Do you like the music your ukulele group plays?

Do you like the music that your ukulele group plays? I would define "like" as you do play or would have chosen to play the song(s) on your own, independent of the group or its influence?

I thought it would be fun to play with a group of other ukers so I decided to test the waters and attend an open gathering. The repertoire played by the group (2-3 uke clubs) was stuff like Five Foot Two, You Are My Sunshine, Shine On Harvest Moon, All Of Me and the like. I didn't say it out loud but I thought to myself, "What's up with all these stale, corny songs?" There was an attempt at playing a "cooler" song for the group, a hit song from the 60's, but it was played at such a slow tempo it was really hard to get into. It wasn't until they had an open-mike portion of the gathering that some cooler, more interesting songs were performed. Out of curiosity, I checked out the web site of one of the groups in attendance and they happened to have their group songbook listed. Of the 70+ songs listed there, I could only find 3-4 that I would have chosen to play on my own and even those, I wouldn't have played very often.

Do groups tend to gravitate towards those type of songs because they supposedly sound good on or are associated with the ukulele? Is it because they are good singalong songs for a group of people? Is it a sign of the music tastes of the people who are in charge or that tend to drive the group? Do you see this trend in your group or is it different? I think it's one of the things that's holding me back from attending a group. I do play that type of music on occasion and even have some of it in my own songbook (though none of the songs listed above) so I'm not totally opposed to it but I wouldn't enjoy it predominantly on a regular basis.

Just for a point of reference, here are some of the artists found in my songbook as I page through it: Bob Dylan, Walk Off The Earth, The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Herman's Hermits, Emmylou Harris, John Prine, Jimmy Buffet, Hank Snow, Hank Williams, The Derailers, The Everly Brothers, Don Gibson, The Band, Eddie Cochran, George Jones, Willie Nelson, Buck Owens, Red Sovine, Jimmy Rogers, Leon Redbone, Counting Crows. I'd be interested in hearing others thoughts and experiences.

This is why I play alone. I know the uke was very popular in the 20's, but that does seem to be the only type of music they play in groups around here. These days I mostly improvise, and usually just for myself or whoever happens to be in the living room. When I do play preexisting music I only play what calls to me. Your songbook list appeals to me. I've done the Beatles a fair bit, lots of 60s and 70s stuff, as well as some G&R (Sweet Child o Mine adapts nicely) etc. I also find Some Celtic music can be hauntingly beautiful on the uke. That's MY opinion though. The beautiful thing about music is the wide choices we all have and the different types that people enjoy and play. Heck, now I want to go twist Five Foot Two into a dark fingerstyle piece.....

It depends on the group. There is definitely a "thing" with uke groups that they often tend to play these older songs at least some of the time.

I wish there was a group around here (Los Angeles San Fernando Valley) that played more Hawaiian music. I enjoy Hawaiian music on the uke but the folks that play it are a pretty far drive. The group I play with most of the time plays a pretty wide range of things. We do play some of the old stale stuff, but also play a lot of newer stuff. They way our group works anyone can bring in a song and teach it to the group. If the song is too hard or too different it usually doesn't stick. We do play a lot of Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, Willie Nelson and the Beatles. But we also play "Five Foot Two" and "All of Me". We play some Jimmy Buffett, Everly Brothers, etc. But for me I've tried various groups and where I've stayed has depended to some extent on where I find the music to be enough fun enough of the time.

Similarly, I like having a group that is open to beginners, but out of the group of 30 or so regulars that we have at least five of the players are very good musicians and at least 10-15 of the rest are at least solid players. We also have a handful of people who can really sing. When we learn a song it can sound pretty good. If I play with a group and the musicianship is just dreadful, I don't want to go back. It doesn't have to be great, just at least acceptable.

But the combination of bad repertoire and bad musicianship has turned me off to a lot of groups that I've tried playing with over the years. (In my case this isn't just uke I play guitar and woodwinds so I've played with, or at least tried to play with, a large range of musical groups). Each group has its own culture. You probably attended a group that was not a good fit. Depending where you live there might not be a lot of alternatives for you.

Some groups are open to new influences, new music choices, etc. Others are very rigid. If the group is rigid and you don't like the music, not much you can do.

It's one reason I've been reluctant to check out uke groups. I mean you'd think with all us baby boomers taking up the uke you'd get a little more variety. I have enough problem finding one person to practice with where we really get off on each others music.

My last practice partner really didn't understand rock and roll being a classical music person and really didn't herself bring much of anything to the table. There was a huge imbalance that eventually ended the practice partnership. Now I'm on the hunt and I figure it won't be very easy to find someone my age who is also into the uke and also into a lot of 70s rock.

