Rocket Ukulele Review

If you want to learn to play the ukulele, there are plenty of ukulele lessons for beginners out there. Whether you just want a casual introduction to the instrument or want to become a specialist in a genre of your choice, there’s something out there for you.

Today, we’ll be taking a look at Rocket Ukulele, a 30-day program that claims to be able to take you from knowing nothing about the ukulele to playing your favorite songs in 30 days. In our Rocket Ukulele review, we hope to help you decide whether or not this is the right program for you.

Things to Consider Before Signing Up for an Online Ukulele Course

Whether you’re an experienced ukulele player or you’re looking to become one, it’s a good idea to carefully consider different ukulele programs before you get started. Before you make your selection, here are some things you may want to ask yourself.

• Do you want free lessons? If you aren’t sure if the uke is for you, you may want to learn using free lessons until you make up your mind. Some ukulele lesson sites offer a certain number of lessons for free for new players, which is a great feature if you’re unsure.
• What about music theory? Many people learning an instrument mostly want to play their favorite songs. This is why so many online courses focus on learning songs as opposed to learning music theory. However, the theory is important if you want to start playing the ukulele at a serious level. If this is important to you (or if you just want to understand the instrument better), make sure you look for a course that teaches music theory too.
• Do you have a genre preference? Plenty of people think that all ukulele songs are traditional Hawaiian music, but you can play just about any genre on the uke. Lots of lessons for first-time players cover many different genres to give you a sense of what genres you may want to focus on in the future. However, if you have a specific genre in mind you want to learn, be sure to choose an online ukulele learning site that offers it.
• What about instructors? Understandably, you probably want to learn to play the ukulele from someone who knows what they’re doing. Some ukulele sites are taught by professional instructors, and some are simply taught by experienced players who want to share their love of the uke with others.

Before we jump into our review, though, let’s look at some pros and cons:

Pros

• With promotional pricing, this site is relatively affordable
• Memberships include access to thousands of audio files, tabs, and chord sheets
• Video lessons include instruction in many different genres, so it should be easy to find one that works for you
• The site’s goal is to teach you to play by ear within 30 days

Cons

• The course site doesn’t include any background on the ukulele instructors or their qualifications.
• The site claims its lessons are based on scientific research, but they don’t elaborate on what this research is or why its lessons are superior.

Now, we’ll take a deep dive into all the features that Rocket Ukulele has to offer:

First Impressions

Often, ukulele sites we visit make an effort to create a well-designed site. That doesn’t seem to be the case with this one — at first glance, Rocket Ukulele looks a bit like a scam site. (You can get a quick visual overview of the site in this video review.)

Once we did some digging, we discovered that the site isn’t a scam, but the homepage seems to oversell the course without any explanation as to why it works the way it does. A good bit of the homepage is dedicated to telling potential students how they’ll be the center of attention once they learn the uke, which seems like a heavy-handed marketing ploy.

On the site’s homepage, you can watch a video outlining how the course works. While the video claims that Rocket Ukulele is based on scientific research into music learning, it doesn’t elaborate at all. We looked around on the site for any explanation of the science behind it and found nothing.

The video focuses mostly on emphasizing how Rocket Ukulele can make you play like a superstar in 30 days without practicing much at all. And while we don’t doubt that you can make serious progress in that time, we think promising you’ll play like a superstar is unrealistic.

It’s also worth noting that a lot of the ukulele, guitar, and piano learning sites we review have an active social media presence of some kind. In particular, most of them have active YouTube channels where they post sample lessons, song tutorials, and other interesting videos. We looked for any sign of a Rocket Ukulele social media presence and didn’t find one.

All in all, the initial appearance of the site and the unrealistic promises it makes made us think that Rocket Ukulele might be a gimmick. However, as we continued to dig, we discovered that this learning site does have its merits.

Lesson Content

It’s difficult to determine the thought behind Rocket Ukulele’s lessons. Unlike most uke sites we’ve reviewed, they include no information about their instructors. For comparison’s sake, Ukulele Buddy lessons are taught by JP Allen, who has been a professional music instructor and performer for more than 20 years.

