instruments can you hear? (Depending on the part of the song, percussions, piano or synthesizer)

How would you describe the sound of the ukulele? (Choose suitable adjectives: mellow, sweet, mild, bright, soft, smooth, friendly, happy, etc.)

Do you know how the ukulele is played? (Ask a student to try to hold and play a ukulele.)

Strings

🕐 Time: 10 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Understand how strings are organized on the ukulele
• Get familiar with the parts of the ukulele
• Memorize the names of the ukulele strings

🎲 Activity:

• If you have several ukuleles, distribute them to the class (one for each student or one for each group of students). If you have only one instrument, use it yourself and give it to selected students during practical parts.
• Show the strings on your ukulele.

How many strings are there? (Four)

• Ask students to play each string on their ukuleles and pay attention to the sound.

Which string sounds the highest? (The bottom one when the ukulele is held in the playing position)

Which string sounds the lowest? (The second from the top when the ukulele is held in the playing position)

• Explain that numbers and letters are used to distinguish between strings.

Strings are numbered from 1 to 4, the 1st string being at the bottom when you hold the ukulele in the playing position.

Strings are named after the notes on the open strings (G, C, E, A, from the 4th string to the 1st). Use a fun mnemonic to help remember the letters: for example, 'Go Crazy Every Afternoon' or 'Giant Cats Eat Apples'.

Ask students to try to make up their own phrase using these four letters!

Frets

🕐 Time: 10 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Understand how frets are organized on the ukulele
• Get familiar with the parts of the ukulele

🎲 Activity:

• Show the frets on your ukulele!

Ask students to count the frets on their ukuleles!

• Explain that frets indicate where different notes are located on the ukulele. They help to find the right place to press your fingers!
• Frets are numbered, the 1st one being the furthest to the left when the ukulele is held in the playing position.
• When playing the ukulele, you're supposed to press the fingers between the frets.
• The further to the right you press the string, the higher the sound.

Students could try pressing the same string in different frets and notice how the sound becomes higher or lower!

Try sliding the finger on one of the strings and notice how the sound changes!

What is a chord?

🕐 Time: 3 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Understand what chords are and how they are played on the ukulele

🎲 Activity:

• Explain that a chord is a combination of multiple notes, played simultaneously.
• Demonstrate how chords are played on ukulele.

Find frets!

🕐 Time: 10 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Get familiar with the parts of the ukulele
• Quickly find frets and strings on the ukulele

🎲 Activity:

• Call out a fret number.
• Students have to show the fret as fast as possible on their ukuleles.
• Repeat this several times with different numbers.
• You can increase the difficulty by asking to find a particular fret on a particular string, for example, the 3rd fret on the 1st string.
• This time, when they find the spot, they should press down their index finger and play the note with their right thumb.
• You can vary the game by asking the fastest student to call out the next fret and string number.

Find the C chord

🕐 Time: 10 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Learn the C chord on the ukulele
• Play the C chord in a song of choice

🎶 Recommended Songs:

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🎲 Activity:

• Ask students to find the 3rd fret on the 1st string, press it with the ring finger (or another one if it's more comfortable!) and strum all four strings downwards with the right thumb.
• Tell them it's called the C chord and usually indicated as letter C.
• Play one of the suggested songs and follow the chord letters. Ask the class to play the C chord everytime the letter C appears at the red line on the screen.

Add the Am chord!

🕐 Time: 10 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Learn the Am chord on the ukulele
• Play the Am chord in a song of choice

🎶 Recommended Songs:

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🎲 Activity:

• Time to add one more chord! Now, students should find the 2nd fret on the 4th string, press their middle (or any other!) finger there and strum all four strings downwards with the right thumb.
• Tell them the name of the chord - Am.
• Play one of the suggested songs and follow the chord letters. Ask the class to play the Am chord everytime the chord symbol Am appears at the red line.

Reflection

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Reflect on the learning process

🎲 Activity:

• Ask these questions to the class and have a short discussion

What was fun in this lesson?

What was challenging in this lesson?

What songs would you like to learn to play on the ukulele?

Homework assignment

🕐 Time: 3 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Practice the C and Am chords on the ukulele
• Practice switching between the two chords
• Consolidate the concepts learned in the lesson

🎲 Activity:

Challenge students to go beyond the lesson by…

• Practicing switching between C and Am and trying to play them along to the song in this mobile class (Day 1 of the ukulele program)
• Trying to play C and Am in another song, for example, “Savage Love”, “Bellyache”, “Ho Hey”, “Drivers license” or “Without You”.

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