People who give ukulele a bad rep.

deach said:
Me too .
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Deach you are sexy! dont worry about the uke man! u got it going on! U make the Uke SEXY!

hey deach...




Valentine?
:biglaugh:
 
bengbengchicken said:
Ahh; that reminds me. I too brought my ukulele to schoolio and all the other uke players were looking at me like " Whaat the heck is she dooing?" And they came up to me and said "Heey lady, only Good uke players can play on campus. And that means seniors only." I guess its cuz im a freshmen.. Theyre meanies. Haha x] Anyways

So they were playing at lunch and i was too but across the campus and i kinda stole their crowd. And then they walked over hearing me play "Falling" by Sirs Dustin and Philip [tsud123&&ChronosXD on youtube.] and one was saying "Maaan, shes hecckkaaa good. SHes better then all of us put together.." And i guess the "leader" of the pack , he grabbed my fret board in the middle of the song and was like " Youre such an ugly uke freak." :rolleyes:

LOL; idk, random story time ? xD
It just reminded me of that.. thought id share :)
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its losers like them that make the uke look bad, NOT Amanda Palmer
just keep doing what you love BengBeng, don't let'em stop you
 
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khrome said:
Having never heard the original, I don't think this was bad on it's own. I think the writer was just a big Radiohead fan - you know fans can be really sensitive to covers. I've been guilty of it myself.
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I've heard this song (purely by means of Rock Band) and it does sound like it, it just doesn't have the same mojo, if you know what I mean. In fact, she has a completely different mojo, it kinda ruins it.

Frankly, this is why I'm afraid to do covers
 
One: You can't give the ukulele a bad rep, that's already well established. A few people are working to improve it's reputation, but for most of society the ukulele is in the same category as tambourine, kazoo, and slide whistle.

Two: I like to believe this is a community that can handle any player in any style. I know it's not true because I've hung out with uke players long enough to know they're not the most worldly bunch, but I still want to believe we can embrace everybody who wants to love our little guy. Let us be supportive of those musicians we don't like in addition to the ones we do like but who are still terrible. This is an instrument that has withstood George Formby AND Tiny Tim. It will certainly handle the punks, the rappers, the folk singers (God help us), and anybody else who can't sing a lick but still want to try.

Three: Amanda is simply amazing. There is a version of her playing Creep in a bar she uploaded about a year ago and honestly, she's so scary it's as close to perfection as anyone should be allowed to reach. When I saw her bumbling through that song in her apparently intoxicated state, I decided I would learn that song, and I would worry a whole lot less about being a bad ukulele player.

Four: We don't need every ukulele player to be amazing. We have Jake, we have James Hill, we have Aldrine, we have countless others who treat this instrument with reverence and take it to places no "toy" instrument should go. If you're hoping to be like them, then be inspired by them. As for me, I like seeing people being ridiculous, having so much fun at the expense of a little guitar, and using this iconic instrument to say "screw you establishment!" Sometimes it means stopping a video after about thirty seconds and moving onto something else (because even with American Idol being America's number one show, my brain hasn't melted far enough to listen to really bad ukulele). I'm thankful people are brave enough to put themselves out there and say, "Hey, I have this ukulele and I want to share a song with you."
 
Gary Jugert said:
One: You can't give the ukulele a bad rep, that's already well established. A few people are working to improve it's reputation, but for most of society the ukulele is in the same category as tambourine, kazoo, and slide whistle.

Two: I like to believe this is a community that can handle any player in any style. I know it's not true because I've hung out with uke players long enough to know they're not the most worldly bunch, but I still want to believe we can embrace everybody who wants to love our little guy. Let us be supportive of those musicians we don't like in addition to the ones we do like but who are still terrible. This is an instrument that has withstood George Formby AND Tiny Tim. It will certainly handle the punks, the rappers, the folk singers (God help us), and anybody else who can't sing a lick but still want to try.

Three: Amanda is simply amazing. There is a version of her playing Creep in a bar she uploaded about a year ago and honestly, she's so scary it's as close to perfection as anyone should be allowed to reach. When I saw her bumbling through that song in her apparently intoxicated state, I decided I would learn that song, and I would worry a whole lot less about being a bad ukulele player.