Uke Like the Pros is designed and taught by Terry Carter, a ukulele player and guitarist who has worked with some of the world’s most famous musicians and bands.

Obviously, just about every music learning site with accomplished instructors likes to say something about those instructors on their website. It’s a great way to draw in students, and it lends some credibility to the site. It’s a little concerning that Rocket Ukulele says nothing at all about its instructors.

This isn’t to say that you need a highly accomplished instructor to teach you the ukulele, but we think it’s at least good for a site to introduce you to its instructors. One part of the site says that if you need help, you can access dozens of ukulele teachers, but that’s the extent of the information given.

However, the Rocket Ukulele site does offer some explanation as to what you’ll be learning. The site’s lessons appear to be divided into four different programs:

1. Learn Ukulele in 30 days program. The 30-day courses consist of step-by-step lessons that take you through basic notes and chords. You’ll also practice chords strumming ballads, classics, and a few contemporary hits.
2. This is a great course for the casual player. While the Rocket Ukulele homepage says you’ll be playing like a pro in 30 days, we think this course likely won’t get you to that point. But it will give you a solid foundation on the ukulele.
3. Become a better ukulele player program. This one is meant to be the next step from the 30-day beginner course. According to the Rocket Ukulele website, this course is designed for beginning shaping you into an artist. The site says that the course will have you playing “complicated, fast, and impressive songs” within weeks, but it doesn’t add much more detail than that.
4. Being a ukulele master. This course is designed for players who want to take their playing to the next level. Rocket Ukulele notes that you can skip this course if you want to play for friends and family. And while we don’t doubt that this third course will improve your playing, we think that the site’s promise — “By the end of this program, you will be a true professional of the highest standard. Bands will line up for your services” — is a little over-the-top.
5. Play the ukulele by ear. Ukulele players and just about every other type of musician want to learn how to play by ear, but if you aren’t familiar with ear training, this can be difficult to achieve on your own. This last course is designed to teach you to play by ear within 30 days. This seems like a fairly short time, but we think it’s definitely possible. If you want to see what it looks like to start learning to play the ukulele by ear, check out this sample ukulele lesson.

In terms of genre, the lessons on Rocket Ukulele cover a wide span. Of course, since this site takes more of a generalist approach, you won’t get a chance to delve deep into any particular genre. But new ukulele players will get a chance to try out a whole range of musical styles before choosing one or more to focus on. Here are some of the genres you can choose from:

• Rock
• Pop
• Jazz
• R & B
• Country
• Classics
• Gospel

In terms of device compatibility, Rocket Ukulele lessons are very versatile. You can view the site’s hundreds of video lessons on PC or Mac, and their lessons are also compatible with smartphones and tablets, too. New video lessons are added each week, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to grow.

Bonus Features

More and more online courses seem to be offering bonus features if you sign up. Often, these come in the form of toolkits, PDFs, and even extra video lessons. Rocket Ukulele has one of the more impressive bonus feature collections we’ve seen. Here’s what you can expect if you sign up:

Famous song tutorials.

For many people learning an instrument, discovering how to play their favorite songs is a primary motivator. Luckily, Rocket Ukulele has an impressive library of contemporary songs that you can learn to play. Here’s a sampling of some of the songs on the list:

• Train — “Hey Soul Sister”
• Ed Sheeran – “The A Team”
• Desiigner – “Panda”
• Kent Jones – “Don’t Mind”
• Adele – “Someone Like You”
• Fifth Harmony – “Work From Home”

We like that the song tutorials on Rocket Ukulele are step-by-step videos — you aren’t just stuck with audio and a few chord diagrams.

Ukulele Learning Forums.

Learning an instrument online is convenient, and it lets you progress at your own pace. However, one of its downsides is the fact that it can be somewhat isolating. Rocket Ukulele has a learning forum for all members to join. On the forum, you can ask questions for other members to answer.

