The interactive ukulele widget are a tool that you can play on any web browser. You can use either you’re computer mouse or your computer keyboard to play the interactive ukulele widget. The interactive ukulele widget contains four string, a twelve-fret board, a strum lane, and several preset chords.
Before you can play the interactive ukulele widget, you must click in the interactive ukulele widget. This click will activate the audio engine for the interactive ukulele widget, and it will also arm the control on the interactive ukulele widget that use your computer keyboard. After clicking inside of the interactive ukulele widget, you can begin using it to play ukulele song.
How to Use the Ukulele Widget
To make sounds with the interactive ukulele widget, you must click on the tile on the fretboard. Each row on the fretboard represent one of the four strings on the ukulele. String 4 is at the top of the fretboard and String 1 is at the bottom of the fretboard.
Each of the columns represent a fret on that string. If you click on one of these tiles, that string will play at that fret. Each of the four strings have a Mute button and an Open button on the left side of the string.
If you click the Mute button for that string, that string will be silent. You may use this if the song require that string to not make any sound. If you click the Open button for that string, that string will return to fret zero.
The strum lane is on the right side of the interactive ukulele widget. This will play all four strings at the same time. If you drag your mouse from the top of the strum lane to the bottom of the strum lane, all four strings will play with a downstroke.
If you drag your mouse from the bottom of the strum lane to the top of the strum lane, all four strings will play with an upstroke. The speed and distance that you drag your mouse will determine how many string the strum lane will play. The Strum down and Strum up buttons is located below the strum lane so you can use just one click of your mouse to make one of these stroke instead of dragging your mouse.
The Quick Voicings panel is on the left side of the interactive ukulele widget and consists of twelve different chord shapes. These chord shapes include C, F, G, Am, Dm, G7, and other chord. If you click on one of these chord shapes on the screen, it will load onto the fretboard and strum for you so that you can hear the sound of that chord.
Below the fretboard, it will show you which chord you are playing in fret-number notation. Additionally, below this notation it will list the sounding note for that chord. The toolbar is at the top of the interactive ukulele widget and includes four different controls for the interactive ukulele widget.
The Tuning control will allow you to change the pitch of the open strings of the ukulele. The available tuning option are Standard G C E A, Low G, D Tuning, and Baritone. The Capo control will allow you to increase the pitch of the interactive ukulele widget up by as many as seven frets.
This is helpful for ukulele songs where the range of pitch required for the melody is awkward on the ukulele. The Tone control will change the texture of the sound that the interactive ukulele widget makes. The options are Island, Bright, and Mellow.
The Volume control is a slider that will allow you to change the volume of sound that the interactive ukulele widget makes. To use the interactive ukulele widget with your computer keyboard, you must first click inside of the interactive ukulele widget. The number key 4, 3, 2, and 1 will play each of the four strings of the ukulele.
The Arrow Up and Arrow Down keys will allow you to move between strings. The Arrow Left and Arrow Right keys will allow you to move to the next fret of the string that you have selected. The Space key will strum the ukulele down.
The Enter key will strum the ukulele up. The O key will open the selected string. The M key will mute the selected string.
If you press the P key, an island chord will play across all of the strings that is not muted. Finally, if you click on the button in the top-right corner of the interactive ukulele widget, the interactive ukulele widget will enter fullscreen mode to provide the player with more space on the screen. To begin using the interactive ukulele widget, click on the C chord in the Quick Voicings panel.
After loading the C chord, drag your mouse down the strum lane to play the chord with a downstroke. After strumming the chord, press the P key to hear the island chord. Additionally, you may click on any other chord in place of the C chord.
Try strumming through a few different chords to become familiar with the interactive ukulele widget. If you play with the Tuning and Tone controls at the same time, you will find many different sounds that you can make with the interactive ukulele widget.