Your story: how ukulele found you?

I've also looked into baroque guitars, and I'd love to have one some day. I took lute lessons in the mid 1990's, but I live in a poor climate for owning a lute so I put aside the idea of getting one for the last 15 years. Baroque guitar has a similar sound, and looks a bit more comfortable to hold and easier to transport than a big-bellied lute. ;) Frank Wallace once came to our college town and played vihuela - very similar to a baroque guitar - I loved it.

I arrived at the ukulele because a few months ago I randomly got the urge to buy an electric guitar, and try to play some of the wonderfully raucous metallic sounds of my youth. Then somehow I suddenly had several electric guitars...and a bass...and a guilele...and most recently a ukulele. :D The guilele and ukulele are more convenient instruments to practice with, for getting my fingers trained to playing. I'm a raw beginner.
 
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I started piano at age 7, added cello in 5th grade, added choir in junior high and HS, continued with piano and voice in college and also added french horn. After I graduated and moved out I no longer had a piano so I bought a guitar (at Elderly's, 40 years ago!). I am mostly self-taught, and sang in church and at weddings. Last fall I pulled my guitar out of the closet, having not played it for 10-15 years. It felt big and awkward, now that I'm in my 60's and less flexible. I looked at travel guitars but nothing felt or sounded right so I started looking at ukuleles. I had no idea it had become so popular!- I just wanted something smaller and more portable. I am on disability for a chronic illness so don't have the energy to play much, but I do a lot of mental practice. The hardest thing for me when I hear a song is to try to visualize the uke chords, because the piano or guitar chords automatically come into my head.

I bought my first uke at the end of Feb. Joined a f/b group and given my weakened immune system I quickly contracted UAS. :)
I'm still toying with which ukes are going to work best for me, as I'm very picky about intonation and that seems to be an issue with many of these little instruments. But I'm learning a lot and having fun!
 
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I used to try to play a melody on various synthesizers I have had access to since kid but never got the opportunity to get a formal education in music, so was mostly by ear only. Got some classes from folks who dictate the finger pattern for a song on a keyboard each week and I think I learned around 4-5 songs this way (I could really play only those songs really fast).. Since childhood I always had an eye for musical instruments and could never resist the urge of hitting the keys of a piano (tone was a big part of it).

I bought a cheap guitar after starting work post graduation, really liked the tone but could not deal with the size and inconvenience and chords were black magic to me..

Many years later, I am looking for what I can get to keep at home to give my kids exposure to musical instruments and I come across the Makala dolphin on amazon. Small, highly rated and a stringed instrument, excellent to contrast the keyboard at home! I buy it, and fool around with it (change strings, which seemed like brain surgery the first time).. my kid starts piano classes and I look into apps I can get and I try our yousician.

The ease of playing a ukulele, combined with excellent content online and yousician, plus second hand music lessons from my kid's classes and general interest in the physics and mechanics of music get me deep into learning all aspects of music, via the ukulele. Soon I can play basic melody lines, chords are no longer black magic and I can do the basic C, F, G and G7 chords.. and I finally understand why classical music varies from country to country and why jazz sounds different. Also, the biggest mystery of them all in my head, why does the piano only have 12 keys in an octave.. and how does one decide the frequency of a note.

I tried the piano and recorder as well. Shout out to Team Recorder on youtube! I learnt a lot! But they are not as convenient as a ukulele.. and as sweet sounding.

UAS kicks in after the D note on the ukulele just does not feel good.. (in hindsight it was the strings) and I get a Kamoa e3c. The tone was very nice and the exuberance at the physical level was real, the act of playing the notes connects deep inside me. Alas, Kamoa had buzzing post string change and gryphon strings offered to replace or upgrade it (the neck was faulty) and I buy a Martin c1k which I liked in terms of construction but connected with it only after a crack developed and the sound opened up :-D

Following a similar pattern to many here, I now have around 10 instruments (ukes, cell banjo, beansprout (in which I find no joy, PM me if you want it))..

That said, do watch the BBC documentary on the history of music on youtube and read How music works by John Powell.

This is truly the golden age for hobbies/self driven learning of any topic!
 
Been playing piano, keyboards, guitars, Native American Flutes, and drums for 50 years or so but never took up the Ukulele . Not until my granddaughter started learning it in school. So I figured I'd get her one for Christmas. I also figured that we would have fun playing together so I got me a Concert size to her Soprano. Well her interest never peaked enough to get us a gig at Carnegie Hall, but I was having fun. Then my niece said she would like to have one, so I gave her my Concert and bought myself a Baritone. It was just easier to keep the same tuning as the top four guitar strings and the fingering was the same. I ended up with an Oscar Schmidt. It sounds wonderful, plays easy and stays in tune. A great side benefit is that when I am working on a song at the office computer it is less cumbersome than my dreadnoughts as I make changes on screen.
 
engravertom, Thanks for that story. Very special. So do you play classical music on your Ukulele?

