Your story: how ukulele found you?

TCK, did you ever play "Let me call you sweetheart" for her?

TCK said:

It is a long story...but I blogged it way back when I first started playing. Here is the story. My first Uke is a Martin 3M It is the Uke in my avatar picture.

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Nice story TCK. An easy way to find out the year it was made is to contact Martin. You have a very lovely vintage instrument. Don't sell it!

So this was six years ago before I dared to sing in videos...650 videos later it seems silly, but here it is none the less. Yes I did.

Choirguy said:

TCK, did you ever play "Let me call you sweetheart" for her?

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No worries...I do have someone I may give it too. I never play it. It is indeed a 1940 as I have found.

lfoo6952 said:

Nice story TCK. An easy way to find out the year it was made is to contact Martin. You have a very lovely vintage instrument. Don't sell it!

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Debussychopin said:

Every piano student dreams of a portable instrument

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And how! I also came to music through classical piano, which I started as a child.

Over the years there was also impressing girls with my guitar, playing trombone with the marching band, collegiate a cappella, and of course many, many other musical pursuits. Until...

This very summer, some four weeks ago, I was on vacation at the New Jersey shore with the family. As is customary when at the beach we hit the boardwalk. Among a sea of fidget spinners, I saw a rack of miniature guitars and I had to investigate. $65 later, and I owned another truly portable instrument.

I haven't stopped fiddling with it since, and I consider it possibly the best $65 I ever spent. Serendipity was kind to me; I never dreamed I'd be coming home with a ukulele but I could not be happier that I did!

In the early 70's I was a professional trombonist working in Vegas and studios in California. I hurt my face (embouchure) and couldn't play anymore. Spent the next 40+ years trying different wind instruments, not to play professionally, but just to make music again. It wasn't till I tried a string instrument, uke, that I found the joy of making music again!

Violin "found" me first (at age 9, or rather 8, when I first heard and saw one), then viola (26) and mandola (early 40s). Mandola was my midlife scratch to a nagging itch I'd had for ages, to be able to play Bach pieces I'd known for years on bowed instruments, in an alternate plucked way. I'd heard them played on classical guitar, and couldn't shake the desire to be able to do something similar - but my busy life precluded learning something with a whole different tuning and fingering. I'd experienced mandolins up close and personal, once even having to play one for a few measures in an opera (where I've been sitting in the viola section for a long time), but it did not catch on, as the mandolins were all pretty bad ones. I finally learned about mandolas by curious accident while surfing online, and just had to have one!

Six mandolas later, and somewhere beyond my sixth decade on earth, I decided I also had to have an octave mandolin. I had owned one briefly during my early mandola years, but the stretches were too far for me at that stage, and I sold it. However, this time I wanted one with a shorter scale than most, and they are hard to come by, except maybe in Europe. Seems like if I wanted one just exactly like I envisioned it, though, I'd need to have one custom made. In the meantime, I decided I would get a baritone ukulele, and tune it in fifths like an octave mandolin. On Mandolin Cafe, where I'd been hanging out since the turn of the century, there were various threads by people who had done just that, and I was very intrigued.

I searched online, and my search brought me to the UU Marketplace. That was at the beginning of the current year. I quickly found that there was a whole UU forum very similar to Mandolin Cafe. I read in lurk mode, familiarizing myself with various brands and what people thought of them. I signed up just so that I could PM some sellers when interesting ads would appear. I just missed a nice deal on a Pono mahogany deluxe baritone, and was kicking myself, when another one almost identical suddenly appeared on eBay with a Buy-it-Now, so I grabbed it. I really had no personal experience with anything concerning ukuleles at that point, just that this was "another sound box with strings" that I could string and tune in fifths and have some degree of instant familiarity. I assumed I'd play it with a pick, as that was all I knew.

I'll digress a bit at this point, to mention that a few years ago when my dear Dad was on his deathbed, a young woman who was a music therapist came to his room at the nursing home with a lap harp. She had a beautiful soothing voice, and sang songs accompanying herself on the harp. My Dad was pretty much unresponsive and drugged up by this point, but I'm sure he could still hear. I had one of my mandolas with me on that trip, as was my custom when visiting my parents. (In fact, it was his years in the nursing home that raised my proficiency on mandola more than anything else - Dad always wanted me to bring a mandola, which he preferred to my viola, and I played for all his fellow residents whenever I visited.) On this day, the harp player and I took turns playing, played a few things together, and we had some interesting conversations - she spent quite a while in the room. She let me try her harp, and while I couldn't play anything recognizable, of course, it was fun to noodle on, and it was mesmerizing to actually pluck the strings with my fingers. For a while thereafter, I considered getting one, but never did.

