A Little Ukulele Anyone?

What we have so far, new songs added weekly!
badger_125
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Thu Aug 27, 2009 1:28 am

OK, as you may have guessed, my recent trip to Hawaii was not entirely for pleasure, there was some hard work to do as well. I figured I should take a little time, find an ukulele, learn to play it, and maybe spread the knowledge a little. I made a trip to Hilo Guitars & Ukuleles, bought a fine instrument from Ken, the proprietor, learned a few chords, and shot a few videos.

Here is a sample of what I learned there. One of the most popular requests I get from guitar players who want to learn a little ukulele (aren't they all?) is a beautiful medley of Over The Rainbow and What A Wonderful World, as done by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole on his first solo album Facing Future, in 1993. Izzy had been a big (huge?) figure in Hawaiian music with his band the Makaha Sons of Ni'ihau since the late 70s.

In his lesson I talk a little about the relationship between the guitar and the ukulele and how to adjust the chord names, but otherwise, it is pretty similar to playing the guitar. The lesson is on the TARGET page under the new category Ukulele Songs.

Have fun,

Neil

P.S. Matt, is the trip now tax deductible???

[video type=youtube]a-1dO7Vl27A[/video]


BigBear
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Thu Aug 27, 2009 1:41 am

Neil- that's really cool! Could you teach us "Tiptoe Through the Tulips"? I've always wanted to learn that! LOL!

Seriously, really great lesson. Makes me want to go out and buy a uke just to play that song!! :cheer:


AndyT
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Thu Aug 27, 2009 3:39 am

Great lesson Neil. I knew the Uke was related to the guitar, but I did not know it was like capoing at 5.

Just one thing... Who in the world taught you to call him 'Izzy'?? That is just weird. Everyone here calls Him 'Iz' or 'Braddah Iz'. :laugh:

Nice Kala. Thats a pretty standard Uke for the islands. I prefer Pono myself, but the real king is 'G String'. They are Masterpieces. Did you get a chance to play one?


galnpdx
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Thu Aug 27, 2009 6:51 am

There are a bunch of nice ukuleles around and this one was just a quick grab at Hilo Guitars. As a matter of fact, when I mentioned to my wife that I had bought a Kala she said she thought they were built by somebody she went to high school with, Mike Upton. It looks like she was right. Seemed strange at as she grew up in Sunnyvale, California, but it looks to be true. I should probably get in touch with him as the company is in Petaluma, here in Northern California.

The 'Izzy' thing just slipped, probably because of my younger daughter, Elizabeth, who we always call Lizzie. Oh well, there are a few things I would change in hindsight in most lessons, which is why I rarely watch them, even as they are being edited- too time consuming!

Which leads me to a bit of piracy myself. I did just watch the improvised play through on Hallelujah because a student asked about it at his lesson. He wondered why it would be so difficult to transcribe and I said, "Let's watch it and see."... I will continue this thought over on the Hallelujah thread (at least one of them!).

Neil


1robekert
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Thu Aug 27, 2009 7:18 am

Cool,
I have had my soprano uke for 3 years. Fun to play around with. I knew joining TG was a good move :)


rcsnydley
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Thu Aug 27, 2009 10:26 am

I have a Kohala KU212 model Uke and have been puttering around with it for a couple of months. It is great to see a Uke lesson and hope to see more in the future.

Here is a tribute video of IZ playing "Over the Rainbow". At the end is his funeral and the dumping of his ashes in the ocean, very beautiful and very touching.

Ric



sl83
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Thu Aug 27, 2009 4:17 pm

So let's say I wanted to pick up a ukulele. What is a good cheap entry level one? I don't suppose they have truss rods cause it looks like you were using nylon strings.

Any thoughts?

Thanks.


AndyT
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Thu Aug 27, 2009 4:28 pm

Correct. No truss rods. All nylon strings.

There are many different types of Uke. What kind of sound do you want? Baritone, Tenor, Standard? Do you want to go cheap or really nice?

The one Neil has, Kala, is a typical Hawaiian style uke. Its just a bit smaller than usual so the sound is a bit higher.

Any uke worth having will cost you anywhere from $80 and up. ($100 and up in Hawaii).

Can you give me a better idea of what you want to play with it?


sl83
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Thu Aug 27, 2009 4:33 pm

Just a decent ukulele to learn on. Never played one before. One that will keep tune and won't have an incredibly high action.

I really don't know what I'd be playing. Let's say I just want to experiment with this Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World.

Why would I choose a Tenor or Baritone over a standard one?


AndyT
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Thu Aug 27, 2009 4:50 pm

Tenors and Baritones are larger than Standards. They have a deeper bass response as well.

Action on a uke is not really much of an issue. Since the strings are not as tight and they are nylon, you should have no trouble fretting.

If you just want a basic uke, then Kala or Pono are good. Costco here in Hawaii carries a Martin for about $100. Nice uke. Looks good and plays well.

Where do you live? You can make a purchase online and have it shipped to you.


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