In this post, I’ll talk about Jake Shimabukuro Ukulele Masterclass Review. Wondering how suddenly people around you are talking about Ukulele? Are some of your friends also starting to play this instrument? Or maybe you are experiencing a sudden vibe to play it?
Well, this is not witchcraft. This is the talent and popularity of Jake Shimabukuro playing out.
His level of influence and his skills, combined with the explosive popularity of MasterClass, make Ukulele a talking point today.
Jake Shimabukuro holds up special recognition in the world for his talent. This course perfectly shows how Jake will make you learn and feel inspired about using the ukulele.
No wonder everyone you know and wherever you go discusses Ukulele.
Do you feel excited about using one yourself, too? Well, Jake Shimabukuro is here starting his course on MasterClass.
So, here’s my Jake Shimabukuro Masterclass review.
However, before diving deep into the review, I’ll talk about what a ukulele is and what a masterclass is.
So, Let’s get started.
Bottom Line Upfront:
I highly recommend Jake Shimabukuro’s Ukulele Masterclass. It’s a fantastic choice for ukulele players at any skill level, whether you’re a beginner or a more experienced musician.
Jake’s way of teaching is clear, which makes it easy to understand. The course covers a range of techniques and tricks, from basic chords to more advanced skills, offering a comprehensive learning experience.
Regardless of your current proficiency, you’ll find valuable insights that can elevate your ukulele playing.
If you’re interested Ukulele then this is definitely for you. Enroll in Jake Shimabukuro Ukulele Masterclass today.
Table of Contents
What Exactly Is MasterClass?
The Masterclass is a modern learning platform with top-notch teaching and is becoming really popular.
It was created by Aaron Rasmussen and David Rogier, starting in 2015. So far, it has offered lots of amazing courses to over a million students.
I like MasterClass for two reasons. First, top experts like Gordon Ramsay, Neil Gaiman, and Helen Mirren teach engaging classes. Second, the high-quality, visually pleasing videos are short (3-20 mins), and you can rewatch them anytime.
It’s a perfect mix of entertainment and education, like Netflix, but with valuable skills. During the pandemic, a $180 yearly pass gives you access to 80+ instructors in areas like Design, Culinary Arts, and more.
You can take classes whenever, and access lasts until you cancel. Watch on the MasterClass app, laptops, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Roku.
About Jake Shimabukuro
Jake Shimabukuro is a ‘ukulele expert known as the King of the ‘Ukulele. He became famous in 2006 and wants to prove that the ‘ukulele is an awesome instrument.
Jake has played with famous people like Yo-Yo Ma, Cyndi Lauper, Ziggy Marley, and Jimmy Buffett.
He travels everywhere, makes lots of albums, and has won over 31 music awards.
Jake Shimabukuro isn’t just a musician; he’s a ‘ukulele superstar, showing everyone how cool the instrument can be! If you haven’t watched the MasterClass trailer yet, I strongly suggest you take a look!
What is a Ukulele?
The ukulele is often misunderstood or misinterpreted for some other instruments, such as the guitar or banjo.
However, it is an entirely different instrument, even though it is based on the same chord design.
The origins of the Ukulele are said to be from the 19th century.
Historians believe that Ukulele is a Hawaiian modification of a Portuguese instrument that looked like a machete.
It was a small-guitar lookalike instrument, and it was shown to the Hawaiian people by the Portuguese immigrants.
It slowly gained popularity along the Hawaiian coast and gradually throughout the world.
Types of Ukuleles
There are various variants of the Ukulele. The most known and used types include Soprano, Baritone, and Tenor. Among these, Soprano is considered the standard type of Ukulele.
The Soprano is just the next one in size to the smallest size. It is considered the original size of the Ukulele.
Concert variation came in around the late 1920s and was developed as a better version of the existing Soprano.
Afterward, every variant brought in a variation over the previous type, such as a deeper base or higher-pitched tone.
There are more than ten variants of the Ukulele. Each variant is chosen according to the requirement of the song.
The ukulele is a very lovely sounding instrument and has been used in various music masterpieces.
The Ukulele Masterclass Course By Jake Shimabukuro
Now that we have understood what MasterClass is and what the Ukulele is, we will look at what this course is, the course contents, and my course review.
The course is divided into a total of six sections.
Each section has one or more videos. Each section will take you at most an hour to complete. However, how much practice you do is totally up to you.
I will be explaining each section one by one. At the end of this, I will explain what I liked as well as what I disliked about this course.
I will end the article with a short conclusion which will comprise my opinion about the course and whether you should take it or not.
Section 1: Introduction to the Trainer
The course starts with a brief video about our trainer, Jake Shimabukuro.
The video length is around 4 minutes, and here, Jake explains how he will teach you and what his objectives are, along with an introduction of himself.
So, who is Jake Shimabukuro, and why is he famous?
Well, for beginners, he is one of the people who actually made the Ukulele famous in this world of Pop music. Around fifteen years ago, Ukulele was just a folk instrument, and no one played it like today.
There were no uke societies where people gathered and played Ukulele and all. This was the time when Jake started to emerge.
On the video-sharing platform YouTube, Jake shared his amazing Ukulele cover of the famous song “While My Guitar Weeps” by the legendary Beatles.
This video was enough to show the power of the Ukulele to the world.
Since then, there has been no going back for the Ukulele star Jake. He made various covers of famous songs using Ukulele as the primary instrument.
He has taken the Ukulele to the masses.
Still, he would never take this credit. From him, the original Hawaiian people who played the ukulele and made it famous worldwide are the ones who are worthy of recognition.
Currently, Shimabukuro is working on Trio, an album consisting of various fusion elements.
