Still in love with ukulele?

I have come back around (double full circle?) to my love of ukulele. I would classify it as love. I have been making music since 1977, when I was 9. Drums, trumpet, sax early on...guitar soon after, bass (which was my main instrument for many years), keys...when I discovered old time music, I got into fiddle, banjo and mandolin for quite some time.

Around Summer of 2000 I was having problems with my hands and wrists that made me think I was going to have to give up playing stringed instruments.

My wife (a musician herself) suggested ukulele, thinking the shorter scale, nylon strings, fewer strings, etc. would be something I could handle even with my hand pain.

Right she was, and I spent the next three or four years playing uke almost exclusively. I got to be pretty decent and had a large repertoire of songs.

Well, I eventually got called back to rock and roll and spent a few years playing electric guitar and bass again.

I want to downsize my life and have come to the realization that owning a bunch of instruments may be cool, but all the electric gear and everything you have to do to hook up, set up, dial in and play is such a major pain.

Nothing can replace just grabbing an instrument and starting in playing.

Also, I am having hand troubles again, so i believe this move back to uke is permanent. I'm selling off all my electric gear. Back into ukes and loving it.

Mivo said:

...My UAS seems to have quietened now too since I have somewhat settled the "size" question. The Black Bear soprano was almost like a bringer of peace...

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I've never played a Black bear, but based on sound samples and all the pics I've seen, I think if I was going to go for a custom build, that's where I'd go.

Papa Tom said:

...without an audience for dopey nursery rhymes or bouncy old Vaudeville tunes anymore, my uke repertoire is less relevant these days...

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It IS relevant! I don't want to live in a world where goofy old Vaudeville songs are forgotten!

Yes, yes, yes. Nine years and still growing strong. Yet I'm at the point where I might be able to let a few go that I never ever play. I still hate to though cuz they are all special.

bonesigh said:

Yes, yes, yes. Nine years and still growing strong. Yet I'm at the point where I might be able to let a few go that I never ever play. I still hate to though cuz they are all special.

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I feel lucky in that my UAS (or really any "Fill-In-the-Blank" Acquisition Syndrome) is a thing of the past for me. I've already been through the instrument buy/sell/trade/collect merry-go-round/roller coaster and I am off that ride. For one thing, I never have spendy cash. For another, when my "want button" gets pushed, I just focus on playing what I have and try to be happy with it, knowing I don't "need" anything else.

When I first got into ukes in 2000, I quickly ended up with 15 of them. Now I honestly have no desire to own more than 2-3. Even that seems excessive to me at times.

This is not a judgement of anyone who wants to have hundreds of instruments--that's their personal business. It's just what works best for me. I want to concentrate on playing and improving and building a repertoire; not shopping and longing. I've been that route so often. For me, owning tons of stuff is more of a chore than a pleasure.

For one thing, I know what my preferred size is, know I'm not interested in, for instance, an A/E uke. I like banjo and resonator ukes, but not enough to feel the need to have one in my possession.

I have an old no-name soprano strung re-entrant (it needs some work) a baritone uke that was given to me (which is now my wife's instrument really) and a new inexpensive concert uke I just bought. I MAY end up with a second concert uke just because I like to have a backup of my "main" player in case something goes wrong...needs work, pops a string and I am out of replacements, etc. but I feel lucky that I've gotten to where "The Search" and desire for more and more ukes has waned. It works out better for me, my budget, my space and my wish to be able to move as freely through life and the world as possible without being weighted down by "things."

yes, Yes, YES! I've been playing over a year now and I just can't get enough. I've gone through various stages of guitar crazy, harmonica crazy and mandolin crazy but I've never had it this bad. That sound, that sweet acoustic tone coming from those nylon stings, I just can't get enough. Soprano, Tenor, Baritone and Banjo Uke, so many choices not enough time. Sometimes I feel like Johnny Appleseed, I just want to plant the uke seed in everybody I meet. That being said, something needs to be done about the dark side (UAS), some days I just can't help myself and fear I might be out in the street, homeless living in a mahogany, cedar and rosewood box - wait, that doesn't sound so bad...

Yep - I pick up one of my ukes most days & am working on songs for my group most days, plus leading my group 2 days a week & doing gigs with them over 2-3 days a month!

I've met up with some fantastic people on my 6 year uke journey - buying my first uke in mid 2010 whilst my husband was going thru cancer surgery/chemo treatment. It helped keep me sane. Now Keith has his own uke - a 75th birthday present 5 years ago. He may only play a few chords, but he does it with gusto! I take it travelling with me and my 3 siblings now also play, so we have even 'more' in common .....

I can't imagine my life without it now!

cheers

Roberta

arpie said:

Yep - I pick up one of my ukes most days & am working on songs for my group most days, plus leading my group 2 days a week & doing gigs with them over 2-3 days a month!

I've met up with some fantastic people on my 6 year uke journey - buying my first uke in mid 2010 whilst my husband was going thru cancer surgery/chemo treatment. It helped keep me sane. Now Keith has his own uke - a 75th birthday present 5 years ago. He may only play a few chords, but he does it with gusto! I take it travelling with me and my 3 siblings now also play, so we have even 'more' in common .....

