Hal Leonard Ukulele Method Book 1

(60 customer reviews)

$7.00

SKU: 0634079867 Category:

ASIN ‏ : ‎

0634079867

Publisher ‏ : ‎

Hal Leonard; 1st edition (December 1, 2005)

Language ‏ : ‎

English

Paperback ‏ : ‎

48 pages

ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎

9780634079863

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎

978-0634079863

Item Weight ‏ : ‎

6.6 ounces

Dimensions ‏ : ‎

9 x 0.16 x 12 inches

UNSPSC-Code :

Report an incorrect code

Best Sellers Rank:

#1,732 in Humor & Entertainment (Books)

-
Customer Reviews:

1,524 ratings

60 reviews for Hal Leonard Ukulele Method Book 1

  1. Mr. V.

    Best for true beginners

    My beginning students have a good experience with this. Even students with music background in another instrument get value out of it, although they sometimes breeze through very quickly. I usually recommend this paired with the “Easy Songs for Ukulele” supplementary songbook.

    4 people found this helpful

  2. Cotton-Ayed Joan

    Misleading product information

    Amazon’s customer review set-up runs into problems in the case of books which come with or without CDs or DVDs. Similar problems are found in in the case of abridged audio books, which are often quite different from the printed original, with their own good and bad points. It would be nice if product descriptions and reviews for obviously distinct original and “spin-off” products were not transferred automatically to the others with the same name. Reviews could still be accessed by clicking to open Amazon’a “all editions” page for these products.The product description for this instruction book indicates that it comes with a CD. This is not always true. The product which comes with the CD is this one: 

    Hal Leonard Ukulele Method Book 1

    . Another version is available without the CD: 

    Hal Leonard Ukulele Method Book 1

    . You may be reading this review on the Amazon page for either product. Make sure you get the one you want. The book without CD could be useful where there is an experienced player to teach the learner, but most people would probably prefer the product with the CD.

    104 people found this helpful

  3. GingeRPG

    Great for Beginners

    So far it’s great! I got it to go a long with my instructor. The pages and font are a perfect size so if you have a hard time seeing the font I’m sure you would see this perfectly. Great way to starting off in learning to read notes if you don’t know how already!!

    One person found this helpful

  4. Dennis E Loucks

    This book is great so far

    This book is great so far. As an absolute beginner I find it fairly easy to understand. Granted I’ve just gotten started but if the rest of the book progresses in the same fashion as the first few exercises then I should at least be able to play a few tunes and have an idea of musical notation and TABs. I think this is a great book for beginners.

    2 people found this helpful

  5. Mel

    Great intro book.

    Reviewing the kindle version. Excellent book. Shows the basics of chords, notes, and strumming variations. Sets a solid foundation of basics for building on.

  6. carmen

    Good book to start!

    I liked it it is a good book to start and not expensive

  7. Ellis Seidel

    This is a great curriculum. Really user friendly

    This is a great curriculum. Really user friendly, teaches Tab and makes the instrument really approachable, even for very young or inexperienced students. I kind of wish it taught chords a little sooner, but I think that by and large, it’s a great book for teaching beginning students to play.

    4 people found this helpful

  8. Maryellen R. Ackroyd

    Beginning ukelele players

    I was able to use this book to teach myself the ukelele.The CD that came with the book wasn’t very helpful as I had nothing to play it on; no CD player. Great book for beginners though.Joined a community group to help myself improve & taking more classes on my own.

  9. Amazon Customer

    Awesome beginners book

    What an amazing book! I did not even know how to read sheet music. But now I do! This book has helped me learn chords, notes, tabs, and lots of other concepts. Great book for someone just beginning to learn ukulele

  10. mytaphrodite

    Excellent Instruction

    I’ve used Hal Leonard books for years and have always found them well written and informative.

    One person found this helpful

  11. Jack chang

    Very beginner

    Good for a super beginner. I started with a different but and trying to advance, so I returned it.

  12. Mat

    Not as good as their Guitar Method Series

    This book is ok. I would have prefered if it were formatted the same way as the Hal Leonard Guitar Method series, where standard notation is taught first and tablature is introduced later. Presenting both notation and tab from the start is confusing for a lot of my students. It’s a lot to look at while one is just beginning to learn to read and play music.

