Does Anyone Here Take Ukulele Seriously?

[Anderton]

As in...play it, write songs with it, use it in recordings, practice on it, walk around the house playing it because it's so light and portable?

 

Just wondering if I'm the only ukulele weirdo here.

[Mike Rivers]

As in...play it, write songs with it, use it in recordings, practice on it, walk around the house playing it because it's so light and portable?

 

Sure. Why not? If you walked around the house playing the bass, that would be weird.

 

There are many contemporary artists who have taken the uke to places where it's never been before (and sometimes I question if it should go there), compose music with it, write songs with it. And there are still traditional Hawaiian singers, song writers, and players for whom the uke is there regular working instrument.

[GovernorSilver]

I never looked down on uke, but after I gained a new respect for it after seeing this guy play a show

 

[video:youtube]

[KuruPrionz]

I am currently Uke-less but I had to force myself to leave a locally owned music shop about 25 minutes south of there when I foolishly picked up an 8 string tenor uke they had on display and fell hopelessly in love with it. Would hav been $700 a bit on the high side for me right now.

 

I was 5 when Uncle Ralph handed me his Silvertone Uke to try out. He was left handed and played right handed, I am left handed and immediately tried to play it right handed. I was all smiles, have a photo of that around here somewhere.

We had a plastic uke around when I was a kid and I've owned a few off and on through the years.

 

I wrote this piece on a baritone uke after my brother called to tell me Mom had passed on. Her name was Grace.

 

At a certain point in my life I thought low of them but then I was at the swap meet in Honolulu and there was a busker there playing a concert uke with a pickup through a battery powered Peavey amp and he was a fantastic jazz musician.

The short scale made it possible for him to create some remarkable compositions. I was transfixed and never dissed the uke again, in the hands of a master it is a formidable instrument.

 

To give it just a bit more bling - George Harrison of the Beatles loved ukes and had them all over the place. They are on some of his records as well.

 

I'll get another one!!!!!! I think I want a tenor with a pickup, doesn't have to be an 8 string.

[Doerfler]

I own a nice one, but have to admit it doesn't get played much. Brother Matt McGlynn, founder of Roswell Microphones, has recently made a video of his mics on a ukulele. Uke playing starts about 19 minutes into the video.

 

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[techristian]

My wife plays guitar and got into uke in the past few years. I think she has 4 of them now !

 

She is very serious about it and has been doing ZOOM with a few people.

 

So I guess YES. It is a serious instrument.

 

 

Dan

[Anderton]

My wife plays guitar and got into uke in the past few years. I think she has 4 of them now !

 

She is very serious about it and has been doing ZOOM with a few people.

 

So I guess YES. It is a serious instrument.

 

I think it's underrated by (ahem) "serious" musicians, but the replies here indicate that the denizens of SSS recognize its value

[Marzzz]

My wife plays it, she wasn't comfortable (shoulder) playing a standard acoustic guitar. It makes her happy, which makes me happy; and she has gotten quite good at it.

 

Side note: over the past few years at NAMM the number of Ukulele companies (especially Hall E) just exploded. It is way more popular than we realize...

[RABid]

In an acoustic setting it makes a nice rhythmic lead instrument.

[Anderton]

Side note: over the past few years at NAMM the number of Ukulele companies (especially Hall E) just exploded. It is way more popular than we realize...

 

Believe me, I realize it! They were huge during Musik Messe's heyday as well. When there were all those clickbait articles about the death of the electric guitar, I would always point out that ukuleles have simply replaced the starter guitars people used to buy.

 

Seriously considering getting a tenor to complement my soprano...maybe they'll mate, and create a concert model.

[MAJUSCULE]

I don't own one, but know a few serious musicians here in town who are pretty serious about it. They dig into traditional Hawaiian music and such.

[KuruPrionz]

Side note: over the past few years at NAMM the number of Ukulele companies (especially Hall E) just exploded. It is way more popular than we realize...

 

Believe me, I realize it! They were huge during Musik Messe's heyday as well. When there were all those clickbait articles about the death of the electric guitar, I would always point out that ukuleles have simply replaced the starter guitars people used to buy.

 

Seriously considering getting a tenor to complement my soprano...maybe they'll mate, and create a concert model.

 

 

For me, the tenor is the sweet spot. It's still compact and easily transported. The 8 string I played and ran away from had 2 lower courses tuned in octaves so it was a big sound from a small instrument.

I really prefer the concert size over the soprano as well.

 

Baritone is a shorter scale, smaller bodied 4 string guitar, more or less. The wild card is the U-Bass, our bassist has one. I sat in on bass with that for a set with Patsy Thompson, a Canadian country singer. She wanted to book me for a pickup gig on bass but first she said "Do you have a real bass?" The U-Bass sounded real to me but I told her I did have a couple of P-Basses and that's what I brought to the gig.

[GovernorSilver]

This popped up in my feed

 

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/populele-2-pro-smart-ukulele#/

[RABid]

Confession time. I have two, plus I bought one for my best friend's daughter who was having trouble learning guitar and wanted to try something simpler.

[RABid]

What I really want is a mandolin.

[dixonge]

We have two. The wife picked up a soprano, her first musical instrument since middle school. She has made amazing progress! She loves it, follows a couple of YouTuber instructors.

 

I picked up a tenor because my old fingers couldn't do certain chords on the smaller soprano. I don't play it as much as I should.

[Anderton]

Soprano is tough for those of us with big fingers, but the sound it makes is so cool. I think I'm going to get a tenor, too - should be easier to play. Which kind did you get, and do you like it?

[dixonge]

Ohana TK-14 (w/ a pickup) - I like it. Still suck at D chords and bar chords, but at least there is space for my fingers...