Four: We don't need every ukulele player to be amazing. We have Jake, we have James Hill, we have Aldrine, we have countless others who treat this instrument with reverence and take it to places no "toy" instrument should go. If you're hoping to be like them, then be inspired by them. As for me, I like seeing people being ridiculous, having so much fun at the expense of a little guitar, and using this iconic instrument to say "screw you establishment!" Sometimes it means stopping a video after about thirty seconds and moving onto something else (because even with American Idol being America's number one show, my brain hasn't melted far enough to listen to really bad ukulele). I'm thankful people are brave enough to put themselves out there and say, "Hey, I have this ukulele and I want to share a song with you."
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amen .
 
Gary Jugert said:
Four: We don't need every ukulele player to be amazing.
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A very good point.

In fact, it's probably better that we're not all amazing. One of the strengths of the uke (and uke culture) is its accessibility. Anyone can pick up a ukulele and, after a few minutes learning, can plink out a ditty or two. We need people who absolutely stink, if only to reinforce the fact that it's okay to absolutely stink!

(WARNING: Soapbox alert! :eek:ld:)

I'm a firm believer that creating music should be for everyone. I guess in a few cultures, it still is. But for some reason, most people think that if you can't be amazing at music, you shouldn't bother. Hogwash!

I know so many adults who will surprise me with the fact that they took [fill in the instrument] lessons for many years when they were younger, but now never touch the thing. They just gave up. How sad is that?

People still cook, even though they're not Thomas Keller. And they'll throw the football around in the backyard with friends even though they're not Brett Favre. But they feel like they've got to be the second coming of Mozart in order to play an instrument.

So it's okay if the uke isn't always taken seriously. Maybe it will remove all the demands and cultural baggage that other instruments have, and give people permission to just have fun with it, even if they're not a "serious musician".

JJ
 
SOAPBOX, cont...

At a karate competition meet some years ago, I met up with a man who I had begun training with years before. We chatted it up and relived a few bruises, etc.

He had gone on to be one of the top karatekas in the country. He explained that he trained every day. Running, lifting, kata, kumite, there was something every day. His face went blank with disbelief when I told him I trained only about 10 hours per week.

"How can you do that? You'll never be the best! Why bother training at all?"

"Well, I have no desire to defeat you. Nor to be defeated by you," I told my friend, "Your goals and mine are not the same."

I pointed out that he liked to play guitar and surf. Did he compete? Go on stage? Pursue a professional career with those activities? Why was he wasting his time with that stuff if he's not going to be the best? ahhhhhhh...he understood.
 
Every time I browse past (or through) this thread I alway think/hum You give Uke a bad name to Bon Jovi.
 
Harold O. said:
I pointed out that he liked to play guitar and surf. Did he compete? Go on stage? Pursue a professional career with those activities? Why was he wasting his time with that stuff if he's not going to be the best? ahhhhhhh...he understood.
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Very wise, Harold-san!
 
I showed the Amanda Palmer video to a friend who is BIG Radiohead fan.
I expected him to hate it, and his only response was, "You should learn Creep on the Ukulele too" :D
 
Harold O. said:
SOAPBOX, cont...

At a karate competition meet some years ago, I met up with a man who I had begun training with years before. We chatted it up and relived a few bruises, etc.

He had gone on to be one of the top karatekas in the country. He explained that he trained every day. Running, lifting, kata, kumite, there was something every day. His face went blank with disbelief when I told him I trained only about 10 hours per week.

"How can you do that? You'll never be the best! Why bother training at all?"

"Well, I have no desire to defeat you. Nor to be defeated by you," I told my friend, "Your goals and mine are not the same."

I pointed out that he liked to play guitar and surf. Did he compete? Go on stage? Pursue a professional career with those activities? Why was he wasting his time with that stuff if he's not going to be the best? ahhhhhhh...he understood.
Click to expand...

Ahhhh (with finger pointed up), grasshoppa become teacha'!!
 
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I say props to anyone playing bad ukulele and making it sound good. There is much, much more to being entertaining than playing the chords clearly.
I've known many talented musicians who keep perfect time and never miss a lick.....boring.
It's the idiosyncratic ones that get your brain bubbling isn't it? Where would we be without the Frank Zappa's, Captain Beefheart's and Gigi Allens of the world?

Play like nobody's watching.
 
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