    One person found this helpful

  13. That Fellow Who Buys Things

    Easy to Follow, Very Comprehensive

    I picked this up with no prior Ukulele experience, but with some experience with other instruments. The material on learning to read music and picking melodies is excellent; the descriptions of strumming patterns and techniques is a little hard to follow. I wish some of the examples were a little more developed, but it’s a great guide to learning. I’m glad I went with this over other books which only offered chords.

    5 people found this helpful

  14. Mary

    Very Helpful

    This has been very helpful to me. I am just learning the ukulele and I wanted to learn to play melody. This book is very easy to follow and I was able to begin plucking songs almost immediately. They were basic nursery rhymes, but I learned the notes and good techniques as well. It is a very thin book, only 48 pages, but it has good info in it so I feel happy with this purchase.

    12 people found this helpful

  15. El Hikkus

    Great learner with great information and useful music theory

    If you’re just starting off, or already familiar with playing the uke, this is a useful book. I like that it doesn’t just show how to play a chord, but also how to play single notes, different types of strum patterns, and some useful music theory. I also like that you’re able to log on and hear examples of each section in the book. Highly recommended.

    One person found this helpful

  16. Hava

    great book. It begins with basics and build up …

    great book. It begins with basics and build up with well explained examples. I was expecting the book to jump in with chords so I was surprised to see that the program started with learning the notes on each string and the C major scale. That exercise was actually a good foundation for the chord lessons that followed! The struming techniques were well illustrated. Really enjoyed this book and flew swiftly through the lessons in two weeks and came away feeling accomplished and ready for more.

    13 people found this helpful

  17. Steplander

    Great book

    Great ukulele tutorial book.I wish it didn’t have religious songs included, but, that aside, it’s a great book to learn from and, as an instructor, I recommend it to all of my students.

  18. Cesar

    Good book for beginners

    I got this book to try to learn ukulele. Zero previous experience and still it was easy to follow the book.

  19. Jennifer

    Great book

    Bought this for school. It is easy for my son to follow.

  20. Amazon Customer

    Great for my learning style

    I picked this up for kindle after trying a number of other options and by far this had been the best for my learning style. It’s a good balance of songs and repetitive practice. It also has images of how to finger the cords which isn’t something all the books have and makes a huge difference when you’re trying to self teach. It’s great solo and I’m betting even better with a tutor!

    3 people found this helpful

  21. Andrew

    Great Book to start as long as you have prior music experience, teacher or guide

    I bought this book for my wife who is just starting to learn to play the uke. She played clarinet years ago in school but this is her first instrument since. This book is a great foundation for learning not just harmony but also melody, etc. She struggled a bit with some of the concepts but I was able to guide her though it so I feel this book is better suited if you have prior music experience or for working with a teacher. There is a wealth of information here and working through it all will give you a solid foundation to be a well rounded musician. I’ve used similar Hal Leonard method books for Guitar in the past and they are all good.

    2 people found this helpful

  22. Richardjf

    Complete course for learning the ukulele

    This book, along with the second book in the series, is a complete course for teaching the beginner to play the ukulele. It’s designed to take a total beginner and teaches them to play. You have to start at the beginning and progress your way through to the end – it doesn’t work to just dip in the middle.The author’s approach is a bit unusual because he starts off teaching finger-picking individual notes to create melodies (tunes). Most books or classes start by teaching strumming chords, singing at the same time. In this book, chords are taught later. Some music theory is also taught, but not to a major degree.I actually bought this book then joined a class. The book’s approach didn’t mesh with the class’s approach (which emphasised strumming songs), so I put the books aside. It was only much later, after attending the classes for about 18 months (great fun, by the way), and reading about ukulele playing and music in general that I began to appreciate the clever way this book is put together.It’s pitched to the total beginner. It doesn’t ask too much, and gradually builds the learner up. The songs are chosen to be playable by the beginner. It also introduces some music concepts along the way. The CD is very good at demonstrating the play described in the book and the author gives further explanation. I think the CD is essential to the book.The book is not without it’s faults, but most of these are minor. I think an explanation of it’s approach and what the student will be able to do at the course’s end would have been helpful. Perhaps some further advice on how to go about practicing would have been good. Some descriptions of the likely difficulties a student might encounter as they are learning and how to get over them would have been useful (and encouraging). For example, the awkwardness of getting your left hand into the correct position to form the chords, and also discomfort and slowness changing chords. Perhaps more explanation of how the individual techniques being taught fit into the big picture of playing ukulele songs. What do they contribute? Maybe some advice on how to choose a good beginners ukulele (and avoid a bad one).Most of these are minor tweaks, rather than deal-breaking complaints. I’ve come back to these books as I’m now learning finger picking. I now realise what the author was trying to do.I think it is possible for a beginner to learn to play the ukulele – both strumming and finger-picking – from these two books. I don’t think the learning experience would be overwhelming for the total beginner. I guess that’s the beauty of the author’s teaching method.

