The Rise and Fall (and Rise) of the Ukulele

katysax

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http://www.theatlantic.com/entertai...-it-be-little-the-rise-of-the-ukulele/384453/

Check out this article in the Atlantic. Does the wider press recognizing the growth of the ukulele now mean the uke boom really is dead?

I think interest in the uke is still alive and attracting new players. However, perhaps the frenzy has worn off on uke sales. But there are more festivals and gatherings and meet ups than ever.
 
My friend teaches beginning ukulele classes. For a while, at the beginning of the boom, interest was high, classes were full. This past year it dropped significantly and it seemed like the boom was over - but then a new beginning class just started up and it's full! Could be a fluke (bad pun intended); could be an indicator that the boom is still... booming. Hard to say.

I was kind of surprised to see that article, seems the Atlantic is a bit late to the party :)
 
Does every article about ukuleles mention Tiny Tim? Is it mandatory? I'm new to this...:)

For me, the ukulele is simply a chance to play music in a group setting. I didn't buy one because of any boom; I didn't know there was a boom or a bust or anything else. I'd love to find four or five forty-something guys to play classic rock once a week, but that hasn't fallen in my lap. However, there is a weekly uke jam right down the road that is pretty fun. So one seizes the opportunities life presents instead of wishing for what may never be. :)
 
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Does every article about ukuleles mention Tiny Tim? Is it mandatory? I'm new to this...:)

YES. I think there's a law or something. And Jake, usually. And Arthur Godfrey tends to often make an appearance.
 
“If a kid has a uke in his hand, he’s not going to get in much trouble,” Arthur Godfrey had said, apparently unaware that he'd put his finger on the uke’s fatal weakness."

An interesting insight. I don't know why this comment caused me to
[FONT=Georgia, times new roman, times, serif]immediately think of the British Mods (riding motor scooters) versus Rockers (on motorcycles) tumult of the early 1960's. I guess I associate the sweet affability of the Ukulele with the pleasantly civilized and unthreatening character of the Italian motor scooter. But it also conjures up ridiculous visions of roaming gangs of young toughs wielding Ukuleles, and tattered, alcohol befuddled street buskers playing Uke in looser bars and homeless shelters. Isn't it interesting how certain musical instruments carry with them various social implications that have nothing to do with music itself?

Of course, the writer was suggesting that the goody-goody image of the Ukulele was a turn off for the young crowd of the day, who were looking for a more exciting and dangerous instrument to play. If that's so, then what does that say about how society has changed to allow the recent resurgence of interest in the Ukulele among our youth? An interesting, and potentially disturbing question.
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The best thing the Mods had going for them was Sting and the Who. Ukulele has The Rock and the Beatles. The Mods wish they were this cool!

Seriously though...

I've lived to see a lot of the things that made me an outsider when I was younger become popular. Fads come and go. I'm sure there have been thousands of people who decided to play the ukulele in the last few years because it was the "in" thing to be playing. Experience has taught me that those people will go away when the next "in" thing comes along. No one will miss them when they move on.

The people who play ukulele simply because they love to play ukulele will still be around.
 
Uh, Bill, the Tiny Tim character was established six years before he appeared on Laugh In, and was created by Khaury, not Rowan and Martin. What you saw what who he was, and by most accounts, no kind of put-on.

Because he became about as uncool as it was possible to be once the joke wore thin, a lot of folks believe that Tim helped the Godfrey-generated Second Wave of uke popularity ebb a lot quicker that it might have otherwise.

Ever hear the term "soap opera?" Came from radio. And most radio and television programs have always been written so as to sell products. Look at what Super Bowl ads run ...
 
