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| From The Ukulele Yes! Vault Re-prints of vintage Ukulele Yes! Marven Shields offers advice on introducing blues improvisation to beginners. It might be easier than you think! Reprinted from Ukulele Yes! Volume 5 (1980).
Blues Improvising For Beginners
In the key of B this is very easily done. One can use any open string note, any note of the 2nd fret and the 'D' (3rd fret 1st string) to create a melody: fig. 1: Available Notes in the key of B
A preliminary exercise might be:
Now, one has the facility to create many interesting improvised melodies. Start with quarter notes only, then begin experimenting rhythmically. Other techniques such as bends, hammer-ons and pulloffs may be introduced later. This pattern of improvising a melody is moveable so we can use it in any key we wish. For example: D / / / D / / / D / / / D7 / / / The pitches to use in an improvised melody are: all pitches at the 3rd and 5th fret as well as the 'F' at the 6th fret, 1st string. fig. 2: Available notes In the key of D
Here you use many of the same techniques used in cross-string scales. Blues For Uke In the key of B
Easy progression Play with a lilting strum: B / / / B / / / B / / / B7 / / / More Advanced Progression The more advanced version of this progression uses some new chords: B6, B7, E6 and E7. Here's how to turn B into B6 or B7:
Add finger 3 (on the "x" in the diagram above) to get B6, then add finger 4 (the square in the diagram above) to get B7. Here's how to turn E into E6 or E7:
Add finger 4 on the "x" to get E6, then slide into fret 3 (the square in the diagram above) to get E7. Play with a lilting strum: B / B6 / B7 / B6 /
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This article is in D6 tuning (a, d, f#, b). 