I can't imagine my life without it now!

cheers

Roberta

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Thats fantastic!

If I did not have long-standing prior commitments, I would sell all of my guitars and use the money to buy ukuleles. So, I guess I'm hooked.

Oh yeah....just don't play it as much as before, been learning the guitar and slack key.

I love all of my ukuleles, high g, low G, soprano, concert, tenor and baritone. I have developed repertoire on them that will always be part of my playing.

Sorta . . . I've been playing for over ten years now, before my kids were born. These days I play because I can, but there's no particular fire that keeps me going. I play when I see one. The good part I guess is that I taught my kids and wife enough that they play too, so sometimes we all get together and play, but I'm usually playing bass during these "jams."

I think I reached that point of "diminishing returns." I feel that I would have to practice A LOT to get noticeably better which is something I'm no longer willing to put the time into.

The good part about this slump is that I'm no longer ukulele hunting. I'm perfectly happy with the few I have.

It is the only true instrument, after all.

I do. I can't put my Cocobolo Ukulele down, until I can't keep my eyes open.
I am always looking for opportunities to play with other ukers!

I been playing now for about 11 months. I enjoy the Ukulele but I can't say I love it. My hands are just too old to play it a lot without causing problems. I've never had the kind of coordination that lets me develop a high skill level at any instrument (what is referred to as chops.) However, if I keep it up long enough I'll probably develop good improvisation skills because in the past on another instrument I managed to do that.

I've been playing uke for years, and usually the only uke I see is my own. I also play acoustic guitar, but not as long and not nearly as well. Songwriting with the uke is second nature, and I'm grateful for that. I don't often go days without playing, but if I do, I know I'll just pick up where I left off. If I did that with guitar, coming back would be more difficult. I also find the uke less intimidating than guitar, so that's helpful, at least on the uke side.

When I started playing the ukulele I owned 6 guitars. I'm now down to 2 guitars (which I only very rarely remove from their cases). The ukulele is what keeps me sane some days, and it has recently served as a form of physical therapy for me (in addition to its previous function as mental therapy), as I recover from some pretty major open-heart surgery. Thanks to UkeRepublic, from whom I purchased a sweet Ohana mahogany pineapple soprano just before the surgery. It's super-lightweight, so I was able to start playing it about a week after I got home from the hospital without worrying about the limits placed on me regarding movement and lifting! My tenors were too much for me, but this little soprano was perfect. Sorry for the long-winded response--the short answer is that the love affair continues, and has given me much peace of mind during a difficult time. And the OP sent me a sweet uke with an awesome setup for a very reasonable price!

I AM still in love with the uke after about 5 years. Rarely does a day pass that I don't play and often I will play for several hours. I've reached a bit of a plateau but I guess I'm still improving. I participate in some groups and that helps motivate me to learn new things. But even if I never get much better, I enjoy playing and singing tremendously, even if it's just for my OWN entertainment. I am never bored with it. I have settled into a place where I no longer really have UAS. I've settled on the sizes that I like to play (soprano and Bari) and thinned the herd of ukes that didn't suit me. I'm making better friends with the ukes I kept (a perfectly nice Pono Bari and a LoPrinzi sop) and no longer lusting after "better" ukes. While I still get occasionally tempted, I have come to accept that I will not sound significantly better or play easier on another instrument so it's "love the one you're with" for me. Concentrating on just playing is a good place for me and I think I'm enjoying ukulele more than ever.

No.



Oh,bloody hell...10 ...No.

Yup!

It's a regular part if my life to play ukulele..kind of like eating, sleeping, getting exercise...
I play Friday mornings with a super fun uke circle in nearby Steveston and Thursday evenings with the Ruby Ukes orchestra. Yeah, it's a significant other in my life.

Last November I bought a great mandolin and I no longer play my wonderful ukes including my LFDM, Kinnard, Boat Paddle or vintage Martin soprano. Maybe that will change in the future but it's been six months of virtually no ukulele. I still love my ukes but right now they are all out of commission.

bunnyf said:

I AM still in love with the uke after about 5 years. Rarely does a day pass that I don't play and often I will play for several hours. I've reached a bit of a plateau but I guess I'm still improving. I participate in some groups and that helps motivate me to learn new things. But even if I never get much better, I enjoy playing and singing tremendously, even if it's just for my OWN entertainment. I am never bored with it. I have settled into a place where I no longer really have UAS. I've settled on the sizes that I like to play (soprano and Bari) and thinned the herd of ukes that didn't suit me. I'm making better friends with the ukes I kept (a perfectly nice Pono Bari and a LoPrinzi sop) and no longer lusting after "better" ukes. While I still get occasionally tempted, I have come to accept that I will not sound significantly better or play easier on another instrument so it's "love the one you're with" for me. Concentrating on just playing is a good place for me and I think I'm enjoying ukulele more than ever.

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This post really resonated with me, although I'm coming off a lengthy uke hiatus (during which time I was playing bass and guitar.)

So, I haven't devoted as much time to regaining my chops and relearning songs as I should have yet, but otherwise that sounds a lot like me.