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Published:
2014-02-17
Updated:
2025-07-28

Learning Ukulele with Curt

Reading for `Ukulele - Lesson One, Introduction

This is a series of lessons for reading music for ukulele at a pro level. Reading can be thought of on many different levels. 1) the ability to slowly and painfully “work out” the written music. 2) the ability to “hear” the music by looking at the notation. 3) the ability to “notate” your ideas in standard music notation. 4) the ability to “read” music as you read a book or an article. 5) the ability to communicate with other musicians in the written language of music. 6) the ability to learn songs that you’ve never heard.

Author(s): Curt Sheller Publisher: Curt Sheller Publications Code: UKEREAD1S-1

Main Category: Reading Main Instrument: Ukulele

Subjects: Chords

2025-07-28

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Introduction Note Recognition Open Position Key Signatures, Sharps Key Signatures, Flats Ties Rests & Position II Position III Position IV

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Reading for `Ukulele - Lesson One, Introduction

This is a series of lessons for reading music for ukulele at a pro level. Reading can be thought of on many different levels. 1) the ability to slowly and painfully “work out” the written music. 2) the ability to “hear” the music by looking at the notation. 3) the ability to “notate” your ideas in standard music notation. 4) the ability to “read” music as you read a book or an article. 5) the ability to communicate with other musicians in the written language of music. 6) the ability to learn songs that you’ve never heard.

Reading can be thought of on many different levels.

  1. the ability to slowly and painfully “work out” the written music.
  2. the ability to “hear” the music by looking at the notation.
  3. the ability to “notate” your ideas in standard music notation.
  4. the ability to “read” music as you read a book or an article.
  5. the ability to communicate with other musicians in the written language of music.
  6. the ability to learn songs that you’ve never heard.

Reading for ukulele is NOT the ability to follow tab. Tab has so many flaws, I’m amazed that it ever became popular. It serves some role as a quick way to get at a recorded riff or solo without the ear necessary to work it out on your own. But tab as a method of “reading” ? ... In the first place, there is either no indication of rhythm or an overly simplistic presentation of rhythm. If it has the rhythm notated properly and If you could accurately read the rhythm notations, you would be well on your way to reading anyway.

Myth! You can’t learn to read music as an adult. You can only learn to read music if you start very young. Well, that’s totally false! The problem has been poorly organized, amateurish reading methods for guitar / ukulele and teachers who don’t understand how to teach reading at a professional level.