I am getting back to that. Just shared one of Chopin’s Nocturnes on the seasons of the Ukulele about 2 weeks ago. Been writing strummy singing songs but getting back to the classical stuff again. Loved your story too!
 
So, I was sitting in a darkened movie theater watching the credits roll (wish I could remember the title of the movie -message me if you know!)... and suddenly there was this angelic tenor voice singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and playing... well I wasn't quite sure what he was playing. But it was lovely.
I bought the movie soundtrack just to figure out who it was, and then of course I discovered and bought Iz's album. And that was that.
(My guitar sat mostly unplayed, but I did have a few chords under my fingers and the sense of a stringed instrument.)

I went on a search for a uke, and my very first find was a perfect tenor Kamaka from a guy who sold guitars out of his barn - for $200! I still can't believe my luck to have found such an amazing instrument for so little money. It really enriched my sense of what kind of shimmering tone is possible from a uke.

I discovered later that one thing I love about ukuleles is how cuddly they are on the sofa - so I now gravitate towards sopranos.

And I confess that despite my mediocre playing, I've become a bit of a uke hoarder.
Little ones, big ones, old ones, new ones, cheap ones, fancy ones... I just like them. And I like looking for them.
I like buying better than selling, although I have given away many ukes both to non-profits and to kids and adults in my life (and this makes me happy).

Now the dry climate in MN winters and the damage my room humidifier (because I am too lazy to keep 10+ cases humidified) has caused our old windows has me moving towards a "catch and release" plan...
 
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My husband and I are living in Brittany in north western France. Our daughter visits in school holidays (she’s a primary school teacher). Last year, 2017, she arrived with her adopted greyhound Monty (his first abroad trip) and two concert ukuleles. One for herself the other for a present for her dad. They would sit out in the sunshine in the garden and she would teach him a few chords. She can play guitar, bass, piano ..... a natural. To be honest I felt left out so we ordered a soprano uke for me which arrived within a few days from the UK.

We had five weeks of tuition and nothing else really got done! The first tune she taught us was It Must be Love by Labi Siffri.

We got her the Kmise banjolele for Christmas to add to her concert and soprano ukes. She got her dad a soprano kit which is still in the box! I’m looking at a Kmise tenor for me ....

We got our friend Pete interested enough to get the Kmise concert so when he comes over to France we can all play. It’s fun and must be easy enough to learn because we can get a tune out of one! Mind you I avoid tunes with E, B and fingerpicking .... give it time ....

Our tuition continues via YouTube videos and free songbooks available on the internet especially Ukulele Underground!
 
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I posted my story about how the ukulele found me, but felt compelled to continue the story. For me, the ukulele has become an ever evolving part of my life. I started out just wanting something to take camping, and now the ukulele & music has become a treasured part of my daily existence. I have groups to jam with, weekly workshops in which to learn, and new ways to share my ukulele with others. I joined my church worship band and play every Sunday. Through my jam groups, I'm starting to play at gatherings & street parties. Just yesterday I found out about a group that plays every week at senior centers, assisted living & nursing homes. Before the ukulele came into my life, I never sang in public. Now I'm actually singing and seeking out ways to learn to sing better & find my voice. Soon, I hope to get up the nerve to try an open mic at a uke festival. But in the meantime, my 80 year old mom & I sit outside in the evening & sing together.....a true joy.

I am so excited & blessed to have found the ukulele.....and music at the age of 58. The ukulele has opened up a whole new world for me.
 
After turning 40, I tried to learn to play guitar, but it never really took with me. Fast forward to age 61. I once again got the urge to learn an instrument and picked up a mountain dulcimer. I'm loving it and have gotten to the intermediate stage. This led me to joining the Central Indiana Folk Music Society. Since I do not have a chromatic dulcimer, I'm pretty much stuck with D & G keys without retuning. This makes it difficult to join in on the group jams. There are several uke players in the group and they always appear to be having fun. So two days ago I when to a local guitar shop and picked up an Eddy Finn EF-24-C concert. Working on strumming and getting my fingers to fit the small fretboard. Very much looking forward to the journey though.
 