    86 people found this helpful

  23. Fern Brown

    Great Method book!!!!

    This book starts with the basics and moves on to more difficult patterns. Has songs as well as exercises to develop skills.

    2 people found this helpful

  24. David Compton

    A Gold Standard

    Hal Leonard is the gold standard for self-taught music, regardless of the instrument. This is true for his series on ukuleles. Simple to read, because of its large size, he will have you playing chords, scales and sheet music in no time. I guarantee it.

    2 people found this helpful

  25. L. G.

    Disappointed

    Supposedly (per cover) this include audio access, but I don’t see any key or any instruction about how to get this access. (Also I don’t find in this page how to place a question, so yes, this is question if anybody can help me).The images cannot be enlarged and sometimes they are barely readable.Only pro: readily accessible

    One person found this helpful

  26. Paul

    No Audio

    I assumed that this came with downloadable audio tracks. Haven’t been able to find anything in the book about being able to do so. Very disappointed so I came back the next day and bought the actual book I only give this 3 stars for this reason.

    One person found this helpful

  27. Jim O

    Hal Leonard Books – Sets the standard high

    I purchased for my granddaughter to use, as she begins her music journey. The format and method of instruction is just easy and practical to learn. I began playing the classical guitar using the Hal Leonard classical book.

  28. BetsyM

    Nice introduction

    I’ve been playing uke for a little over a year, but I want to go beyond just strumming. This book is helping me begin to play melodies on the ukulele. I have very little formal music education, so a beginner book like this is good for bridging that gap, as the emphasis is on working with the basics of notes and tablature as well as keeping in time.The exercises are clear, well laid out. Each one builds upon the previous work.Since I’m using kindle on an IPad, my one critique would be that some music pages are split up. This can be an issue if they won’t appear together as you play. Of course, as you memorize each tune, this becomes less of an issue.I had purchased a physical copy of the book and misplaced it. I am very pleased the Kindle edition of this book was under $5.00!The physical copy doesn’t include a CD; the audio files are online. I love having the audio together with the book!

    15 people found this helpful

  29. consumereagle

    Needs Digital Audio Library

    This is a decent book for beginners that will help you learn music theory and some basics for playing the ukulele. It is relatively easy to follow even with only some prior musical experience, and something that can supplement lessons very well. I like it, but am also very disappointed that Hal Leonard has a website for digital recordings for some of its books and this one is NOT included. An introductory book should have audio recordings so learners can hear strumming techniques and the included songs to begin to develop their own playing techniques and style.

    4 people found this helpful

  30. Desa

    What a GREAT buy! Great starter book

    A thorough book for beginners to understand all parts of learning a new instrument. I am a woodwind musician that has never touched a stringed instrument today and this book gave a full understanding of the instrument and teaching scales and chord families in a way that sets you up for success. My partner, who had never touched an instrument before, has confidence in her learning journey as well after this book. 10/10 recommend!!

    2 people found this helpful

  31. Brian K. Miller

    One of the finest ukulele tutorials in the market

    This is one of the finest ukulele tutorials in the market. I have no rhythm and I’m tone deaf. Learning music, even on the delightful and charming ukulele, is a chore for me unlike anything most people can imagine. This is one of two books I constantly fall back on to refresh my most fundamental skills, to remind myself the differences between minor and major scales, to guide my clumsy fingers as I strum chords, pluck melodies, or just play around with different combinations of sounds. I cannot count the number of “learn to play the ukulele” books in my library, but this is one of two that I replace every time the covers tear, the pages get ruined by spilled coffee, or my current copy gets lost.Everything the beginner needs is here, presented in a smooth,natural progression from the very first notes to complex strum patterns interlaced with a variety of flourishes and melodies.

