Here goes...

[Ace-T]

So the other night I bought a ukulele. Some mad idea that it may be quite fun and easy to play. Well it turned up today, so I thought I would share with you good folks how I get on (if I don't get bored with it by tomorrow!).

It is very small, weirdly much smaller than I expected. The strings seem cheap nylon things that sound a bit dull, especially the 'C' string. Build quality is a bit poor, but this was to be expected from a cheapy from China, but it is black and has glitter on it; how rock and roll is that?

Once I got it tuned up (I swear my tuning ear was destroyed after too many gigs at Rock City!) it started to sound ok; nowhere near the lovely clear sounds you get from the professionals of course but with my playing you really couldn't tell the difference.

A few basic chords and simple strums later I have played the ukulele. It is unbelievably easy to play; getting a simple tune out of it is even easier than getting a rise out of the spelling police for misuse of the apostrophe!

It is unlikely I will be guesting with the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain in the next month (or ever!) but the odds that this one is a keeper seem good.



Trace

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12 inch legend said:

I was drunk in newcastle about a year ago and clocked a few in a music shop window £15 each!!! after reading your post i really really wish i had bought it now!!

Go mad on the internet like I did then!

Well after spending the afternoon and evening playing with the thing and reading up on the internet it seems as if I have a lot to learn. However today has been a very chilled day with none of the usual frustration and angst I normally associate with learning to play a new instrument. Not bored either, which is also good.

Strumming, plucking, chord progressions and loads of info, videos and opinions on the net make for an interesting read and listen.

For those who are considering this, give it a go, it is really good fun!

And poor Judas hasn't told me to shut up yet which means I can't be all that bad, can I?

Trace

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The Hypno-Toad said:

Tried to find some Fred Halibut links from The Fast Show but failed..

That's what you need to do, find some really inappropriate modern songs to play George Formby style.

Seriously, good for you. Although I really love music, I have no musical talent whatsoever so I'm very jealous of anyone who has (or has the patience to learn.)

Radiohead in the style of old George? Now that's a thought!

Anyway why don't you get one H-T? I really have a low boredom threshold and musically I'm not that great but I have had such fun today!

If you have a spare £20-30 then go for it, if you can afford to spend £30 on a tank of petrol taking the car out for a blast, forgo that just the once and get a uke for giggles. Nowt to lose really!

Trace

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Ferg said:

Ace-T said:

So the other night I bought a ukulele.

Let me know if you ever intend playing 'Running Wild' on an overnight sleeper train.... I'll be right there.

I am about as far from Marilyn as you can get but 'nobody's perfect'!

I bought some new strings yesterday from a music shop in Nottingham (Dave Mann Music). It has improved the sound hugely, the C string doesn't sound dull at all now; all for £2.60! A bit easier to play now and re-stringing was quite easy.

The lady at the shop seemed quite impressed with the rock and/or roll sparkly black paint job on mine and commented that it seemed to be a nice little uke even for a beginner one! How !

She also said that felt plectrums (proper ones) are like hens teeth and if anyone found any real ones she would buy a load and make millions, so H-T if you are researching, don't worry about getting a felt one. Below are some uke sites I have been using, the main one being Uke Hunt (yes, really!), to get to grips with this.

Main Uke hunt site
http://ukulelehunt.com

A bit about the make of uke I have
http://ukulelehunt.com/2007/08/09/get-good-tone-ma...

Uke Hunt beginners page - read it, very useful
http://ukulelehunt.com/2008/04/02/posts-for-first-...

A traditional method tutorial
http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/ukulele-kamiki/

Another tutorial created in 1914!
http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/ukulele-bailey/

A useful guitar chord site that can be translated
http://www.chordie.com/

An online tuner (very useful)
http://www.fleamarketmusic.com/e-tuner/

Uke forums with a link to a 200 song chord book in PDF, dunno if copyrighted or not though
http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/forum/showthread...

and finally one of the most famous uke instrumental pieces by Jake Shimabukuro
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puSkP3uym5k

Hope this helps

Trace

[Ace-T]

A little update a month in to playing.