We don't have that issue in San Diego and Orange County California. There are 'ukulele kanikapila 7 days a week with multiple groups on each day. Add to that all the acoustic jams here that accept 'ukulele players and you'll find one or more with the genres you like. One suggestion is to buy The Daily 'Ukulele books and Rise Up Singing. Rise Up Singing was written for guitar, but "chords are chords", just different fingering. Ric

I guess the best advice is keep looking. I suppose I am lucky as I attend three different uke jams on a regular basis and they all do a play list like your personal one. We will do everything from Bob Dylan to Lynard Skynard to Beatles to Rolling Stones to Bob Marlee etc. etc. So I assume there are other groups out there with baby boomers calling the shots. But if I did not like the song selection I would most likely not attend. Good luck

I don't like most of the songs they play.
I understand that in a group it's not always easy to find songs that everybody like.
My problem with this group is:
1. There are 2 or 3 guys who are always in charge and they impose their songs
2. Beginners are often discouraged (there are a lot of newcomers that come a couple of times and never come back)
3. When someone brings a song, they don't let them sing it to show us how to do it but one of these 2 or 3 guys think they know better
and it's usually bad
4. There is no open mike

That's why I haven't been there for quite a while. I put up together my own songbooks with some of my favorite music:
cowboy songs, Irish and Scottish, old timey, Jimmy Rodgers, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Bob Wills, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Gospel,
some Beatles songs, some 50s and 60s songs.

mikelz777 said:

Is it because they are good singalong songs for a group of people? Is it a sign of the music tastes of the people who are in charge or that tend to drive the group?

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I think it is a combo of these two.

The two groups in my area tend to skew towards the retirement age rather than the college age. That's not to pigeonhole anyone's musical tastes, but I suspect "5 foot 2" is a lot more known to that group than Emmylou Harris or even Dylan.

I personally don't have a lot of interest in the "large group" sound or experience. I think it's great that others like to play that way, and more power to them. But it's not for me.

In the uke clubs in this part of Australia you are either musically trapped in a cycle of beginner singalong numbers with no chance of progressing or a pub situation where the guy running the night is up on stage plugged in with the amps so loud you can't here your self playing along , so I've given up on uke clubs and take part in Jam sessions ,,where I am the only uke player amongst guitar players etc and find I am improving at a steady rate and the music we play is a lot more challenging

Oh, that's a sticky subject! I play in two instrumental uke groups, and I personally like everything that both groups currently play - but sometimes I feel like I'm in the minority. We play an interesting mix of standards and pre-1970s stuff - mostly unexpected choices that are not traditionally associated with the uke in any way. For me, that's the music I know and love and grew up with, so it's my happy place. But I know not everybody feels the same; even though both groups are true "ensembles," implying instrumental music, some members have expressed interest in more strumming/singing stuff (there are plenty of other groups that do that around here); some members want to do pop stuff like Taylor Swift or Vance Whats-his-name and such (again, there are other groups that already do that).

Music is such a personal thing. It's really, really hard to please everybody in any group, particularly a large group with a diverse range of ages and cultural backgrounds. If a song is a good song - interesting melody and chord changes, intelligent and thoughtful lyrics - I'm willing to learn it even if I don't truly *love* it.

I played in more typical strum/sing groups in years past and like others here, I've found there was a lot of "Five Foot Two" and "SOTR" and such, and not much more. I think there are several good reasons for this: they're well known (even though the AARP thinks I'm "retirement" age I don't think I am, but I did grow up hearing my parents sing the Great American Songbook), they're easy, and more often than not, they're in keys that are easy for both uke and most peoples' vocal ranges.

In Iowa, in the town where I live, I can't seem to find any group to play with. So when I get back there in the spring, I'm going to try to get something going. There is a coffee shop not far from my house, and I talked about it with them, and they are up for hosting it. Anyway, being the anti organization type that I am, I'm going to try hard not to tell anyone what we have to play. I want everyone to bring some music, and we can go from there. I've also thought, that if we get enough diversity in our group, I would encourage people to break off into smaller groups if they want. In fact, I'm going to encourage it. Because there is plenty of space, indoors and outdoors for people come together and to go out and do their own thing.

I read a lot about ukulele groups, and I see a lot of stuff that is not attractive to me, and most of it is organizational. First of all, I like to see things evolve into a life of their own. I really want to keep it informal. I don't want to have a big organizational tree. I don't want elected officials, I don't want a democracy, we don't need shirts, or signup sheets, I just want to let it alone.. I want everyone just to do whatever they want to do. I don't know if that will work. I'm sure that someone is going to either want to be in charge, or make someone else be in charge, but I hope that doesn't happen. I'll do my best to discourage it. But that is my vision. I will put the word out, I'll show up, and we will see what happens.

Rllink said:

I like to see things evolve into a life of their own. I really want to keep it informal. I don't want to have a big organizational tree. I don't want elected officials, I don't want a democracy, we don't need shirts, or signup sheets, I just want to let it alone.. I want everyone just to do whatever they want to do. I don't know if that will work.

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That's more or less what we've done with Westside Ukulele Ensemble - when we started it, we wanted it to be leaderless. Three years and change later, it's still going and is still leaderless - there have been a few bumps in the road, but I'm amazed to be able to say that for the most part we seem to manage to navigate the bumps fairly well. So, it can be done! I can see the benefit to having a strong leader though, should the right person come along.

