Arts & Entertainment, Music
Meet Your Instructor: Jake Shimabukuro
Lesson time 03:30 min
Jake Shimabukuro is a virtuoso ʻukulele player and composer. He welcomes you to his class and shares what you’ll learn.
Students give MasterClass an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars
Topics include: Jake Shimabukuro Teaches the ‘Ukulele
Teaches ʻUkulele
Jake Shimabukuro teaches you how to take your ʻukulele from the shelf to center stage, with techniques for beginners and seasoned players alike.
Sign UpPreview
[00:00:00.00] [MUSIC PLAYING] [00:00:11.48] ['UKULELE MUSIC] [00:00:37.43] [00:00:39.94] NARRATOR: Jake Shimabukuro is the king of 'ukulele. His fast, complex fingerwork has made him an internationally respected musician, with Rolling Stone naming him a musical hero and others calling him the Jimi Hendrix of his instrument. [00:00:56.08] [00:00:56.46] - That's one of my favorite things I've ever seen over here. Jake Shimabukuru. [00:01:00.88] ['UKULELE MUSIC] [00:01:02.20] JAKE SHIMABUKURU: I always knew that music would be a big part of my life. But I never dreamed that one day I'd be collaborating, you know, with so many of my heroes, musicians of all different genres, or that I'd be playing in all these different countries, you know, all over the world. The 'ukulele is the true underdog of instruments. And to see it blossom is beautiful. [00:01:26.79] [00:01:30.52] ['UKULELE MUSIC] [00:01:57.88] - Aloha. I'm Jake Shimabukuro. And this is my MasterClass. [00:02:03.19] ['UKULELE MUSIC] [00:02:13.34] The thing that I love most about the 'ukulele is that it's not intimidating. When you mention to someone, hey, why don't you, ah, play the piano, or the violin, or-- or the cello, or even the guitar, people will sometimes shy away and just say, oh, man, I-- I can't play any musical instruments. I don't have any talent. But with the 'ukulele, if you say, oh, how about the 'ukulele? They'll be like, oh, that sounds like fun. [00:02:34.19] We're going to have fun navigating this instrument, you know, learning a few chords. I'm going to show you how you can play classic rock tunes like Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" and passages from Schubert's "Ave Maria" to Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." You know, just a little bit of everything. [00:02:54.15] You know, we're going to be, uh, talking about things like, um, you know, melody, harmony, rhythm. You know, incorporating dynamics into your playing. Right? Playing soft, playing loud. [00:03:04.66] Um, just really getting the most out of your instrument. Right? And I promise you, if you have a couple fingers to spare, and you know how to count, you will learn how to play this instrument.
About the Instructor
Called the “Jimi Hendrix of the ʻukulele,” Jake Shimabukuro won worldwide acclaim for his fresh and fearless musical interpretations. Now he’s sharing his approach so anyone can experience the joys of the ʻukulele, from the simple chords that make up hundreds of songs to more complex fingerings and compositions. Learn how to adapt songs you love for ʻukulele or write your own. Stop worrying and start strumming.
Featured MasterClass Instructor
Jake Shimabukuro
Jake Shimabukuro teaches you how to take your ʻukulele from the shelf to center stage, with techniques for beginners and seasoned players alike.
Explore the Class