Ukulele ONLY?

Griffis

Griffis

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A thread on this subject may have been done here before. If so, apologies.

I was curious as to who here plays ukulele exclusively?

I know from reading many posts here that we have numerous multi-instrumentalists on the forum. And that's a wonderful thing.

But I wonder who may be ukulele-only.

Also, who has only ever played uke, and who may have moved to uke from other instruments, then forsaken those for "full ukulele immersion?"

After 40 years of playing many instruments from brass to keys to percussion to a large variety of string instruments, I am uke-only now. I played uke to the exclusion of everything else from about 2000-2010, then briefly reverted back to gigging guitar and bass for a time.

I am, now again, happily focused solely on the ukulele. It fulfills me.

I remain interested in learning harmonica, but I'm in no rush.
 
Love the ukulele, but love making sounds on other instruments too much to give any up! Can't be a one instrument man, but I am interested to hear from people who are!
 
MickeyD said:
Love the ukulele, but love making sounds on other instruments too much to give any up! Can't be a one instrument man, but I am interested to hear from people who are!
Click to expand...

I guess another question I could have asked would be: if you play other instruments, what are they?
 
Griffis said:
I guess another question I could have asked would be: if you play other instruments, what are they?
Click to expand...

I majored in music Ed and spent 34 years teaching band and violin. My primary instrument is trumpet. I don't play too much these days. Through the years I managed to do a passable job on flute. I was functional on all the traditional concert band instruments. Most music Ed majors play keyboard, I get by pretty well on keys. Along the way I met a few people who are African Drumming instructors and performers. Through them I got interested in the djembe and still play. It's great therapy to pound away on djembe! It's also much harder than it looks!
 
I'm pretty much a uke-only player.

I played the tenor and alto sax in Middle School,
also dabbled with the guitar about the same time.

I had learned to play the ukulele in 6th grade, just
prior to Middle School, and took the uke with me to
College in Chicago.

Since then, pretty much uke-only :)

just for reference, 6th grade was back in 1959-60 :)

NO REGRETS! :)

keep uke'in',

PS I did move from Soprano to Tenor and Baritone for a few years,
however, it's pretty much Soprano only as well :)
 
I have one guitar, various kalimbas and a marimba, and a tambourine, but I view myself as a ukulele player (of which I have a few!). I keep the other instruments around in case the mood strikes, but I could probably also sell or give them away without missing them. Except the tambourine, but I got it solely for improving my rhythm, so it's a training tool for ukulele playing.
 
I only play the uke.

Long story short, I had two guitars for a looooong time and never bothered getting lessons so never progressed to where it was even fun for me to play - and much less fun for anyone listening. I stumbled on the uke, got hooked, got lessons, traded the electric guitar and amp for my CK1.

With 4 ukes in the quiver I have no intentions of learning any other instrument. I have lots of hobbies competing for my time so I'm happy to focus the musical side in one direction.
 
Griffis said:
I guess another question I could have asked would be: if you play other instruments, what are they?
Click to expand...

Having strummed/fingerpicked folk/blues/acoustic guitar for 40+ years I ventured into the field of melody on a tin whistle! This involved learning to read music, simply 'cos that's how the tunes I wanted to play were presented. From there, with my new-found skill set, I've ventured into electric lead guitar, flute, mandolin, clarinet and sundry other wind and fretted string instruments.

In a "parallel universe" I finally learnt to play clawhammer on a 5-string banjo. Then I learnt that one could clawhammer on a re-entrantly tuned ukulele ... so I had to have a ukulele (or two, or three or ...)

So then I learnt to read tab and notation for the ukulele so's I could play tunes on that ... which brings me back to the penny whistle, which is why I learnt read music in the first place!

Keep away from them whistles, they cause nothing but trouble :music:
 
I was just going to talk about TWAS. Good thing is they are cheaper than ukuleles and you can hide them in your sock drawer.
kypfer said:
Having strummed/fingerpicked folk/blues/acoustic guitar for 40+ years I ventured into the field of melody on a tin whistle! This involved learning to read music, simply 'cos that's how the tunes I wanted to play were presented. From there, with my new-found skill set, I've ventured into electric lead guitar, flute, mandolin, clarinet and sundry other wind and fretted string instruments.

In a "parallel universe" I finally learnt to play clawhammer on a 5-string banjo. Then I learnt that one could clawhammer on a re-entrantly tuned ukulele ... so I had to have a ukulele (or two, or three or ...)

So then I learnt to read tab and notation for the ukulele so's I could play tunes on that ... which brings me back to the penny whistle, which is why I learnt read music in the first place!

Keep away from them whistles, they cause nothing but trouble :music:
Click to expand...
 
Played guitar almost fifty years, then about four years ago I started playing the uke, haven't touched my guitars since. About two years ago I also started bass uke, oh, and I dabble with harmonica as well.
 
I'm ukulele only. I've tried again and again to learn guitar over a space of about 25 years and the bug never bit me so I never kept it up. I'm a better uke player after four months than I ever was guitarist over 25 years.
 