Back to the present year, the baritone ukulele arrived, and right out of the case, I loved this thing! Once I got it strung for fifths tuning, I could hardly put it down. I had no idea it would be so satisfying. Oh, and I tried all the picks I have (and there are plenty, LOL), but just wasn't digging their sound, not even with a leather one. So, even though my right hand fingers were quite uncoordinated and not used to functioning independently, I became determined to figure out how to use them. The tones produced by the baritone under my fingerpads were also reminiscent of the lap harp I had briefly "met".

Thus began another journey in learning. A little while later, I got a Pono tenor uke. I figured it would be very mandola-like in scale length, and it is. I like it, also, but of the two, the baritone is the one that really engages me the most on a deep visceral level.

I'd still like to own an octave mandolin, but it's no longer something I obsess about every day.

bratsche

Awesome thread. Ukulele found me in 2009 when I finish graduate school. I had moved back home to California (from Chicago) with big aspirations of using my education to be a counselor and educator in the in the community college system. Unfortunately I graduated during the recession and could not find a job or even get an interview for 3 years. I ended up working at the mall in the job that I had in while I was in college. Really depressing to spend all that time in school and end up in the same job prior to getting an education, as well as moving back in with my parents. A good friend of mine got into the uke a year before I got back and would bring it with him everywhere he went. One night we were having a few drinks and I asked if he could teach me. Well from there he began to teach me what he knew and I eventually picked up my own uke. We began having jam sessions every Friday and religiously began watching ukuleleunderground lessons. Soon many of our friends picked up the uke and that became what we did as a group.

The uke became a my source of therapy and joy during that period of my life. I was constantly stressed about what my future prospects were in life but it help me get through. In 2012 I got my 1st interview (finally) and got the job that I wanted. My career took off from there. I took a hiatus from playing becasue I had dedicated my life to work and got back into playing again a few months ago. Again from the stress of life.

Uke had been friend, my therapist, and my stress reliever. Thanks all mighty uke!!!

The ukulele found me in sort of a triad of events......#1 - I listened to a person that was very good play his ukulele, and I was struck by how awesome it sounded. #2 - I wanted a portable musical instrument to take on whitewater rafting trips and sea kayak touring trips. The ukulele seemed perfect. #3 - I started messing around with one in the music room at the children's hospital where I am a nurse. The music therapists encouraged me to get one and start learning to play. I was instantly taken with it, and now spend at least 30-60 minutes daily noodling around on it. I have a 3 ring binder packed with song sheets, plus a Rise Up Singing songbook.

I have no musical background whatsoever, but I do love music. I bought a concert ukulele at a local acoustic music shop and signed up for beginner classes through the community ed program at my local university. I also found all the great ukulele stuff on You Tube. Now I'm jamming regularly with a couple groups (one large community uke group and one informal get together group). I'm completely hooked and now have 3 ukuleles. Teton concert in mahogany laminate, Bonanza HPL concert in red retro pattern, and a new Islander solid top tenor.

Just a couple of months ago, actually. I stumbled across some youtube video and was interested and thought it would be fun to take one to the beach condo on vacation. So the next week I happened to be leading music at a church camp and was talking to a group of adults at a table at lunch. I found out a dad and daughter both had cheapie sopranos with them, so I played one for a few minutes. When I got back home, I did some research and ordered a solid wood concert kala from Mim. I'm loving it.

I've enjoyed this thread. The stories are very interesting. But the other day I lost my ukulele, then found it. I was sitting here at home and I thought that I would just go out on the porch and play my ukulele. So I went down to the basement where it usually is, and it wasn't there. I looked all over for it. So after a long time looking, I'm saying fifteen minutes of asking myself where I was the last time I played it, I walked past a baby swing that we have for our grand daughter, and there sat my ukulele in the swing. I'll add that I walked by that swing at least three times in my search. As soon as I saw it, I remembered putting it there the day before while I took an empty glass from the porch to the kitchen. Anyway, I just thought that might be a fun story. I have been playing my ukulele pretty regularly for over three years. I have to rate it as one of those things that it surprises me that it has held my interest this long without a lapse or two. I know people who start playing a musical instrument, quit for a while, then rediscover it. I think those stories would be interesting too.

My story is simple. I was browsing Youtube and got distracted by the sidebar and saw a video of Gus and Fin playing a proper thrash version of Sheena Is A Punk Rocker on ukes and I couldn't believe how cool it was so I went out and bought a uke.

