This is a list of ukulele tips that I don’t hear talked about often and that were helpful to me.

Holding the ukelele

Hold the ukulele in a way where it won’t fall down when you let go of the neck. You cannot play easily if you have to “catch” the uke every time there’s a chord change. Typically, this means you should clamp down on the body with your right forearm, but if you’re lazy, you can rest it against a raised left knee or just lay it across your lap like a guitar.

Don’t tilt the ukulele or pull the neck back to get a view of the fretboard. From an upright sitting position, the fretboard should not be visible to you. Tilting the uke makes it harder on the fretting hand because the wrist has to curve more. Pulling back on the neck will set it up to rebound when you let go to change chords – a similar stability issue to above. If you must look at the fretboard, you can lean forwards over the uke.

Fretting

You don’t have to press hard. Experiment with the minimum amount of pressure you have to apply to get a clear sound. It shouldn’t be very much. This means you can play longer without getting tired.

Pay attention to the thumb. Keep the thumb “light” and ready to move along the fretboard, instead of it feeling stuck to one place.

Fingerpicking

Pick with the flesh, not the nail. Even if you have nails, you can get a much better sound by picking the string with the flesh of your fingertip. The nail hits the string almost as an afterthought as you complete the stroke.

Avoid having dry fingertips. Moist skin grips the string better than dry skin.

Practice

Practice with a metronome. It’s not fun but developing a reliable and accurate internal clock is a must.

Practice while watching something. I’ve found that playing absentmindedly while watching TV or a YouTube video is super effective for improving on a technique or developing muscle memory. You can get reps in without the pressure of playing perfectly. In general, practice is easier when you’re relaxed.

Motivation

Follow the HawaiiMusicSupply podcast. I get so much joy and inspiration from watching Corey, Kalei, and assorted guests. They are the best ukulele ambassadors ever.

Commit to posting weekly/monthly videos on social media. This is the ultimate accountability hack because it forces you to practice and improve.