Pet peeves (or, don't ever do that again!)

I second the above, although I've done it on occasion.

After reading various posts here, I've made a conscious effort to unclip my tuner from my guitar headstock when playing out. (I don't really play out with the uke, because my repertoire is so limited.)

Further to the apologising, my pet peeve is people who stop halfway through a song because they've made a small mistake that nobody hearing the song for the first time would know about.

janeray1940 said:

No, maybe I wasn't clear - what I meant was PLEASE DON'T keep rhythm on your uke if you can't play the song! If you don't know the song or can't play the song, lay out.

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Sorry, I understood you but was being facetious but I guess it wasn't that funny...that's my pet peeve, odd humor like mine.

hoosierhiver said:

I've got another one,
Apologizing before you start playing.

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And for some....Not apologizing before you start playing

nongdam said:

Sorry, I understood you but was being facetious but I guess it wasn't that funny...that's my pet peeve, odd humor like mine.

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Humor can be tricky in pixels

I also cringe when someone announces they have perfect pitch. I could never use the word perfect to describe anything about myself. "I have a good ear" would be sufficient, even if you actually do have perfect pitch.

tuner on headstock!

Petey!

Thumb fretting is an ace accomplishment (ask a Balalaika player ) and you shouldn't really judge ...the individual concerned may have a pain or joint problem.........I fret with a thumb now and again because of wrist pain.... and because I can play a balalaika (not well)

Sometimes playing out of tempo or off beat in a group environment is down to not being familiar with the piece as played because you are new to the group...come on we all have to learn ...telling someone to sit out and learn by tapping your uke would get a very definite reaction from me ..the tap would be somewhere un-expected but deeply appropriate .... (I am joking, before I get accused of losing the Ahalo spirit)

I just joined my first ever Uke group...I love it ...I am the "newbie" to a group environment and I have to hold back with the strumming.....

A) because most of the group play with plectrums , you know those felt plectrum thingies...I could not care less......it is their group and I feel privileged to be accepted and allowed to join in .......




B) I am probably the longest playing member of that group but again A) applies so softly I sit and strum with my fingers....and learn the songs of the group and how they play them ...and have super fun...

C) I do not see why ukes cannot be played with plectrums..they can sound brilliant and mandolin like ....and I have in fact experimented with a mandolin and retuned it as a Low G uke ...only to discover why it always sounded s** as a mandolin ...because it is a cheap Ozark and E strings (uke tuning A string mando)goes from open E to F # on the first fret two semitones .....so I presume the nut slot is too high ...(Luthiers --help ?)

D) If someone is doing something wrong or daft or annoying ...well tell them...however I get the impression that people just want to be vile and hurtful and enjoy ripping people apart ...just because they can...tell people gently ..and pleasantly and nicely and constructively....then their reaction dictates the way forward ...Lizzy , my wife has joined our group ( oooh "our group" already) as the tambour-egger-iner (not having a dig Olde Pharte) ..the first thing she did was explain that she had no intention of playing or learning to play a ukey-lay lay
but would like to sing and do a bit of percussion (as a complete novice ) if that was okay and please to say if it was or was not Okay...........so far it is okay ..but she always asks for and gets advice and feedback (in fact feedback on an acoustic tambourine takes some doing and has to be applauded )....



Sorry ...is long ...like my cat.

The uke is a fun instrument - if you're playing one you're already winning, and there's not a lot you could do to annoy me..... BUT....
I do switch off a bit when someone plays a song and tries to sound EXACTLY like the original. That's a good place to start, but I am much more interested when a song is adapted to sound good on a uke - ie. ukify it!!!

People who refer to the first string (A) as the "bottom" string. No, that's the "top" string.

"The uke is tuned like the bottom four strings of the guitar with a capo at the fifth fret." No, it's tuned like the top four strings of the guitar capo'd at the fifth fret.

