If You Own More than One

Joyful Uke

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If you own more than one ukulele, how many do you usually play per practice session?

It's rare that I just play one. After all, there are both reentrant and linear tunings to play.

But, I also often find myself wanting to play everything that I have, and if I have the time, that's a common thing to do.
 
I rarely play more than one ukulele per practice session. I have my instruments scattered through the house so I can pick up for a short practice wherever I am and have a few minutes.

I try never to let a practice session go longer than 30 before a break (15 would probably be better), with the option to link several sessions together. Even so, I don't usually switch instruments unless it's to a different kind (bass vs uke vs electric guitar vs acoustic guitar). Just jamming or rudiments while a TV is on may go longer, but I try to stay mindful for useful practice.
 
I definitely play more than one. When I had fewer instruments I would play each. I usually begin with an instrument that I haven't played in a few days. For a shorter practice session I may play with about 3 (of at least two different sizes) but up to 5. I'll play a song and then switch to a different ukulele and play it again, etc.
 
“I mean how silly is that. And we're talking about practice. I know I'm supposed to be there. I know I'm supposed to lead by example. I know that and I'm not shoving it aside, you know, like it don't mean anything. I know it's important. I do, I honestly do. But we're talking about practice, man. What are we talking about? Practice? We're talking about practice, man?”

...I couldn’t resist. Like AI, I don’t have practice sessions. When I work on a song, I just start working on it off and on. Sometimes I’ll use more than one uke, but nothing is planned out.

John
 
I only ever play one uke per playing session. Lately I've been trying to grab a different one each time I choose to play. Other times I'll play the same uke for a couple of weeks and then change it up for another couple of weeks.
 
I only play one uke at a time, but what I am practicing doesn't influence which one I play. I rotate between the re-entrant and the linear regularly so that I can justify in my mind having them both. However what I practice doesn't change regardless of which uke is scheduled for use. If I'm practicing, for example improvising with the B mixolydian, I'll play that on the fourth fret with my linear and eleventh on my re-entrant.
 
Some days it's one tenor I practice/play all day. Other times it's several.

Re-entrant for learning fingerstyle. Low-G is my preference for strumming. But I find some songs sound better on one instrument, some on others. Sometimes one instrument suits my mood better. Sometimes a different one does. Sometimes I practice on one because I haven't played it for a while.

I often prefer one uke above the others for a while, then change my mind and really like a different one. The feel, the sound, the way my fingers are feeling that day...

No hard and fast rule.
 
Usually one tuning but sometimes both. And I'd say 80% of the time I'll play any two of my ukes. I keep three out, but which three rotates every few weeks to month.
 
I'll start out by saying that I'm not really structured when it comes to practice. I can't say that for me it is one or the other, I play whatever I feel like and if I feel like playing one and then another, I do that. If not, I just play one of them. All of mine are re-entrant tuned, so no difference. They all pretty much sound the same in that regard. But I generally just play one ukulele whenever I sit down to play.
 
All of mine are tuned re-entrant. Some don't see action for weeks. To paraphrase Thelonious Monk, the reason I choose to pick one over another is because that’s the way I feel today.
 
When I am doing what I consider a true practice session, about 80% of the time I stick with one ukulele. I try not to do serious practice more than 30 mintues so I don't burn out. Then after "practice" is done I will often play around on several ukules just trying stuff out or having fun with some of the simple song I have mastered. Every now and then I deliberately pull out every ukulele and play them all back to back to remind myself of how different each one can sound and how different they can feel to play, and to see if my tastes have changed enough that I should sell one.

When I do pull out more than one ukulele for a practice session, in tends to be when I am trying to learn a song arranged in low-g, to see if one uke suits the song better than another. Same for playing baritone.

I keep a couple of my lower end ukes out of the cases when its not a dry winter, a couple in my office, a couple in my living room, and usually one in my bedroom. Whenever the mood hits, their is usually an uke on hand. I really want to get one that is safe from extremes of weather so I can leave it in my hangar.... maybe one day I will get a Klos carbon fiber uke, or maybe a Black Bird. I've tried some of the platic travel ukes and didn't care for them at all.
 
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Since all of mine are reentrant tenor cutaway, I only practice with one. I rotate through my eight good ones for each play session. For just noodling while I watch a Dodger game, I use my beater Fluke.


This is Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly West near the Beverly Center
9 tenor cutaway ukes, 5 acoustic bass ukes, 11 solid body bass ukes, 9 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 34)

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
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Usually just one, sometimes two. Once in a while I'll cycle through all of them playing a few songs each. Easy to do when you don't have that many.
 
Usually two, and those would be two different ones such as a baritone and a soprano, or tenor and sopranino. Sometimes one just doesn't sound right for the songs I am playing, so I switch around. The song and how the uke is set up also can make me change out the ukulele. I tend to play my more fragile vintage ukes in the house, and the workhorses (OXK, Outdoor Uke) outside.
 
Depends.

When I am trying to decide what ukulele sounds best for a given song, I might go through most of my ukuleles.

Otherwise I ususally just pick up one uke and play it.
Unless I need low G for one song and it doesnt suit another, but I play 90% high G.
 
I don't practice as such - but I'll occasionally pick up a uke & have a play through some tunes, or else I'm looking for a certain kind of sound to go with a little ditty I may be writing for the Seasons challenge - usually it will be one of three tenor scale ukes, my acacia long neck concert, my mahogany long neck concert or my mahogany giraffe neck soprano.

Other times, I think I might want a concert scale uke, or long neck soprano to get the sound I'm looking for.

Mainly low G, sometimes re entrant, & occasionally low D bari, rarely re entrant dGBE.

I just think it's good to have the choice available to try. :music:
 
“I mean how silly is that. And we're talking about practice. I know I'm supposed to be there. I know I'm supposed to lead by example. I know that and I'm not shoving it aside, you know, like it don't mean anything. I know it's important. I do, I honestly do. But we're talking about practice, man. What are we talking about? Practice? We're talking about practice, man?”

...I couldn’t resist. Like AI, I don’t have practice sessions. When I work on a song, I just start working on it off and on. Sometimes I’ll use more than one uke, but nothing is planned out.

John

Love the AI reference :) and most of my playing sounds similar to you as well.
 
I typically play at least four different ukes in the course of a day..often more. Yesterday, for example, I played eight different ukes..though calling any of this “practice” is a stretch.
 
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If you own more than one ukulele, how many do you usually play per practice session?

It's rare that I just play one. After all, there are both reentrant and linear tunings to play.

But, I also often find myself wanting to play everything that I have, and if I have the time, that's a common thing to do.

I keep playing different ukes - sizes, tunings, and shapes. I like the variety of feel and sound. I'm very careful with the "good" ones, though. I keep a walnut Flea next to me to pick up and play around with, but the others are always in their cases, either next to me or upstairs.
 
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