[Notes_Norton]

I love ukulele for sentimental reasons as well as their ability to make good music.

 

My father played trumpet, violin, ukulele and later in life organ.

 

By the time I came around, he put his trumpet and violin playing behind him. But he would often get out the uke, open a song book, and play while he sang along, and we all joined in.

 

I have his violin - can't play it. I also have his uke, built in Chicago many years ago. I had the tuners replaced with vintage type tuners, so now it can stay in tune. I don't play it much, as a later-in-life guitar player, most of my string practice is focused on that. If I ever take up uke seriously, it'll be my 8th instrument.

 

Notes ♫

[Jeff Leites]

After I retired I joined a Uke group at recreation facility in Burbank.  I left after about a year because I really didn't care for the 20's and 30's music they played.  My uke lives mainly in its case in my closet.  Here's a picture of me at the only gig I did with some of the group at a nursing home (I'm not sure they wanted to be at the show 😄 )

[CEB]

No. These are as close as I get. I play some mandolin and tried to learn fiddle.  Anything that small is hard because my hands are too big.  
 

Much respects to people that can get around on small finger/fret boards. 
 

 

[surfergirl]

The Ukulele was my first instrument and I still play almost everyday. I take one with me most of the time. I learned from mother and grandmother. Here my newest concert, I played soprano before.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Anderton]

I have a soprano ukulele, but yes, it's tough on big fingers. So it's time for my shocking admission...Melodyne. Yes, I do polyphonic pitch correction to compensate for not having small enough fingers. 

 

Hey Surfergirl - how do you like the Fender ukulele?

[surfergirl]

@AndertonI like it. As I stated on the guitar forum, don't be fooled by some of the "so called" experts reviews. They make it sound like the headstock is a full sized Fender headstock. As you can see it's not. 

[BMD]

I have a ukulele. It's one of those el-cheapo jobs off Amazon. The make is Aklot. It's a tenor. Anything else would be too small. I've had it since about February. Learned quite a few chords. I tend to play along to my songs on my phone. Doesn't sound too bad for a cheap uke, actually

[Jeff Leites]

This is my kind of uke music:

 

[Dave Bryce]

On 8/20/2021 at 3:34 PM, RABid said:

What I really want is a mandolin.

 

Do it, Robert.  I love mine.  I hear Beethoven had one. 😎

 

 

Re: ukes - my friends at Hal Leonard’s distribution wing told me a year or so ago that they were their biggest seller….and they handle an amazing amount of lines.  I was way surprised and asked the Sweetwater guys, who said similar things.

 

dB

[KuruPrionz]

22 hours ago, Jeff Leites said:

This is my kind of uke music:

 

Thanks for sharing, they sound great!

Ukes have come and gone but I've never owned a really good one. 

At some point I'd like a concert size, a tenor and a baritone. 

I played a quality tenor 8 string at a music store 20 miles south of B'ham and it was so cool that I had to put it back on the rack and run away before I bought it. 

I've mentioned before that I listened to an accomplished jazz musician busking at a swap meet in Honolulu and the chords he created on a short scale instrument were amazing. 

It completely changed my perspective on ukulele, it is a serious instrument worthy of respect. And it's fun! Plus portable. 

[Brigitte Laskowski]

On 8/27/2021 at 2:41 PM, Anderton said:

Soprano is tough for those of us with big fingers, but the sound it makes is so cool. I think I'm going to get a tenor, too - should be easier to play. Which kind did you get, and do you like it?

When you have bigger fingers, just get a bigger sized uke; Soprano is best suited for those with really thin fingers and children, Concert is a great size for most women, tenor which has the same note string setup as soprano & concert is a little wider between frets but baritone ukulele has the widest space between frets but has the same guitar string notes but only using the highest 4 strings (E, B, G & D). The bass uke is the same size as the baritone but uses the same tones as an electric bass. My ukes are accoustic Cordoba Concert, semi Accoustic concert & Tenor, Enya Nova AcousticPlus Concert and a Flight Centurion fully electric Rock Series ukulele https://photos.app.goo.gl/TejhrpZ9CDybvJaP9 . I run a couple uke groups. One being Electric Lead Ukulele Players; https://www.facebook.com/groups/306377378179241/ I use all my ukes to perform except the Cordoba which is used for teaching beginners ukulele.  I also play guitar,  flute and sing. 

[Brigitte Laskowski]

9 minutes ago, Brigitte Laskowski said:

When you have bigger fingers, just get a bigger sized uke; Soprano is best suited for those with really thin fingers and children, Concert is a great size for most women, tenor which has the same note string setup as soprano & concert is a little wider between frets but baritone ukulele has the widest space between frets but has the same guitar string notes but only using the highest 4 strings (E, B, G & D). The bass uke is the same size as the baritone but uses the same tones as an electric bass. My ukes are accoustic Cordoba Concert, semi Accoustic concert & Tenor, Enya Nova AcousticPlus Concert and a Flight Centurion fully electric Rock Series ukulele https://photos.app.goo.gl/TejhrpZ9CDybvJaP9 . I run a couple uke groups. One being Electric Lead Ukulele Players; https://www.facebook.com/groups/306377378179241/ I use all my ukes to perform except the Cordoba which is used for teaching beginners ukulele.  I also play guitar,  flute and sing. 

Things to note:

If you're coming from playing guitar you might want to go with a low G on a concert or tenor ukulele. Also, if your uke didn't come with metal frets, do not use steel strings because it wears down the frets badly. Flight Rock Series Ukuleles have the same build quality except for looks as the Risa brand rock series ukes. Always order your uke online from a reputable online store that also has a brick and mortar store and does free set ups.