Ukulele Exercises For Dummies

ONE STOP SHOPPING FOR THE BEGINNER. A GREAT PLACE TO START YOUR UKULELE EXPERIENCE . PLENTY OF EXPERT HELP TO BUILD A STRONG FOUNDATION OR CORRECT THOSE BAD HABITS YOU'VE FORMED. YOU WILL LEARN SOMETHING EVERY TIME YOU OPEN THIS BOOK. I GOT A HARD COPY AND A KINDLE VERSION.

I have mixed feelings about this one. There are some useful bits of info to be sure, but I keep looking for that "A-HA!" moment and it just isn't there. Sometimes it feels like the busy work that your teachers in school gave you when there wasn't time to start anything new. Is it useful on some level? Sure. Could the time be used more productively? Yes. I feel bad about this review because Brett is obviously an enthusiastic guy on his website. But the book is what it is.

Just needed another book to assist me in my playing....might be good to read through, if you are serious....just a bit too much info for what I was looking for at this stage of learning and fun playing. Although, I do like the Authors videos and tutorials.
As I improve I might find the book to be for useful.

This book is an absolute must for any ukulele player. The exercises are explained clearly for beginners but are designed to be useful to players of any level. More experienced players will find these exercises will strengthen and fine tune the skills and techniques they already have and perhaps introduce a few the didn't realize they needed!

I've been a uke teacher for 15+ years and have devoured all the books I could get my hands on. This one stands out as one I consider essential for every student. Not only are the exercises perfect for skill building but they are fun! Most student hate drills/scales/exercises, etc but these are fun enough to want to do them and challenging enough to want to spend time working on them. Those are rare and wonderful qualities in books of this kind.

Everything is covered in a friendly, accessible, comprehensive way. If you like Brett's lessons on his website, [...] you will love this book. It is written in the same clear and comfortable manner with which Brett teaches. Wonderful!

Again, as both a uke player/enthusiast and a uke teacher, I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

I was unable to access audio files, much less download them. I went to the Wiley site, found the appropriate area and the first thing it required was to download a PDF converter (which I can't see the need for if I want to listen). After downloading the converter with no luck, I searched the Wiley site for help on downloading files for this site. The link did not connect to anything. So at least for now, the book is a book. I think the content of the book is great, but if you are a newbie like me, you need to hear what you're supposed to play.

I attempted to register on the Wiley web site so I could contact them for help, but I was unable to convince the robot I was not a robot by completing the "match these letters" chore. So expect no help there.

I was unable to access audio files, much less download them. I went to the Wiley site, found the appropriate area and the first thing it required was to download a PDF converter (which I can't see the need for if I want to listen). After downloading the converter with no luck, I searched the Wiley site for help on downloading files for this site. The link did not connect to anything. So at least for now, the book is a book. I think the content of the book is great, but if you are a newbie like me, you need to hear what you're supposed to play.

I attempted to register on the Wiley web site so I could contact them for help, but I was unable to convince the robot I was not a robot by completing the "match these letters" chore. So expect no help there.

As other reviewers have stated, this book is awesome for those who want to learn to play ukulele, or for the intermediate player. The chapter on warm-up exercises alone is worth the purchase price. I originally purchased "Ukulele For Dummies" by Alistair Wood, and it is an awesome book for the beginner. However, I did begin to feel like I had "hit a wall" in my playing, and needed a jump start. That's where "Ukulele Exercises For Dummies" came in. I felt encouraged by the exercises in Chapter 2, and began to make forward progress again. Now, I can't wait to pick up my uke and play! I wholeheartedly recommend buying both books. Together, I think they offer a complete course on the ukulele.

I have the paper copy of "Ukulele Exercises". It is a well-written, well-thought out, very comprehensive book with a lot of white space for those of us who like to make notes as we read. There are many exercises for all levels of players, with more than enough for a beginner to get a good start and then easily find more challenging material as skills develop. For those of us who have been learning in a hit and miss fashion for a few years, these exercises are a great way to assess what we have learned - or not - as in my situation. Brett's videos on Ukulele Tricks are excellent and I wish we had some to go along with these exercises. (I know...not cost effective) However, the MP3 files are easy to download and are very helpful. Ukulele Exercises is an excellent resource even if you aren't a dummy!

Readers of the Kindle version of Ukulele for Dummies will be disappointed with this edition. The Uke for Dummies has links that when clicked play video on my iPad [ so much better than having to load disc and play on your computer. With that I can play it anywhere. On this I get the option of downloading the audio and playing it but it cannot be done linked to the spot where I am. I hope the store will rectify this as I thinks Brett's Ukulele Tricks is great and I believe the book will be great also. Just make it easier to co-ordinate the audio.

Good material by the authors, particularly on strumming patterns. But the publishers really cut corners with this book. It's the only Dummies book I've seen with no illustrations at all. The music sheets are printed so tiny you will need a magnifying glass to read them (presumably to save paper.) Worst of all, there is no CD. If you want to hear the tracks, you have to go on the internet. Makes the book more difficult than it should be.