"21 Songs in 6 Days" by Rebecca Bogart and Jenny Peters is a practical guide that empowers aspiring ukulele players to quickly and confidently learn how to play 21 popular songs within just six days. This book offers a comprehensive approach to learning the ukulele and is a valuable resource for beginners seeking a hands-on approach to mastering the instrument.

Bogart and Peters' writing style is clear and accessible, making it easy for readers to follow along and progress through the lessons. The book is designed to provide step-by-step instructions, chord diagrams, and tips for proper technique, ensuring that readers can build their skills and play songs in a relatively short period of time.

At the heart of the guide is a systematic approach to learning, breaking down complex concepts into manageable lessons. The authors skillfully introduce chords, strumming patterns, and song structure, guiding readers through a structured and engaging learning process.

"21 Songs in 6 Days" successfully balances practical instruction with engaging content, resulting in a guide that is both informative and enjoyable. The book covers a diverse range of songs, allowing readers to explore various genres and styles while building their confidence as ukulele players.

In conclusion, "21 Songs in 6 Days" is a valuable resource for anyone looking to learn the ukulele and play popular songs in a short amount of time. If you're seeking a guide that offers a hands-on and effective approach to ukulele playing, this book provides a comprehensive and accessible pathway to mastering the instrument and having fun along the way.

DNF'd this one... :( I can't remember why, though... maybe I didn't like the formatting? I wish I'd written my thoughts down.

Unfortunately, I will not be reviewing this book on my social accounts. While there are many songs with "sheet music" included, it really lacked in the learning department. This is primarily because almost anywhere where there would have been instruction, there was nothing but question mark boxes. There were also multiple black boxes where it was clear images would be. At the end, there are directions to sign up for a video course that I assume the book goes with? However, I thought I would be reviewing a book, not a video course. I have a ukulele and was looking forward to getting back to playing it with this book, and was unfortunately disappointed. Perhaps it would be better in print?

Best wishes to the creators--this one just didn't work out for me.

Absolutely wonderful book. I've been teaching myself and this book is easy to read and learn. Highly recommend.

Although the book is pretty good, it wasn't helpful for me as a bass ukelele player. My only complaint about it is that it requires visiting a website referenced in the book for additional instruction to truly learn the songs. I'm sure some people will find it useful, but if you have a bass uke, you might want to skip this one.

I hadn't played the ukulele at all before getting this book. It had just been lying on my shelf, collecting dust, other than the few times a year I'd pick it up and play a note or two before putting it away again. That's why I was so excited when I saw this book! And it totally lived up to my expectations!

I spent a bit more than 6 days, but I did end up learning nearly every one of these songs. The book was written in a language which was very easy to understand and I'm really glad that it started out easy and then moved up in difficulty – that way I felt like I was getting better and it made me want to keep practicing to see what else I'd be able to play!

If you're like me, and you have a ukulele somewhere you'd like to actually learn how to play, this is the book for you!

I have been teaching myself ukulele since 2020, using resources such as JustinGuitar, Fender Play, UltimateGuitar, Ukulele Aerobics as well as any song book that I come across. So I was interested to see what this one was like.

21 Songs in 6 days will teach you how to play simple, traditional songs on the ukulele in a short period of time.

The book covers the basics of the ukulele anatomy, how to hold and strum the instrument, chords and progressions. Simple strum patterns are listed, initially played on open strings for the reader to get accustomed to the beat.

The chord diagrams are clear and easy to follow, accompanied by both photographs and illustrations of how to hold the ukulele and how to place your fingers, and there is a troubleshooting section. The theory parts are well written and easy to understand.

The songs, as mentioned, are simple, traditional songs - Three Blind Mice, Frere Jacques etc. However right from the start, it is not clearly stated that the reader should be playing the notes listed in small print above the song, and singing the melody. As one gets further into the book, the songs include tabs written beneath the music notation. This would have been helpful for beginners in the earlier sections, to clarify expectations.

The accompanying instructional videos are required (rather than a useful add-on) for some of the regional melodies that I'd not heard before (the songs are traditional Americana songs), The theory sections are well written and include some good drills and repetitions. As the reader progresses, songs from the start of the book are revisited, adding more progressions and complexity.

And finally, there is a section at the end about what to look for when buying a ukulele, how to tune the uke, how to maintain regular practice, and how to sign up for online courses.

My arc copy of the PDF version is a very colourful book,which was distracting, especially with some of the colours used (and the transition between colours). This may not be in the final copy.

Overall, it was an ok guide to starting the ukulele.

