Since the dawn of the Underground, UUers the world over have been working ’round-the-clock, in a concerted effort to completely transform the universal opinion of what an “ukulele song” should sound like.

We’re blasting “Tiny Bubbles” right out of the water.

So when it was suggested that there should be a new Uke Lesson for the unbelievably epic hit, “Billie Jean” (by the one and only King of Pop, Mr. Michael Jackson), we were all like, “Why the heck not?”

So here it is - simple, straightforward, and a hoot to boot - we hope not to offend anyone who loves this song, and hope beyond hope that you enjoy playing it! Take a little time, check out the lesson, master it, and share with all of your amigos here in the Underground. And, as always, if you’ve got questions, check out the Forum for help and advice (about pretty much anything).

Alohas,
-UU Staff

Ooh, One more thing! Don’t forget to check back reeely soon for details on this month’s UKULELE GIVE-AWAY CONTEST!!

Well hellooo there Undergroundlings! Here we go again, with another quick ukulele tip - this time on UKE MINUTES, Aldrine addresses a question that we’ve been getting a lot lately … “So how, exactly, do you do that ‘CHUNK’ thing??”

Check it out. The chunking technique is used to add a percussive sound to your strum; basically the equivalent of clapping, using your strings. To chunk, strum down using three or four fingers of your right hand, then immediately dampen the strings with the side of your thumb (while your thumb is pointed towards the ground). If done quickly and correctly, you should get a nice, juicy “CHUNK” sound.

Remember, chunking doesn’t take a lot of force. You should be able to create a fairly clean chunk sound with minimal effort, so don’t try to hit your ukulele hard (and definitely DON’T dig into the strings on the down strum). Take the time to experiment with this and you’ll be chunking like a pro in no time!

If you have any other questions, do yourself a solid and hit up the ridiculously awesome people in the UU Forum (seriously, some of them are famed for their awesomeness). Thanks bunches to all you ukers a-commin’ up in the world. We love ya lots!

-UU Staff

Alright UU Crew-members … It’s doesn’t get much better than this. The Man, The Myth, The Legend - The Jake Shimabukuro (that’s right, I put ‘The’ in front of his name, just because he’s that awesome) - came around and hung out a bit with UU. So here it is, a very special episode of UKE MINUTES - PLUCK STRUM (with Jake Shimabukuro)!

Have fun with this technique, play around with it for a bit, and when you feel the time is right, log into our forum discussion about this episode and talk with some other cool people about it, too! Hope you enjoy chillin’ it here with Jake (and when you see him, please don’t give him a hard time about the fruit kabob thing).

Alohas,
-UU Staff

Oooh, one more thing! If you’re gonna be in the Honolulu area on August 12th, don’t forget to stop by ALOHA TOWER MARKETPLACE (at around 4:30pm) for the UU Oahu Meetup. Aldrine will be there, along with Dino, Fred, Keonikapila, Experimentjon, and a bunch more peeps from the Underground. Aldrine will also be playing at Diamond Head Cove later that night, so come out and jam, then hang out for the show! Check out the thread for more info …

Hey there all you ukulele evangelists! Today we bring you a very special episode of UKE LESSONS - Aldrine’s very own original song, RED AND SILKY! We’ve been getting a lot of awesome emails at askaldrine(at)gmail.com inquiring about this little ditty, so here it is. From the seductive chord progression and strumming to the super-sensual riff, it’s all here for the taking! Once you’ve got it down, do a cover and share it with everyone here in the Underground! (Don’t be afraid, we’re all about constructive criticism and positivity here).

If you would really like a *High-Quality* copy of Red and Silky, as well as Aldrine’s other original songs (including Bandito Tyler, Buttercup, Ducky Adores Me, Uke on a Stick, and more) - it’s not too late! We still have a few more of Aldrine’s Debut CD, Suite 409, lying around, so check it out and ORDER IT HERE today!

Much Mahalo to everyone who makes UU such an awesome place for ukulele players of all levels, ages, and geographic locations (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, then you haven’t been to our FORUM yet). Thanks 10-thousand tons!!

Aloha,
-UU Staff