misswardmusic.com

  • Home
  • Dixons Music Service
  • KS3 Units
  • *OLD* AQA GCSE
  • BTEC Unit 1
  • Knowledge Org.
  • About
  • Payment
  • Home
  • Dixons Music Service
  • KS3 Units
  • *OLD* AQA GCSE
  • BTEC Unit 1
  • Knowledge Org.
  • About
  • Payment
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
DTA Staff - Welcome to your Ukulele isolation project!! If you've borrowed a Ukulele from DTA, the chord stickers should already be on the instrument. If not, or if one has come off, check the diagram above. A yellow and green should be in the same box (fret).

The tuning notes for each string are above. They 'should' be roughly in tune...but if not, just download a tuning app (I use cleartune). Use the tuning pegs (little ears on the side of the head of the ukulele) to raise or lower the pitch until the needle is on the correct note.

The four chords above are referred to as the 'primary chords'. Just as with colours, they're the centre of all pieces. I always use colours with our students as it's a bit more user friendly!

Just see it like musical twister! Cover the coloured stickers and strum all 4 chords. When you're pressing on the stickers, make sure you press firmly (enough to get a little dent in your pressy finger!) - no you won't need to go to MR for a plaster!!

If you're right handed, you colour press with your left hand. If you're left handed, you colour press with your right hand.

If when you strum the strings, you're getting a muted/muffled sound; you need to press the colours firmer.


Once you've mastered the chords, work at transitioning between them...It's all about the transitions!!

 Below, you'll see the coloured grids we use with the students. It's much easier to read coloured boxes than musical notation!

If a box is 4 beats long, hold the chord for 4 beats. If a box is 2 beats long, hold the chord for 2 beats etc.

I always start with Shake It Off, as it only uses 3 chords. The chords cycle round in a pattern: Yellow, Red, Blue, Blue. Just as we read words, always be thinking ahead when you're playing. I've embedded a couple of Rock School videos so you can play along with them. 

When you can do Shake It Off (...or it's doing your head in), move onto Demons. The chords move at the same pace as the SIO. 

I'd love to see your progress as you're working on these (as would the kids), so either tweet your progress videos tagging @DTA_Music #UkuleleChallenge or email them to me on cward@dixonsta.com and i'll tweet them for you.

Let's show the kids what the staff can do! #mastery #autonomy #purpose #hardwork #fairness #trust
ukulele_debut_coloured_chords.pdf
File Size: 428 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Picture
Picture

Give me a day or so to add these colour grids for you!
Picture
Picture

Picture