Any ukulele players here?

[zeboma]

Just curious.....avid guitarist here, picked up a uke (and then of course bought two: a longneck soprano, and a tenor) about a month ago, and man am I loving them. My guitars have not been feeling the love, but I'm sure I'll get back to them eventually. I've run into 2 people in the last week who said "I used to play guitar until I found uke".....just wondering about others here. I'm finding it so darn fun, and versatile, easy to sing to, and boy did it add another dimension to my usually-3-guitar jam sessions with friends last night!

I'm also finding that uke-strumming has brought something new to my guitar strumming~~a little more zest and creatively. Funny what having a small body and 2-fewer strings can free you up to do!

[merlin666]

Yes my cheap tenor uke sometimes gets more play then my high-end guitars, and it's my favourite for playing out too and not only due to the better portability.

[Urbantraveler]

I started playing ukulele about a year and a half ago. It was during a summer heat wave and I was looking for ways to take my mind off the heat. I went crazy for it right away. They're so easy to play, and so much fun. I got a bunch of songs and chords from the internet and started to go to uke meetups where I live. I learned a lot playing at these. A few months later, I joined a ukulele "orchestra" (more like a band because it is not just ukulele) nearby and we do several performances a year. Anyway, I enjoy it and it's really a lot of fun. It also got me back into playing guitar, which I played for about a year in high school.

I have three ukuleles - a Lanikai concert acoustic/electric, a Kala tenor (also acoustic/electric) and a Kamoa (what they call "grand concert" - slightly bigger than a concert). The Kamoa and the Kala both have the low G string.

I got a friend of mine with a guitar background into playing ukulele last year. She loves it and she says that it has improved her guitar playing.

[ukejon]

I took a 7 year break from guitars to focus on uke playing....hugely inspired by Jake Shimabukuro and James Hill. Ended up performing a fair amount and posting about 60 videos. But now I'm 50/50 between guitar and uke (re-entrant tuned tenor only) when I play out. Good to meet you, zeboma.

[Earl49]

I play both about 65/35 in favor of guitar. Guitar is my primary instrument, but I lead a ukulele club that meets four times a month. I don't get out to guitar jams that often any more, but play guitar by myself at home routinely. www.boiseukulelegroup.com

[pojack1]

I've been playing the ukulele for several years and find it very relaxing. I don't use one at my gigs anymore (got tired of the Tiny Tim comments) but I'm seeing more and more folks playing one. It's also weird when I pick up my guitars with a 1 3/4 neck - quite a difference! Plus I thought we guitarists discussed strings quite a but - nothing the the ukulele community. It's a great way to spend an afternoon - just strumming your cares away!

[Earl49]

Originally Posted by pojack1

.....got tired of the Tiny Tim comments).....

Funny you should mention Tiny Tim.
"Tiptoe Through the Tulips" is basically the only song that is banned from our ukulele group. It's actually not a bad Tin Pan Alley song, but his version - fingernails on a chalkboard are preferable, or some of those awful Yoko Ono screeches that got recorded.

[Song]

Yes I love guitars, ukuleles, and guitarleles (guitalele or guilele).

[Kupuna50]

I play guitar and ukulele. Both are awesome instruments, BUT............
the uke is FUN!!
Don't know if it's the smaller size or what, but when one picks it up, the fun, rascal side of you comes out. You can do so many things with it, and none are wrong!
My main uke is a Koaloha 6 string. The octave strings add even more options.
Go get one and have fun!

[zeboma]

I'm totally thrilled with mine (Kala SLNG soprano and Kala cedar/rosewood "comfortedge" tenor). I'm doing a little jazz, a little classical, lots of fun strumming....something about it just invites experimentation

Kind of makes me think: in the motorcycle world, amongst racers, there's now some conventional wisdom that one should start dirt-riding--to learn how to really let it hang out, throw the bike around, slide into turns etc--then that'll serve you well on the street. I feel like it's a good analogy for uke--->guitar: some of the looseness and experimentation the uke is teaching is carrying over nicely into guitar, making be a better "rider" all around!

Long live stringed instruments!

[lfoo6952]

Another uke player here. As others have stated, it is a fun instrument and fast to learn due to having only 4 strings.

Anyone here visit the ukulele underground website?

[vcs700s]

Originally Posted by lfoo6952

Another uke player here. As others have stated, it is a fun instrument and fast to learn due to having only 4 strings.

Anyone here visit the ukulele underground website?

If you play the uke or are interested the Ukulele Underground Forum is a must.

I have been playing 2.5 years and have an active uke blog and YouTube channel.

[greenshoe]

Started playing the uke years ago - bought the cheap $39 one from Guitar Center (which has since disappeared to one of my friends...).

Then bought a used Ohana concert size which I used for a few years.

Sold that one, and picked up at 100th anniversary Kamaka tenor while on the Big Island last year.

[MikeBodd]

Hi there. I love the uke. Got a kala soprano and concert. And then a couple of the little Ashtons.

[Hurricane Ramon]

This gem of a [ blonde ] Koa soprano ukulele was among the first made after the Japanese American owners had to shut down during WW2 and joined the US Army .
I believe they were both in the 100th Battalion , one of the most decorated divisions that served in the European theater of action .Their motto was : " Go For Broke " .

After the war ended , one brother stayed on in the service and the other re opened the factory in Honolulu Oahu Hawaii .
The brother who stayed on in the service retired to return to the family operated ukulele factory business .

I have restored this pretty much , what needs attention I will let a real luthier do for me , but , at this point it's quite playable and it's sound is so sweet and rich .

I read about George Harrison being an avid ukulele player . It's said he walked about his residence with one all the time noodling compositions .

Once I began to play this one I realized why George liked to play them , I agree that it helped open up more possibilities on my guitar playing as a result . I love ukuleles .

I'll be returning to the Big Island Of Hawaii ( not to be confused with the island of Oahu ) to stay , when I do I'll take this to the Kamaka Ukulele to the Honolulu factory
to finish the cosmetics to dress this out properly . I had lived on The Big Island Hawaii 7 years in the 1980's .

I found this prize in a thrift store for $14.00 heh heh heh .

Aloha :

HR