Ragtime Ramble

About this piece

A practice tune of our own in the style the ukulele was famous for in the 1910s and 1920s. Its chords walk around the circle of fifths, E7, A7, D7, G7 and home to C, each pulling to the next: the chain behind many songs of that time. Play the eighth notes long-short (swung), and lean on beats 2 and 4 of the strum. The tune is made of the notes of each chord, so it also shows you where those notes are.

What it practices

• the ragtime chord chain
• E7, A7, D7 and G7
• swung eighth notes
• accents on beats 2 and 4

Chords in this song

E7 · A7 · D7 · G7 · C

Each link opens the chord finder with more ways to play that chord.

Where the notes come from

Our own tune, written for this course (no outside source). The chord chain is the one known as the ragtime progression.

How to practice with it

1. Listen first. Press Play and follow along. The note being played lights up in the tab, in the notation and on the fretboard, and the chord being played lights up in the row of chord diagrams.
2. Learn the chords. Press each diagram to hear it, then practice changing between them slowly, before you add the strum pattern under the tab.
3. Slow it down. Use − and + to set the tempo. 60% is a good place to start; the notes keep their pitch.
4. One part at a time. Choose Tab only to hear the tune alone, or the other part alone, then put them together.
5. Loop the hard part. Under More…, turn on Loop, pick the bars, and play them a few times in a row. Count-in gives you a bar of clicks before it starts.

Click a bar in the music to start from there. Space plays and pauses. Left-handed? Turn on the left-handed view: the chord diagrams and the fretboard are mirrored to match your instrument. Tab reads the same either way: the top line is always the first (highest) string.