Cheatsheet: Music, Art and Creative Hobbies for Joy

By Better Wise

A dense lookup card for the whole course. Every exercise fits under 15 minutes. Messy counts as done.

Module 1: Instrument Kickoff: Pick One and Play

1.1 Choose Your Instrument: Ukulele, Keyboard, or Guitar

Decision table: which one fits you today?

If you want...	Pick	Why
Fast first win, tiny hands, small budget	Ukulele	Few strings (4), soft nylon strings, chords ring quickly
No tuning hassle, visual layout, melody + chords	Keyboard	Keys are laid out in order, notes are labeled, no calluses
Full sound, long-term versatility, strumming + picking	Guitar	6 strings, steel or nylon, more finger strength needed at first

Quick reality check

Ukulele: 4 strings, usually G-C-E-A tuning. Light and portable.
Guitar: 6 strings, standard tuning E-A-D-G-B-E. Steel strings hurt fingertips until calluses form (a few weeks of short sessions).
Keyboard: 61+ keys is plenty to start. You play melody with the right hand, chords with the left.

Tip: There is no wrong pick. The best instrument is the one you will actually pick up again tomorrow. Choose the one that looks fun, not the one that looks impressive.

Starter checklist (5 min)

Instrument in hand or borrowed
Tuner app installed (ukulele/guitar) or keyboard powered on
One comfortable chair, feet flat, instrument at a relaxed height
Timer set to 10 minutes

1.2 First Chords on Ukulele and Guitar

How to read a chord

A chord name (C, G, Am, F) tells you which fingers press which strings/frets.
Chord diagrams: vertical lines = strings, horizontal lines = frets, dots = where to press.

Ukulele: four friendly first chords

Chord	Fingers (typical)	Notes
C	1 finger, 3rd fret of the A string	Easiest first chord
Am	2 fingers	Pairs with C
F	2 fingers	Slightly awkward at first
G	3 fingers	Great for a 4-chord loop

Guitar: four friendly first chords

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