Playing to Sing or is Playing Enough?

JackLuis

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I've only been playing since March of '15 and really enjoy it. I am fortunate to have a neighbor who is an old rhythm guitar player.:music::eek:ld:

When I got my first Uke, I showed it to him and he said he had some music that he'd share with me. Since then he's gotten 'some Ukuleles' including a baritone and I have 'some ukuleles' too, including a baritone and now we are practicing a couple of times a week and sharing lead sheets. He got me to go with him to his gym and so we go 3x a week to the gym and keep up each others momentum. We're both retired, or just plain tired, it's hard to tell.

However, Gary plays so he can sing, so for a couple of years he would sing and we'd play mostly his "cowboy" music, just strumming chords and him singing. He also plays guitar and sings in a gig band at rest homes and the like a few times a month so it gives him a chance to break in new material and keeps me from going stale on the same old music. I'd probably end up playing things I could already play without Gary around.:p

I contribute to him by introducing him to music he wouldn't ordinarily play, Lenard Cohen, Beatles, Paul Simon... But about 9 months ago he convinced me to start singing. It was pretty brutal, I needed two five gallon buckets to carry off Red River Valley or Tennessee Waltz. I have improved however and joined the Seasons of the Ukulele off and on again. I got Gary hooked on the Seasons too and he's more motivated or probably less self conscious than I am. My singing has gotten a lot better but still is less than good. :D

I started out just wanting to learn to play an instrument well enough to motivate my daughter and granddaughter to learn about music. Since then I've increased my aspirations to learning to sing too!

Today Gary gave me 4-5 new songs he wants to break in and I gave him Pachebel's "Cannon in D" with staff and tabs for baritone and "Imagine" in staff only so we can work on reading the staff, learning the fret board and picking notes to broaden our playing.

Even though I enjoy singing, I actually prefer instrumental music, but Gary plays so he can sing.

How about you?
 
I sing only when required, e.g. for the Seasons.

I do not think there should be any artificially imposed mandate on the expression of music, singing or not, it's what YOU want to do with it, and how it makes YOU feel when doing it.

Do you do it for yourself, or to win the favor and fandom of other folks?

For private meditation or to seek fame and glory?

Or just for FUN? Shouldn't 'just for fun' be enough? :)
 
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I used to be very self conscious about singing and didn't sing in front of anyone, but after four years of playing twice a week with a group, my singing is so much better that I now sing along.
 
Sing or play, or both?

Both my parents were classically trained singers - strictly amateur, but they took their singing very seriously. As a child I never sang. I felt intimidated by my folks' strict approach to music. I'm not complaining, they were wonderful parents, but they had no time for 'popular' music.

In my late fifties, I moved to a village where the local pub was kept by a guitar playing fan of country & western, and rock. There was always a guitar kept handy, and everyone was encouraged to join in.

I tried to learn a few chords on guitar, but found it to be too huge. Having small, rather weak hands didn't help. Then I found an old ukulele among the accumulation of junk in the roof space of the house. In no time at all, I was strumming a few chords and singing along. At last, I could join in!

I found I enjoyed singing, and the uke provided the perfect way to strum along. It took a couple of years before I gathered enough self confidence to perform at an open mic. That was about twenty years ago. I've never got past the strumming and singing stage, but greatly admire anyone who can get more out of the uke than just playing a sequence of chords.

I wonder what my parents would think of my attempts at singing? Not much, I fear, but it gives me a lot of pleasure.
 
I have always used the ukulele as accompaniment to singing,
as I am primarily a singer,and was a 'rhythm guitarist' in a few
amateur bands;hence the accompaniment feels like the natural
thing to do, for me!
But many want to play like Jake or (insert name of your favourite
player) and that is fine, so long as they realise that it takes a
whole lot of practice,unless they/you are especially gifted!
Whatever is good for YOU should be what it's all about!
 
I generally play the melody line of songs, & occasionally I will croak along to a few chords in the Seasons Challenges, (but I started out doing instrumentals).

I prefer to play tunes, rather than sing, the uke is good for both, my other instruments that I'm learning to play don't allow for singing, (unless I stop playing), so it's instrumental melody lines all the way. :)
 
When I bought my first uke, I thought I'd be more interested in playing instrumental pieces, but around the same time I also startet going to a singing group (not a choir, it was just for fun, no performances) and found out that I really enjoy singing, too, and am even able to get better at it with practice. (Plus, singing in a group or, very ocasionally, even in front of that group, is a pretty big step for someone as shy/introverted/socially anxious as me.) So, by now, playing and singing are equally important to me and I practice singing (for a choir I joined a few months ago), instrumental pieces (for a uke group) and strummming and singing (for myself or the seasons).
 
I starting out playing the uke to accompany myself singing. I have always enjoyed singing, doesn't mean I am any good at it. As a progressed into chord melodies and finger picking pieces I sang less and less. As another person pointed out these arrangments take a lot of practice. Because of this I sing very infrequently now and my singing voice has really become worse. I still work a full time job so I have only so much time in the day to play......or sing and play. But whatever I do on the uke makes me feel good and that is the hook that has kept me going.
 
I play to accompany my singing and I find doing both to be a lot of fun. I have no interest in playing instrumentals. I'm a realist and know that I'm not good enough and would not practice enough to be able to play instrumentals to the level that they would be interesting to me or others. Just strumming through the chord changes of a song without singing would just be boring and bleak to me and I couldn't do that. The time and effort necessary to pluck out melody lines to where they are smooth and flowing are unlikely to ever happen for me so I'll just keep on singing and strumming!
 