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Now ...after thought ,inserted pre ramble.. The following may perhaps only apply in the UK : ;)

The electric guitar had a heyday in the 70s with rock,n,roll,rock,prog rock,metal,heavy metal...it was surpassed and supplanted by the slightly more effete bands (my opinion only) of the 80's who made much more use of the keytar ,synthesisers,electronic keyboards ...( the geetar bands still existed ,they just could not as much play on air )

I don't really know what happened in the 90's as I lost interest in listening to the pap pumped out by commercial record labels of any stripe and I am still waiting for a resurgence of young talent in the 2000s(However that may be down to a Crusty old Fartliness that I nurture with a passion)......you can only take so much androgony , waif like young ladies who sing in a lisping and slightly breathless manner (Melluah etc) and scruffy looking Scotsmen or 17 year old gingas with an "affected" beat up guitar and a retro sound......(Nutrino ...and Ed ...thing ..Shenanigan or similar)

Throughout all these musical convolutions and twisty turny in and outs of instrumental popularity I kept my Ukulele (Banjo Uke ...1 only)in my hand ,yes sir ....I kept me ukulele in my hand.....not constantly ...in the late 80s to about 2010 I did not play it as faithfully nor as often as I should..but like a good old friend kept in touch whilst experimenting with it's bigger six stringed cousin...

I never "got" Tiny Tim during his brief period of UK popularity, I was a kid and he made no sense to me .....George Formby was my influence...and to a lot of other ukers in soggyland in late the 60's...a Formby right hand technique was the goal of many a spotty yoof....because we had not realised the little tricks that he played with his left.....

Anyhow ....what I think I am saying is that wave of popularity ....what wave of popularity ...?

I think that term really only applies to those who treat the uke as a passing fad ,to try this "easy to play" instrument ,to realise that actually this really needs some time devoting to it, I can't be bothered ....move on........ and the corporates and individuals who can ride that crest of a wave.......my Old Pet Peeve..for example ....straps....mostly unheard of ...definitely unheard of by my crew as kids.......now they are all over , in discussions , in shops ,in your houses. I concede that they are fine for those that use and want them ....if I ever play anything bigger than a concert even I may possibly have to eat crow pie and get one....( I have many ,many guitar straps ) I think these "waves" may be artificial and driven by slick marketing and merchandising........I don't think Ukers come and go ,They See , They Uke , They Conquer , They Stay.........................
:biglaugh::eek:ld:

Sorry ...it's longer than I meant it to be....ah well...
 
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Just another uke article, albeit a decent one. Certainly the increasing number of uke manufacturers is no indication anything is waning.
 
Dare I say that most young ukers will never have heard of Tiny Tim apart from him keep getting mentioned in this kind of articles, especially outside of the US/UK. He's probably not the first person that comes to mind to most people worldwide when thinking of ukuleles. Personally, I've only ever seen one short video of him on youtube. Musicians like Iz or Beirut (or what's his name, the guy who sings "hey soul sister?") are much more iconic references for the uke in pop culture these days, I reckon.

As to the wave of popularity fading out, I get the impression that what is happening is that the ukulele has become recognised as a true music instrument like any other. So on the one hand some people will appreciate it like the wonderfully fun and expressive instrument that it is, beyond the quirkiness, and take it seriously, but also might consider other equally attractive options in terms of "serious instruments" to dedicate themselves to (whereas it used to be "Oh look, a uke! How fun! Let's get one they're cheap" rather than "which instrument do I want to spend the next few years learning?"). And on the other hand some people will shun the uke because it's not indie or quirky enough anymore ("Oh-Em-Gee, ukulelees are sooo 2010, i'm into kale and microbreweries now").

I don't think that's a bad thing ;)

Long live the uke!
 