Started trumpet in 1966 and played all through high school. I also gigged with a variety of bands. After graduation I started college as a criminology major and intended to become a police officer. Two of my college instructors were retired police officers and their war stories convinced me that I was not cut out to be a cop.
I changed my major to music ed and ended up teaching band/string and classroom music for 34 years. I retired in 2016.
For a number of reasons I began to drift away from trumpet on a full time basis. I met my wife in 88 and we were married in 89. She was born and raised in Hawaii. I was exposed to the ukulele during our visits to Hawaii,
I live in the Naugatuck Valley Region of Conn. and in early 2000 was shopping in a store that sold only Conn. made merchandise. Fluke Ukuleles were made in New Hartford, Conn. at the time. I bought one and a book by Jim Belloff. Jim and his wife are Conn. residents.
I strummed casually for years and sometimes used the uke in the classroom. I saw Jake live in 2010 and I realized that I really wanted to learn to play. Got my first high end uke in 2013 (Kamaka Tenor) and started taking lessons.
Progress has been steady and I practice every day. We still visit Hawaii each summer and I've participated in the Ukulele Festival the last two years with a group of strummers backing up Willie K.
Along the way I've become friends with UU member MM Stan and met a few other UU Members at the festival. Stan, my wife and I had lunch in Waikiki last Sunday.
So many nice things have happened in my life as a result of the Ukulele. I've been blessed by the Ukulele Gods!

Played guitar for many centuries,and suddenly lost interest
in it following an illness. Played nothing for a year or so, and
then saw a brightly painted 'Mahalo' cheapie hanging in a
local music shop.
Bought it, loved it,and have never looked back since! I now
own seven instruments, and vary my playing on them to fit
whatever I play,and what type of song; some work better
on 'old time' stuff, whilst others seem to favour more rock
and blues oriented stuff!

My little story with ukulele. Since 11, I played music, first classical guitar (but my goal was to play lute, because my father had a lute recording and I was in love with it...).
Then at 15 (in the '70), I met a friend coming back from Tahiti, and he shows me his ukulele. I played on it trying a classical Andante by Carulli... Nice little instrument, should get one some day I thought...
Then play guitar again, and lute, go to the Academy and get my diploma. And after some years, I saw some ukulele players on Youtube (in fact some of them makes comments on my lute videos, and two of them were Ken Middleton and Wilfried Welti, interested in early lute music). I became friend with them and the idea of playing uke came back. So I bought one, and another one and so on... UAS came soon. Now I compose some music on the uke, even if I always play lute and early guitars (and harp, violin, noseflute cigar box guitar...).

I come from a pretty poor family (think eight grand a year for three people) and so when I wanted to learn guitar, I could only afford the cheapest one they had. I remember my mum was so mad at me when I broke the string. So I went to the music store to buy strings, and I noticed a row of brightly coloured ukuleles hanging on the wall behind the counter. I asked how much they were, and she said 17 pounds, and the rest is history! It's funny because before that day, I had never even heard of an ukulele but it has become my life. I write this post from my bed in a psychiatric ward, and I can honestly say that without ukulele, I would not be here today to tell you this story. UKULELE SAVES LIVES!

I'm loving reading everyones' stories btw

Good to hear the uke saved you - hope you're doing well.

I've got a long history of failing on musical instruments.
From a young age I attempted and owned many instruments.
I did have some success on the clarinet during summer camp after 4th grade, and on the oboe in beginning band as a freshman in high school.
I owned or had access to both guitars and ukulele as a kid but wasn't able to keep them in tune, this was before cheap electronic tuners.
That really broke my heart, what kid raised in the 70s didn't want to play guitar?
From my early 20s to my early forties I didn't try anything.

Christmas 2011 I found some very cheap ocarinas and bought a bunch as socking stuffers for the nieces and nephews, and of course one for me.
That lead to tin whistles and Irish music. The latest round of failure has included flutes, uilleann pipes, diatonic button accordion,and piano accordion.
I've had limited success on the whistle and Anglo concertina and continue to use them.

My coworker heard me play my whistle and took one up. Tin whistles are fun and affordable, but it takes years to sound decent.
His background was guitar but he hadn't been using it much, and so he bought a ukulele 6 months ago.
It was a Kala tenor and sounded beautiful.
Does anyone here know how easy it is to sound good strumming a few chords? Of course you do!
So, two months later my wife and I have 9 ukuleles in the house, one in the car and one in my locker at work for slow shifts.

BTW, this coworker is currently trying to getting a Fluke on the market place here, he liked mine so much.
One more coworker has bought himself an ukulele, a Luna Tattoo from Sam Ash and another is looking to get one too.

I've been thinking about why the ukulele is so appealing.
They are affordable, portable, musically accessible, and they make a joyous sound.
"Let me show you how to make a C chord."

In February of 2012 I did a favor for a friend by taking his 13-year old daughter to a meeting of the Kansas City Ukesters. I had an old Pono soprano I purchased for my wife that was never played before. I brought it along to fit in.

There were 60 people of all ages, but mainly seniors, in the group and I had never made music with so many people in my life. I was instantly hooked!

Now that I look back on it, the instrument was certainly fun, but the camraderie was special.