It just doesn't sound right??

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kansaman

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Hey everyone, I'm new to the uke and play no other instruments so here's my issue. I can play white sandy beach and do the strum d,d,u,u,d pattern and it sounds like it does on the youtube video I watched, no problem.
But when I use the tab sheets I have gotten for other songs and I play them, I can hear it but everyone else can't hear the tune in what I'm playing. This is frustrating as I thought I was doing everything right and these are pretty simple songs like, "you are my sunshine", "king of the road", "over the rainbow", etc... I'm not sure what to correct to make these sound better.
I'm playing on a Lanikai LU-21 which I got at a local music store for $80, which I don't really know if this is a good starter uke or not either. I tune it everyday with a chromatic tuner so I think everything is good there.
Any help would be greatly appriciated!

Charles :confused:
 
Hi Charles. :shaka:

Well your uke is easily good enough for a starter instrument. It might benefit from a bit of a set-up to make sure the strings aren't too high etc, but that's true of nearly all ukes from the lower price ranges (and many from the higher). You could ask in your local guitar shop about set-ups.

As for your playing, are you mostly strumming chords? If that's the case, and you know the song you're strumming, then you'll probably be able to "hear" the tune as you strum. Other listeners, especially non-musicians, might not always be able to identify a song from chords alone.

Also, many beginners might find that their rhythm is a little less than perfect in the early stages. It's amazing how much a shaky rhythm can conceal the tune! Do you do your exercises with a metronome or backing tracks? If not then I totally advise buying a metronome and using it lots.

When you strum, make sure you keep that up-down motion going. When there's a beat of rest when you're not hitting strings, still keep that regular up-down going on.

Tell us a bit more about what you're playing and how you're trying to play it?
 
Oh, and this is ukulele we're talking about, bro. You don't tune every day, you tune every song! :D
 
As Buddhu said, when find some chords for a song, and strum them, you are not usually playing the tune. The chords are meant to be no more than an accompaniment for your voice, while you sing the tune. It doesn't HAVE to be a voice. The tune could be played on another instrument - harmonica, or penny whistle or whatever. Whithout the melody line, it is just a sequence of chords.

Ukantor.
 
thanks everybody, I am just struming and not singing along yet. so I guess until I'm able to pick the melody along with strumming, it will be an accompaniment and the melody will come with singing along.
Thanks for the tip on the strumming buddhu, I will work on that.
 
Good luck with it, mate.

Just strumming is fine for now. It'll help train your fingers to find their way around and change positions quickly and cleanly.

One way to combine strumming and picking is to pick out the melody nice and simply, and then to strum a chord on some of the accented notes. So when you get to a part that sounds like you could strum a chord instead of pick a note you just play the chord that goes at that part of the tune. Except in really slow tunes, it can be easier and sound better if it's in a spot where you can let the chord ring for a couple of beats.

IMHO, I think it may be more productive to get a few strumming patterns down before worrying too much about picking. Get solid rhythm going on first of all. And learn to chunk as well!

Like I say, good luck with it. :shaka:
 
Yep.

The ukulele makes a good rhythm instrument. You need to sing along to make the songs sound like something the world will recognize. A lot of songs use the same chord progression, with just a few minor adjustments to the timing. That's why people aren't sure what you are playing.

Your voice will work great for now. Eventually, you will hook up with a player who can pick out the melody line. Bitchin'. Another mark of progress.

I can't get my daughters to sing along, but that doesn't stop me from doing it myself!

Keep at it. Then keep at it a little longer.
 
I am very, very new to Ukuleles. My husband and I just started 3 weeks ago. My problem......I need music to play with. You know like the training cds, only I want some with newer music to play with, so I can hear the harmony while I play the chords. Does that make sense?

I bought a Beatles music book for Ukes (shows how old I am), but really need to hear the song while I play. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Sassy
 
SassyUk said:
I am very, very new to Ukuleles. My husband and I just started 3 weeks ago. My problem......I need music to play with. You know like the training cds, only I want some with newer music to play with, so I can hear the harmony while I play the chords. Does that make sense?

I bought a Beatles music book for Ukes (shows how old I am), but really need to hear the song while I play. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Sassy
Click to expand...

Try here for some Beatles Fun
 
i will say what is already said here. practice practice practice.
 
I will and do. I love Ukulele. I do not have a music background and was amazed I have done as well as I have.

I look forward to being good. Thank you,

Sassy
 
SassyUk said:
I will and do. I love Ukulele. I do not have a music background and was amazed I have done as well as I have.

I look forward to being good. Thank you,

Sassy
Click to expand...



yah welcome!!!

keep on uken!!
 
I don't think that it's that easy to pick out the songs anyway.

Even Jake's version of Somewhere of the Rainbow, makes it a bit difficult to pick out the song.

Jake was actually on a music trivia show here in Australia and people had to guess the song that he was playing on the uke - it wasn't easy, people didn't get the songs right away.

In some ways, it does have to do with your skill as a musician, but in other ways it has to do with the listener's music experience as well. If all they have ever heard is Top 40 chart music, then it probably will be a bit more difficult for them to pick up your songs. Whereas people who have heard lots of different types of music, might go a bit better....
 
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