TonyEVH5150
Well-known member
Given BP's love for the uke, I thought I'd ask here. After listening to/seeing a few artists, I really want to take up playing the ukulele. Any suggestions on where to start, what's a good uke to start with?
Off Topic Ukulele . . . want to start playing
- Thread starter TonyEVH5150
- Start date
andynpeters
Well-known member
YouTube - george formby
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfmAeijj5cM]YouTube - George Formby - When i'm cleaning windows[/ame]
UK's king of the uke.......it's fun, though the "re-entrant" tuning is strange.
Apparently George Harrison was a huge fan.
No doubt some of our American friends can help on the Hawaiian origins
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfmAeijj5cM]YouTube - George Formby - When i'm cleaning windows[/ame]
UK's king of the uke.......it's fun, though the "re-entrant" tuning is strange.
Apparently George Harrison was a huge fan.
No doubt some of our American friends can help on the Hawaiian origins
Spudmurphy
Well-known member
Hey Tony.
Nice one - I've always fancied the UKe - I have a 40's George Formany Banjo Uke and I really need to carve a new bridge and restring it.
On one of the UK Gutar magazines is a DVD that gives some UKe lessons - damned if I can remember which mag it was - I'll check it out tomorrow.
I remember seeing footage of George Harrison playing a resonator Uke .
Nice one - I've always fancied the UKe - I have a 40's George Formany Banjo Uke and I really need to carve a new bridge and restring it.
On one of the UK Gutar magazines is a DVD that gives some UKe lessons - damned if I can remember which mag it was - I'll check it out tomorrow.
I remember seeing footage of George Harrison playing a resonator Uke .
threeminutesboy
Well-known member
Ukulele is very hype nowadays 
visited my music store last week and there was a lot ukulele displayed
visited my music store last week and there was a lot ukulele displayed
andynpeters
Well-known member
Actually that link I posted is the only time I've seen GF playing a "guitar" uke rather than a " banjo" type
Astrofreq
Well-known member
I have a Flea ukulele and it is a blast. I haven't touched it for awhile, but I wrote a few tunes on it back in the day.
The "Li'l Hellion" on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
The "Li'l Hellion" on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
andynpeters
Well-known member
Read somewhere that "ukulele" meant " jumping flea" in Hawaiian
Spudmurphy
Well-known member
.. and the tuning is "my dog has fleas"
ScoobySteve
Well-known member
The Master, Jake Shimabukuro.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gaWuadgL3g"]YouTube- Jake Shimabukuro-While My Guitar Gently Weeps[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gaWuadgL3g"]YouTube- Jake Shimabukuro-While My Guitar Gently Weeps[/ame]
ScoobySteve
Well-known member
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqaYmQZgrB4]YouTube - Jake Shimabukuro "Let's Dance"[/ame]
straycat113
Well-known member
I am really surprised how many guys love the Uke. I thought it was so cool in the Beatles Anthology when George and Paul were sitting on the grass and started jamming on them. Also in the Concert For George when Paul started Something -with it and then the whole band kicked in was seriously powerful and the song at the end by I believe Joe Brown was just beautiful.
browndog
Well-known member
I remember as a kid playing my neighbours uke. I played one finger across all the strings and strummed it.
It sounded good, I thought I could play.
Isn’t that how its tuned though?
It sounded good, I thought I could play.
Isn’t that how its tuned though?
RocketRalf
Well-known member
The Ukelele is cool and has some unique sounds, but I have yet to see an Uke player that can hold a candle to venezuelan's Cuatro players. Slightly different instrument but basically the same technique. Check this out:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq3BJnO93hQ&feature=related]YouTube - Encuentro entre C4 Trío y The Flecktones en NY 2007[/ame]
(sorry, we didn't reach the WC, I had to vent my nationalism somewhere else!)
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq3BJnO93hQ&feature=related]YouTube - Encuentro entre C4 Trío y The Flecktones en NY 2007[/ame]
(sorry, we didn't reach the WC, I had to vent my nationalism somewhere else!
)
Spudmurphy
Well-known member
It's the July edition of Total Guitar - my bad because although there is a dvd with the mag, it would appear that the Uke tutorial is contained in an article in the magazine.
ScoobySteve
Well-known member
No one hear of Jake Shimabukuro? Shame!
TonyEVH5150
Well-known member
Thanks for all the links. Still trying to figure out, do I get a soprano or tenor uke? What's the difference? Can they both be tuned to the same pitch ? So many questions.
Eilif
Well-known member
Soprano, Concert (aka Alto), and Tenor are tuned to the same pitch. The main differences are bigger body and longer neck, which results in a different scale length, but the pitch is the same. The Tenor also often has its G string tuned an octave lower than what you'd find on the Soprano or Concert.
The ukulele string tuning is G-C-E-A or the "My Dog Has Fleas" that you've heard about. The relative pitches are the same as the D-G-B-E of the bottom four strings of the guitar, but the notes are different, so guitar players learning the ukulele should have an easy time with picking.
The two premier Hawaii ukulele manufacturers are Kamaka (Kamaka Ukulele) and Koaloha (KoAloha Ukulele Hawaii). Kamaka has been around for almost one hundred years and is the standard against which all others are measured. Koaloha, in comparison, is quite the upstart at only fifteen years old but has made quite a splash. The quality of both is outstanding. Street prices in Honolulu for a soprano run between $400 and $600, with the Kamakas being about $100 more than the Koalohas.
The Kamakas have a rich sound that I suppose is considered "classic". The Koalohas, in contrast, are bright and lively. Both have koa bodies but are different with fingerboards, bridges, and tuners.
I trace my preference for rosewood fingerboards to my having played Kamaka ukuleles as a kid back in the early 1970s.
OK...now I'm getting ukulele GAS. UAS?
The ukulele string tuning is G-C-E-A or the "My Dog Has Fleas" that you've heard about. The relative pitches are the same as the D-G-B-E of the bottom four strings of the guitar, but the notes are different, so guitar players learning the ukulele should have an easy time with picking.
The two premier Hawaii ukulele manufacturers are Kamaka (Kamaka Ukulele) and Koaloha (KoAloha Ukulele Hawaii). Kamaka has been around for almost one hundred years and is the standard against which all others are measured. Koaloha, in comparison, is quite the upstart at only fifteen years old but has made quite a splash. The quality of both is outstanding. Street prices in Honolulu for a soprano run between $400 and $600, with the Kamakas being about $100 more than the Koalohas.
The Kamakas have a rich sound that I suppose is considered "classic". The Koalohas, in contrast, are bright and lively. Both have koa bodies but are different with fingerboards, bridges, and tuners.
I trace my preference for rosewood fingerboards to my having played Kamaka ukuleles as a kid back in the early 1970s.
OK...now I'm getting ukulele GAS. UAS?
Hendog
Well-known member
My Grandfather showed me how to play the Uke years ago.
I love those little things!
I love those little things!
jamie_au
Well-known member
The Ukelele orchestra of Great Britain have a heap of good stuff on youtube. they're what got me into the Ukelele. Now I keep playing it because it's easy to carry back to the hotel room on the road
Adamr
Well-known member
there was also so uke lesson in guitarist magazine couple of months ago. if i find it i can scan u it if u want it . ?