The forum is a great place to ask for advice on buying a new uke or getting past a sticking point. Plus, if you have a technical question or one that other learners can’t answer, one of Rocket Ukulele’s consultants can answer it for you.

Even a quick look at the forum shows us that it’s used pretty often. Here are some of the main topics you can find:

• News and Updates — This is where you can hear about any changes to the site.
• Comments or Suggestions — This is essentially an online suggestion box. If you think there’s something the staff can do to improve the site, this is the space to tell them about it.
• New Feature Requests — This is a space where you can suggest new features or topics to add to the forum.
• Song Tutorial Requests — Rocket Ukulele frequently updates its selection of song tutorials, and they consider member input when doing so. This is a great place to request a song you’ve been wanting to learn.

Tools, Software, and Resources.

This is a useful feature, especially because it lets you practice important skills and concepts even when you’re away from your ukulele. Here’s what’s included in this bundle:

• Recording and editing software — If you’ve never worked with a DAW before, this can be a great way to start practicing recording and editing audio. It’s also a great way to record snippets of songs as you write.
• Ukulele quizzes and games — In between practice sessions, these engaging learning tools will help you retain your knowledge of the ukulele.
• Ukulele visualization tools — Visualization is something that can really improve your learning, but we don’t often see visualization tools included with online music lessons. We think this is a great addition.
• Play ukulele on your computer — You probably don’t want to make this a long-term substitute for your actual uke, but the computer ukulele can be a fun way to get started before you purchase your own ukulele. And if you’re somewhere where you can’t have an actual instrument, it can be a great way to get some extra practice in.
• Music theory flashcards — Not all online music programs focus on music theory. And even if they do, lots of casual musicians write it off as being dull. Nonetheless, it’s a good idea to learn at least some theory. This will help you understand more about your instrument and develop your playing further.
• Ukulele flashcards — If you want to test your knowledge of the uke itself, this is a great way to do so. These virtual flashcards can be used anywhere, even if you don’t have your ukulele handy.

Thousands of Music Sheets, Tabs, and Audio Files

We mentioned Rocket Ukulele’s impressive song library earlier, but you can also access the site database of tabs, sheets, and audio demos. This is a great way to teach yourself songs you love once you’ve got a little more experience playing. For newer players, it’s a good idea to first try some guided tutorials that can show you the techniques you need to play certain songs.

However, once you know more strumming techniques, you’ll easily be able to listen to an audio file, look at the tab, and play. If you want to see what ukulele covers of popular songs might sound like, check out this cover of the Jason Mraz song “I’m Yours.”

Pricing and Membership Options

Some beginners may not care about the price of online lessons as long as they work. But for most people, the cost is a concern. Rocket Ukulele only offers a lifetime membership option, so you can’t pay for a monthly membership.

However, the site’s rates are some of the most affordable we’ve found. Rocket Ukulele’s regular rate is $79.97 for a lifetime membership. However, based on our research, it looks like they offer a near-continuous promotion where you get a lifetime membership for $27.

Though we do have our reservations about lesson quality and instructor quality on this site, we do think this is one of the best deals you’ll be able to find. If you catch the site during promotion, we think that $27 is a great price to start learning this instrument.

However, you don’t really need to worry if your investment is worthwhile — Rocket Ukulele offers a generous 60-day money-back guarantee. If you find that you don’t like the lessons or that they don’t live up to your expectations for any reason, all you have to do is contact customer service and ask for a refund.

As long as you make your request within 60 days, you’ll get a prompt refund. If you still aren’t sure whether this site is for you, check out this video review.

If you’re looking for an affordable way to begin learning to play the ukulele, then we think Rocket Ukulele might be right for you. However, this course isn’t as widely known as many other options, and it doesn’t offer you any information on who designed the courses (or who is teaching them). That said, if you can get a membership during one of the site promotions, we think it’s worth a shot.

If you’re looking for easy-to-follow ukulele lessons for beginners that have been developed by professionals, we recommend checking out Uke Like the Pros While it’s a little more expensive than Rocket Ukulele, it’s a comprehensive resource for everyone from the ukulele beginner to the experienced player.