Hey UUers!

Happy New Year! Glad to see you made it into 2012 with your uke safe and sound, so let’s get down to business! This time on Uke Lessons, Aldrine shows you how to play “Yr Dreaming” (You’re Dreaming) by Katchafire. The picking for this one is pretty catchy and really fun to play once you get it down, so practice slow, get your speed up, and have fun!

A HUGE MAHALO to Almost Islanders for collabing with us on the Play-Along for this song. Be sure to check out their YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/almostislandersmusic

For more info on Katchafire and their music, head over to http://www.katchafire.co.nz

This year is going to be a pretty sweet one for ukulele players everywhere and an awesome one here in the Underground. We’ve got 2012 NAMM Show coverage coming up very soon this month, PLUS some big news for UU in the coming months. Stay tuned for more great stuff, practice hard, and keep strummin’!

Aloha,
-UU Staff

Hey UUers!

Happy December! It’s that time of year again – time to google up some holiday tunes, sit by the fireplace, and strum to your hearts content. To help get you into the seasonal uke spirit, we’re kicking off December with a brand new episode of Uke Lessons – “Winter Wonderland”!

The Play-Along for this lesson is a little fast, so it may take some time to get it down smooth. Practice switching chords, take it slow, and gain speed when you are comfortable. It’s all muscle memory, so if you do it enough times it will get easier and easier. Try it out and let us know what you think!

Hope you and your loved ones are staying warm this winter – be sure to stop by the Ukulele Underground Merch Store and pick up a new UU Zip Hoodie for yourself or gift one to your favorite uke player. Warm strumming arms all around!

May your fingers get stronger, strum faster than light
Happy Holidays to all, and to all some Uke MIGHT!

Aloha,
-UU Staff

Hey UUers!

It’s November! A new month, a new awesome episode of Uke Lessons. This month Aldrine shows you how to play “Life’s Different Now” by Cecilio and Kapono. This one is a classic song in Hawaii, as these guys are musical legends who helped shape the sound of island music from the 70s through the 90s – in fact, they’re still touring today! For more info check out www.ceciliokapono.com.

For the Play-Along, we teamed up with Oregon ukulele player and instructor, Craig Chee, who taught “Advanced Golpe” in an episode of Uke Minutes a couple of weeks ago. If you like what you hear, please go and check out Craig’s Website for more info about this guy and to pick up his music.

As the days get colder, take hold of your trusty uke and stay warm with some tunes to strum by! Rock on, uke players. Rock on.

Aloha,
-UU Staff

Hey UUers!

It’s a great day in the Underground for some uke playing and, with it being the first of the month and all, there’s a brand new episode of Uke Lessons waiting for you! This month Aldrine shows you how to play “Take On Me” by A-Ha! Check it out and get your 80′s pop on.

Only 6 more days before Uketoberfest (Eugene, OR) AND the start of the UU October 2011 Pacific Northwest Tour! The UU guys (Aldrine, Ryan, and Aaron) will be flying to the mainland and driving all over Oregon and Washington to bring you LIVE ukulele workshops and uke performances. Check out the Official Tour Page for more details and if you are going to be in the area, we want to meet and jam with you!

Also, thank you so much to everyone who has been patiently awaiting the results of our “Ambassadors of Ukulele” Give-Away Contest. There were just so many great entries that it took a whole month to get to the final stages of deliberation. But don’t fret! Results announcement coming soon!

Hope you’re playing that uke of yours every chance that you get – keep rockin’ and we’ll see you in Oregon/Washington soon!

Aloha,
-UU Staff

Hey UUers!

Here we go, as we slide on into September, it’s another episode of Uke Lessons! This month we bring you a full ukulele lesson for Jack Johnson’s “Banana Pancakes”. You asked for it, so we deliver! It’s got a super catchy intro riff, a simple steady strum, and enough chords to keep you on your toes. Once you get them down, be sure to check out our “Banana Pancakes” Ukulele Play-Along and play along! And as always, if you’ve got questions, we’re always here for you.

Stay tuned for some cool stuff coming up this month including new merch in the UU Merch Store as well as announcing the winner for the August 2011 “Ambassadors of Ukulele” Give-Away Contest!