I am pleasantly surprised that I am still playing this little instrument. It is a testament to how easy it is to play and how much fun it is to learn (I tend to give up on new hobbies if they don't provide instant and ongoing gratification fairly easily! )

I am currently working through a finger picking course created by Al from the Ukulele Hunt web site. He e-mails it to you if you register, though there is a linky to the whole thing below.

http://howtoplayukulele.com/wp-content/uploads/200...

And here are the accompanying videos

http://howtoplayukulele.com/fingerpicking-videos/

I posted a link to a tuner a post or two above but this one is better; you don't have to keep mouse clicking to play it.

http://www.get-tuned.com/ukulele_tuner.php

Highly recommended as a fun, cheap new hobby, though I will not be posting videos of me playing it on YouTube. There are some things that should just never be shared.

Trace

[Ace-T]

Thanks for the advice and encouragement Keith. Playing the uke has made me realise how much I like playing music. I have always dabbled in it (recorder, glockenspiel(which I loved but didn't have access to one for very long when I was a kid) guitar, clarinet, bass guitar, drums, piano and studied theory to grade 5) but never got very far with any of them. Combination of laziness and frustration at not being able to play well instantly!

The uke seems to have got round those blockers to playing as it seems to be no effort to hold/play/get a tune out of. Instant gratification! Me likey!

Trace

[Ace-T]

A thread res to bring you this young chap, pretty darn good if you ask me!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uluw_n-X4xA

I am not there yet though...

Trace :

[Ace-T]

No probs PkM. How about this then? Rhapsody in Blue on the uke.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca5-xVA-AX4



I am so very seriously tempted by this too.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/2009/takepart/ukulele/

Firstly it is the Proms, secondly it is the Ukulele Orchestra of GB and thirdly it is Ode to Joy, one of my favourite pieces of music.

Trace

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Vagabond said:

Is the ukelele the thing that guy played when he did the "when im cleaning windows" song? If so, do you have a fireplace?

Are there many differences (apart from size) between that and a guitar?

George Formby is the chap you are thinking of I believe. He played the banjo ukulele. The ukulele I have is a soprano, all the history, dimensions etc. are here. There is a smaller uke called the sopranino (sp?) too, which is teeny!

Trace

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Vagabond said:

Have you ever played guitar? I imagine I might find it having only 4 strings is restrictive, that's the only downside I can think of for one of these.

Why don't you get a cheapy like mine. Then you can see for yourself if it is restrictive. I do not think so. I think it is more accessible and more fun than learning guitar which is perceived as a more serious instrument than the uke.

The uke is dead easy to pick up and play anywhere as it is so tiny. It has got a cute and slightly comical sound which is very endearing too (well, when it is tune that is! ).

Try it, you might like it!

Trace

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parakitaMol. said:

OK it's not ukulele but I reckon you might be someone who appreciates this group - I think they are utterly fantastic.....

Good call! Love their sound, very raw yet mellow. Thanks for that!

Trace

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davidd said:

I was thinking about getting a ukulele, any recommendations.....

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VINTAGE-UKULELE-IN-NATURAL-V...

maybe?

D

There are heaps of suggestions about your first uke. Have a read through this

http://ukulelehunt.com/buyaukulele/

...bit to notice was:

UK Hunt said:

Some of the ukuleles with the best reputation for beginners are Lanikai (particularly the budget LU-21 Lanikai ukuleles) and Kala (their KA-S ukuleles and Makala ukuleles are very popular with kids).

With the one you have posted you don't seem to get anything other than the uke. Also it seems to have friction tuners and pegs to hold the strings in, which on the cheapys may not hold the strings in properly. For a bit extra at that shop you could get this...

http://www.wmcmusic.co.uk/ukulele/lanikai-soprano-...

Hopefully this helps.



I now demand to be referred to as the 'Eric Mc' of all things uke!

Trace

Sharin' the ukulele lurve!

