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| From The Ukulele Yes! Vault Re-prints of vintage Ukulele Yes! Marven Shields offers advice on introducing blues improvisation to beginners. It might be easier than you think! Reprinted from Ukulele Yes! Volume 5 (1980).
Blues Improvising For Beginners
In the key of A this is very easily done. One can use any open string note, any note of the 2nd fret and the 'C' (3rd fret 1st string) to create a melody: fig. 1: Available Notes in the key of A
A preliminary exercise might be:
Now, one has the facility to create many interesting improvised melodies. Start with quarter notes only, then begin experimenting rhythmically. Other techniques such as bends, hammer-ons and pulloffs may be introduced later. This pattern of improvising a melody is moveable so we can use it in any key we wish. For example: C / / / C / / / C / / / C7 / / / The pitches to use in an improvised melody are: all pitches at the 3rd and 5th frets as well as the E-flat at the 6th fret, 1st string. fig. 2: Available notes In the key of C
Here you use many of the same techniques used in cross-string scales. Blues For Uke In the key of A
Easy progression Play with a lilting strum: A / / / A / / / A / / / A7 / / / More Advanced Progression The more advanced version of this progression uses some new chords: A6, A7, D6 and D7. Here's how to turn A into A6 or A7:
Add finger 3 (on the "x" in the diagram above) to get A6, then add finger 4 (the square in the diagram above) to get A7. Here's how to turn D into D6 or D7:
Add finger 4 on the "x" to get D6, then slide into fret 3 (the square in the diagram above) to get D7. Play with a lilting strum: A / A6 / A7 / A6 /
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This article is in C6 tuning (g, c, e, a). 