~ Many thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review~

My youngest received a ukulele from her grandparents for Christmas, so when this book popped for review, I grabbed it.
It's a book with a wealth of information and all you need to begin learning the ukulele. I really appreciated having links to the instructional videos on their website too, which made for a more interactive experience and would really help people who learn on a visual level. There's a wide variety of tunes to learn and plenty of songs to make sure you are positioning your fingers for the chords correctly. My daughter enjoyed using the book and dipping in and out of it. I would definitely recommend it.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to review a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I had high hopes for this book as I am one of the only members of my family who can’t play an instrument. Even my 11 year old can play the ukulele but this book completely lost me. There were so many times where I just didn’t have the information I needed. It was good at teaching me to strum right but with the very first song I was lost even though they are all basic children’s songs. It gives you notes to follow but it just told me the noes on a ukulele are these 4 and the first song has five notes and it’s in the key of C but it never explains what that means. I am apparently too beginner for this beginner book. How depressing.

It comes with access to free video lessons and I did not use those since I didn’t want to jump back and forth and frankly I can watch free video lessons online anywhere. Other reviewers said those were more helpful than the book but then I’m not sure you need the book?

My husband has offered to teach me to play the guitar or ukulele and I’m going back to learning from him. This book seems to work for some people so don’t assume it won’t work for you, but it was a big bust for me.

I read a temporary digital copy of this book via NetGalley.

This is a great guide for all those who want to start their journey of playing the ukulele. I loved the book with step by step tutorials starting from music theory, chords and finally playing actual songs!

This is such an easy-to-follow book. I have tried to learn the ukulele for some time now, but just always fall off from practicing. I would recommend purchasing this in paperback. The digital version was not as clear as I wanted it to be (may have been just the ARC loading), but I definitely want a hard version in front of me.

Hey there, let me introduce myself. My name is Lisa and I have zero musical talents. My family covers their ears when I sing, I cannot carry a tune for the life of me and I collect small, funky instruments that I probably won't ever learn to play. Well, except one; my ukulele. Thanks to 21 Songs in 6 Days, I can actually play something that is recognizable to others.
While others grumbled that the songs were old and childlike, I rejoiced! You see, those songs are so deeply rooted in my head, it made it easier to actually carry these tunes while learning all about chords. I'm thrilled that I can actually play songs like "He's Got the Whole World", "Day-O" and "Oh, When the Saints". Not only is instruction broken down into easy to swallow bites, but the chords are also color coded and the authors discuss things like care of your instrument (tuning) and setting up your space.
Now if there was only a way to improve on my memory so I could do this without my face stuck in the book, that would be flipping fantastic.
Thanks to NetGalley and Forte Publishing for the chance to read for review 21 Songs in 6 Days. All opinions expressed in this review are authentically mine.

My Mum Really Enjoyed Reading this Book & Has inspired her pick up her Ukulele & Play some of the Tunes.
(Thanks to Net Galley for this Book.)

A really great place to start when playing the ukulele, I found it easy to follow and really enjoyed the way each song was presented

'21 Songs in 6 Days' is a great guide for all those who want to start their journey of playing the ukulele. I loved the book with step by step tutorials starting from music theory, chords and finally playing actual songs! You will learn both how to fingerpick and strum. There are also video tutorials available together with the book. From all the ukulele how to play books, this is the most detailed and easy to follow one.
The only thing that I would change about this book are songs we are learning to play. They more local / folk songs that are rather unknown for people from non English speaking countries. I guess it would be way better to teach playing the ukulele on more modern / popular songs (for example by Taylor Swift or Shawn Mendes).
All in all, I highly recommend this book, as a ukulele player myself I have found there everything I needed.

The selection of songs is really good, simple and varied. The photographs show clear hand positions for chords. The low rating is because the formatting on the kindle edition was REALLY difficult to read and follow, making the learning the actual songs quite hard. I do like that the songs have accompanying lyrics and sheet music.

I have been self teaching myself ukulele for a while and when I saw the title I was excited for this book. However, upon looking into it I learned that it teaches really basic songs such as twinkle twinkle little star - a great place to get familiar with learning an instrument… if you haven’t already started self teaching further ahead. So for what it is - the book itself is perfectly fine. But it wasn’t what I was expecting or hoping unfortunately on this occasion.

21 Songs in 6 Days is a instructional book I would definitely buy if I was learning to play the ukulele! Highly recommended to anyone who wishes to play an instrument with beginner abilities. My own nephew is musical and an avid learner. He would learn a lot from the simple instructions and then progress as these lessons move along. These lessons look fun and a must-have for all aspiring ukulele musicians! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily give my honest review.

An excellent ukulele primer for beginners. The book's step-by-step approach makes it easy to learn the chords and start playing songs right away. I appreciated the variety of songs included in the book, which range from traditional Hawaiian tunes to modern pop hits. The play-along tracks are a great addition and make practicing more enjoyable. Overall, this book is a great investment for anyone looking to learn how to play the ukulele in a fun and efficient way.

As a beginner ukulele player I definitely enjoyed this primer. A great way to learn more about playing the correct way…and making it easier too.