NAME: ROOM:

The Happy Ukulele Book Year 4/5

Lauryn Stanlake
North Kalgoorlie Primary School
Copyright notice: This book w as created solely as an educational resource. The songs and their songsheets are gathered
from various sources and are included as part of this collection under the Fair-Use-Not-For-Profit educational provisions.
No copyright ownership is claimed on any of the songs in this songbook. No affiliate links are included.
Table of Contents

TUNING YOUR UKULELE 3

USING A TUNER OR APP 3
TUNING BY EAR 3

GETTING STARTED 4

FIVE HAPPY RULES OF THUMB 5

THE MAGIC OF PATIENCE AND PRACTICE 6

THE OPEN STRINGS 7

OPEN STRING EXERCISES 8
OPEN STRING MELODIES 9

THE PENTATONIC SCALE 11

PENTATONIC SCALE EXERCISES 12

PENTATONIC SCALE SONGS 13

SAFARI 13
ROCKY MOUNTAIN 14
ACADIAN LULLABY 15
OH! SUSANNA 16
UP ON THE HOUSETOP 16
PRACTICE CHART 17

2
Tuning your ukulele

Using a tuner or app

The easiest way to tune a uke is with a digital
Chromatic Tuner made for the ukulele, which will tell
you how low (flat) or high (sharp) your strings are and
help you get them just right. (The clip-on ukulele
tuners are popular such as those made by Snark
but any standard Chromatic tuner will work for the
ukulele also.)
You can also use a simple ukulele tuner on a phone
or iPad from the app store that plays the four notes
(G, C, E, A) to tune the strings by ear. You could also
use YouTube to tune your ukulele
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqTPbZf44E0

Remember:
- If the note is too low it means the string is too loose
(so tighten it).
- If the note is too high it means the string is too tight
(so loosen it).

Tuning by ear
Sing along with the correct note from your tuner app
or YouTube and then play the string you are tuning.
Singing the two tones side by side will help you figure
out whether your string is tuned too low or too high. If
you learn to tune this way, you eventually may not
even need a tuner!

3
Getting Started:

Your left hand holds the instrument at the top of the fretboard, and the right forearm gently
holds the uke in place against your body, while the right hand strums loosely. (For Lefties, you
Getting Started
can have the
uke strung in reverse and use a left-handed chord chart to learn songs, but you
Your left hand holds the instrument at the top of the
fretboard, and the right forearm gently holds the uke
in place
The ideal place against
to strum your
the strings body, from
is roughly while the right
halfway hand
between the instrument sound
strums loosely.

It is helpful to know the number of the fingers for your

left hand. Your first (index) finger is number 1, and the
number 1, and the others are as follows:
others are as follows:

The right hand letters are for more advanced finger

picking and strumming we wont need! these for a
while but it is nice to know anyway!

4
Five Happy Rules of Thumb

1. Use the tips of your fingers when pressing down

on the strings. (This is harder for people with
longer nails, so its recommended to keep them
fairly short.)
2. Press down in the space between the frets (not
the fret wires themselves!)
3. Keep your left hand position flexibly and your
grip soft, and change as needed for different
notes.
4. Start with your thumb position at the back of the
fretboard, parallel to the frets.
5. If a note doesnt sound clean, it is usually
because youre not pressing the active fingers
hard enough, or your hand is touching the
strings, or you are not following Rules 1-4 above!

5
 The Magic of Patience and Practice

Over time and with practice you will find that
everything becomes easier. Something that was
once challenging becomes easy! Having patience,
and try not to push yourself to learn too much at
truments: once.

The key is repetition over time. As long as you keep

practicing it will get easier and easier until one day
it just flows!

When the magic happens: As you practice a

song over time, you build new neural
pathways in your brain and your skills
increase overall. The more you play, the
easier it gets to learn new songs, memorize
your favorites, and play along with others....
Once you learn a song by heart, thats when
eel the music in
the real magic happens where you can
e it too serious...
really merge with the music and give it new
life. Then you can share your magic wherever
you go with or without the song notes!

ok | Satya Colombo

Most of all have fun, feel the

music in your soul and dont take it
to seriously!

6
 The Open Strings



Focus ON
Lesson ft The Open Stnings
1. Good posture
2. Good tone fhc open strings ofthc ukulele arc
g! c, e, and a,
3. Note reading
4rh ird 2nd

Kny Ponrs gce


o Emphasize correct posture.

Good playing posture is like

good singing posture: "sit
forward in your chair and put
flat on the floor (if
your feet
as if you're ready to
possible)
jump to your feet."

o Ukes should be pointing up at a

roughly a45" angle and should
g' c e
be cradled between the right arm
and the body as shown in the

illustration onpage2.
Hold the ukulelc llat acainst you. tjse thc cushion ol yolr rhunrb ro pick cach string
s here the neck and the bodv of the ukulele meet.

short improvised
. Echo-pick
figures using only the open
strings.

Gary Cant Escape Anacondas
r Il"'s never
too early [o insist on
warrn, full tone.

o Use flashcards to re-enforce note
reading skills and to keep Ir.:,'. :', i l ,:1...'
':irrr::, rr i:r:irr, .i t.: : I l',.,.

students' eyes on you rather than 2

on their fingers.

