Hot off the “cyberpress” Fun with Uke Book is a new way to learn to play the ukulele and advance through chords, chord progressions, strum patterns, fingerpicking accompaniment, chord melody, and technique. If you already know the song, everything else you’re learning is about how to play it. Get your electronic copy before the print edition. Navigate the 80-page PDF with simple clicks from Table of Contents and more!
Order with this form.
2025 Announcements
World Ukulele Day Workshops in Zoom
Sunday 2/2/2025 at 2 PM EST and HST. FREE.
Ukulele workshop in the coastal town of Cohasset, Massachusetts
Sunday 9th February 2025 from 2 to 4 PM. Free to participants.
In-person only. Free parking. Details here.
Daily Music Writing Project – from 1st January 2025, a tune or exercise a day, starting with this blog post. Registered and paid students get access to all new work until Ukulele Winter 2025 course starts. Annual passholders of 3 Chord Thursday 2025 may request.
3 Chord Thursday begins on Thursday 30th January 2025 and runs once a month, on prescheduled Thursdays. Free to participate but must register to receive the Zoom information.
Access to music
Order Anne Ku’s arrangements and exercises for ukulele via this Google Form.
Fun with Uke Festive Edition 2024 – 20 page PDF and hard copy now available! Postage to be added to the following hard copy prices. PDF copies available by request.
- single copy US$15
- family bundle (5 copies) $60
- classroom bundle (10 copies) $110
2024 Workshop Series
- Three Chord Holiday Songs (Thursday 19th December 2024 at 1:30 PM EST)
- Ode to Joy (Thursday 6 June 2024 and 5 September 2024)
- Happy Birthday (Thursday 4 April 2024)
- Hawaiian Vamp in Hawaiian Songs (February & March 2024)
- Auld Lang Syne (four one-hour workshops in January 2024)
- Chord Melody (Thursday 5th September 2024)
- Make Your Own Parody (Thursday 18th July 2024)
Click HERE for information on the location and testimonials of previous workshops.
Music Classes are offered for 4 to 8 weeks each season. Join the the mailing list for announcements of free workshops and new classes. Read recent testimonials. Technique vs Theme-based classes. If you missed the EARLY BIRD deadline, you can still REGISTER and get tuition reduction by giving the gift of music with a book or physical fitness exercise classes in Zoom with Jen.
Anne Ku’s MA in Music, “Paradox of Simplicity: Song Sheets for Participative Music Making in Ukulele Groups” dissertation, December 2018. Blog posts: “Ukulele: ticket to ride“
Ad hoc workshops
3 Chord Thursday @ 3 the weekly thematic song session in Zoom welcomes anyone, anywhere in the world, to join with your sunglasses, for an hour of fun. We always start promptly at 3 pm EST or EDT (East Coast USA) with a warm-up or short lesson. We can fit up to 10 songs. All sessions are recorded for review. You can play the video recordings to practice (play along). Subscribe to YouTube Channel to get notification of new uploads and livestreams. Join the new public Facebook Group 3 Chord Thurs to get notified of new themes, workshops, festivals, song sheets, etc.
Subscribe or Follow for Updates
- Sign up for the exclusive Ukulele Enthusiast e-BLAST (E-mail Blast) (newsletter) new
- JOIN the mailing list
- LIKE the THEMATIC UKULELE JAM Facebook page
- FOLLOW UKEKUDOS Instagram
- SUBSCRIBE to this blog
- SUBSCRIBE to the YouTube Channel
Class & Course Descriptions
- Songwriting & Composition – free taster workshop in Zoom April 19, 2023
- Fingerstyle Ukulele Showcase is a new course in Spring 2023, showcasing new work by living composers for the ukulele
- Voice Over Uke with Italian Songs will be offered in Spring 2023 on Wednesdays afternoons
- Music Theory MELODY will be offered in Spring 2023: 8 Mondays from 4/24/2023
- Music Theory HARMONY will be offered in Winter 2023: 8 Wednesdays from 2/8/2023
- Ukulele Bootcamp will be offered in Winter 2023: 8 Wednesdays from 2/8/2023
- Piano Harmonization on playing from Lead Sheets
- Crash course for complete beginners
- Chord melody arrangement for Ode to Joy
- Learn Chinese through song
- Chinese Mandarin with song
- Intro to Music Theory – starts Tuesday 31st January 2023 at 7:30 pm EST
