Complete Beginner's Ukulele Guide

Great learning tool on Uke but not for the TOTAL beginner
This DVD is the first in a set of three instructional DVDs by Fred Sokolow from the series produced by Stefan Grossman and his Guitar Workshop label. The other in the series are "Intermediate" and "Advanced". Though the official title of the DVD is "Complete Beginners Ukulele Guide" (see the package image), Amazon lists it as "Complete Basic Ukulele Guide", which is - honestly - a better description (though the wrong title). I'm not a musician, but a huge ukulele fan, and I thought this might start me at the "beginning". But instructor Sokolow assumes from the "get go" that you understand musical notes and chords - and probably already play the guitar. He does state in the first chapter that "if you don't play the guitar already, you might want to skip the first few minutes" but, even after that is assumes you know you E flts and F sharps. Not being a musician (someone has to be an audience after all), I felt lost. But if you know music scales - and certainly if you play the guitar -...

Fred Sokolow is great.
I really, really like this dvd. The choice of material is very good. I am expecially enjoying learning "I Ride an Old Paint." This is the first of 3 dvd's he has coming out, the beginner, to be followed by, you guessed it, intermediate and advance.

I've been playing almost 2 years, starting from absolute beginner and learning music theory as well, working with a teacher and using the James Hill books. It has been a struggle but worthwhile. This dvd takes a different approach to the theory, right away getting you to wrap your brain around the concept of "the one, four, five," of which ever key you are in. I'm not sure but I think it might be an easier approach than what I went through. I've been getting closer and closer to understanding that concept over these first couple years but, man, it's been "painful," (in a good way!) at times. Even though I've been playing for a while, in a weekly class, some one on one lessons and a couple workshops, there is enough meat here for...



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