Called the “Jimi Hendrix of the ʻukulele,” Jake Shimabukuro won worldwide acclaim for his fresh and fearless musical interpretations. Now he’s sharing his approach so anyone can experience the joys of the ʻukulele, from the simple chords that make up hundreds of songs to more complex fingerings and compositions. Learn how to adapt songs you love for ʻukulele or write your own. Stop worrying and start strumming.

Syllabus

Meet Your Instructor: Jake Shimabukuro

Jake Shimabukuro is a virtuoso ʻukulele player and composer. He welcomes you to his class and shares what you’ll learn.

OO·koo·LEY·ley Basics

Learn how to pronounce, select, and tune your ʻukulele.

Holding Your ‘Ukulele

Jake demonstrates the proper way to hold your ʻukulele.

Navigating the Fretboard

Jake introduces you to fretboard navigation with his “elevator and floor” analogy, which he’ll reference throughout this class.

Strumming Techniques

Discover strumming techniques and how to get the best sound out of your ʻukulele.

Demystifying Chords

Jake introduces you to chord grouping. You’ll learn how to play one-finger chords, two-finger chords, three-finger chords, and stair chords.

Playing Advanced Chords

Jake teaches you advanced chord groupings, barre chords, the E-major chord, and higher-level techniques.

Melodic and Rhythmic Dimension

Learn about melody, rhythm, and dynamics in ʻukulele playing.

Finding Your Sound

Jake shares tools and techniques for developing your personal sound.

Mastering Vibrato

Find out Jake’s techniques for playing vibrato.

The Magic of Tremolo

Learn more advanced strumming techniques and how to achieve tremolo picking.

Tremolo Performance: “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”

Watch as Jake performs “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”

Breaking Down the Classics: “Hallelujah”

Jake demonstrates how to learn a song by breaking it down with one of his signature covers, “Hallelujah.”

The Classics Performance: “Hallelujah”

Watch as Jake performs “Hallelujah.”

The Beauty of Harmonics

Explore Jake’s techniques for capturing harmonics.

Harmonics Performance: “Dragon”

Watch as Jake performs “Dragon.”

Arranging “Bohemian Rhapsody”

To help you learn how to arrange your favorite songs, Jake walks you through his arrangement of “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

Arranging Performance: “Bohemian Rhapsody”

Watch as Jake performs “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

Creating an Original Song

Jake creates an original song, in real time, just for this class. He takes you on a song creation journey from start to finish, showing his process, tricks, and inspiration.