News, Updates & Search 
Songs & TABS 
Online Lessons 
Featured Ukulele Lessons
Learning Ukulele Strums - A Recipe for Success
click this link to view lesson...
A strum is the execution of a rhythmic pattern - in a specific style at tempo.
Learning Strums, A Receipe for Success covers how to go about learning the various rhythmic patterns that are strums.
Strumming requires a specific set of skills. They are: 1) Memorization of chords 2) The ability to switch chords smoothly and 3) The ability to choose and execute a suitable rhythmic strum.
This series of lesson's focus is on the execution.
Six Essential Scales for Ukulele
click this link to view lesson...
The six essential scale are: Blues, Major Pentatonic, Mixolydian, Dorian, Aeolian, and Ionian.
There are two scales that can be the memorized and all other essential scales referenced from these two. These two scales are the Major and Natural Minor scales. The Major and Natural Minor scales are traditional scales and common scales in all forms of contemporary music. This lesson explores the Major and Natural Minor scales and their derivations.
From these two scales the Blues, Major Pentatonic, Mixolydiand and Dorian scale can be created.
Core Chords - Creating the Big Six from F7, 1st Voicing
click this link to view lesson...
Taking a movable F7 chord, you can derive each of the 'big six' essential chords. 7, maj7, m7, m7b5, dim7, and aug7.
Featured Books 
Learning the Ukulele Fingerboard - C Tuning
Beyond knowing the names of the open strings most ukulele players find it hard to learn the whole fingerboard.
If your goal is to finally learn the names of the notes on the ukulele fingerboard. Then "Learning the Ukulele Fingerboard" is your answer. "Learning the Ukulele Fingerboard - C Tuning" has a step by step approach to finally mastering the ukulele fingerboard. FREE download.
The Blues Scale
Learn to play the Blues scale on ukulele. Available in "C" Tuning. Scale diagrams in the QuickStart format and chords chart for all keys. This book is a FREE download.
Ukulele Chords
NEW This small (1/2 size) chord book is a great little book to carry with you. Ukulele Chords covers basic open position and basic movable form chords. From these two chord categories a variety of songs and styles can be played.
A Guide to Ukulele Chords
This book is designed as a guide to ukulele (pronounced “oo-koo-lele”) chords. Covering basic ukulele chords that ALL uke players MUST know, movable chord forms, rock uke chords, how to transpose chords, learning the ukulele fingerboard and an introduction to 4-part “jazz” chords and more...
Ukulele For Guitar Players
Ukulele for Guitar Players is a guide to transferring the accumulated experience and knowledge gained as a guitar played to the ukulele.
A Guide to Blues Chord Progressions for Ukulele A to Z
Covers the key of C major and C minor, including a detailed accompanying text explaining the principles behind each progression and the chord substutitions.
Exploring "Jazz" Chords on Ukulele
Exploring "Jazz" Chords takes the core chords from A Guide to Advanced Chords for Ukulele and shows their use over a variety of common chord progressions based on songs from the standard jazz repertoire.
A Guide to Advanced Chords for Ukulele
If your goal is to expand your chord vocabulary, The Advanced Guide to Ukelele Chords Series is your answer. Commonly referred to as "jazz" chords. A Guide to Advanced Ukulele Chords Volume I provides detailed information on voicing 4-part chords.
The Advanced Guide to Guitar Chords
Commonly referred to as "jazz" chords this provides detailed information on voicing 4-part chords.
Harmonic Analysis For Scale Selection And Chord Substitution
Harmonic Analysis is the understanding of the functional sequence of chords. It is the process used to analyze the harmonic structure of a progression, song or composition. This analysis is then used to make scale selections for improvisation and chord substitution.
Ukulele - Reading Music Series
Reading Music in Open Position, Single Note Studies- Primer. Reading music is not as hard as one might think. It may be new and unfamiliar to you but is not hard when you have a proper plan of attack.
Featured Song/TAB
Blue Bossa
click this link to view song...
Blue Bossa is an instrumental jazz composition by Kenny Dorham (August 30, 1924 – December 5, 1972). It was introduced on Joe Henderson's 1963 album Page One. A blend of hard bop and bossa nova, the tune was possibly influenced by Dorham's visit to the Rio de Janeiro Jazz Festival in 1961. The tune has since been recorded numerous times by different artists, making it a jazz standard.
Includes: Play-along Lead Sheet, Ukulele TAB of Melody, Melody and Chord Ukulele rrangement, example chords and scales for accompanment and improv.