Altrrroxar- SuccEsrroxs c Couurxrs

Warm up exercise: have students pick quarter notes at a steady It is expected that students will:
pace and change to the flashcard note you hold up. Free r identify and play the open strings
flashcards are available online at: by sight and by name
www.ukuleleintheclassroom.com/resources_C6.htm
o play with warm" full tone
Note that the 4'h string (the "g" string) may be tuned to "high g" r demonstrate good playing posture
(shown in gray on the staff) or "low g" (shown in black). "Low
g" tuning (which requires a thicker string) is more versatile and is
highly recommended for this book. Visit www.ukuleleintheclassroom.com/tuning for more details.

o
Throughout this book, gray notes on the staff show altemate parts for ukuleles with the "high g"7
string. While
more music is playable on a ukulele with a o'low g" string, every lesson in this book can accommodate the
"high g" tuning in some way. Visit www.ukuleleintheclassroom.com/tuning for more details.
 Lesson t
Open String Exercises

:-tn
A repeat srgn ntcrn' play again from the beginning!
-+[

-{nurrroxlr SuccnsrroNs c. ColryrnNrs

 Lesson 2: M
Open String Open Stning Melodies
elodies

Pick each note gently using thc pad ol'your rjght thulnb. Keep a sleady beal.

o a*a & you pBy EX. 1: pow, pow, pow youp 9oAT,
FPEFE JAauEe, oR HUNaAE\aN caNaN.
e

For Ex. 1, say the namc of each nole as you play. then sing
ay IIa's Gol the l1'hole ll'orld itt I{is ltdnds o( Sur le poilt r/ .1t,4qror; as you play.

or
ey
a
nd
.-El-]r
I he.c rrc time signatures: { -{- t',. rop nurnhrr i. thr nrrrbcr ol hcal. n cach rnca.ure.
of 3.
he
he $Z- . t---lr - .- 7 t t , -
z
-L=_
ur
s
gt$o & you puy Ex- :: 1HE oLD AREY lhapg,
.+IAPY HAD A LITTLE LAITB' ap LoNDaN gPtDdE,

of 9
 Lesson2lcorrt'd1

Make evcry note sound warm and
full. For Exercises 4, 5 and 6, play as u'ritten. tben play ds a round.

1. 1

a
C

J =1"=o, ) =z"tor. ).=zr.orc o= 4BEA',.-

<Y PICK AND AINO GI' EXCERT ROA HE ''1tr8'' B!@IE CAILi
CN YOU LEARN ffE REgT OF IT BY EAR?

Fa - ding ljghl dims the sight Ald a slar gemsthe sky glea-ming bright...

^{oorrroNar, Succnsrroxs c CovmrnNrs

10
Although students aren't playing chords yet it's important that
 The Pentatonic Scale
Lesson 3' The Penfotonic Scale

lst ftet
_-----)t
,=-=) z
2nd fret

erally F ^>t 3rd lret

otes
e new
_ \\-- 5r+ 4th lret

es are How nany letter narnes ale tllerc in this pcnlatonic scalc'l

le?"

Am For C C Anr

first t'-l
l!:...1
ltl
EII]
tll-l ffiffiffi
Y

e, e.g.

Keep your lett thLuttb bebind the neck of-vouruke to support your lingers'
ond Prcss urltil you get a clciin. clcar sound

he toP
A pentatonic scale is a
musical scale or mode
WAT 9OE9 TH WORP IPENTA|ON|C' 6gN?
Wffi I9 GIg aCAIE CAIID THE NPENTATON1C ACALE'?
with five notes per
hown octave in contrast to a
ote: heptatonic (seven
the note) scale such as the
major scale and minor
scale.

It is expected that students11

will:
"finger-to-fret" ru1e: 1" finger in the 1"
et, 3'd finger in the 3'd fret, etc' . accurately play the Pentatonic
 Lesson 3

Pentatonic Scale Exercises

Lescn 3, cont'di

\ *o.t
NOTE

-- ; a :t -- . . .i-7-:-ZZ*-------)
=: - r
a*teoJ
Ttt-
Nffi

EICfr
NOE \
{

--Gr-
AND erN6 By eap. A,LD aNe syNE. 12
* "'""
Pentatonic Scale Songs
Safari
Safari is a Swahili word that means journey. Youre starting on an
exciting journey through music with ukulele. Practice often and your
musical safari will be fun and rewarding!

13
 Rocky Mountain
Beginning in northern British Columbia, Canada, and stretching all the
way to New Mexico, U.S.A., the Rocky Mountains are a range of
mountains over 4,800 kilometres long.

LYRICS
Rocky mountain, rocky mountain, rocky mountain high,
When youre on that rocky mountain hang your head and cry.

Do, do, do, do, do remember me,

Do, do , do, do, do remember me.

Sunny Valley, sunny valley, sunny valley low,

When youre in that sunny valley, sing it soft and slow.

Do, do, do, do, do remember me,

Do, do , do, do, do remember me.

Stormy ocean, stormy ocean, stormy ocean wide,

When youre on that deep blue sea, theres no place you can hide.

Do, do, do, do, do remember me,

Do, do , do, do, do remember me.

14
Acadian Lullaby
This traditional lullaby is from Eastern Canada. Acadians were the
earliest French settlers in the Canadian maritime provinces of Nova
Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

15


Oh! Susanna

LYRICS
from Alabama with a banjo on my knee,
I came
Im goin to Louisiana my true love for to see.

It rained all night the day I left, the weather it was dry.

The sun so hot I froze to death Susanna dont you cry.

Up on the Housetop

LYRICS
Up on the housetop reindeer pause,
Out jumps good old Santa Claus;
Down through the chimney with lots of toys,
All for the little ones, Christmas joys.

First comes the stocking of little Nell;

Oh, dear Santa fill it well;
Give her a dolly that laughs and cries;
One that will open and shut her eyes.

16
 Practice Chart
Use this practice chart to write down how many
minutes you have practiced for each day. Aim for
10-15
Practice minutes of practice a day. What will you
Chart
reward yourself with if you reach your goal? Reward Charts for Kids
name
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Week Week Grand

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
# Total Total

10

11

12

Weekly Goal : Reward :

Hours : Reward :

Hours : Reward :

17

Practice Chart Template by Vertex42.com