    73 people found this helpful

  32. LakeKids

    Good starting point…

    Okay, I don’t know how to play anything so I started with this as suggested for beginners. Just bought a ukulele and since this was featured got this also. I think it’s pretty good for someone just learning the basics about music and playing the uke. Have not put the CD on yet, until I can get a little more experience with the fingering, but it was included with the book…one person said it wasn’t, so don’t know what happened to theirs. Of course you’ll get really tired of Row, Row Your Boat and Twinkle, Twinkle…but I already have my eye on some Dylan (YES, he really has a songbook for ukuleles!) and a Blues book, Waaayyyy on down the road. I think Lil Rev gives good information and instructions and at least gets you started doing something that at least sounds familiar. Will probably also get his second book when I get through this one. This might help someone who already plays a guitar to get acuainted with Ukulele chords, but probably not much else.

    6 people found this helpful

  33. Amazon Customer

    A good start

    The constant juxtaposition of tablature and staff notation can allow players to learn one form of reading, without learning the other. But; it does a good job of progressively teaching students basic concepts

    One person found this helpful

  34. Raynette R. Lawrence

    Great Beginning Ukulele Book

    I did like the book very well. Teaches the basics of reading in general, but it was a good refresher and many cute songs to strum along with. Plus gives recommended strumming techniques.

    One person found this helpful

  35. wolfbit

    Intermediate level

    I found it very helpful with choosing but the rhythm teaching was kind of confusing and some of the music listed was kind of obscure and I didn’t know them. I have an extensive history with music, reading piano sheetmusic, and playing guitar and I can see that this book would be confusing for the novice.

  36. Amazon Customer

    Good beginner book

    Teaches some strumming and TAB.Pretty much like anything Hal Leonard.

  37. Stephen Jackson

    Simple, well-paced and solid methodology.

    Great start for anyone with basic music knowledge, but also suitable for complete beginners.

  38. Amazon Customer

    Be careful and choose the 2010 edition.

    If buying the kindle book, look at all available options and choose the 2010 EDITION ONLY. The 2005 edition, while cheaper by a few dollars is inferior quality. The musical notation portions of that edition were scanned images that are grainy and blurry and the overall formatting is poor. Also it doesn’t include any of the audio tracks. Even if you don’t want the audio specifically, it’s worth the few dollars extra to have the crisp images of the later edition.

    Ukulele Method Book 1: Bk. 112 people found this helpful

  39. Susan K. G.

    Easy to follow

    Have made it 1/3 through the lessons and find it easy to follow and a nice intro to playing the ukelele!

  40. Dion Morse

    Solid Introduction to Understanding the Ukulele

    I bought this as a Christmas present for some great Nieces and Nephews. I went over it first and found the book to be a super introduction for a person who really wants to learn to play more than the normal three chords on a Uke.This set is terrific if you are interested in stretching and learning to understand what can really be done on a Uke rather than just getting stuck in one key. This book will easily lead you out of the doldrums which happen in many beginning instrument courses. It is a great source for a foundation of learning which … is what you need to play any instrument.The price is right at Amazon, the DVD / CD just reinforces what is being taught and progress is as fast as you want it to be.Dion – Chicago

    One person found this helpful

  41. G.E. Gollrad

    Four Stars

    Good instructional book for beginners. Would like to see more in it for the money, but still good

  42. TB

    Fine quality books

    Simple for beginner or advanced. Fine quality books. Notes along with the songs. Explains easily how to do each note using the uku. Will order more. Get the whole series is what we may do.

    One person found this helpful

  43. Jim Hickey

    It’s ok, it just may not be right for everybody.

    I am an instructor. I do like a lot of the material in this book however I personally don’t like to teach out of books with TAB with younger students. So, I would not recommend it to my younger students, but I would use it with older students, so that is why I gave it only 3 stars. The book has some good songs in it. If you want to start working on melodies and can’t read music then this book may be fine for you.

    8 people found this helpful

  44. Zaq

    What i expected.

    Arrived on time. I like that the book uses “tabs” instead of just notes. It has the notes as well but the tabs make it perfect for beginners. This will be a great tool to help my students learn proper fingerings of chords and a few basic melodies.

    One person found this helpful

  45. kristi hamlik

    Fantastic Book

    This is a must have book for all the beginners out there.. I just picked up ukulele 5 months ago… Illustrations and audio are perfect …..So easy to follow….

    One person found this helpful

  46. Gravemind

    Great for beginners or as a refresher

    Great book to have on hand if you’re just starting out on the ukulele. It goes over all of the basics notes, chords, and playing techniques, and even teaches you how to read sheet music and tablature. Songs in the book range from children’s melodies to folk, blues, bluegrass and even some classical. Can’t wait to master them all and then pick up Book 2!

