Here’s how I started a ukulele group.
One day my friends Jane and Paula said, “Let’s play ukulele!” And I said, “Why not!”
That Friday evening we got together at Paula’s place. We had three chords, three ukuleles and a bottle of wine.
By the time the bottle was empty we could play three songs.
We had fun. So the following Friday we did it again. We hadn’t touched our ukuleles during the week, so we had to learn everything again from scratch.
But it was still lots of fun.
After a few Fridays, we could remember the chords.
We all started finding more songs to play. And more people came to join us.
After six months there were nine of us regularly meeting late on Saturday afternoon to play ukulele.
More than ten years later, our original group is going strong. We call ourselves The Strumbles.
The Strumbles’ bulging music folders include songs by Talking Heads, Kate Bush, David Bowie, Burt Bacharach and the Beatles.
It’s the highlight of my week, and I know others feel the same way.
Why start a ukulele group
“The life I love is making music with my friends.” Willie Nelson
Making music with people I love is the most fun thing in the world for me. And I’ve been delighted to find that other people agree.
(However, some people are solo musicians by inclination. And that’s fine too.)
The ukulele is an instrument that works particularly well in groups. I discovered this after decades of playing other instruments in many kinds of music groups, from orchestras to rock bands. Here’s my post with more about this, Not Just a Tiny Guitar.
Some of the benefits of belonging to a ukulele group
- You’ll make friends.
- You’ll get a regular dose of the joyful endorphins from making music. As one 80-something ukulele player said to me, “High as a kite with no need for drugs!”
- You’ll get to play and sing songs you love.
- Neuroplasticity etc – there’s a lot of research demonstrating the emotional, cognitive and physical benefits from making music and learning new skills.
- Community involvement: Ukulele groups play at all kinds of events. Here are a few examples from my community: The Cossie Ukes organise an annual Anzac Day singalong. The Jammies perform regularly at Waikato Hospital. HUG make music in a local dementia care unit. The Strumbles love playing at birthday parties and environmental events.
- Another benefit of belonging to a group is that you have accountability to practice. You’ll find your skills improve over time.
How to find a ukulele group
Ukulele groups come in all shapes and sizes, from all-comers community groups that meet in public places, to workplace groups, to friends and family jamming around the firepit on a summer evening.
You won’t know what kind of group you like best until you try.
Making music with people you already have things in common with, has a special buzz. Many famous rock bands have formed on this basis.
But when you join a ukulele group you’ll immediately gain friends. Trust me, it works.
Above: The Waikato Uke Jam. When you join a ukulele group, you’ll immediately gain friends.
How to start a ukulele group
You can find a group to join that suits you. Or you can start your own group.
Here’s what you need to start a ukulele group:
Two people is okay, but more is better. The Strumbles stopped at nine members because nine people can fit in a medium-sized living room.
Some groups start by word of mouth; others advertise. Ideally people will have done a beginner ukulele course, or be able to play a few chords. Or be willing to upskill fast! Check out my beginner ukulele resources page here.
Ukuleles and tuners, or a smartphone tuning app. Click here for more ukulele tuning tips.
Song charts – enough copies so that everybody can see the music.
Music stands are useful, to hold the music Here’s my advice about how to choose a music stand.
A time and place to meet
What you don’t need
Huge musical skills or experience. You just need to know the chords and the strums for the songs you’re starting with.
None of the Strumbles were current ukulele players when the group started. Some of us (including me) are musicians who can play many instruments.
Others have some musical background, e.g. Jane learned guitar at teachers’ college. Melissa started from scratch, never having played an instrument – and discovered in her forties that she has a gift for music.
Ukulele group leadership tips
Most groups have a designated musical leader, who starts off the songs. This is a role that can be learned and shared around.
A group also needs leadership of other kinds – organising practice or jam times and venues; bringing in new members; handling requests for performances; co-ordinating refreshments.
Above: Village Jam, led by Rose Elsbury, performing at the Waikato Uke Jam. A ukulele group within a group.
Keeping the music in time
Having someone who keeps a steady beat is essential. A group of musicians will tend to speed up. This might not be the same person as the designated leader. It’s another kind of musical leadership.
Keeping time is a skill that can be learned. Practicing with a metronome – either an online metronome or an electronic model from a music shop will improve your sense of timing.
Some groups have a bass player and/or drummer, which helps people stay in time. A reasonably competent guitarist can also fill this role. (But if more than one guitarist joins, it’s no longer strictly a ukulele group!)
An upright double bass sounds particularly good with a ukulele group. The Strumbles are lucky to have Matthew playing double bass.
There’s also a bass ukulele, aka a “U-bass”. This is played through an amplifier. Some groups have a bass guitarist.
For more about bass and ukulele groups, see my post Many ukuleles, one bass.
Ukulele group music tips
In some groups the leader supplies the music/ song charts. In other groups (e.g. the Strumbles) all members can suggest and contribute music.
A good place to start is with three and four chord songs. There are plenty of these. Here’s my post about great three-chord songs.
Mike Dickison, author of Kiwi Ukulele: The New Zealand Ukulele Companion, (sadly, it’s out of print) claims the one song that’s common to all ukulele groups is “Folsom Prison Blues”. I can confirm that the Strumbles do play this song occasionally.
How to find music for your ukulele group
The Ukulele Club Songbooks (there are at least two volumes) are very popular resources for many groups. (NB this is not an affiliate link.)
When you pay for a book of music, the songwriters will receive a small publishing royalty. I think this is great.
Songwriters deserve to be compensated for their work!
However, books are no guarantee of accuracy. I’ve found mistakes in almost every ukulele song chart ever written – including Beatles books!
You’ll also find lots of free ukulele song charts online. Some are much better than others. Reliable sites include the Bytown Ukulele Group in Ontario (BUG) and Richard G’s Scorpex.com;.
Song chart design – some tips
This is for people who like their music on paper. If you’re using tablets or other devices, some of this might not apply.
Personally I prefer my song charts on paper – so I don’t spend all my life online.
- Ukulele parts are easier to use if they can fit on one page. When a song chart goes over two or three pages, then it becomes fiddly.
- The font size should be big enough for several people to read from one page, if necessary. Verdana is a good readable font, and 14 point is a good size.
- A ukulele song chart doesn’t need the melody in notation. I think that’s a waste of space on the page. Most ukulele players don’t read music. And it’s easy to learn the melody of a song from Youtube or Spotify.
- Most song charts (including published books) don’t specify the strum. As a teacher, I’ve found that it’s actually quite hard to explain a strum in words or notation. It’s a lot easier to demonstrate it in a Youtube video. For some examples, here’s a link to my Strum with Alice Youtube channel.
Is your group performing or jamming?
Some ukulele groups enjoy public performances; others just love playing for the sake of it. The Strumbles perform occasionally, but what we especially love is jamming informally at parties.
If your group performs in public, you’ll need to consider whether to use microphones, and whether to play ukuleles with pickups, etc.
Many ukulele groups just play acoustically. That can work well in places (indoors and outdoors) with hard surfaces under and behind the players.
Above: An informal group of ukulele players outside Waimarie-Hamilton East Community House. No microphones necessary for a neighbourhood jam.
Amplifying an amateur ukulele group is not totally straightforward, in my experience. I’ll write more about this in a future blog post.
It’s especially valuable to include a bass player (only one) and/or rhythm player in your group when you’re performing.
More about ukulele groups
When I was researching this post, I came across How to Start and Grow a Ukulele Group, by Joshua Waldman (not an affiliate link). I don’t disagree with most of what he says. But I could write a completely different book. Maybe I will!
Every single ukulele group leader will do things differently. It’s like everything else about the ukulele – no one size fits all. I love the diversity!
Ukestra is another kind of ukulele group, where everyone plays in parts. A ukulele orchestra. It’s fun and awesomely effective in performance.
Ukestra has been developed and taught by Australian community musicians Jane Jelbart and Mark Jackson, also known as The Sum of the Parts. Here’s a link to my post about Sum of the Parts.
Leading and teaching a Ukestra takes specific musical skills on the part of the leaders – it’s beyond the scope of most small community groups.
My colleague Tony Hansen leads Ukestras, in New Plymouth and occasionally further afield.
Waikato ukulele groups
Ukulele groups are flourishing in my local region.
I won’t list all of the local groups here because I don’t want to miss anyone out!
The best way to find out what groups are active in your part of New Zealand is via the New Zealand Ukulele Network Facebook page.
Want to stay in touch?
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More reading
Beginners Guide To Ukulele – Start Playing Today
How To Choose Your First Ukulele
How To Tune a Ukulele With a Tuner
Top 7 Handy Ukulele Accessories
Over the Rainbow and Beyond: A Realistic Guide for Ukulele Beginners
Do You Use a Pick With a Ukulele?
How To Play Ukulele Without Getting a Sore Hand
Why Kids Need Music – and How You Can Help With Ukulele
Do I have To Read Music To Play Ukulele?
Tips For Left Handed Ukulele Players
Ukulele Adventures – What’s Next After the Beginner Basics