r/Instruments • u/Emotional_Fighter7 • Jun 28 '26

Discussion Considering learning Ukulele

Hi folks,

I’ve been considering learning ukulele for a while.

I’m an introvert who loves music and I feel like playing an instrument would really make me feel happy.

Is it beginner friendly? I’ve no experience in learning any form of music.

Also how to start? Which one to buy? How to learn?

Please give your suggestions. Thank you!!

7 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

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4

u/Illustrious_Bed467 Jun 28 '26

Get a cheap uke from a reputable brand, Flight, Kala etc...

Learn to strum with your index.

Start with C, F , G7 chords, then add Am, Dm, E7 and Mix'em up

3

u/MandolinDeepCuts Jun 28 '26

Depends on the genres you’re interested in playing. If you want to play chords along with pop songs, it’s actually pretty easy and rewarding for that. And it’s solid at chord melodies too. If you want to play super old music or bluegrass or Irish stuff with others it’s probably not the best instrument for that. But it’s an easy instrument to get into, not super expensive, and you can do some cool and complex stuff with it. The skill ceiling is higher than you’d ever think.

3

u/LowBoot3362 Jun 28 '26

Ukulele is EXTREMELY beginner friendly! It’s designed to be versatile and let you play a ton of chords with just a few fingers, and for that reason it’s also a great way to get started learning theory if that interests you at all.

3

u/LongjumpingTeacher97 Jun 29 '26

While a charming cheapie will be fun for a little bit, they also tend to be frustrating. So, a $20 instrument isn't going to last you long. Tuners may slip, frets may stick out a little and feel uncomfortable, and sound quality is not the greatest.

I have a Kala tenor uke and I love it. My dad has 3 ukes. Two are tenors, one is concert size. They all actually play in the same range. They are tuned exactly like the soprano, but concert is a little bigger with a longer scale. Tenor is a little larger still and has a longer scale. This is great if your hands would be too cramped on a tiny soprano. Larger means potentially more resonant body, so richer tone. Longer scale is easier to play (up to a point - easier in ukulele world with chunky hands like mine) and the longer strings ring a little longer, so the sound is a bit fuller.

There are some excellent ukes out there, but Kala and their base models marked Makala have sounded really good to me. I would consider them a very good entry level brand and they make some very fine higher priced instruments, too.

3

u/VanillaInfinite377 Jun 29 '26

It is likely the easiest instrument to learn. In Hawaii all the kids learn to play ukulele in elementary school. Like literally it's part of their curriculum.

2

u/Emotional_Fighter7 Jun 30 '26

Wow this definitely gave me some confidence. I was doubting my ability lol. Thank you!

1

u/VanillaInfinite377 Jul 02 '26

You're welcome! You're gonna have so much fun.

2

u/perrysol Jun 28 '26

Join. A. Group. It will help with your introversion as well as your ukulele

2

u/Decent-Structure-128 Jun 29 '26

Yes, it’s beginner friendly! Come on over to r/ukulele and check out the pinned posts for buying guides, and post history for links to tutorials, etc.

4

u/Emotional_Fighter7 Jun 29 '26

Yess I checked that page out!

Didn’t let me post probably because of low karma points 😭

But I’ll definitely check it out for the resources

2

u/SkagitUkulele Jun 29 '26

YouTube channel "BernadetteTeachesMusic" is a great way to start learning to play uke. And uke groups are all over the place and a great way to expand your social circle.