- Music theory for song writing
- Music theory for ukulele
- Piano class: what you’re also learning
- Pluck & Play
- Tab & Pluck
- Taster Workshops: educate, engage, experience
Arrangements & Song Sheets by Anne Ku
- 9 Strum Patterns for 4 Beat Songs – with video tutorial
- 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall
- Annie’s Song in C – song sheet, tabs, pluck acocmpaniment
- Auld Lang Syne in C, modulating to F – notes, tabs, chords
- Autumn Leaves in Gm – song sheet with reduced number of chords
- Can’t Help Falling in Love in C – lead sheet, notes, tabs, chords, lyrics
- Dido’s Lament for ukulele – chord melody
- Do Re Mi for ukulele – lead sheet, notes, tabs, chords, lyrics
- Do Wah Diddy – first video tutorial
- Easy Peasy Ukulele Duet on Open Strings – original composition
- Happy Birthday Chord Melody Arrangement
- Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush
- It’s So Easy to Fall in Love But Breaking Up is Hard to Do – medley, songsheet
- James Bond Theme – riffs
- Jeopardy Game Theme tune “Think” – high G or low G; high G only (more info)
- Life is Live (Opus) – song sheet
- Moonshadow – song sheet with riffs, strum patterns
- Mother of Mine – video, song sheet
- Ode to Joy in F: 3 parts – ensemble, video playalong
- Only You (Yazoo)
- Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head – song sheet with riffs, strum patterns
- September in the Rain (click on the sample image for the song sheet)
- Simple Gifts for high G, low G, modulation
- Songs with major scales for ukulele
- Torn Between Two Lovers – song sheet
- Twinkle Twinkle – melody and alberti accompaniment
- When the Saints Go Marching In – song sheet with percussive tap
- You Are My Sunshine – ideas for chords and strum patterns
Chinese songs arranged by Anne Ku
- Blog post: Learn Chinese Through Song
- Flower Drum Song (Feng Yang Hua Gu)
- Little Donkey (Xiao Mao Lu)
Japanese songs
- Chotto Matte Kudasai (one page song sheet)
- Sakura – one page song sheet (to add riffs, intro, melody line)
- Sanshin no Hana – tab (3-page PDF) ; tabs & song sheet (3-page PDF)
- Seto no Hanayome – leadsheet
- Shojoji – one page song sheet (add melody line)
- Subete no hito no kokoro ni hana o
How to (tutorial) articles for the beginner by Anne Ku
- Chord shape thinking from guitar to ukulele
- Different Strokes for Different Folks
- For the absolute, complete, total beginner in ukulele
- From guitar to ukulele: chord shape thinking
- Getting to and from a ukulele jam session
- How to memorize music (part 1): instrumental piece
- Most commonly used chords for ukulele
- Two chord songs
- Three chord songs for ukulele and guitar
- Ukulele beginner basics: more questions
- Ukulele Crash Course for Complete Beginners
- Vocal exercise with ukulele as warm up
- Which ukulele chords to learn first?
- Your first ukulele: borrow, rent, or buy?
- Your first ukulele jam do’s and don’ts
Related articles by Anne Ku
- Earth Day ukulele workshops and jam
- Easy Beatles Jam Session
- From ukulele jam to gig
- Have Uke, Will travel
- Safely dance the safety dance: riffs and meaning in music
- Selecting songs for a select audience: eighties extravaganza
- Starting My Own Ukulele Club
- Ukulele Clubs: Sing, Strum, Socialise
- Ukulele jam sessions: what to expect
- Ukulele repertoire: song sheets for amateur music making
- Ukulele Workshops and Jam Sessions in Historic Lower Mills
- Valentine’s Day at Heartbreak Hotel ukulele jam
- Why are ukulele sales booming?
Ukulele Book Reviews by Anne Ku
- Arpeggio Meditations for Ukulele – Daniel Ward
- Business of Being a Community Musician, The – Mark Jackson & Jane Jelbart
- Classical Uke – Paul Mansell
- Discovering Fingerstyle Ukulele Songbook – Colin Tribe
- How to Play Ukulele – Dan Scanlan
- Melodic Meditations for Ukulele – Daniel Ward
- Modern Pieces for Ukulele – Paul Mansell
- Ukestration Manual, The – Mark Jackson & Jane Jelbart
- Ukulele Ceilidh – Kevin Carroll
- Ukulele Picking Tunes Classic Gems – Paul Mansell
- Ukulele School – Paul Mansell
YouTube Video Playlists
- Classical ukulele
- Hawaiian theme
- Origami & music
- Ukulele playalong
- 10 steps in “Happy Helpful Guide to the Ukulele”