Whatever, whether the Tiny Tim character started 6 years before Rowan and Martin or not, the character was set up to be uncool. Clever TV production teams can do a lot with an eccentric character like Tiny Tim, they could have scripted the show to make him cool, but they actually set him up as uncool and laughed at him, not with him. Look at current TV shows to see how quirky eccentrics can be cast as heroes and cool.
Many accounts I have read from ukulele players of the time indicate that the advent of Tiny Tim marked a rude and sudden end to regular bookings and acceptance. Who knows how he came to be on the Rowan and Martin show, it does not really matter what he did before that, because his appearance in the TV show is still a point of reference for ukulele history 50 years later as shown in the linked article.
Going back to the question of whether the current ukulele era is over, have we had a Tiny Tim marker event yet, I can't see one happening. Maybe, the ukulele has reached a critical mass where it is like other musical instruments, it does not have waves any more, it just is?
I grew up with Rowan and Martin's Laugh In and it was as irreverent as it could possibly be. That was the whole premise of the show, to laugh at people. Tiny Tim certainly was not going to be an exception just in order to make him cool, or to make ukuleles a serious instrument.

I thought that it was a good article. As far as if the interest in ukuleles is waning, or hit its peak, heck, a year ago I didn't have any interest in ukuleles. I
didn't think about ukuleles, I hardly knew they existed, and I will admit it, my only exposure to the ukulele up until I happened to discover that video of Jake playing one in Central Park, was Tiny Tim, back in the sixties. And, I will bet I'm not the only one who associated the two before they saw the light. But I did discover the ukulele, and all you have to do is look at all the people introducing themselves in UU, and you can see that people are discovering the ukulele every day.
 
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My friend teaches beginning ukulele classes. For a while, at the beginning of the boom, interest was high, classes were full. This past year it dropped significantly and it seemed like the boom was over - but then a new beginning class just started up and it's full! Could be a fluke (bad pun intended); could be an indicator that the boom is still... booming. Hard to say.

I was kind of surprised to see that article, seems the Atlantic is a bit late to the party :)
Better late than never. I think the timing couldn't be better actually. It is nice to keep it in the news, to catch the interest of some of those who missed the boat. Anyway, I wonder if the fact that attendance in classes didn't fall off because of all the lessons and tutorials that have grown on the internet? I know that a lot of people are going there right now to learn. I'm glad though that the new class is filling up.
 
"There is a tide in the affairs of men that taken at the ebb leads to Ukulele... and taken at the flow leads on to decreased sales by"... Corprats, Journalists, and other such riff-raff that never set the trends, are always late to the dance and never get the girls/guys. In short what is good for General Motors is not what's good for the country. When Theodore Roosevelt was Secretary of the Navy he instigated he Spanish - American War along with his Yellow Journalist cronies because he thought Amis Men were becoming wimps, (my word. Teddy also made his first appearance in the Albany State House wearing a purple velveteen suit).

The pundits do not know how to think outside of the box. They never will. They are the Louse on a Lady's Hat in Church. The article quoted by the OP is interesting. It suggests a cyclical decline in Ukulele interest. Maybe. It suggests Ukulele sales are in decline, markets shrinking. This explains why Sears, Montgomery Ward, and Walmart all sell Ukulele, right? Its Hokum!

“If a kid has a uke in his hand, he’s not going to get in much trouble,” Arthur Godfrey had said, apparently unaware that he'd put his finger on the uke’s fatal weakness."

An interesting insight...
social implications that have nothing to do with music itself?

Of course, the writer was suggesting that the goody-goody image of the Ukulele was a turn off for the young crowd of the day, who were looking for a more exciting and dangerous instrument to play. If that's so, then what does that say about how society has changed to allow the recent resurgence of interest in the Ukulele among our youth? An interesting, and potentially disturbing question.
Arthur Godfrey never met me! George points out there are at least two different kinds of Ukulele communities, social and music. Ukulele is un-popular , passe? Hands up. who has a recorder?

I don't know George "goody-goody", a turn off? Maybe. I wear Hawaiian Shirts, odd hats and play Banjo, Ukulele, and Accordion because I think they're Cool; not because some geek in a white button down shirt and necktie tells me they're Cool.

