I noticed a couple of posts lately from people who took up the ukelele, either a standard tuning concert or tenor, and also some baritone uke players. Justin Guitar offers some uke lessons. I’m wondering how many other guitar subscribers also picked up the ukelele. Spell it ukelele, ukulele, however. I just call it a uke.
I got into playing the uke a couple of years ago. I add a new chord to my repertoire whenever I encounter a new song with one in it. Doesn’t take long at all to go from 1 or 2 finger chords to 3, and then a few 4 finger chords. Am7 uses no fingers in standard uke tuning. Ukes are small, travel easily, sound nice, and draw a crowd. I belong to a local uke group, Hendersonville Ukelele Group, aka HUG. We play a few gigs around town, at farm markets, or around the holidays. A few in the group play at senior centers etc.
I started with a concert uke, which turned out to be too small for me. I then got a tenor uke. Someone in the group had a baritone uke. It’s 4 strings are tuned: D, G, B, E, like the1st 4 strings of a guitar. It was a no brainer to get one of those. That one is acoustic/electric. Great sound, lots of fun. Once in a while I mis-finger a chord, forgetting I’m on the tenor or baritone (bari for short), but in a group setting, no one notices/no one cares. I just keep on going.
Lol, you’re somewhat local to me. I know a few people in HUG. I’m up in Asheville. The “local” groups I’ve played with are the Marion group and I’ve also played at the big community jam at The Mule (in fact, the friend who wants to go tot he uke fest in Ireland is the main organizer of that jam). I know at least some of the HUG folks have been up there.
Yes, that’s us/me. I’ve heard of and met a few folks from the AUS group. I was going to go to some of their play alongs, but it’s a good hour for me to them from Etowah. Sometimes the weather looked iffy. Too far to go for a no go. Then I found HUG. I’ve heard of the Marion group, but never visited them there. Only been to Marion a few times. I’ve also heard mention ‘The Mule’. I’ve not been there either. Driving at night sucks, so after dark I’m home.
The Marion group is fun. They play saturday mornings so it means an early morning for me. It’s a haul to get out there, but there are some very skilled musicians who play there so there’s more musicality than you probably encounter at most uke jams.
The jams at The Mule are on weekends and early in the afternoon, basically right about when The Mule opens. There have only been two so far, but I think the objective is for them to happen roughly quarterly. Folks have driven up from SC. Some HUG folks have showed up. Some of the Marion folks come out. Plus a lot of people who I suspect aren’t part of any formal groups. At the first one I was the only guitar. At the second one there were a couple more guitars. There were a couple uke bass players. The variety helps.
I otherwise haven’t played with the Avl group. The usual jams they have on Wednesdays sound too structured for my preferences.
Ours at HUG aren’t very structured, just a bunch of people getting together to strum and sing. We generally do round robins, each taking a turn to pick a song, and lead it if they want. If not someone else will. We meet every Wed. at 6 to 8 pm, in Hendersonville at the rec center on S. Grove St. You’re always welcome to come out.
I have a uke. Like you I originally bought a concert uke while in Hawaii but found it too small. So I bought a tenor uke. I play it occasionally, but not a ton. I was playing with a small group, but found it was taking time from my guitar and piano practice. So I dropped it.
me! I play the Uke at school with the children, I’m a kindergarten teacher and it really is fun. I know the chords in the key of C only and transpose any tune in that key. We have a capo too and like exploring our voices with it
I bought a soprano uke in a charity shop last year got a new gig bag and some strings learnt one song never changed the strings (they are a bit sticky) and haven’t touched it for a long time must get back to playing it thanks for reminding me I have one.
@Silvia80 Wonderful! I bet the kids love it. On a concert or tenor uke, standard tuning, there are many 1, 2 and 3 finger chords, with shapes that are moveable at the nut end of the neck. When I first started, it was with 2 or 3 chord songs. As I found a new song to add, with a new chord, I’d practiced it, finding anchor points, similarities between the new chord and other chords in the song, and go from there. I do enjoy playing with the local group. Always fun. If you can play the 3 major chords in C: C, F, and G, add an A chord like you would on a guitar. The 2, 3 and 4 strings: Frets 2 on each, and you have a D chord on a uke. You can now play in the key of G: G, C and D. If you can play an F chord, move the finger that’s on string 2: fret 1 to string 3: fret 1, and you have an A chord. You can now play in the key of D: D, G, and A. One chord at a time does it. Add a chord a week and you’ll have tons of songs in tons of keys you can play. Capo works too. Glad you enjoy it.