Urgh! Drives me nuts and so many people do it that it perpetuates the wrong nomenclature because, hey, "I read it on UU from someone who's been playing longer than me so it must be true."

i dont like how many people buy the 30 dollar ukulele and learn it for a few months think they know everything then collects dust. Maybe its just cause they r so cool right now but over two years of playing ive noticed more ``ukulele `` players. Who then two months later are onto the next cool trend, i get some people dont like the feel or just give up and such but as a musician it hurts me.

I also get annoyed at people who collect, without playing. A musical instrument is to be played... not to collect dust or look shiny..

sorry if ive offended anyone, it just bugs me.

Bill1 said:

The ukulele is a gateway to music for a lot of people. The only no no is to not to get started on the singing and playing. Perhaps there are a few things you can do that might damage the instrument, like destroy the top with a hard pick, but they would never be peeves.*
Tolerance is one of the best attributes of any ukulele player or group.
There are plenty of bands and orchestras around for those who like to perform a lot and rabbit on about perfection. So if you do feel that you are getting a lot of pet peeves maybe it is time to move on to musically something else like guitar or violin or trumpet?

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So is your pet peeve the people who want to hear an ukulele played in tune and intonated properly without the tuner clipped to the headstock???

Strumdaddy said:

The uke is a fun instrument - if you're playing one you're already winning, and there's not a lot you could do to annoy me..... BUT....
I do switch off a bit when someone plays a song and tries to sound EXACTLY like the original. That's a good place to start, but I am much more interested when a song is adapted to sound good on a uke - ie. ukify it!!!

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Umm..agree ..I love to hear ( and attempt to play) guitar and other instrumental music, played on a uke ....but I prefer to hear it played as a uke

not trying to slavishly imitate the original instrument....but that 's a peccadilo ..not a peeve ...well my peccadilo anyway...it could be your peeve....

I think some folks should stop listening with their eyes...

Why on earth does anyone care if a player keeps a tuner clipped to a peghead? If you're playing before an audience and playing anything complicated and not with a mass of ukes where nobody can hear any one uke, little tuning touchups are a gift to your audience. I play jazz and standards with another uke player, and precise tuning really counts with how we voice chords together. If he or I want a tuner on the peghead, we're going to clip that Snark on there. It can be particularly hard to hear pitch really well when up on stage in front of an audience.

Plectrums...you must hate the Chalmers Doane students. Don't go see "The Mighty Uke". Plectrum city there....

Thumb fretting...one of my clients who is a wonderful jazz guitarist uses her thumb all the time for bass parts on her steel string guitar, and she's not just strumming away a la Richie Havens. Once again, don't watch, just listen.

Collectors...have saved many a uke (and guitar) from being landfill. Pick up the latest Ukulele Magazine and check out the article on my friend and Uke Ellington band-mate, Sandor Nagyszalanczy. Sandor has about 430 ukes lovingly preserved, played, and displayed at his house here near Santa Cruz, and he plays them really well.

I think some folks should stop listening with their eyes...
Why on earth does anyone care if a player keeps a tuner clipped to a peghead? If you're playing before an audience and playing anything complicated and not with a mass of ukes where nobody can hear any one uke, little tuning touchups are a gift to your audience."


I think it is better to stop listening to your clip on tuner!
If you are good enough to play in front of a audience you should be able to tweak it by ear. That would be a gift to your audience.

My only uke pet peeve are people that are intolerant of other uke players. For example, a real ukulele is only high g (or low g), you should only use wound (or unwound) strings, you should only have koa ukes (or mahogany, or spruce...), you should only play soprano (or tenor...), you should only buy Hawaiian made (or why not just buy cheap ukes), you should have more than one uke (you should only have one uke), the best ukes must be eye candy (or people waste money paying for looks), or the "best brand" is ____.

The list could go on and on. I see endless posts where people espouse their way as the only "right" way when to me, the only way is the way that works for YOU! Play a high g soprano import with a pick, or low g on a custom creation. I don't care, if it makes you happy, it is fine by me. Live and let live.