Over 1800 pages of
ukulele, guitar and music content. And 146 lessons for FREE or any donations.
Subscribe to Updates
Website brought to you by
Curt Sheller
Curt Sheller Publications
www.CurtSheller.com
and hosted by:
[ v2.56.2.0.3 ]
“Folks, if you haven't stopped by Curt's site, do so right now! ..And get his books, they are fantastic. This guy knows his stuff and is able to pass it along too.” - - Alan Johnson Proprietor, The 4th Peg
“I can highly recommend Curt's Uke books -- I have four of them and they are excelent.” - fatveg - Portland
Banners Ads
- 125x125 Badge (Sidebar-every page) : $20/month (discount rate, $200 for 1 Year)
- Banner ad on a particular page - contact me for more information and rates.
For More Information
For more information contact curt@curtsheller.com. For available pages visit the ad rates page.
I choose just a few companies whose products I believe in, use and recommend. Nobody else gets to advertise here.
Curt Sheller • All Things `Ukulele and Jazz Guitar
The Basics and Beyond!!! Take your playing to the next level.
The Internet's largest collection of information for ukulele and jazz guitar.
YOU ARE HERE • HOME > GUITAR > INSTRUMENTS > INDEX
RELATED PAGES: • Guitar Home Page •Types of Guitars Home Page •
Archtop •
Acoustic •
Classical •
7 String •
Tenor •
Solid Body •
Lap Steel •
Mass Production Manufactures
Guitar Builders and Manufactures
Custom Guitar Builders - Luthiers
- Archtop Luthiers
There is an entire section devoted to archtop guitar builders. Searching for a seven string archtop of my own led to creating the original GuitarResources.com which led to JazzGuitarResources.com site. Over 240 luthiers listed.
- Acoustic
A collection of links and information for acoustic guitar and related info for the jazz guitarist.
- Classical
Also called the "Spanish guitar" or "nylon string guitar". The classical guitar is well known for its comprehensive right hand technique, which allows the soloist to perform complex melodic and polyphonic material, in much the same manner as the piano.
- Tenor
The tenor guitar is a slightly smaller, four-string version of the steel-string acoustic guitar or electric guitar. The instrument (in its acoustic form) was developed so that players of the four-string, tenor banjo could double on the guitar. Later, solid-body electric models were also produced.
- Solid Body
A solid-body instrument is a string instrument such as a guitar, bass or violin built without its normal sound box and relying on an electric pickup system to directly receive the vibrations of the strings. Depending on the wood and pickup combinations available some are suitable for jazz.
- Lap Steel
The lap steel guitar is a type of steel guitar, an instrument derived from and similar to the guitar. The player changes pitch by pressing a metal or glass bar against the strings instead of by pressing strings against the fingerboard.
Major Manufactures
Companies that push a lot of instruments and have a dealer network. Most have custom shops and off-the-rack guitars for under a $1000 that can get one started playing jazz.
The Seven String Guitar
As a seven string jazz guitarist I have a collected a bit of information on the the seven string guitar and its players
Hard Copy Book: $14.95
PDF Download: $4.95
QuickStart Scale Fingerings for Lead Guitar - Volume I
Learn to create exciting solos in a variety of contempory styles!
Scales are used to improvise, create melodies and riffs. With a broad knowledge of the essential scales that are used in contemporary music and a mastery of the guitar's fingerboard and fingering principles you're well on your way.
Master these fingerings and unlock your potential as a lead guitar player!
QUICKSTART - Scale Fingerings for Lead Guitar is a concise, well organized book ideal for any guitar player beginning to explore "Lead Guitar". Unlike so many other guitar instruction books on the market, Scale Fingerings for Lead Guitar keeps a sharp focus on the six critical scales, their fingerings and their related chords. All material is covered in every key.
Thanks for visiting and checking the site!
Content is always being added and updated. So check-in often. Thanks, Curt
P.S. You may think from the look of it that Curt Sheller Publications is a slick, profitable business, but it's actually not (maybe a car payment a month, cheap car). I spend a lot and time money creating the content, lessons and books for this site (a labor of love), so if you dig my content and want to see more of it. I could use your help by spreading the word and maybe buying a book or two if you haven't already, to help defray the cost of running the site. Thanks in advance for your help. This is a labor of love and I'd do it even if I didn't make a lot of money, hey I don't!
You can also make a donation to the lesson-site fund. Button in the sidebar of the site.
If I'm not teaching, I'm working on this site and new lessons, books and goodies.
INDEX.PHP | Updated: Sunday, 01st April, 2012 @ 01:39pm