    2 people found this helpful

  47. Christine

    Learning to read music made attainable

    Great for beginners. My adult daughter is using this to learn. She’s used other Hal Leonard music teaching books. They don’t disappoint.

  48. gusyfix

    Hal Leonard Ukulele Method book 1

    Glad to have bought that. at 73 you think you know everything you have learned in your life and you find out you know nothing,or have forgotten most opening this book made me come downt to earth with a bump, and yes My Dog Has Fleas.Have to get a CD player so I can listen to the CD instructions 5* publication, 5* for seller, 5* for postage and Packing

    One person found this helpful

  49. C. D. Lambert

    Best choice

    I wish I’d found this book earlier, it is so helpful. I feel I am making real progress at last. It is so well set out and clearly explains everything and you don’t need to be able to read music to understand it. I am so happy I have found this. The examples are not difficult to follow and at last I feel I’m getting somewhere. I highly recommend this for beginners (like me).

    25 people found this helpful

  50. Cheryl Dostie

    easy to understand

    I got this book as part of a beginner Ukulele class I am taking. It has been a good book to start with.

  51. Lisa

    I’ll admit I was skeptical about this method book, …

    I’ll admit I was skeptical about this method book, but this was just a reminder to me to not judge a book by its size. Every page of this 50 page book is chock full of lessons and songs that progress as you learn. This is a MUST for a new ukulele player.

    One person found this helpful

  52. Eelpork Offchanskey

    OK for Me. But for You, Who Knows?

    Being a complete beginner, the first part of this book gave me a decent start. However, once I got past the first few pages, I began to find contradictions between this book and other, mostly online, sources concerning some of the chord fingerings. I then began to find more useful information other places.

    One person found this helpful

  53. thunderpaw

    Hal Leonard Ukulele Method Book 1 (with audio CD) (Bk. 1)

    A very basic book about the ukulele but if you are starting out and have no background in music or understanding about reading notes and chords this is a good place to start. The Ukulele is a fun instrument to learn, wish I had found it 20 years ago and the Hal Leonard book is a good place to start. If you have a background in music, skip Book 1 and good onto Book 2. I suggest you consider purchasing both at the same time and save yourself some time. The CD is also a useful tool as you get to listen to what you should sound like.

    2 people found this helpful

  54. beth throwerbeth thrower

    Do not spend money on this book

    I’ve been playing ukulele for about two weeks and everything in this book really put me farther behind. I don’t think it’s necessary to learn the single string notes when learning to play the ukulele because I’ve been practicing learning songs in chord form. This taught me nothing I didn’t already learn from using youtube FOR FREE. I am so upset I spent money on this unhelpful book that was also a huge waste of time reading and trying to play along. There are pages where the notes and tabs do not go together and it makes no sense. See my attached photo. This book simply will not be helpful in advancing your skills. Perhaps it’s because I can read music, but this book was incredibly confusing and the opposite of what I was hoping to get from this purchase. If you really want a ukulele book like I did, save your money and get a different one, or better yet: go to a music store and see what you’re getting before you buy it.

    16 people found this helpful

  55. Michael Bende

    Start Here

    Great first book for all aspiring ukelele players.

    One person found this helpful

  56. Pegsong

    Confusing lessons

    Very disjointed lessons. Book is supposed to be for beginners, and one of the first strum patterns is very difficult and has to be counted as 16th notes. I have spoken with two ukulele instructors and a number of players, and none of them recommend trying this pattern. After introducing this pattern, the author then goes back to a very simple strum pattern. My instructor rewrote some of the chords in some of the songs, which is counterproductive. We both became frustrated with the lessons, and I have switched to other instruction books.

    10 people found this helpful

  57. Kacey53

    Ukulele book

    Bought this so I could learn to play that ukulele I purchased in Hawaii! I already play guitar, though it has been a while. The reviews indicated this was the book to buy. We shall see. Now to make the time to get to it!

  58. Lou Squeezebox-Player (

    Looks Good

    I probably won’t start for a while because I have so many commitments left in 2017, but I have always been pleased with your books.

  59. Sarah Sizemore Tilley

    Great Tool

    Very helpful in learning the chords and how to play the Ukulele.

  60. Ana F

    Recommended by instructor

    This Ukulele method book was recommended by our instructor. It has been great so far (few months in) and we love the songs in it!

    2 people found this helpful

Add a review

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *