The Rise and Fall (and Rise) of the Ukulele

+2. It's just a sweet and surprising instrument and not as easy as many guitarists would like to think !

Um, wait. It's supposed to be easy?? :)

Last summer I saw a bumper sticker that that made me laugh.

"My daughter is 'alternative', just like all her friends."

I think the minute the word "alternative" entered the vocabulary to describe music, and to some extent, lifestyle, it completely and totally lost its meaning. I came of age in the early 1980s punk rock scene and I remember when restaurants wouldn't seat us when we had magenta or green hair; when my double-pierced left ear was downright shocking; and when tattoos were considered extreme. I suspect that the generation before me has similar stories with regard to their long hair and such - actually, I'm old enough to remember the comments some adults made toward the "hippies" when I was a kid ("is that a boy or a girl?" being the main one, said toward males with long hair - hey, guys like Tiny Tim!). Now you can get all of these looks and more at the mall...
 
I bought one for $29 on amazon, and the fit and finish was much better than their ukes. they are now $60 shipped
http://www.amazon.com/Rogue-RM-100A...&qid=1423155843&sr=8-2&keywords=rogue+rm-100a

I get ads for that mandolin on my e-mail everyday for $49.

I think Mandolins have a stereotype too, but it is of European travelers from 150+ years ago even if that was a lute. Banjo players are categorized as hillbillies. Guitarists have a stereotype of being tattooed and pierced pot dealers living off of their girlfriends. And I don't even want to go into the stereotype of those who play the cello. In the big picture we don't have it so bad.
 
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I don't see that versatility in other stringed instruments.

People are versatile. Instruments are just a means of expression.

Lindsey Stirling plays dubstep on violin.
Ewen Dobsen plays techno on guitar.
The Piano Guys take 5 guys playing One direction mostly without using the keyboard of the piano itself.
Bobby Mcferrin can play his audience as an instrument.
etc

Instruments make sounds. But people make music.
Uke attracts some creative people, as well as traditional ones.
But it's not unique in that respect.
 
I started playing ukulele 10 montns ago, according to some people here I entered during a down turn. I attend three different regular uke jams and the funny thing is in 10 months all of them have grown to the point where lack of seating is becoming an issue. There are new people showing up every week. Three relatives of mine have taken up the uke since I started and it was not because of me.

It might not be at a frantic growth state at the moment but it seems to have hit critical mass with enough people to sustain a healthly existence.
 
Stumbled upon this on my own and thought it was a great read. If you haven't checked it out yet, you're in for a treat.

For the more experienced ukers in the bunch, you'll appreciate the comments even more!
 
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I read a few comments and they are over 2 years old and I myself think that the ukulele boom is fading and have already done so quite a lot. We must understand that most who bought uke because it was an in thing to do, have never learned much and will eventually drop their playing if not had done so already.

But there will always be those, like I imagine myself to be, who will play it for the rest of their life, if allowed by health. Treating it as an unique versatile accompanying instrument.

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And I am of same mind as some others, that the internet (youtube videos) will keep the uke from falling into obscurity again, but instead keeps it alive. :)
 
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The recent success of several young people playing ukes (and writing songs using them!) on America's Got Talent suggests to me the uke may become less an oddity and more a mainstream alternative to guitar. We're not about to enter oud territory, folks.
 
We must understand that most who bought uke because it was an in thing to do, have never learned much and will eventually drop their playing if not had done so already.

And this happened during the early 20th century ukulele fad, and the mid 20th century ukulele fad, and... hey, it's still around and we're still playing it! Trend followers may come and go, but those of us who are hooked are probably in for the long haul.

This was really fun to revisit this thread, good call on resurrecting it.
 
Boom years "can" have a positive long term effect, although not apparent in previous ukulele booms. But those booms were fighting the guitar.

The 60's bred an electric guitar boom, but kids that tried to emulate the riffs of their favorite bands, never completely gave up on the instrument and as they had families, and that was passed on to their kids. But even though there wasn't another electric guitar boom that rivaled the 60's, guitars were selling. And boomers were also buying and collecting.

I can imagine the same thing happening, although maybe too soon to see, with the ukulele. It may be more subtle than the boom frenzy, but consistent sales for the ukulele, rather a boom fad is better than the past when the instrument seemed to disappear. Let's face it, cheaper ukes if today are many times better than 10-15 years ago. It is so easy to learn and the perfect instrument for a kid with minimal investment.

Below is an interesting response from Fender to a June 2017 article on plummeting electric guitar sales being tied to the death of rock and roll.

"Fender CEO Andy Mooney told Quartz via email that Fender currently has under $100 million in debt, less than half the amount it had in 2012. “Sales of fretted instruments are in great shape and Fender’s electric guitar and amp revenues have been steadily rising for several years,” he said, adding that electric sales are holding steady, acoustic sales are on the rise, and “ukelele sales are exploding.”

