Berklee Solo Ukulele

Learn to play ukulele solo! This book will help you arrange and perform ukulele pieces unaccompanied. You will learn essential ukulele techniques to capture the instrument’s unique sonority and character, such as Campanella technique, clawhammer, tremolo, harmonics, and various fingerstyle patterns. Each concept and technique is supported by exercises and songs, including play-along audio tracks. Traditional notation, chord diagrams, ukulele tablature are included.

You will learn to:

• Navigate the ukulele fretboard, mapping out locations for notes, chords, and exploring a variety of fingering options
• Construct, analyze, and play triads and seventh chords in multiple voicings, which will lead you to more expressive and polished arrangements that are easier to play
• Perform uke-specific techniques that capture the instrument’s unique characters, such as Campanella and clawhammer techniques

• Play harmonics, tremolos, and other characteristic ukulele sonorities

• Use various fingerstyle patterns to broaden the possibilities of comping texture
• Arrange melodies for solo performance, using melodic harmonization and other techniques, with examples in a variety of musical styles, based on popular melodies such as “Amazing Grace,” “St. James Infirmary,” “Avalon,” “Aloha ‘Oe,” “Londonderry Air,” “Shenandoah,” and others

Karen Hogg is a multi-instrumentalist: ukulele, guitar, mandolin, and other stringed instruments. She is also an educator and author.

“Karen Hogg’s ‘ukulele instructional book is fantastic! She covers so many different playing styles and organizes the information in a thoughtful way that is clear and easy to grasp. The book will not only help you to become a better ‘ukulele player, but it’ll also make you a better musician. Aloha!”

—Jake Shimabukuro, Ukulele Virtuoso

“I’m a multi-instrumentalist who is new to the ukulele. Within minutes of picking up this book, I was playing songs, and even found some tasty chord voicings I could transfer over to guitar. You can get up and running immediately or take a deep dive into the flexibility of this magical little axe. I’m gonna do both!”

—Byron Isaacs, Bassist for the Lumineers

“By far the most comprehensive, gap-bridging, innovative ukulele method book on the market. Karen Hogg draws on her mastery of fretted instruments across genres, distilling her knowledge into a practical guidebook outlining both popular and under-appreciated techniques, and giving readers a new concept of both the ukulele’s capabilities and their own potential.”

—Charissa Hoffman, Singer-Songwriter, Ukuleleist

“Karen Hogg has written the ukulele book I wish I’d had when I was learning to play. She answers the questions I was asking… and a few I didn’t know to ask.”

—John Knowles, PhD, CGP, Grammy Award Winning Guitarist, Composer, Educator