Ukuleles in the news
- Thread starter Jim X-S
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UKISOCIETY
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George Formby is still being mentioned in these articles. I don't mind too much, just that it brings a certain style of music to mind that doesn't fit the versatility of the instrument. Perhaps when the old journalists die off....
Uke-lahoma
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George Formby is still being mentioned in these articles. I don't mind too much, just that it brings a certain style of music to mind that doesn't fit the versatility of the instrument. Perhaps when the old journalists die off....
The mention of George Formby in such an article would be similar to the mention of Tiny Tim in US news items concerning the uke.
UkuEroll
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George Formby is still being mentioned in these articles. I don't mind too much, just that it brings a certain style of music to mind that doesn't fit the versatility of the instrument. Perhaps when the old journalists die off....
It really get on my nerves, everytime the ukulele is metioned in the UK his name crops up. Guess it's up to us ukulele playing Brits to put people straight.
Tanizaki
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I think most of us here would be blessed to be able to play as well as Formby.
StanDaManTX
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anybody else get the impression that the writer of the article is kind of poking fun at the ukulele in general. (some folks just dont understand the ukuleles awesomeness)
(some folks just dont understand the ukuleles awesomeness)
mealfrog41
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i've never heard the term "bonsai guitar" before
mealfrog41
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^^ I searched for bonsai guitar on google and this was the first article that came up....
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-e...serious-the-bonsai-guitar-is-back-460602.html
It's a pretty cool article.. it mentions Jack Johnson, Eddie Vedder, George Harrison.... and even Seeso!
Sorry if this has been posted before.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-e...serious-the-bonsai-guitar-is-back-460602.html
It's a pretty cool article.. it mentions Jack Johnson, Eddie Vedder, George Harrison.... and even Seeso!
Sorry if this has been posted before.
lacerveza
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i like his lean mean grilling machine
Hahaha, you mean "a bloke with a tea cosy on his head called Seeso"...
UKISOCIETY
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Thanks for this. Either I've never read this or I forgot i did read it. Which is always a possibility. "tea cozy". hehe!
UkuEroll
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Don't get me wrong, of course he was a good player, but what i don't like is people thinking cos I play the ukelele all I play is leaning on a lampost and stuff like that, I think we've moved on a lot since then.
The Ukulele like the harmonica has a Rodney Dangerfield reputation in that it "doesn't get any respect." I myself have to plead guilty to such thinking until seeing Jake S playing.
It's tough though. It's going head to head with guitars that have a 4 octave range whereas the most Ukuleles have just less then 2 octaves. It plays in higher registers where it is more difficult I think to for hearing to discern. Then of course there is the George Formby and Tiny Tim reputation where the Ukulele was used as a comedy instrument.
For me I learned respect for the Ukulele after I finally got one in my hands and am trying to learn it. I've got the vocal intonation of a consistent monotone. So my focus is fingerpicking. I thoroughly enjoy learning songs and hearing them in the higher pitches.
The Ukulele may not get a lot of respect from the populace in general. But as time passes I'm sure that it will gain respect from more people. Look at the harmonica. I mean it's almost synonymous with the "Blues." I've seen some Ukulele players who can play some blues very well on the Ukulele. The harmonica has also make serious forays in the Jazz scene as well. Although those are typically Chromatics that for the most part have a 3 octave range.
It's tough though. It's going head to head with guitars that have a 4 octave range whereas the most Ukuleles have just less then 2 octaves. It plays in higher registers where it is more difficult I think to for hearing to discern. Then of course there is the George Formby and Tiny Tim reputation where the Ukulele was used as a comedy instrument.
For me I learned respect for the Ukulele after I finally got one in my hands and am trying to learn it. I've got the vocal intonation of a consistent monotone. So my focus is fingerpicking. I thoroughly enjoy learning songs and hearing them in the higher pitches.
The Ukulele may not get a lot of respect from the populace in general. But as time passes I'm sure that it will gain respect from more people. Look at the harmonica. I mean it's almost synonymous with the "Blues." I've seen some Ukulele players who can play some blues very well on the Ukulele. The harmonica has also make serious forays in the Jazz scene as well. Although those are typically Chromatics that for the most part have a 3 octave range.
anybody else get the impression that the writer of the article is kind of poking fun at the ukulele in general.
I felt the same way. What ever happened to the neutrality of the press? Are they supposed to relate to us that which is newsworthy, or tell us how we should feel about it?
Tanizaki
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I felt the same way. What ever happened to the neutrality of the press? Are they supposed to relate to us that which is newsworthy, or tell us how we should feel about it?
THIS JUST IN: There are no neutral journalists.
BREAKING NEWS: There are no neutral readers.
Tanizaki
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The general perception of the ukulele as a comedy/novelty instrument, and Tiny Tim in particular, are why I picked it up in the first place.
The reader has no reason (and no responsibility) to be neutral. The news journalist does. Their job is to report the news.....without bias. Leave it to the reader to decide how to feel about it.
Tanizaki
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Your naiveté is touching. Do you really expect to find the same news coverage from The Guardian as you would from The Daily Telegraph?
Their job is to report the news? And how do you propose they decide what news to report? No news organization can report everything. In deciding simply what to report, the news organization must manifest bias. If the story had never run, you could just have easy whinged, "The ukulele never gets any press!"
I also disagree that the job of the media is simply to state facts. It was right when William Thomas Stead's disgust motivated his journalist fight against child prostitution in England, and when Westbrook Pegler took on the racketeering of labor unions. Luckily for the 13-year-old that Stead saved from prostitution that he was not a "neutral journalist".
And, this is a fluff piece. Have you ever read sports news? Do you expect to see headlines "The Lakers Shut Down The Magic" or "The Lakers Scored More Points Than The Magic"?
It is always up to the reader to decide how to feel (or rather, think) about the subject matter. The problem isn't biased reporters; the problem is intellectually lazy readers.
I guess we should just agree to disagree. I'm obviously too naive and intellectually lazy to do otherwise.
