Ukulele monogamous, too much of a good thing?

Theblackegg

Theblackegg

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Do you think it's better to really get to know one instrument and play it exclusively? Or do you think using as litany of Ukes is better for improving a players skill?

Obviously when seeking a specific tone or when recording etc each Ukulele has it's own voice and merit, but what are your thoughts on Uke monogamy or lack there of?

Are you a fealty fretter or a soundhole sl*t?..
 
There was a really good thread about this a while back that you might enjoy. It will be interesting to see the responses the new thread gets as well.

I've changed my playing preferences since I responded to that thread several years back. I have one less uke - three, instead of four - and my two main players are concert scale Kamakas, one reentrant and one low G. I've found that for me, sticking with a single size neck instead of hopping back and forth between concert and soprano has been helpful, so that's sort of ukulele-monogamous. If I didn't have the need for both reentrant and low G, I would likely be entirely monogamous!

I've been playing for a long time now and I still can't for the life of me discern between tonewoods that work for a particular style or song or whatever. I know what I like, I know what I don't like, and the ukes I own sound equally good to my ear regardless of musical genre or song that I'm playing. Or equally bad, depending on how well I play the song... :)
 
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Hi,

I'm really not trying to be snarky - but this does seem to be remarkably similar to the How many ukes are enough? thread that is still going strong.

How much rationalization for UAS do people need? ;)
 
It really depends on your mentality /perspectives/situation.

Some like me , find winding down to a one or three ukes to allow me to focus on what is really important, practicing the music/enjoying the music.
Others may have an outlook that a variety adds to the enjoyment and not particularly a purist in terms of a musician's mindset. Others may need a variety to fulfill all the requirements of gigging, traveling, rough situations, climates, etc.

If you are questioning it, basically for anything .. not just 'to UAS or not', try it out and see where you stand. You'll definitely go through some regrets and satisfactions but most importantly will learn and converge to something that fits you ultimately. Rather than just sticking to one method, outlook, or style and always being curious as to what else I can explore or get into to enhance my experiences or see who I really am.

So, these questions are just best answered by self.
 
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One wife......many ukes. That's my motto
 
I politely decline to answer on account that I may incriminate myself.
 
The problem with monogamy is how do you know your uke isn't being played by other people.
 
I have always been a one woman man!

I am very new to the ukulele, but so far I have surrounded myself with more instruments than I can possibly play regularly.

I do find that each instrument does respond differently to my caress! I tend to get into one or two (maybe 3) instruments intensively for days or weeks at a time. During this time, I seem to attain a very good feel for the sweet spot of each of these instruments. As an example, I can just strum away with abandon on my Pono tenors and they can take it well and sound great. Other instruments require a much softer and controlled attack to find their sweet spot.

I plan to do some recording, and maybe some performing, so I can honestly justify having maybe 6-8 tenors. Presently I have more like 16 :) I will certainly be cutting that number back in the coming months.
 
Mezcalero said:
I have always been a one woman man!

I am very new to the ukulele, but so far I have surrounded myself with more instruments than I can possibly play regularly.

I do find that each instrument does respond differently to my caress! I tend to get into one or two (maybe 3) instruments intensively for days or weeks at a time. During this time, I seem to attain a very good feel for the sweet spot of each of these instruments. As an example, I can just strum away with abandon on my Pono tenors and they can take it well and sound great. Other instruments require a much softer and controlled attack to find their sweet spot.

I plan to do some recording, and maybe some performing, so I can honestly justify having maybe 6-8 tenors. Presently I have more like 16 :) I will certainly be cutting that number back in the coming months.
Click to expand...

Kevin, you are a real Bossa Nova ... um, I mean casanova ... lol.

I agree. One wife. But many Ukes to keep me company and enjoy.
 
I simply could not reasonably get all I want to out of just one ukulele (without forever changing strings), hi-G, lo-G, banjolele or tuned in 5th's, they all get played regularly and all have a very different sound and a different repertoire :music:
 
Theblackegg thank you for this thread. Like the others....... one wife and only two words......Yes Dear.
 
I'm a one ukulele player bit works for me.
 
My playing ability increased once I got more than one ukulele. I learned that what worked on one might not work on another - finger pressure, fretting chords etc.

Adjusting for different string tension etc. also made a difference - the Opio and the Brueko are way different sopranos to play.

It took another jump once I consistently played on more than one size ukulele. Muscle memory for a soprano had to be adjusted for a tenor, and then back to a soprano. That was a good way to get better on the ukulele for me.
 
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I actually progressed better when I got my concert, but when I shifted back to tenor, the skills I learned on the concert made the tenor easy. After I bought my baritone I found it was easy to shift up to the increased reach after only a couple of days. Now, after a year, I shift between them pretty easily. I still have problems with my soprano though.
 
I have seven, I like each for one reason or another and it's just great fun.
 
I consider myself mostly monogamous. I have my one great Bari that I stick with almost all the time. I only step out on him when I want to play something he just doesn't want to play (like girlie pop or some old times stuff). Or if I go someplace where he will be like a bull in a china shop and just wont fit comfortably (like traveling, beach, boat). Then I two-time him with my soprano. Or if I really just have to get down and dirty, I leave him out of it and I go play with my beater (like camping or around children).
 
If we are talking just starting to learn, stick with the one scale length. :)

That doesn't mean you can't try out other ukes though. ;)

I found the concert scale suited me when starting out, spent about 6 months mainly using that scale, & seemed to progress fairly quickly.

But, as with most people, I had to try out the different scales, (& long necks too). :drool:
 
DownUpDave said:
One wife......many ukes. That's my motto
Click to expand...

kypfer said:
I simply could not reasonably get all I want to out of just one ukulele (without forever changing strings), hi-G, lo-G, banjolele or tuned in 5th's, they all get played regularly and all have a very different sound and a different repertoire :music:
Click to expand...

Although I have have had more Ukuleles than I have now, I couldn't see not having a collection that gave me a choice of 'voices' to choose from. Each of my instruments have something unique about them and being able to use the best voice for a particular piece of music gives me a lot of joy.
 
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