Windmills Optional Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 They are an easy new instrument to learn and fun to play. And George Harrison was a fan! Tom Petty had this recollection of George and ukes in the Living in the Material World bio: "He came in with two ukuleles and gave me one. 'You gotta play this thing, it's great! Let's jam.' I have no idea how to play a ukulele. 'Oh, it's no problem, I'll show you.' So we spent the rest of the day playing ukuleles, strolling around the yard. My wrist hurt the next day. But he taught me how to play it, and a lot of the chord formations. When he was going I walked out to the car and he said, 'Well, wait... I want to leave some ukuleles here.' He'd already given me one, so I said, 'Well, I've got this.' 'No, we may need more!' He opened his trunk and he had a lot of ukulele in there, and I think he left four at my house. He said, 'Well, you never know when we might need them, because not everybody carries one around.'" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis G Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 Usual ukulele tuning is GCEA... Just think of it as a guitar with a capo at the fifth fret (i.e. an A chord on the first fret is the E chord shape, etc.) The G and A strings are an octave higher than the C and E, which is part of what gives the uke its sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaiser Bill Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 My dad taught me three or four chords on a uke when I was 10. I have two ukes one of which I bought in '61. Original strings and cloth "gig bag" it came in. I would give credit to Israel and Train for their popularity. The nylon strings are easier on tiny fingers than metal guitar strings. I would imagine children like them for ease of playing although I've never seen a kid around here with one. Myself...I like 'em. (My Dog Has Fleas) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Farnsbarns Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 Here is some dude that has done a few mods on his Epi, doing Chuck Berrys Nadine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mw7ifg5EffY "Doing" is one word. "Murdering" also comes to mind... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaiser Bill Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 Amen on the murdering...sheeesh!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STEVIL Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 "Doing" is one word. "Murdering" also comes to mind... Didn't think it was so bad, his singing is a bit, lets say - off key. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissouriPicker Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 They're easy-as-hell to play. Very plentiful. Much lighter than a banjo. Don't take-up as much room as a guitar. Relatively cheap, and a lot of women are playing them. And as weird as it might seem, it's true that they kind of make you happy when you play them...lol.....I started with one, now I've got four. I know. It's insane. Anyways: What's the difference between a uke player and a large pepperoni pizza? The pizza can feed a family of four . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riffster Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STEVIL Posted May 23, 2013 Share Posted May 23, 2013 I gotta get!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Izzy Posted September 22, 2013 Share Posted September 22, 2013 I found a Ukulele at the Goodwill for $3. I looked it over and quickly realized it was a real one not a toy. I looked it up and it isn't a bad a$$ one but it is a decent starter. My mom is handicapped, very bad ankylosing spondylitis which deems her unable to stretch her arms forwards or up. Her knees are terrible and she can hardly walk. She is classically trained in piano and I got her a Yamaha but she's not thrilled with it. The minute I brought this ridiculous little guitar thing in the door...she lit up like a tree on Christmas. I tuned it (thank you youtube) and handed it over and I think it is true love. She played guitar as a teen and loved to do rhythm but with her disease she can't wrap about the guitar body to play, though she tries from time to time. The Uke is just right. I played with it a bit and they are.....and I admit this with resistance and embarrassment.....fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted September 22, 2013 Share Posted September 22, 2013 I'm absolutely delighted for the pair of you, Izzy. For your mom as she is clearly over the moon with it and for yourself because you managed to make her so happy with something which might have been dismissed as a trifling 'toy' as you put it. Good for you both! x10. P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karloff Posted September 22, 2013 Share Posted September 22, 2013 My favorite pick-up line. LOL ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zigzag Posted September 22, 2013 Share Posted September 22, 2013 I tuned it (thank you youtube)... My dog has fleas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debonnaire Posted September 23, 2013 Share Posted September 23, 2013 Ukes are fun, cheap, easy to play and versatile! There is some sort of 'hipster' ukulele phenomenon at the moment, but it has been brewing for a while. I live in nova Scotia Canada. An educator here named J Chalmers Doane created a program called Ukulele in the Classroom back in the 70s and it spread around the world. It has recently been updates for the computer world. http://www.ukuleleintheclassroom.com/ The program uses "the Canadian Tuning," D6 (a, d, f#, B) with a low A string. One of the programs biggest successes is at a school in Langley, BC. A teacher there created a well-known student uke ensemble that plays all over the world. Eventually, that program produced an absolute MONSTER player named James Hill. Now he has moved to nova Scotia and was instrumental in updating the program. Full circle. Check him out: http://youtu.be/1NQtQ7De2a8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.