I primarily play ukulele, but every now and then I will focus for a while on the guitar. It just depends on how I am feeling. I do not believe that I have really played a song on the guitar since December. I picked up the ukulele about 8 years ago. Up until that time, I was proficient on the standard rock band instruments (bass, drums, lead and rhythm guitar). I have gotten almost totally away from electric playing. I am too lazy to plug in. I played forever in bands, and I am over having pedals and amps. This makes me primarily play the acoustic guitar or ukulele. They are their own amp.
I started playing ukulele because I wanted to learn music theory. I was too cool for school on the guitar... actually, all the resources I could find were either Mary had a Little Lamb level (which my playing ability made boring for me) or Jazz (which was outside of my skill set, music taste, and ability). I found the ukulele, and learned music theory with it. Just seemed like a perfect pairing. Now, I am proficient with both. Thanks, ukulele!
 
I'm "justa uker". My poor beautiful Yamaha piano just gathers dust and the bench acts as a uke case holder. I mentioned selling it but my spouse said "You'll regret it." I don't even know where my harmonica and didgeridoo are at the moment....
I do play some banjolele, does that count as another instrument? It's harder....
 
I'm strictly uke-only. When I was a kid I flitted from uke to guitar to piano to bass, and failed miserably at everything because I was so un-focused. I'm on a mission to make up for that now - in the time I have left on this earth, I'd like to focus on one thing and learn to do it well. Or at least competently.
 
j.roth said:
I picked up the ukulele about 8 years ago. Up until that time, I was proficient on the standard rock band instruments (bass, drums, lead and rhythm guitar). I have gotten almost totally away from electric playing. I am too lazy to plug in. I played forever in bands, and I am over having pedals and amps. This makes me primarily play the acoustic guitar or ukulele. They are their own amp.
Click to expand...

Hear, hear. I switched to bass soon after taking up guitar close to 40 years ago. Never got good at guitar aside from rhythm playing but made a decent bass player. Lots of bands and gigs over the years. Pain set in, pretty much precluding me from guitar and bass, but I was already fed up with electric gear...cords and cables, effects pedals out the wazoo, and I sure don't miss hauling amps the size of compact cars around in an out of clubs (though I do sometimes miss playing loud bass in a rock band context.)

The ease of 4 nylon strings...the natural, simple beauty of acoustic instruments...just grab, go, play. It's so freeing.

I did continue to play and practice bass for a few years after I stopped gigging and recording, but for me bass isn't exactly a solo instrument. It just seemed fruitless to play bass outside of a band context. To my mind and ears, the ukulele is more melodic and self contained. My wife has even commented how nice she thinks it is to hear me sing and play songs as opposed to just basslines and riffs.

It just maks me happier with so much less fuss.
 
Nickie said:
I do play some banjolele, does that count as another instrument? It's harder....
Click to expand...

Just my opinion, but I absolutely consider the banjo-uke to be a ukulele.

janeray1940 said:
I'm strictly uke-only. When I was a kid I flitted from uke to guitar to piano to bass, and failed miserably at everything because I was so un-focused. I'm on a mission to make up for that now - in the time I have left on this earth, I'd like to focus on one thing and learn to do it well. Or at least competently.
Click to expand...

I feel exactly the same. I undertook everything from trumpet to violin to drums to banjo to synthesizer over the years. Jack of all trades, but not very good at any aside from bass. I've dedicated myself (re-dedicated, really) totally to uke. Very satisfied; no interest or intention to take up anything else, except possibly a bit of harmonica, mainly as occasional accompaniment to uke.
 
My musical focus is dedicated entirely to the ukulele. The only other instrument I have ever seriously pursued is the guitar. I played classical and steel string guitars for many years, but I never felt as if I was a musician and always seemed destined to hit a dead end. Then I picked up the ukulele a couple of years ago. It has been a liberating instrument for me - a sort of four-string freedom. I can strum and sing and make music with others. Or I can relax on the couch and quietly finger-pick into the evening. I can rock (sort of) like Kansas. I can channel my inner-Dylan. I can croon like Bobby Darin as I strum to the rhythms of Mack the Knife. I can finger pick an Irish jig or an Italian etude. I can play a clawhammer (banjo style) version of Oh Susanna. I can be silly and teach a new generation (and remind the old generation) of the hilarity of Monty Python's Lumberjack song. I can write and perform a parody of Vance Joy's "Riptide", titled "Ziptie". Or I can discover the youthful music of Twenty-One Pilots and play right along with them.

In addition to all this, I am now spreading the joy of the ukulele. I have joined UU, a place where I can share my experiences and knowledge. In addition, I am giving ukulele lessons to my wife and to our neighbors as well; and we have all been attending a local ukulele gathering. Fun.

Enough rambling. Ukuleles rock, dude! :music:
 
I tried lots of instruments over my life time, none were successful until I tried the uke, with it I have learned a lot more than with any of the others I tried.

I concentrated on the uke last year & feel I have become a reasonable player of melodies on it, whilst also trying out a lot of other techniques owing to having joined in with the Seasons on here. :)

I don't intend to be exclusively uke, as I am at present learning to play harmonica, which I tried before the uke, but just couldn't get it at that time, now I think I can - & I still have my electric piano to learn sometime.
 
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