Edited by Ace-T on Monday 6th July 19:52

[Ace-T]

davidd said:

Right, have found one on amazon for £20 which hopefully I'll have for the weekend....

Excellent, this is more exciting than waiting for my strat!

D

Awesome! What one did you go for? I got suckered by the sparkles on mine

I already have a second one which is rather special. It is an Aria concert (IIRC they make guitars too), is as old as I am and was bought as an early birthday pressie by the wonderful Judas



Trace

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Ooh, didn't realise you had got it David! Very cool! It is a laugh isn't it!

I have been going through this guys lessons - just fantastic. Always wanted to know how to play Edelwiess, I know, how sad am I?

Found this which made me giggle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVSIM8T-tw&fea...

Keep me up to date on how you are going, with geeetar experience I should imagine you are waaay ahead of me already!

Trace

[Ace-T]

So glad you are liking it! Over the last couple of days I have been mainly caterwauling along to Sunny Afternoon, which is one of my fave songs anyway, but to play on the uke is very

Have you been working along to Ukulele Mikes lessons at all? He is a pretty good teacher and had done well over 100 now on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/user/MusicTeacher2009

Trace

Edited to add linky

Edited by Ace-T on Thursday 6th August 23:17

[Ace-T]

Muzzlehatch said:

Ferg said:

Let me know if you ever intend playing 'Running Wild' on an overnight sleeper train.... I'll be right there.

I played that on my banjulele (and also on my tenor banjo) a couple of weeks ago

You do know, don't you, that if a song sounds good on a ukulele, it indicates that it's a good song in the grand scheme of things. Crap songs generally sound dreadful on a uke.

Hi MH, welcome to the kids corner

Just wanted to post that the UOOGB were on BBC News this morning too.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/breakfast/81...

They are playing at the Proms and have invited everyone to play 'Ode to Joy' with them. I am practicing so I can play along at home

Trace

[Ace-T]

"Another revival of this old chestnut?" I hear you cry...yep

I now have three ukuleles, two Mahalos and the Aria. The two Mahalos are the take anywhere beaters. They have been down the pub on a Friday night and to work where three of us are now learning to play. They will be going with me to a family meet up on Sunday too. They are also keeping me sane in the face of the job getting harder by the day, you just got to have something haven't you?

For anyone who is thinking of getting one DJM Music have got them from £13.36!

I now have to learn Happy Birthday really quickly

Trace

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KB_S1 said:

Ace-T said:

"Another revival of this old chestnut?" I hear you cry...yep

I now have three ukuleles, two Mahalos and the Aria. The two Mahalos are the take anywhere beaters. They have been down the pub on a Friday night and to work where three of us are now learning to play. They will be going with me to a family meet up on Sunday too. They are also keeping me sane in the face of the job getting harder by the day, you just got to have something haven't you?

For anyone who is thinking of getting one DJM Music have got them from £13.36!

I now have to learn Happy Birthday really quickly

Trace

There is an album that is doing very well in the UK charts just now.
There may well be a uke on it that cost around about the £9 mark.

The first one purchased for the project met a tragic but spectacular end.
Its demise was reported (with very incorrect facts) in the press.

Amazing things can be achieved with very basic instruments at times.

??? More info needed!

Oh and I just learned how to play Teenage Kicks!

Trace

[Ace-T]

So Santa was very good to me this year which saw the arrival of my 'next step' ukulele. It is a solid mahogany Kala with good strings (makes an enormous difference to the sound) and is really lovely to play.

I am very interested in learning to play blues ukulele especially after hearing this chap

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7JLulTvvEg&fea...

Dunno if I can sing like that without taking up smoking again though! We will have to see

Anyone else get a uke for Christmas?

Trace

[Ace-T]

Glad you have joined the fold JayPee!

Start with this guy

http://www.youtube.com/user/MusicTeacher2009

An enthusiastic teacher of the uke, start at lesson 1. In half an hour you will be playing 12 bar blues.

Trace