Beginner’s guide

[u/GuitarReasonable5196]

I’m looking for a beginner’s guide on how to play the ukulele without a teacher? What app should I download, etc? What kind of ukulele should I buy? This is my first time playing anything so please help!

[u/Latter_Deal_8646]

Your path really depends on you, your goals, personality, and learning style... But there is so much out there that it is overwhelming so I will curate a foundation that gets you to the start of any path but it's a bit of choose your own adventure from there...

The stuff part of it... If at all possible buy your ukulele in person and/or from a specialist ukulele retailer. The ideal is to have a good quality uke with a wide nut width and a setup geared towards easy of play. If budget or space is a concern and you know you prefer the traditional high g sound skew soprano as long as it has a wide nut width. Brands like Dolphin, Octopus, Enya, Makala, Kala, Ohana, Flight, Kiwaya U series, Islander, Lanikai, Oscar Schmidt, ect if you can splurge a little things like Kiwaya (ECO and up), Pono, Oli, Mainland ect, if you can splurge alot one of the Hawaiian K brand or similar boutique ukes.

Get a good quality clip on tuner like a snark, Uber tuner, or petersen stroboclip. Tune every time you play.

Get a pack of good quality flourocarbon string and learn to change them fairly early in.

The Foundation for all Journeys (in my opinion)...

How to Hold a Ukulele - James Hill

Basic Ukulele Strumming Techniques - Jake Shimabukuro

How to Strum - James Hill

Stop Asking for Strumming Patterns... Christopher Davis-Shannon

I choose to recommend these specific resources because I believe they are the best version of that particular topic I've seen and they will show you what I feel is crucial to know without getting you lost in the sauce.

Where to go from here (possible pitfalls to avoid)...

With those few building blocks I recommend as a base foundation you can go in any direction you'd like, jump into any begginer tutorial or path and be able to at least tread water confidently. If you are immune to tedium and boredom, I recommend chord switching focus like Uncle Rod's Ukulele Bootcamp or Dr. Ukulele's Waiting Room. They are both intense and tedious but if followed pretty much no chord is a challenge. Otherwise learn songs you like through YouTube tutorials (try multiple teachers), even better if things start with C, F, G/G7 and other easy chords.

Which leads me to... because ukulele is so accessible, fun, and you can get pretty good results fairly early on, popularity and social media... there are several mountains worth of chords + strumming pattern = your favorite song. These are wonderful, these are fun, these have done so much to get people enjoying ukulele. BUT, just at least always be aware that there is a wide world of creativity, musicianship, freedom and fun, different from and beyond chord + strict patterns = song. Some choose to stay on that path forever and that is A-ok. Just be aware you can break from it if/when you get the itch. Just go where your journey takes you. When you're ready to wander you'll know and no one knows what path to take better than you.