We all have preferences, and favorites (sure, I have an opinion on all that stuff listed above but it us just my opinion - the people that say their way is the only way are my pet peeve.

The dealbreaker for me...poorly tuned and/or poorly intonated instruments. Aural torture. Ugh. If I hand someone a tuner, it's not merely a suggestion. I leave a mini-tuner clipped onto my headstock (as do my regular playmates).

"I think it is better to stop listening to your clip on tuner!
If you are good enough to play in front of a audience you should be able to tweak it by ear. That would be a gift to your audience."

I guess you've never played to a bar full of folks having a good time drinking, talking, and listening...a bit. Try being the "walk in" band at our uke club here in Santa Cruz sometime and tell me how well you can hear your uke.

I happen to have a good ear. I can tune just fine when I'm practicing solo or with my band. I'm fine with an attentive audience and reasonable monitors. But in much of the real world, a Snark gets me there quicker if I absolutely need to tune, and that's usually when I have fresh strings on.

And I really don't see why anybody should care as long as the results are an in-tune uke. To me, worrying about someone else's choice to use a tuner is like a guitar player getting all uppity about someone using a capo. Great snob attitude, but it has nothing to do with musical quality. But I guess if one gets off on a feeling of superiority behind something that insignificant...well...fine.

wickedwahine11 said:

My only uke pet peeve are people that are intolerant of other uke players. For example, a real ukulele is only high g (or low g), you should only use wound (or unwound) strings, you should only have koa ukes (or mahogany, or spruce...), you should only play soprano (or tenor...), you should only buy Hawaiian made (or why not just buy cheap ukes), you should have more than one uke (you should only have one uke), the best ukes must be eye candy (or people waste money paying for looks), or the "best brand" is ____.

The list could go on and on. I see endless posts where people espouse their way as the only "right" way when to me, the only way is the way that works for YOU! Play a high g soprano import with a pick, or low g on a custom creation. I don't care, if it makes you happy, it is fine by me. Live and let live.

We all have preferences, and favorites (sure, I have an opinion on all that stuff listed above but it us just my opinion - the people that say their way is the only way are my pet peeve.

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You are my newest bestest friend ..(Like it or NOT...'Kay ) I could not have put this so nicely and would probably have been removed from the forum....Kudos

" Great snob attitude, but it has nothing to do with musical quality. But I guess if one gets off on a feeling of superiority behind something that insignificant...well...fine."


I don't think there is anything in life I am superior at. I just think it is corny to play with a tuner clipped to the headstock. But if I was in the audience I would still applaud for you

Rick Turner said:

"I think it is better to stop listening to your clip on tuner!
If you are good enough to play in front of a audience you should be able to tweak it by ear. That would be a gift to your audience."

I guess you've never played to a bar full of folks having a good time drinking, talking, and listening...a bit. Try being the "walk in" band at our uke club here in Santa Cruz sometime and tell me how well you can hear your uke.

I happen to have a good ear. I can tune just fine when I'm practicing solo or with my band. I'm fine with an attentive audience and reasonable monitors. But in much of the real world, a Snark gets me there quicker if I absolutely need to tune, and that's usually when I have fresh strings on.

And I really don't see why anybody should care as long as the results are an in-tune uke. To me, worrying about someone else's choice to use a tuner is like a guitar player getting all uppity about someone using a capo. Great snob attitude, but it has nothing to do with musical quality. But I guess if one gets off on a feeling of superiority behind something that insignificant...well...fine.

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I mean sometimes it is hard enough to tune with the tuner let alone your ear...seriously ..mine is so good a tuner that it picks up every other buggers instrument as well... !!! ..well it's a Korg so it must be good ...eh ?

Or not...arf arf...which is doggy laughter....

and I am so sorry but I misread "walk in" band ..as a Brit might and put an "n" in the wrong place ....sorry ..sorry..sorry...

Last line of quote...huge round of applause from the Jarvo corner .That's me btw..