I like your idea of breaking off into smaller groups, and I'd encourage anybody in either of my groups to consider it in addition to playing with the full ensembles. This is a great way to accommodate everybody's interests yet still have one single all-inclusive group. I'm actually already doing this; I do some trio material with players who aren't in the group, and when group members want to do something I already know I don't like - say, play at a party where there will be drinking involved - I sit that one out.

Choices are good

I think "leaderless" also depends on what the group wants to do. Just get together and jam? Play out in the community? Organize workshops? Divide into beginner/advanced groups? Teach and promote ukuleles to all?

Some of those things take more leadership and organization than others.

janeray1940 said:

That's more or less what we've done with Westside Ukulele Ensemble - when we started it, we wanted it to be leaderless. Three years and change later, it's still going and is still leaderless - there have been a few bumps in the road, but I'm amazed to be able to say that for the most part we seem to manage to navigate the bumps fairly well. So, it can be done! I can see the benefit to having a strong leader though, should the right person come along.

I like your idea of breaking off into smaller groups, and I'd encourage anybody in either of my groups to consider it in addition to playing with the full ensembles. This is a great way to accommodate everybody's interests yet still have one single all-inclusive group. I'm actually already doing this; I do some trio material with players who aren't in the group, and when group members want to do something I already know I don't like - say, play at a party where there will be drinking involved - I sit that one out.

Choices are good

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That is good to hear. I hope that my plan works out, as I would like to get something started in our area. My two fears are that someone is going to want to organize it, start charging dues, then elect officials. My other fear is that people will show up with other instruments, not that I don't like other instruments, and turn it into a "bluegrass" club, or something like that. I only chose bluegrass because it was the first thing that popped into my head, but something other than ukulele players. Like I say, I have nothing against other instruments, but I want to play with other ukulele players. Anyway, can't worry about something that hasn't even happened yet, so I'll go for it in May.

Photojosh said:

I think "leaderless" also depends on what the group wants to do. Just get together and jam? Play out in the community? Organize workshops? Divide into beginner/advanced groups? Teach and promote ukuleles to all?

Some of those things take more leadership and organization than others.

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All good points. In my experience, what the group will want to do will be a constantly-evolving thing - so it might make sense to have different leaders for different goals (or perhaps no leader at all for just getting together to play).

A good leader, or group of leaders, can adapt and implement actions to serve the members. All of the larger local groups have some form of leadership. There's a lot that goes into the support and logistics of larger groups. Even the local song circles have leaders and organizers. Ric

The group I play with most does not have a leader but it does have an organizer. My experience with these things is that one or two people have to be central and take the initiative or the group will not hold together. We do have an agreement that we are mostly ukes only. We have a guy who plays harmonica on some songs, and I play the (uke) bass. Occasionally someone shows up with a guitalele. I kind of like other instruments as long as they don't take over or over power the ukes. Our group has been around a while, maybe about 3 years; I've been with the group a year or so. It seems to be getting stronger and growing.

The organizers are the two people who first started the group. Mostly they just make sure that the song sheets are available and keep everyone's contact info and remind people when we are meeting. We've just been lucky that it has worked out.

"The organizers are the two people who first started the group. Mostly they just make sure that the song sheets are available and keep everyone's contact info and remind people when we are meeting. We've just been lucky that it has worked out."

That's leadership. Ric

I am pretty much thrilled with the music our group plays, primarily because I am now the driving force behind the group and I generally select 90% of the tunes we play. The songs evolve though depending on what is coming up. We often perform at retirement type facilities and these folks love hearing the oldies mentioned by the OP. We just finished a performance at a local musical venue that promote music education for Valentines Day. These songs had some connection to love or love lost. More modern songs including the Beatles or Queen and so on are included in those types of events. Coming from a classic rock background myself, I like to keep things rockin' to the greatest possible extent. As others have mentioned though, our members must be considered too and abilities vary greatly so I don't want folks to feel overly challenged by the material selected. So some compromise must be reached to keep everyone interested but not scared off either. I'm always willing to hear tune selections from others as well. One of the keys to continue playing what you want is offer LOTS of new tunes to always keep them learning YOUR selections.

mikelz, Your songbook list leans towards the 60s and 70s popular music, and popular music of the 20s and 30s. It also leans toward country music.

The Ukulele music that you refer to is popular song of the early twentieth century. Much of it is easy to play on the ukulele. - and jam on if you are so inclined.

You list :Willie Nelson, Jimmy Rogers, Leon Redbone and then suggest they covered corny songs? Maybe you don't like corn. I do. If you are looking for a more eclectic song list I suggest you attend the local folk music society song swaps. You may be the only uker there. One such jam I attend had two "little old lady ukers when I started. I didn't take up the uke till later. Now 5 or six folks bring ukes along every month.

I Attend a Country Jamboree 1st Sunday at the local church. When I started they mostly played county, gospel and Blue Grass. I get the audience to sing along. mostly those old corny songs that everybody knows. I sterted playing the uke there later too. (I really am new to the uke). There is a lot more folk music, old popular songs and sometimes when a trombonist show up we do some jazz standards.