Today 10, 20 or 30 minutes

A plan for the step of the book you are on. Pick the step, pick how long you have, and play down the column. Every row links to the drill or lesson card it means. Keep the same plan for a week before you change it.

1 · Start here 2 · Neck and names 3 · Playing styles

How a session runs: wake the hands first, spend the most time on the one thing the step is about, and end on music. Metronome on throughout — the practice bar below keeps it. If the 10-minute column is all you have, it is enough; done every day it beats an hour on Sunday.
Sources: Hal Leonard Ukulele Method Book 1 (short daily sessions: warm-up, new material, review, a song) · Berklee practice guidance (one focus per session, metronome throughout).

1 · Start here

Hands, two chords, one strum, one song. Most of the time goes on changing chords without stopping the strum.

Block10 min20 min30 min
Wake-up · chromatic1-2-3-4 on every string, slow234
Chord changestwo shapes, one minute, count the changes468
Strumdowns on the click, then the pattern468
Boom-chick through a changeright hand never stops for the left—24
Play alongone loop, start to finish—36

Move on when the first-ten checklist on Open chords is true on a normal day.

2 · Neck and names

Names on all four strings, then shapes that move. Say the letter before you play it — every day this week.

Block10 min20 min30 min
Wake-up · spiderone finger per fret, four strings223
Find every naturalone letter, every place it lives345
First-position scale walksay the names as you go344
Mute / ghost eighthspitch stays, ring dies233
BarreBb, one string at a time until it rings—45
Readingone line of TAB with its rhythm—34
Movable shapesone shape, a new root each fret——6

Move on when the Ready when list on Notes on the neck is true on a normal day.

3 · Playing styles

A style a session, and the island strum every day. Solo lab is for when a style page feels easy.

Block10 min20 min30 min
Wake-up · chromaticor one loop cell223
One style pageFolk or Classical468
Island strumD–DU–UDU, wrist loose444
Fingerpickingpima over one held shape—44
Loop cellsone cell that mixes two styles—45
Improv · one cellhear the call, answer in rhythm——3
Solo labone path, one etude——3

When a style page feels easy, give the long block to Solo lab.

The style pages

For step 3, or any day the hands want a change. Each page has a suggested order, the drills, and a practice note.

  • Folk — boom-chick, alternating bass, Travis seed, lok, variants on any chord.
  • Classical — pima, planted arpeggios, rest-stroke scales, tremolo seed.