Keep that uke music going! Take what’s left of the summer and stir it into your coffee cup of ukulele goodness. Drink it all in, uke players. Drink it all in.

Aloha,
-UU Staff

Time to flip the page on your virtual calendar – it’s officially August! And along with another month comes another new episode of Uke Lessons. This time Aldrine shows you how to play “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall” by Coldplay on the ukulele!

For the Play-Along, we enlisted the help of our super rad uke-playing friend (and long time UUer) KRABBERS! Be sure to check out his YouTube Channel and pick up his original album, Off the Tube, now available on iTunes – http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/off-the-tube/id408853933

For more info about Coldplay, check out their website or head over to their iTunes page and grab the real version of this song!

Hope you have an amazing August! Remember, you’ve got all month to enter the UU “Ambassadors of Ukulele” Give-Away Contest, so enter for a chance to win a brand new KoAloha Tenor and a yearlong membership to UU+! As we head steadily toward the end of the year, bring your uke along for the ride and spread a little ukulele love!

Aloha,
-UU Staff

Another month has come upon the Underground and another episode of Uke Lessons has arrived! Aldrine has been watching the NBC show, The Voice, a lot lately which recently debuted Maroon 5′s new song “Moves Like Jagger.” This happened like a week ago, but he really, really wanted to do this for the lesson so we scrambled to create it and now here it is for your viewing and learning pleasure!

For more about Maroon 5, check out their Website or pick up the original version of this song (feat. Christina Aguilera) on iTunes HERE!

Also featured on our version is our good friend Trina B, so if you like what you see, check out her YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/makingtreble.

Have fun, work on your “funk,” and let us know how you’re doing!

Aloha,
-UU Staff

Play along with the “Love I” Ukulele Play-Along!

Hey UUers!

Woah, June is already here and along with it another episode of Uke Lessons! This time, Aldrine breaks down “Love I” by The Green. This one has been playing all over the radio stations here in Hawaii for awhile, so here it is for you to pick up, jam, and enjoy.

For more info about The Green, check out their Facebook page and be sure to pick up their self-titled album, “The Green” (2011 Na Hoku “Reggae Album of the Year” winner), available on Amazon and iTunes!

As a quick refresher on the “Muted C String Plucking” technique used in the Fingerpicking section of this lesson, check out Uke Minutes 127 – Muted C String Plucking.

Have fun with this one and hope you have a wonderful Wednesday!

Aloha,
-UU Staff

Play along with the Theme for The Office Play-Along!
Pick up a Limited Edition UU Tee at the UU Store!

Hey UUers!

With the end of Season 7 and the departure of Michael Scott (Steve Carell), this month we pay special Uke Lesson tribute to The Office with the Theme to The Office. Check out the lesson to learn the picking, chords, and strumming, and let us know what you think!

Special thanks to Kalei Gamiao for inspiring this episode of Uke Lessons and to Kyle Maligro of DOXA Print who has been printing our official UU T-Shirts for the past couple of years. Be sure to stick around at the end of the lesson for a quick vid of Kyle printing some Limited Edition (Multicolor-on-White) UU Tees. Head over to the UU Store to pick up one for yourself while they’re still around!

May is an awesome month for some good old fashioned uke playing – take advantage of the sunshine and rock out outside! Keep strummin’!

Aloha,
-UU Staff

Play along with the “I Do” Ukulele Play-Along!

UU+ Members please login to download this video or to watch it on your iPad or iPod Touch

Hey UUers!

Hope everyone enjoyed yesterday’s site switcharoo to kick off April! We didn’t have the heart to completely take it down, so for those of you who missed it (or if you just love K-Mid as much as we do) you can still check out the UU April Fool’s Day 2011 website HERE.

For this month’s episode of Uke Lessons, we bring you “I Do” by Colbie Caillat. Special thanks to Monique (xticklesmilex) and Maylee for the amazing vocals! If you like what you hear be sure to check out their YouTube Channel (www.youtube.com/xticklesmilex).

And for more about Colbie Caillat or to pick up her music (the new album, All Of You, drops on May 3rd), swing on over to her site – www.colbiecaillat.com

Have fun with this one, practice the changes, play along with the official “I Do” Ukulele Play-Along, and if you have any questions, we’re always here for you! Keep strummin’!

Aloha,
-UU Staff