John
 
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The internet will keep the uke alive this time around, (even if high street shops don't sell them), they'll be available from specialists for years (centurys?) to come. ;)

(The days of the touring groups is over, it is too expensive to accommodate them & their entourages, & there are too few major venues left.)
 
The recent success of several young people playing ukes (and writing songs using them!) on America's Got Talent suggests to me the uke may become less an oddity and more a mainstream alternative to guitar. We're not about to enter oud territory, folks.

Agreed. Grace Vanderwall, 21 Pilots, Vance Joy to name a few are all big international stars that perform with the ukulele. Just go on youtube and check out all the teens and twenty somethings doing covers with the uke. It is alive and well and will continue to florish.
 
Great article.

Jim Beloff told the beginners. “There are no ukulele police.”

That Jumpin' Jim quote is pure gold.

Irish Traditional Music definitely has the Trad Police.
 
Great article.

Jim Beloff told the beginners. “There are no ukulele police.”

That Jumpin' Jim quote is pure gold.

Irish Traditional Music definitely has the Trad Police.

Are there Trad Police? I volunteer every year at the Dayton Celtic Fest (and thank my lucky stars that we have something so great in our community). An amazing array of musicians play at this event, from locals all the way to bands from Ireland. I love them all, from the Trad bands to the rockers. For years, along with Gaelic Storm, a perennial crowd favorite has always been Scythian, with their unique and wonderful fusion of Celtic with Gypsy. https://www.scythianmusic.com

I hope the Trad Police never arrest Scythian, as they are downright magical!

But I digress... I would love to see one of these Celtic bands bust out a ukulele! It would totally fit in. I love this thread, and agree with so many that the uke, although fun as hell, is a serious instrument just like any other. The next thing I'm ordering from Samantha Muir's shop is her book of Irish tunes. :music:
 
I sing traditional songs with my ukulele, mainly English but also Scottish and a few Irish.

I live in the North East of England and play in Folk Clubs around the area. I find people accept me on my own terms and no has said the ukulele is inappropriate. Most people who play ukulele here tend to sing or play pop songs or 20s to 40s jazz. I go to very few purely ukulele events, preferring folk events.
 
Are there Trad Police? I volunteer every year at the Dayton Celtic Fest (and thank my lucky stars that we have something so great in our community). An amazing array of musicians play at this event, from locals all the way to bands from Ireland. I love them all, from the Trad bands to the rockers. For years, along with Gaelic Storm, a perennial crowd favorite has always been Scythian, with their unique and wonderful fusion of Celtic with Gypsy. https://www.scythianmusic.com

I hope the Trad Police never arrest Scythian, as they are downright magical!

But I digress... I would love to see one of these Celtic bands bust out a ukulele! It would totally fit in. I love this thread, and agree with so many that the uke, although fun as hell, is a serious instrument just like any other. The next thing I'm ordering from Samantha Muir's shop is her book of Irish tunes. :music:

Yes, Scythian violates every rule. Along with the amazing energy they bring, they're a super-nice group of folks.
 
I sing traditional songs with my ukulele, mainly English but also Scottish and a few Irish.

I live in the North East of England and play in Folk Clubs around the area. I find people accept me on my own terms and no has said the ukulele is inappropriate. Most people who play ukulele here tend to sing or play pop songs or 20s to 40s jazz. I go to very few purely ukulele events, preferring folk events.

Hi Geoff!!!
I'm a long time fan and subscriber.
I first found you by your concertina playing.
 
They're still around! Mandolin orchestras - as well as recorder orchestras, and probably others that I don't know of - are all over YouTube. The mando orchestras were what got me interested in orchestral/ensemble uke playing (true instrumental orchestras, not uke + vocals like some uke "orchestras" out there). Funny how nobody's writing about the resurgence of the mandolin orchestra... or recorder orchestra... or perhaps it's just not on my radar.

Right there with ya, waving goodbye to the dilettantes :)

I took piano lessons for many years from a teacher who actually had more accordion students in the 60s and 70s than piano. Remember Lawrence Welk and how popular it made the accordion? I only watched reruns as a kid, but she shared stories about taking a ten sextet called the Teen Tones to New York for a radio show. How many accordion players do you know now?
 
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Recorder orchestras are doing well here in the UK. I played contrabass in one for a while but gave up because it was a bit of a trek to rehearsals and it was taking the edge off it and I wasn't enjoying it as much as I did at first. I still play my contrabass recorder when I get the opportunity.
 
Hi Geoff!!!
I'm a long time fan and subscriber.
I first found you by your concertina playing.

Good to hear that and many thanks. I'm still playing my concertina but not so much for folky stuff these days. I'm playing harmonica more.
 
How many accordion players do you know now?

Two, actually. One's a teacher and he actually has students, plural, so - it's still around. But nobody ever talks about the Accordion Boom or the rise and fall of it, at least not that I know of... :)

Random Lawrence Welk apropos-of-nothing factoid: I live in a house formerly owned by one of the Lennon Sisters; they were big real estate investors in my town. I'm definitely old enough to remember the show but it seems I encounter fewer and fewer people who get the reference!
 
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