Wanna play uke at a bluegrass jam?

A couple of years ago I had Bruce make me a mandolele so I'm sure I could get by.

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8 tenor cutaway ukes, 5 acoustic bass ukes, 10 solid body bass ukes, 7 mini electric bass guitars

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children's hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video
 
I've played ukulele at both Old Time & Bluegrass jams; never had a problem, never been turned away.

I guess the folks I've played with haven't been 24-caret jerkwads; they are generally people who enjoy making music, and welcome everyone.


-Kurt​
 
I've played ukulele at both Old Time & Bluegrass jams; never had a problem, never been turned away.

I guess the folks I've played with haven't been 24-caret jerkwads; they are generally people who enjoy making music, and welcome everyone.


-Kurt​
What part do you play on the uke Kurt? The bluegrass musicians that I know aren't jerkwads, they are just into their music and they don't know where to fit the ukulele into it. I think it is nice that you are able to play with them.
 
Maybe you could sneak in with this, and nobody would know ;)

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They would know and they would let you know. Bluegrass fanatics have an allergy to ukulele. It is a well known contagious condition where the affliction is commonly known as Ukulele Intolerant. I forgot the medical term but I'm sure someone here can come up with one . Fortunately for me I find bluegrass music unappealing but unfortunately some of my music friends are addicted to Bluegrass and we can't be in the same room even Outdoors. It causes them to cringe with disgust and nausea. I've seen it happen. It was an involuntary reaction. Not all ukulele intolerant people are jerks. They can't help themselves. Think of it as a disease.
 
They would know and they would let you know. Bluegrass fanatics have an allergy to ukulele. It is a well known contagious condition where the affliction is commonly known as Ukulele Intolerant. I forgot the medical term but I'm sure someone here can come up with one . Fortunately for me I find bluegrass music unappealing but unfortunately some of my music friends are addicted to Bluegrass and we can't be in the same room even Outdoors. It causes them to cringe with disgust and nausea. I've seen it happen. It was an involuntary reaction. Not all ukulele intolerant people are jerks. They can't help themselves. Think of it as a disease.
I play with some musicians who play bluegrass, and they are nice people. And we jam informally playing all kinds of music. A couple actually play the ukulele, just not in their bluegrass band. Bluegrass isn't a yellow book strum-a-long, each instrument has a part, and the sum of the parts is bluegrass. And that is why I asked Kurt what part he plays. I like bluegrass, but I haven't played it with a group. I've played songs that would be considered bluegrass songs, but they are just a ukulele rendition of a bluegrass song. I think that the problem is that ukulele players show up all enthusiastic and excited to play bluegrass and the bluegrass people don't know how to fit them in. Maybe Kurt has the answer. I'm seriously thinking of taking up banjo or guitar so that I can play with them.
 
They would know and they would let you know. Bluegrass fanatics have an allergy to ukulele. It is a well known contagious condition where the affliction is commonly known as Ukulele Intolerant. I forgot the medical term but I'm sure someone here can come up with one . Fortunately for me I find bluegrass music unappealing but unfortunately some of my music friends are addicted to Bluegrass and we can't be in the same room even Outdoors. It causes them to cringe with disgust and nausea. I've seen it happen. It was an involuntary reaction. Not all ukulele intolerant people are jerks. They can't help themselves. Think of it as a disease.

They need a uke-ectomy. Either that, or that little blue pill Ukeagra, or the bathtub one.

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Back when I was an enthusiastic harmonica player, I usta read lots of Harp articles about people who wanted to play with Bluegrass bands. Most of the BG guys were against anyone but BG instrumentalists playing with them.

It’s true there are harp players on some of my BG cds, but not many. I think Bluegrassers are big on BG purity. :eek:ld:
 
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Has anyone ever noticed that there are very few, if any, posts or conversations, about Hawaiian music? Many are about pop or rock or classical or movie themes and now Bluegrass. I wonder how Hawaiians feel about that, though it certainly says somethin’ about the instrument’s versatility.

Still, it seems like there should be a few mentions of hula music or slack key or whatever. :eek:ld:
 
What part do you play on the uke Kurt? The bluegrass musicians that I know aren't jerkwads, they are just into their music and they don't know where to fit the ukulele into it. I think it is nice that you are able to play with them.

Mostly rhythm, with a rare lead, if I'm very confident of the song. It probably helps that I'm pretty good at harmony vocals, too.

Part of the issue, I think is that I usually play at _music_ festivals, not _bluegrass_ festivals. We don't limit the music, instrumentation, or players. If a Bluegrass group is strictly Monroe Traditional, there are 5 instruments: Mandolin, banjo, guitar (and the guitar needs to be played thumb and index finger, like Lester Flatt did), fiddle, and string bass. Want to break tradition? Add dobro, harmonica, jaw-harp, autoharp, play guitar with a flat pick, add any kind of percussion, or add anything else.

I think that is the problem - are we talking about _bluegrass music_, or are we talking about a traditional (because that's how Bill decided it would be) style of instrumentation? After all, even Bill Monroe changed how he did Blue Moon Of Kentucky, after he heard Elvis Presley's version.

-Kurt​

(For what it is worth, I started playing with Old Time and Bluegrass players when I went to college in West Virginia, in the mid 1970s.)
 
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I have to agree with Bill1. Has anyone ever been to a bluegrass hootenanny? If a uke player shows up with a C-F-G7 progression and a calypso strum pattern, he or she is going to get blown out of the water and made an utter fool. Bluegrass has its traditions, its chord progressions, its standards, its mixolydian runs, etc. A player, regardless of instrument, needs to be aware of this and be competent in this. If a player has this, it doesn't matter if he or she has a 4-stringed ukulele or a 1-stringed didley bow...they are ready to support the person playing lead. If, like me, the ukulele player isn't prepared for the big leagues, then sit outside the circle, drink a beverage, enjoy the artistry, and clap in the proper time signature.
 
If I am jamming with BG , I use my loudest ukes [banjolele or Martin 0] and play with a pick, and strum like a Mandolin on the off beat. Most tolerate that and appreciate the rhythm support so they can solo.
 
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