I'm a singer. For me the uke is accompaniment. I'm all about sharing my music. I'm not a real fan of instrumental music anyway.
 
I pretty play uke to accompany my singing, which has improved significantly over the time I have played uke, mainly through the increased knowledge of and confidence in my voice. But I find myself trying to stretch into more interesting arrangements, which has pushed my playing too. This started about 5 years in and continues to where I seek songs to extend my playing rather than my singing primarily at this point.
 
Hey Greenie, et al :) I'm a singer/strummer... mostly.
I first learned to play the uke in 6th grade in Mrs Wong's class at Ali'iolani elem in HNL.
that was back in '59-'60, so it's been a few years :)

anyway, we (the entire class) learned to play the uke to accompany ourselves singing
for other classes as set up by Mrs Wong.

Since then, I've been playing the uke to accompany myself singing. That's how I learned
about Transposing since i listened to the radio, learned the lyrics, then had to figure out
the chord progressions from the recorded music then transpose it into a key that was
more within my vocal range. That's what I was doing... all the time... during my Middle
School years ( it was called Intermediate School back then ).

I played for my church group, esp when caroling during the Holidays, and took a uke to
college. I had to choose between a Martin and a Kamaka. I couldn't afford the Martin
so I bought the Kamaka and brought it to the Mainland - Chicago, Il. {BTW the Martin
cost $35 and the Kamaka was only $28!!!!) I should have bought them both and every
other Martin in that store! (Harry's Music in Kaimuki)

Played my Kamaka all the time in college and accompanied a lot of impromptu singing
with my classmates. Took it to summer camps and played for the staff and campers.

I got a Martin Tenor in Chicago as a senior ($145 including hard case!), back in 1969.
finally heard a virtuoso ukulele player (Yellow Bird) and decided I needed to learn how to
pick out melodies while accompanying myself - chorded melodies?

I eventually heard Gordon Mark and knew that was the style I wanted to emulate. But I
was returning to the Mainland the next weekend for Grad school. I spoke with Gordon and
he taught me the 2-finger technique he uses (see Gordon Mark ukulele, YouTube, 2;27
minute lesson)

I had a recording of Gordon and practiced as much as I could by listening to the tape and
trying to remember how he was forming his chords. Oh well, ....

That was the early 70's and since then, while dabbling with fingerpicking, I've settled more
on strumming to accompany myself and others while singing.

2003 - joined SUPA (Seattle Ukulele Player's Association) and eventually helped them create
their 2007 and 2010 Songbooks.

2012 (?) helped to create STRUM (Seattle's Totally-Relaxed Ukulele Musicians) and helped
create their first songbook.

I was helping SUPA as a song leader for several years for their monthly song circle gatherings.
STRUM met weekly, so I eventually, stopped going to SUPA in favor of STRUM events as, besides
our weekly song circle, we were also doing weekend gigs.

OK 2017, I'm with STRUM. Most of book 2 was created by other members so I lead the songs from
book 1 and others lead songs from book 2. Book 1 has popular songs from the 40's and 50' while
book 2 has more 'contemporary' songs - 60's, 70's,+.

that said, I enjoy picking out a melody now and again, but I'm more into figuring out chord progressions
to accompany myself (and others) singing songs that appeal to me.

We need both singers/strummers and fingerpickers in our wonderful ukulele community.
whichever you are,

keep uke'in', :)
 
Even though I often accompany others' singing, as a member of both an opera orchestra and a worship leading ensemble at church, I'm an instrumentalist. And that had better be enough, because even if I may envy those who can play and sing, I have a mental block whereby I can only do those things separately, but never simultaneously. It is so severe, in fact, that even attempting to speak a few words to someone while playing an instrument throws my playing completely off, even if I've only managed to grunt unintelligibly. It's always been like this, since I was very young. I must stop playing in order to speak, sing or vocalize in any way. I've taken a lot of ribbing over this, and spent time trying to overcome it, but to no avail. :(

bratsche
 
I know what you mean, I couldn't even talk whilst strumming a simple chord at first, but eventually I could get a few words in.
I'm still not good at it, but I have fun now & again trying in the Seasons threads, where they tolerate my efforts. ;)
 
My local Uke group are learning canon in D. I am hoping to arrange a "full blown" orchestration of Canon, which will be the first purely instrumental piece we play.
 
I am not some good singer, but surprisingly i feel actually being supported with my ukulele index finger strumming more than making it difficult. Basically first when I see a song I decide whether I strum it 4 beats or 2 beats a measure in 4/4 or 2/4, or 3 beats in 3/4, sometimes just one is enough if a song is a hymn like. Then later maybe some variations.

At least for now, i only pick with my thumb, despite my classical guitar playing background.

Uke is almost totally to accompany my singing, lots of fun with it.
 
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My local Uke group are learning canon in D. I am hoping to arrange a "full blown" orchestration of Canon, which will be the first purely instrumental piece we play.

Yeah record it, even if it's 'not good', I'd like to hear it played to have an example of it being played. I was trying playing the first two line yesterday and had to decide whether to use a finger on each string or strum the ~chords? I'm such a newby. Come to think of it I think Mike Lynch had a you tube of it. Off to goggle!

Here is Mike playing Canon in D, but in C on a C tuned Uke. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffaSIbchupY

My arrangement is for baritone in D so it'll be different but it was a good clue to how it is suppose to sound.
 
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