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I tried my hand at guitar years ago and had some minor success before I got bored and stashed it. Then 10 or so years ago I saw a comic video by a couple great ladies one of which played the soprano ukulele (Garfunkel and Oats). I figured with some background with the guitar, it should be fun so I bought one. A soprano. BIG mistake. My hands, much like my feet, look like something you'd see on the Flintstones. Moved up to a concert which was much better but still getting all my sausage-fingers on that D chord was a bi+ch. So I decided a tenor uke as in order. Bought a Luna tenor based on reviews and cost and whatnot. BIG mistake...LOL. Luna ukes have a narrow nut and I was still having trouble. Not insanely but I thought there had to be a better option. Since ditching the Luna, a Fender, Ibanez, Enya and Kala (all tenors) have been serving me well since. Luna makes a great uke but I prefer those with bigger nuts. Peace.
 
My first exposure to the ukulele was as a child of maybe 8 growing up in the mid 60s. My father brought an old Harmony Roy Smeck home with him from the firehouse... I think one of the other firemen had it and knew my 13 year old brother wanted one. I'm not sure how old it was but I do know it had gut strings.

I learned how to play Little Brown Jug and that was about it. Then I started monkeying around with the guitar owned by my other older brother and by the time I was 14, I owned my first guitar, an Aria dreadnought. Which I played into my 20s then who knows what happened... I had a wife and a daughter and sold it off for diapers or something...

Not much more happened for me, musically, until I was near 40 and got interested in guitar again, bought one or two, sold them... Then I got into banjos in 2004, then I bought my first uke in 2005. Then two other ukes followed in quick succession, then I sold those two - I still have the first one, my Kolohe concert. That one uke kept me happy until this past winter when Uke fever hit me harder than ever.... as can be seen in my signature line :rolleyes:
 
....I learned how to play Little Brown Jug and that was about it....

LOL That was my first song too!! Then if any song was 'too high' or 'too low' for my voice, I'd just retune the uke up or down to suit the song, so I could leave it in 'C'! LOL (Before the days of ANY tuners!!)

haha - you can NEVER have too many ukes, eh!!? Well done.
 
Throughout my twenties and thirties, I enjoyed a pretty good run as a freelance drummer, first doing session work mostly for TV and radio jingles and then backing rock and roll "legends" of the 1950's and 60's at major concert halls in New York. I had a lot of fun and my friends and family all treated me like a celebrity because I was always gigging at either Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, or some other world-famous place. Unfortunately, I wasn't making a heck of a lot of steady money. By the time I was 34, I was done. Not only was I physically tired, I was also burnt from the stress of paying my mortgage when the gigs were slow for weeks or months at a time. I put down my sticks in 1996 and never played drums again.

About ten years went by and I had a grandchild or two and I wanted to make my time with them special and memorable. I also wanted to share the magic of music with them, but banging on drums wasn't going to cut it. I thought about an innate
"feel" I'd had as a kid for strumming rhythm on guitar, even though I only knew three chords my whole young life. Wouldn't it be cool if I could revisit the guitar as a way to make music for my grandchildren, without the pressure of having to be "good" or having to make money at it.

Before I could get up the guts to pull the trigger and buy a guitar, I saw a YouTube video of George Harrison playing the ukulele and passing ukes out as gifts to his friends Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, and others. "Hmm, that looks like fun." I thought. "And it looks easier than playing a guitar, too." It took me about six months, but I finally got up the courage to invest $40 in a Johnson beginner uke. I don't want to exaggerate my skills (because I'm no virtuoso), but from the minute I took that instrument out of the box, I felt like it was meant to be in my arms, to release all the music that had built up inside me for the decade I was completely away from making any. For the first couple of years, I couldn't put the uke down, and I felt magical every time I picked it up. As an extra added bonus, my family, especially my grandchildren, began to treat me like a celebrity again, because now I was the enormously fun papa who brought music to every family get-together - music without stress and without self-consciousness.

Eventually, the grandchildren reached the age where they preferred to grab the uke from me and bang on it with spoons and rocks rather than just sit and watch me play it. I soon stopped bringing it out when they were around and I think, as they got to be around 7-8, they forgot all about it. The uke still hasn't really come back as the big attraction it was for them when they were toddlers, but just the sight of it on our couch (where it rests once again) reminds them that music is important in Papa and Nana's house. I may not play it (or any of my other ukes) as much as I used to, but I will always be grateful for the life-changing purpose it served when I needed it to release the backlogged musical energy in my body.

What a great investment for forty bucks.
 
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i originally wanted to learn guitar but my hand was too small and i can't do barre chords ive heard about ukulele but i thought it was like a toy or for Hawaiian people..lol but i went to guitar center and hold an ukulele that was a month and half ago,and now i have i think 7 or 8 ukes :D
 
I'm a lifelong drummer who wanted to learn guitar. After a year of trying the guitar, then falling in love with the ukulele, and then playing a beginner uke, my story begins...