Some names associated with the album are Nolan Verner on piano, Dave Preston on guitar, and Preston’s wife Rachel on the vocals.
They also planned to go on a tour for this album, which was, however, postponed due to this quarantine period.
The trio has been a wild ride for Jake.
The band has recorded some very different and never-thought-of songs and covered various others, such as Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here.”
James Shimabukuro is a reasonably new name on the MasterClass roster.
However, he is not a rookie when it comes to teaching. In this course, he will share his complete experience with Ukulele and what he faced to revive the Ukulele again.
It was not even him for which I joined MasterClass.
I joined the course for some of the big names like Gordon Ramsey, whom I consider my idol in cooking.
It was just a fine day when I slipped into this course, and I absolutely loved his teaching style and his attitude.
A couple of months later, I was there to buy a Ukulele and try this course with all my will.
That is the power and teaching expertise of Jake Shimabukuro.
Section 2: The Ukulele Basics
This section is a place where Jake will tell you all the essential details and must-know things about your Ukulele.
These things include:
- How to pronounce the Ukulele name?
- The basic types of Ukulele.
- How to hold the instrument
- The fretboard theory
- Learning about the chords
Section 3: The advanced level
The basics are dropped here. This part goes a bit deeper and will tell you the advanced things related to Ukulele.
These things include the advanced and more complex chords and the melodic and rhythmic transitions.
Moreover, it also consists of a part where you will get to know about how to create your own sound and melody.
Section 4: Making more distinct and real sounds
This part is a bit advanced, and it is the section that can make you ready to play the Ukulele in front of a broader audience.
This includes advanced strumming techniques, learning harmonics, and much more.
Section 5: The stage and your trainer
Here is the part where you would see your trainer Jake jamming to the classics such as “Bohemian Rhapsody” and leave you overwhelmed.
Section 6:Jake still has some tricks left to him.
This is the part where Jake will create an original song in front of you. The best part is that he shares how to do this wonder.
Who Is The Ukulele Masterclass For?
This MasterClass can work wonders for anyone who wishes to learn to play the Ukulele.
The instructor, Jake Shimabukuro, does an incredible and wondrous job in teaching everything, from the most basic skills to the skills that are pretty advanced.
For example, creating distinct sounds or creating dynamics in your own playing style.
So, in my opinion, if you have fingers to spare and know how to count, you can quickly learn to play the Ukulele.
For the people who already have experience playing the ukulele, Jake emphasizes that his viewers put in time in playing the basic melodies with emotions and beauty like each and every note matters the most in the song.
The fundamental theme of Jake Shimabukuro’s MasterClass is to primarily have fun and Okage Sama De (meaning, I am what I am because of you).
Here, Jake tells you how interacting with others and sharing your experiences with others will make you grow both as an artist and as a person.
He also believes that one should play their instruments with love and emotion and should maintain the habit of persistent practice.
The Jake Shimabukuro’s Masterclass Workbook
This MasterClass workbook will work as a guide for you in order to practice all the vital and crucial chords that you will come across in video classes.
The best part about these workbooks is that they are really very organized and have a lot of simple-to-follow descriptions and diagrams included in them, which can help you a lot with your assignments.
I also came across a unique and incredible introduction to each and every part of the Ukulele and the history of this instrument.
The Key Takeaways From The Ukulele MasterClass.
The MasterClass, crafted and designed by Jake, is astounding and victoriously connected to all the fundamental and essential techniques like learning cords strumming along with the significance of creating an attachment with the instrument so that you can really bring the emotion out each time you play.
The MasterClass covers the fundamentals in a manner that is easy and straightforward to follow, even if you have no prior knowledge about music.
Simultaneously, I felt that the class very well led its viewers into much more advanced-level chords and the understanding of melody, dynamics, and rhythm in playing the ukulele.
The other thing that amazed me is how the change in the order of pitches can make you feel as if it is an entirely different chord.
Thus, the viewers get incredibly guided instruction on the practical aspects of playing the ukulele. Jake has also incorporated great music styles like the outstanding performance of “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Hallelujah.”
You will again come across how you can create a wide variety of sounds by just bringing about a change in rhythm and dynamics of every chord, even if the instrument just has four strings.
At last, I also found that the class also focuses on how you can begin to let all your creative instincts come together in order to compose songs of your own, and along with every lesson, you will also learn how you can re-imagine the songs on the basis of your style of playing.
Jake Shimabukuro Masterclass FAQs
🤔 What if I don’t like the MasterClass?
Well, MasterClass provides you with a refund period of around 30 days in which you can easily claim your money back if you are not satisfied with the course.
🤷♂️ Isn’t MasterClass and this course a bit pricier than the others on Coursera, Udemy etc?
The masterClass is a bit pricier, no doubt. However, you will see the top list artists themselves make an excellent video quality and the videos. So it is worth the extra.
🙋♀️ Why should I choose Jake over any other Ukulele trainer?
Jake is the person who brought the Ukulele buzz back to society. So, who better will it be than the trendsetter himself for you? He definitely is the best trainer for Ukulele you can find anywhere in the world.
Testimonials For Jake Shimabukuro Ukulele Masterclass
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Conclusion:
Jake Shimabukuro’s masterclass is a great, in-depth course from the person the LA Times calls the king of the ‘ukulele. This course is more detailed than anything Jake has done before.
Whether you’re a beginner or have some musical experience, there’s something for everyone. Beginners can build skills and see real progress, but it requires practice.
If you already know your way around instruments, you’ll benefit a lot, even from the basics. The value of the lesson and the fun it provides make the price affordable.
So, if you want to learn how to play the ukulele or try to unlock its fullest potential, then this class is meant for you.
