How do you hold youe ukulele?

owada

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Hi guys, I have the problem, that my uke keeps slipping away.
I watched the video from Aldrine , but that didn't solve my problem.
How do YOU guys hold your uke?
Thanks!!
 
I have the same issue too. To help solve the problem, I found sitting down and crossing my left leg over the right will give the uke better support.

I found the usual position of holding the uke between your right forearm and your body to be a bit restricting, especially with strumming. It also depending on the type of clothings I am wearing. There is a sweater I have that always makes the uke slip away.

Of course, the problem can be solved easily by using a strap.
 
With both hands!
 
With a strap all 17 of them including sopranos. I have no pride, no ego, I just want to have my hands free to fret, pick and strum, not hold onto the uke. I do admire those that don't need a strap, it looks so cool.

That being said as was pointed out sitting down helps alot. Rest the corner of the lower bout on your right thigh and angle the neck up 45 degrees. Now you only need your left hand to support the neck. The above is for a right handed player of course. This does work better for tenor or concert size compared to soprano but it can be done.
 
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Another solution is to use that rubbery stuff that you buy to stop things slipping about, a little bit of that between you & the uke should work.
I actually hold mine with my right hand holding the bottom of the upper bout, as I mainly thumb pick melodies.
(I also read of someone using a strip of velcro.)
 
I have the same problem. I'm seriously thinking about getting a strap.
 
I'm with DownUpDave, I strap all my ukes and basses, support with full use of hands.

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I like to play with a little space between my body and the uke, to get increased volume from the back. So, the uke sits on my leg, and I steady the neck with my Uke Leash (doesn't need a strap button, and no hook). See my signature for details. If you have to stand and play, the next best thing would be to get a button and a strap.

–Lori
 
I actually took the ten seconds it takes and added strap buttons to my ukuleles. All this fussing about hooks, thongs, and mobius strips just seems like a lot of trouble when straps are so easy. Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease. So how do I hold my ukulele. I don't really. My right arm rests on the upper bout of the ukulele and my left hand does various things: frets chords/notes, holds beer, grabs cigars or my pipe.

The coolest thing about strap buttons is that they open the door to the world of straps. I opted for some 1/4 inch leather straps with nice decorative meanders. They creak just like leather of my father's uniform: all the belts, baldrics, notebooks.
 
I actually took the ten seconds it takes and added strap buttons to my ukuleles. All this fussing about hooks, thongs, and mobius strips just seems like a lot of trouble when straps are so easy. Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease. So how do I hold my ukulele. I don't really. My right arm rests on the upper bout of the ukulele and my left hand does various things: frets chords/notes, holds beer, grabs cigars or my pipe.

The coolest thing about strap buttons is that they open the door to the world of straps. I opted for some 1/4 inch leather straps with nice decorative meanders. They creak just like leather of my father's uniform: all the belts, baldrics, notebooks.

I'm very found of conventional button/strap set ups.
We have tried many non conventional straps, and they all work.
Maybe it's all personal preference, don't be afraid to try things.
I just keep going back to the standard time proven method.
 
I'm very found of conventional button/strap set ups.
We have tried many non conventional straps, and they all work.
Maybe it's all personal preference, don't be afraid to try things.
I just keep going back to the standard time proven method.

I am going to jump on this bandwagon again to head off the usual comment "I don't want to drill holes in my ukulele". Acoustic guitars like Martin, Gibson, Taylor etc. costing $3000 - $8000 get strap buttons installed so the people that own them can play them.

I like what ripock said about the "creaking sound" of a leather strap, it reminds me of being in a saddle. Yee haw where's my cowboy hat.

But again to each their own and I do admire those that can play without an aid.
 
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I have one student in 6th Grade who is a wonderful kid—but she holds her ukulele out in the air away from her body—even when standing up. I don’t know how she does it—and I have tried to work with her—but she insists on holding it this way. Sometimes you aren’t going to win the battle, so you move on. I’m tempted to move her up to a concert or tenor to force the issue—it she’s going to build up biceps like Popeye.
 
I'm not an either or type of person. I do fine without a strap when I'm standing, at least for a couple of songs. If I do need some kind of support, I started early on using a piece of cord rigged up like a Mobius strap before I even knew what a Mobius strap was. I also have one of those sound hole clip-on straps that I don't particularly like. I don't usually use a strap when I'm sitting. If I do use a strap at all it is more so that I can let go and use my hands, not necessarily for the support, although the extra support doesn't hurt anything. I don't like to just put a strap button on my ukes. The only reason is that I did that on one of my ukes, and it gets in the way when I'm putting it in the case or leaning it up against the wall, which I end up doing a lot it seems. If for some reason I'm going to be standing for a long while with my uke that doesn't have a pickup, I'll just go back to the chord wrapped around the body Mobius style. Most of my ukes have a pickup though, and they have that low profile strap button on them. In that case I always just use a regular guitar strap that a friend gave me.
 
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I’m in the strap button/ strap camp. I have them on all my ukes. I prefer a second button on the heel of the neck, but have one uke where that doesn’t work. For that uke I use one of Lori’s headstock straps.
 
I can stand and strum 1st position chords, but I need a strap to play anything above first position or to play chord melody. . .
I like the strap fastened at the butt end with a strap pin and tied to the headstock between the tuning pegs at the peghead. I've tried straps tied at the nut, but they seem to get in the way of playing in first position. I have one metal reso-uke that had a heel pin installed by the previous owner and it works fine, so I use it.
I loop the strap over my right shoulder so my head's not inside the strap. It seems to work fine for me.
ukestraps.jpg
 
We saw Jake Shimabukuru playing with a uke yoke type strap thing last night. I personally prefer a regular strap, and after watching Jake, I will never, ever be ashamed to use a strap. Standing or sitting.
 
I use a strap. It's just easier.

I installed the $2 end-pin myself in under 5 minutes with using a dremel to drill a 1/8" hole for the screw and I tie the other end to the headstock. Done. Fixed. Sorted. Never have to think about it again.

Folks that frown on using a strap are either in a bubble, ignorant or just trolling.

"First-world problems" :)
 
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