Next Level Ukulele

Book excerpt: Easy play-along guide to understanding music, building confidence and learning to jam like a pro, with over 100 audio play-along practice tracks If you play ukulele to a basic level but want to take your playing skills to the next level by being able to hear, follow and understand the music and songs you play then this book is for you. With Next Level Ukulele you can: - Dramatically boost your confidence when performing - Develop your music theory knowledge, rhythm and listening skills - Improve your ability to play and remember songs - Transform your all round skills as a musician Does the world really need another uke book? We think it does - you see, many experienced beginner/intermediate ukulele players grow frustrated by their inability to understand and follow the music they play. Instead of blindly following the chords on the page, they want to be able to ‘hear and feel’ the music they play in the same way an experienced musician does! This is where Next Level Ukulele comes in - simply follow the step-by-step method in this book (with over 100 play-along tracks included), and see your musical skills improve dramatically. By focusing on really listening and learning to recognise the sounds in the music you play - you can go beyond basic ukulele playing, and begin to think, hear and feel like a real musician. Next Level Ukulele comes with over 100 play-along backing tracks demonstrating most of the examples in the book. These are used to teach you to hear and recognise all of the most common things you hear in the songs you play - chords, chord progressions, keys and key changes, common rhythmic patterns and more. Playing along with these ‘live band feel’ backing tracks is also the perfect way to practice your uke playing at home and become totally confident when you make music with others - whether it’s as a solo performer, in a uke band or club, at open mic nights or impromptu sing-alongs and jam sessions. Next Level Ukulele shows you how to: Learn to play ‘by ear’. This is how many musicians can work out and play songs they’ve never even played before! Learn how to develop the skills you need to eventually be able to do this Understand and recognise the common elements we see in the popular ukulele repertoire - major and minor chords and keys, different rhythms and time signatures, ‘seventh’ chords, common chord sequences, key changes, ‘borrowed’ chords and much more Recognise common song forms and structures like the 12 bar blues, ‘IV’ chord chorus songs, and song based on simple repeating chord patterns (makes it much easier to learn and remember songs you want to play) Learn to ‘feel the rhythm’ and nail common rhythmic feels and strumming patterns - including swing rhythms, shuffles, ‘train’ rhythms, waltz time and more Perfect if: - You want to improve your ukulele playing skills, feel more confident when playing with other musicians, and simply enjoy your playing more - You’d like to become one of those players who can hear songs and work them out simply by using their ears! - You want to improve your ability to listen to and follow the music you play - You want to learn some of the skills you need to jam with others (and feel comfortable and confident doing so!) - You’d like to play music and songs on the spot ‘by ear’ instead of always following a chord sheet - You want a deeper understanding of the music you play - You’d like to be able to recognise the common chords, chord progressions, song forms and key changes used in the popular ukulele repertoire Ready to see a dramatic boost in your ukulele and music skills? Then grab Next Level Ukulele (with over 100 play-along practice tracks) and get started!