After extensive research, I realized my ideal uke was a Pono Series 5 Mango Pineapple Tenor, and they even had one on HMS! Unfortunately, it was just too expensive. I decided to try to find that sound in my price range (or as close to it as you can get). My wife, seeing the video of the Pono, suggested I see if there was a store around that might have it. I scoffed at her because we all know how hard it is to buy a quality uke in person. But I Googled nonetheless, and found Penny Lane Music Emporium, a store nearby that sold Ponos along with other quality ukes. We made out way out there and, lo and behold, there was a USED-near mint condition Pono Series 5 Mango Pineapple Tenor for sale. And because it was used, it fell right into my price range. Imagine those odds!

Needless to say, it was the easiest money I ever spent. I still play it everyday.
 
My wife was with child. I knew I'd have to stick around the homestead more, and not be out and about so much.

I went in search of a nice old, seasoned Guild guitar. Like a D-25 or something. Just a better guitar than what I had: I figured I could occupy myself at home getting better at guitar.

Went to a music store. Didn't find the right guitar then. But an old bluegrasser helping at the store steered me hard to the cheapo Mahalo stuff and for giggles I bought one. . . and was immediately hooked once I'd taken it out to the front porch for a strum.

That was maybe ten years or so ago.
 
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Long ago, in a land far, far away, I played guitar. Or at least I TRIED to play acoustic guitar. Several years of intermittent lessons, along with occasional spurts with practice, got me to the point where I could strum some basic chords, do some simple finger-picking melodies, and otherwise play something recognizable as music. But I was never good at it. I fumbled and stuttered, and struggled terribly with getting over the plateau where I was actually comfortable and satisfied. After a long, frustrating period, I said "that's enough." I sold my guitar, gave away all my books and accessories and basically went 10 years without touching a melodic instrument. My wife and I got into West African drumming (djembe and dundun) and we're still actively playing and learning and enjoying it immensely. But...I still missed not having an instrument that I could actually play a song on.

I was visiting a friend a couple of years ago and she brought out an acoustic guitar (she was taking beginner lessons) and I strummed a few chords on it and was pleased that I could actually play it. I told her that I missed playing but really wasn't interested in struggling with guitar again. Out of the blue, she said "maybe you should try the ukuelele." I laughed it off and forgot about it for a couple of days but then got curious. I started watching videos on Youtube, listening to some recordings, and even browsing through some of the posts here. "Hmmm," I thought, "I'll bet I can play one of those."

I proceeded to order a cheap Oscar Schmidt concert uke from Amazon along with a couple of beginner books/CDs and started playing. It really clicked! I soon realized that the Oscar Schmidt bottom-line laminate uke was not producing the the sound I wanted. I could play the notes, but the instrument could not reproduce them properly. Within a few weeks, I had ordered a very nice, solid-wood Kala tenor from HMS and I was off to the races. I connected with my local ukulele club and get together with them a couple of times a month. Even though I'm not really a strummer/singer, I still enjoy the experience of making music with other people.

Several instruments later, I'm pretty comfortable as an advanced beginner/intermediate player and am looking forward to spending the rest of my retirement playing my ukuleles!
 
I was stationed in Hawaii as my first duty station and deployed to Iraq not long after arrival. My parents were stationed there when I was born and I'm of Ukrainian descent, so I thought it would be fitting to be a uke with a uke. I'd already tried guitar but gave up quickly due to my teeny hands. So, for the entire year there, I swore that I would learn to play uke as soon as I got back from that mess. True to my word, I dropped my belongings in my barracks room after the early morning arrival ceremony and took a bus to town. I hadn't even slept after getting off the plane. So many colors to see other than beige!! I tried several ukuleles and opted for a G-String semi-custom that cost over $1000 after tax. I started lessons at Roy Sakuma studios not long after. I've brought a uke to Korea, Thailand, and everywhere else I've so much as visited since then. I now enjoy sharing the joy and healing it's brought me to my students as a part-time ukulele teacher.
 
The ukulele found me at work. A fellow employee had a small instrument case sitting in her cube, and I asked her what it was. She told me there was a Ukulele group that met once a week for lessons. She said no experience was required and that I could sign up for the next session - and I did! I have been playing Ukulele ever since (4+ years). I am also teaching now (I’m a Level 1 Certified James Hill Ukulele Initiative teacher). I love playing the ukulele. It is a fun instrument, but one that I also wish would be taken more “seriously”.
 
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