Brooklyn Ukulele Lessons NYC
The Ukulele is one of the most popular instruments on the mainland these days – its small size makes it great for travel, easy to play for children, and quicker to learn the basics! A committed adult student can often find themselves strumming some of their favorite tunes in only a few weeks – if you are studying with the right teacher! Our Brooklyn Ukulele Lessons are currently taught by two fantastic instructors. Whether studying with Braden Palmer or Kyle Schweizer, you or your child will be playing in no time!
Our Ukulele Teachers
Kyle is a wind-instrument player first, but as a prolific arranger and songwriter, he started playing the most popular chordal instruments – Guitar, Piano, and Ukulele. His Brooklyn Ukulele Lessons revolve around playing and singing pop and rock songs, by artists such as U2, David Bowie, Elton John and more. His unique perspective as a Sax and Clarinet player also makes him a great choice for Ukulele players who want to study Jazz and Swing music!
Braden started teaching Brooklyn Ukulele Lessons many years ago – as a guitarist, he wanted to be a more versatile musician, so he picked up the instrument and was quickly strumming and singing songs! For beginners, Braden likes using Alfred’s Basic Ukulele Method to teach students basic music reading, though some adults who have had some previous musical experience can start strumming chords right away. He also recommends learning songs by the Beatles, as they translate well to the Ukulele! And let’s not forget everyone’s favorite Ukulele tune – Somewhere Over the Rainbow, made immensely popular on the instrument by Hawaiian internet sensation, Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwoʻole! The ukulele he used though was not a traditional soprano – his huge stature and giant hands would not have been able to play it! Read on to learn more about the Ukulele family!
Meet the Family
There are four main types of Ukuleles. The Soprano Ukulele is the most popular – it’s the smallest and is tuned from the highest pitched string A,E,C,G. However, the G is tuned HIGHER than the E, which gives most of the Ukuleles their signature tight, closed chord voicing sound. Prospect Music Lessons teachers recommend the soprano ukulele for kids who want to play the guitar but are too young to physically play the instrument (usually under seven years old). It’s also a lot of fun for adults to play unless you have huge hands/fingers!
The next size is the Concert Ukulele, occasionally referred to as the Alto. It’s tuned the same as the Soprano, however, it’s a bit bigger and has a deeper, fuller sound. It’s the preferred Ukulele for adults, as it is played exactly like the soprano but projects more!
The last two Ukuleles are the Tenor and the Baritone. The Tenor is a bit bigger than the Concert, and is often tuned with a G string an octave lower – A,E,C,G but all descending. This gives it a much wider open chord sound and fills in a larger sonic spectrum. Not a lot of people know this, but IZ plays a tenor with a low G string on his famous recording of Somewhere Over the Rainbow! If you listen carefully, you’ll hear the low G on many of the chords he strums.
Last but not least, the Baritone Ukulele is even bigger and tuned a fourth lower than the Tenor. Think of a guitar with the low E and A strings chopped off! This Ukulele is immensely popular with guitar players, as all of the chords are played the same – minus the two low strings! It has a great sound that fits in between the ranges of the more traditional Ukuleles and the Guitar.
Advanced Ukulele and Beyond
If you’re already experienced and now taking more advanced Brooklyn Ukulele Lessons with one of our teachers, you’ll study different strum patterns with both the index finger and a pick, chord voicings, barre chords, melodic lines, finger-style playing, and more. We’ll work on singing and playing at the same time, learning either the songs that you love or songs suggested by the teacher that fit your current level. Many Ukulele students also choose to “graduate” to Guitar! You’ll have a lot of the technical and musical skills necessary to advance from four strings to six. Many younger students take this route. However, the Ukulele is so much fun and so easy to travel with that most students eventually come back to it!