21 Songs in 6 Days: Learn Ukulele the Easy Way: Ukulele Songbook Paperback – November 21, 2013

I am fairly new to the ukulele (a little over a year) but have played piano and guitar for over 30 years. My musical background is comprehensive. I am also a private teacher of these instruments.I have looked at many, many "method" books for all 3 of these instruments over the past several years. When I started to read through this book, I was very pleasantly surprised. I was very happy to see how much was covered in a short amount of pages and that it was covered in a very logical order. A lot of the method books I have seen are not logical in my opinion. Not only does this book cover the concepts in a logical sequence, but each concept and techniques from the chapter before are reviewed before moving into the new concepts and technique. Having the videos examples for each of the songs and techniques and concepts was a very smart addition to the book. I have to think hard on how many standard method books actually have videos to watch for what they explain in their books.It is impressive that you are able to learn 21 songs in just 6 days, using just 5 basic chords. The suggested strum rhythms are logically suggested for the song rhythms.The chord changes are illustrated uniquely with font changes in the words for each change, but I thought this was a bit confusing, as I am used to having chords above the words for each line, so that I know what is next. With this method, I have to think a little harder on what chord is next and if I forget what chord goes with what font, I have to stop and check, whereas with a chord chart I can keep going. That's really my only "dissatisfaction" with this book, and didn't warrant affecting the rating.The basic introductory items on getting setup to play with getting an instrument, etc., was comprehensively covered, so you can get ready to start right away.Overall I thought this was very well done, a very fast read, and all explained in very simple ways rather than trying to understand alot of technical and theoretical jargon. I am looking forward to seeing the next one!

The book and accompanying videos are great! I’m coming from a place of never even picked up a ukulele before so I’m taking things a little slower than advertised. I like the fact I can go back and watch the videos over and over again. I will continue working through the book and feel certain that with Jenny Peter’s help, I’ll be playing the ukulele!

I waited until I had worked through this entire book/set of videos before leaving a review. The fact that I did work through the whole thing and finish it says something; when I was learning the harmonica a few years ago I started several instructional books that I never finished.For a true beginner with little to no experience in stringed instruments or reading music, I think this is a good book. It takes things very slow, and things are very well explained. The videos make it a great value, in my opinion. Sure, there are lots of free videos out there, but having a set of planned out (by someone with experience) lessons to follow that build on each other really helps.I hate the trend of calling one lesson one "day". It took me much longer than a day to really master some of the later lessons. That's probably good. If each lesson had realistically been something I could do in a day, and I finished it in less than a week I wouldn't have felt like it was such a great value.There are a limited number of chords covered in this book, but when you're done you know them really well. Same goes for the strumming patterns. I think this is a good thing generally, but when i try to play songs with G now I keep playing either G7 or and unholy hybrid of the two that sounds terrible. I think that will work itself out with a little practice.The bonus songs include 3/4 time and several strumming patterns not covered in the lessons, which at first really irritated me because I couldn't do them. But as I continued and kept with it, those songs gave me a challenge, something to reach for that I ultimately figured out, and I appreciated that.Even as someone with only a rudimentary knowledge of reading music, I like having the sheet music and not just chords for each song. I could use that rudimentary knowledge to help me figure out the strumming for 3/4 time in the bonus songs, and it helped my understanding of the songs and how to play them in other small ways.I generally liked that the songs were old folk songs/children's songs. I like folk songs, but also it gave me something to learn with that was simple and that I didn't have a deep attachment to. Practicing the rudimentary skills of ukulele one a song I actually really liked as I waited on this book to arrive kind of ruined that song for me. I can practice on songs like "Row Your Boat" and "A Ram Sam Sam" and it gets the job done of teaching basic skills without associating a beloved song with repeated failure and mind-numbing practice. :) I know they always say to learn with songs you love to motivate you, but it just didn't work that well for me.

Peters and Bogart get you started “playing” right out of the gate without getting bogged down in music theory, counting beats, or the other details that might distract or confuse a novice. It’s great for a quick course designed for adult learners or younger players who want to get a fast start. The online videos are a nice extra. Some of the more traditional music teachers might not care for this method, but I recently sat in a classroom full of new students strumming in near perfect unison on day one, so it’s worth trying for a more casual instructional situation. Cost control was probably the reason that the authors used some rather tired or very obscure public domain songs, but that’s not an uncommon thing to see in beginner books. Don’t expect to be playing the latest hits or Beatles classics while using this book, but you can start here and a big ukulele STAR. Practice every day, even if you only have a minute or two to spare.