Masterclass – Jake Shimabukuro Teaches Ukulele

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.

Here’s what you’ll get:

Lessons 1: Meet Your Instructor: Jake Shimabukuro 03:19

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

Lessons 2: OO·koo·LEY·ley Basics 04:20

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

Lessons 3: Holding Your ‘Ukulele 05:39

• Jake demonstrates the proper way to hold your ʻukulele.

Lessons 4: Navigating the Fretboard 10:17

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

Lessons 5: Strumming Techniques 08:44

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

Lessons 6: Demystifying Chords 23:26

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

Lessons 7: Playing Advanced Chords 13:54

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

Lessons 8: Melodic and Rhythmic Dimension 10:51

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

Lessons 9: Finding Your Sound 06:55

• Jake shares tools and techniques for developing your personal sound.

Lessons 10: Mastering Vibrato 04:31

• Find out Jake’s techniques for playing vibrato.

Lessons 11: The Magic of Tremolo 15:06

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

Lessons 12: Tremolo Performance: “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” 04:06

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

Lessons 13:. Breaking Down the Classics: “Hallelujah” 07:19

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

Lessons 14: The Classics Performance: “Hallelujah” 05:21

• Watch as Jake performs “Hallelujah.”

Lessons 15: The Beauty of Harmonics 06:08

• Explore Jake’s techniques for capturing harmonics.

Lessons 16: Harmonics Performance: “Dragon” 05:42

• Watch as Jake performs “Dragon.”

Lessons 17: Arranging “Bohemian Rhapsody” 11:16

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

Lessons 18: Arranging Performance: “Bohemian Rhapsody” 06:24

• Watch as Jake performs “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

Lessons 19: Creating an Original Song 7:38

• 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.

Lessons 20: Okage Sama De 01:14

• Jake explains the meaning of this Japanese saying and encourages you to share what you’ve learned with others.