@Guitarman63 Hope you rekindle your interest in playing the uke, John. They travel easier than a guitar and you can draw a crowd just as well with one.
I have heard that uke seems the preferred young school instrument in the UK at least. That would probably be a lot better than the cheap plastic recorders used most often in the US. Was talking to some people at a friend’s pub gig last night (they were also friends of his) and most were musicians except one woman. she claimed not a single musical bone in her body and that she was scarred by that recorder as a young’in. I will admit that they are not inspiring.
Thanks for the invite. Though like you, I think making that drive on weekday evenings sucks.
The easier traveling can be a pretty big deal. A guitar-playing friend of mine brings a uke when he travels. That’s essentially why I got this baritone (though for a single specific trip). I do have an Enya travel guitar that I use for camping and stuff and I still won’t take this uke for that stuff. As for drawing a crowd, I suppose that kinda depends on where you are. Where I live it seems like half of the population plays guitar so drawing a crowd doesn’t tend to happen so effortlessly. Whereas ukes are seen by most of the general public as different and unique. Even though looking deeper, I think quite a few musicians play one.
@Guitarman63 Every journey commences with a single step. You got strings on, you got to pluck 'em, tune 'em, and may as well play a tune or two. I leave my instruments out where I have to pass by them daily, many times over. If they’re in a case, in a closet/under a bed, out of sight out of mind. They don’t get played. I stop to plink a tune, next you know a half hour or more passes.
Ah yes, the recorder. I got Jane one for her birthday one year. Her idea. She played it a few times. She sounded good, but would stop every time I stood to listen. That was a few years ago now. It’s here somewhere. I recall the recorders in school. We could all instantly play the opening notes from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Made the teacher nuts, as we’d play it soon as their back was turned, then stop. Someone else on the other side would toot it out then. All good school fun.
I think I’ll need to include a bit of uke in my practice routine too!
I actually started on the Uke, learned quite a few songs and chords, only then got onto the guitar. Still love the uke, but it’s doesn’t get the love it deserves nowadays. Started on concert size, then got a tenor (like it a bit better), then built a soprano kit with my son. (well… which Brian Larsen tried out shortly when he visited Berlin )
@Silvia80 Don’t fear the other chord shapes than those in C major! Many have their equivalents on the guitar that you know already, just leave the 5th and 6th string away.
I knew quite a few, but forgot some of those which are different from the guitar shapes…
I can also play Am A A7, D D7, Em … I think that’s it! I’m very lazy at practicing the Uke but I play it a lot with the children, I taught the C chord to the 5yo and 2 of them accompained me in a song while the other played some percussion instruments, at our end of school party…that was proper noise pollution
I’ll have to investigate in September, thank you! @domi7 there’s also another reason for staying in the key of C (though the main one is just laziness ) and that is I can memorise the tunes and easily play them with no need of musicsheets - and that actually helps as I already have +18 kids to look after
They are very popular in our schools too…and I also enjoyed it a lot, though they didn’t teach us the basics of Rhythm and I wasn’t smart enough to understand by myself. Nowadays in secondary schools I see also guitars and keyboards and that is a bit crazy the uke would be a much smarter and more inclusive option rather than guitars!
Now I remember this:
I taught my son a few chords on the uke. Unfortunately he wasn’t to keen learning, especially while growing up even less.
But a few months back in his new school they had a song project where everyone could choose to play “their” learned instrument, or some percussion or just sing. My son saw the ukes and chose one. Later, coming home, he told me being SO happy he fared well in this easy song and had a lot of fun in the project.
I have some hope now that his (hand-) drumming lessons ended, he’ll have a bit of motivation to start a melodic instrument, like the piano or the guitar for example.
I think, even if children don’t stay with the instrument, it is a good start with music and helps later to pick up the instrument again (or another one).
Edit: Oh well, I mean - if it’s not a kind of torture and the chemistry between pupil and teacher is ok. In order not to spoil the thing and the kid will keep bad memories!
me! I play the Uke at school with the children, I’m a kindergarten teacher and it really is fun. I know the chords in the key of C only and transpose any tune in that key. We have a capo too and like exploring our voices with it 
)
) and that is I can memorise the tunes and easily play them with no need of musicsheets - and that actually helps as I already have +18 kids to look after 