The following may perhaps only apply in the UK :

The electric guitar had a heyday in the 70s with rock,n,roll,rock,prog rock,metal,heavy metal...it was surpassed and supplanted by the slightly more effete bands (my opinion only) of the 80's who made much more use of the keytar ,synthesisers,electronic keyboards ...( the geetar bands still existed ,they just could not as much play on air )...
Throughout all these musical convolutions and twisty turny in and outs of instrumental popularity I kept my Ukulele (Banjo Uke ...1 only)in my hand ,yes sir...
I never "got" Tiny Tim during his brief period of UK popularity, I was a kid and he made no sense to me .....George Formby was my influence...and to a lot of other ukers in soggyland in late the 60's...a Formby right hand technique was the goal of many a spotty yoof....because we had not realised the little tricks that he played with his left.....

Anyhow ....what I think I am saying is that wave of popularity ....what wave of popularity ...?

I think that term really only applies to those who treat the uke as a passing fad ,to try this "easy to play" instrument ,to realise that actually this really needs some time devoting to it, I can't be bothered ....move on........ and the corporates and individuals who can ride that crest of a wave... I don't think Ukers come and go ,They See , They Uke , They Conquer , They Stay...

Gee CeeJay, I just said the same thing you did! The article cited by OP ignores factors outside of the continental USA as irrelevant. Yellow journalism is just as prevalent today as in Roosevelt's heyday. Never even mentions Formby. The highest paid entertainer in Britain during his time. Mentions Tiny Tim, the Karamatzov brothers .... doesn't say a thing about "New Vaudeville" or shtick. That's what it is folks, Shtick, same as Rush Limbaugh. Entertainers making a living by allowing people to laugh at em.

I grew up in the Sixties. Folk music was something one found in the family. Then came the "FolkRevival". Lots of hype, lots of marketing, lots of Folk Festivals started. How many threads have you read about Granma's Ukulele being passed on in the UU forums? Lots of Uke marketing today. Lots of Uke Gatherings? The person who wrote the article didn't do a bad job. Folk Music and Ukulele are not dead, dying or passe.

I'm from the government. I'm your friend! I'm a journalist. I wouldn't lie to you, would I?

Good discussion guys. Keep it up!
 
NAMM's data on ukulele sales in the US (in units and dollars) since 2009 show growth through 2012, and some decline from 2012 to 2013.
2014MusicUSA_final_uke.jpg

I tried a couple of times to insert a larger version of this image. Oh, well. Original report can be found here:
https://www.namm.org/files/ihdp-viewer/global-report-2014/
US ukulele numbers are on page 12.
 
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Tiny Tim was actually very talented. But the 60s and 70s were very, very tacky in terms of pop culture and what "the establishment" found entertaining.

Just think where we'd all be without the internet. The wealth of uke knowledge and information about others who play the uke just wouldn't be there. We'd all be wondering if anybody out there played these things. Today there are active, vibrant online communities for every interest, from barn restoration to smallmouth bass fishing to ukulele playing! The point made about those who play the uke will keep on playing it regardless is spot-on, and online communities like this will only help keep slightly off the beaten path instruments like the uke, hammered dulcimer, accordion, what have you going strong.
 
NAMM's data on ukulele sales in the US (in units and dollars) since 2009 show growth through 2012, and some decline from 2012 to 2013.
View attachment 75570

I tried a couple of times to insert a larger version of this image. Oh, well. Original report can be found here:
https://www.namm.org/files/ihdp-viewer/global-report-2014/
US ukulele numbers are on page 12.

Thanks for that. Interesting charts. The total sales ratio between ukes and guitars seems to be better than 1:3. That's a significant number and far higher than I would've thought. It looks like guitars are poised to widen that gap a little more now.
 
Given the number of people I hear about who say they took up the uke because they're retired and now have time for musical pursuits, or because their arthritic hands aren't as comfortable on a guitar fretboard as they used to be, or because their grandchild received a Disney Mickey Mouse "toy guitar" (and hey, it's neat!), and given the number of Boomers now reaching/approaching retirement, I would think there would be a steady market. Or not. :D
 
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