newbie here! need advice re: learning ukulele AND a love song

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cleokizzy

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hi everyone!

i recently heard this "You and I" song by Ingrid Michaelson and i knew that she used a ukulele because my grandpa used to play his' when i was growing up. i remember he tried teaching me this before but that has long been forgotten.

so i'm getting married in a year and i have this idea of playing this song for hubby during the reception as a surprise gift! i've been playing that song over and over and it seems that the same chords are being played repeatedly.

i know how to play the piano so i have music background but do you think this is feasible? me learning to play the ukulele and learning to play you and i? or am i setting myself up for failure?

any advice/thoughts on this?
 
Welcome to UU!!

I don't think you're setting yourself up for failure at all. Learning the uke is fairly easy...especially if you have any kind of musical background. And...you said you have a year to learn it. I think you could probably swing it in less than 2 months (based on the progress I've seen of other beginners here on the forum).

Thanks for turning me on to a cool new song. I found the chords for it here...and it looks pretty easy. I think I'll have to try it myself.

So, now all you need is an ukulele. We are always more than happy to spend other people's money, and we are not lacking in opinions or personal preferences here.
 
Yeah, those chords do seem pretty accurate and not really that difficult. It's something that I'm sure you could learn pretty quickly if you put your mind to it and practiced practiced practiced. My lovely wife's only been playing since February and I don't think she'd have too much trouble playing it at all.

It's a sweet song. I'm totally going to have to play it a few times myself now.

Really the hardest part for you is going to be those initial couple of months while you fumble with the basics of learning a string instrument after piano. But there's plenty of support and advice available around here and your piano background will help immensely because you're already familiar with musical concepts. You're more than half way there...
 
whew

thanks KC8AFW, Lanark and mrUKETOBER!

*whew* so i can do this! hehe. now, if i could just find a uke! any advice? my friend is going to Hawaii soon, can she just get one from there? but then, where does she have to go? is it everywhere in that island? :)
 
How much are you looking to spend on an ukulele, and do you want a traditional sized one (Soprano) or something a bit bigger (Concert / Tenor)?

I started playing in December. 1st Instrument ever! It took me a month of practice a few times a week to be able to successfully get through a single song in a single take. I think it was either White Sandy Beaches, or Over The Rainbow. I think everyone starts with those two songs! hah!

Word to the wise, I am musically illiterate though, so you will probably pick it up MUCH faster than me since you have a bit of background.

Don't be afraid to buy an inexpensive lanakai over the internet. That's how I got my 1st Ukulele since every single music shop in Austin had a horrible and very overpriced selection. You can get a good sounding Lanakai Soprano ukulele for under $100.

cleokizzy said:
thanks KC8AFW, Lanark and mrUKETOBER!

*whew* so i can do this! hehe. now, if i could just find a uke! any advice? my friend is going to Hawaii soon, can she just get one from there? but then, where does she have to go? is it everywhere in that island? :)
Click to expand...
 
cleokizzy said:
any advice/thoughts on this?
Click to expand...
  1. Buy a modest but nice uke, not a cheap one.
  2. Prefer solid versus laminate tops.
  3. Get a digital tuner.
  4. Get a chord book.
  5. Print out or download a bunch of songs from this forum and other sources.
  6. Find a nice, comfortable place where you won't be interrupted.
  7. Practice.
Repeat step seven until you're ready to purchase a better uke.

Then start at step seven and repeat until the above condition occurs again.​
 
In case you missed it, here's a link to a FREE Song/Intro Uke book.

http://www.4shared.com/file/123858410/4f4615dc/Free_Songbook_Master.html

Welcome to UU.

I hope hubby enjoys the song (and you can get through it without tearing up).

I have a song prepared for my daughter's wedding (Daddy's Little Girl) and even when I practice I sometimes tear up.

Sometimes it can be difficult to "play/perform" for those we love so much!

But go for it! You can do it! What a lucky guy!
 
I don't know much about those kind of ukuleles -- read: nothing at all. But I do know MGM and, in my opinion, he's the best. Give him a call and see what else he may recommend. He's a member here, you know.
 
I would opt for the uke without the books. I’m also a beginner and bought two books and didn’t really use them. Between here and the whole of the interwebs, you can really find everything you want online.

As for the uke, it’s probably a decent entry level or “daily driver” uke. It’s also got Aquila strings which are really good.
 
another thing to consider is if you're going to be playing at the reception, you may want a uke with a pickup in it so you can plug into the sound system. It would obviously cost a bit more, but if you're learning a whole new instrument just for this moment, then it would be a shame if everybody there couldn't hear you. Just a thought.
 
The Makalas are great starter ukes. You want to make sure to get a digital tuner (probably a clip-on) with it. I agree with Sukie and Uncle Rod...give MGM a call, he will help you figure out what to get (he is also a forum member).

Oh, and in case you haven't put 2 and 2 together...MGM is Musicguymic (the ebay seller in the listing you posted). You'll find nothing but love for MGM on this forum.
 
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I might suggest thinking about a concert size to start with. It'll give you a bit more room to work with as you learn than a soprano and you'll still get a bit better bang for your ukulele buck versus a comparably priced tenor.

We're talking about a musical instrument here, so there's going to be a huge range in terms of price and quality, but generally you'll get what you pay for. Most folks get a cheaper starter instrument to learn on before they commit to a higher quality and priced instrument. And lots of folks get hooked on playing, so it's also possible that this idea could blossom into something bigger. Let it. It's fun.

I'll third or fourth the MusicGuyMic thing. He'll steer you in the right direction , give you good deal and you can get it right to your door and start learning sooner.
 
So, here's how its going to play out...you will get a nice beginner uke to learn on so that you can play at your wedding. You will fall in love with the ukulele. Your fiance will see how much you love the ukulele and he will want to surprise you at the wedding by buying you a Hawaiian "K" ukulele. You will play him "You and I" on your new pinapple sundae. Then you will hop on a plane to Hawaii for your honeymoon...hook up with Aldrine and have a little jam sesh...and live happily ever after. :shaka:
 
thanks!

thanks everyone for all the advice!

it's amusing to find out that the person i found on ebay happens to be a member here as well! hehe. i guess the signs are pointing me to his direction!

i'll give him a ring later and hopefully i could get my very own uke soon! will definitely post once i have it. :)
 
i'm getting there!

just thought of letting you guys know that i'm actually able to play it! i'm still clumsy when it comes to changing the chords but if i keep it up, i'll be able to play the whole thing by next week!!! (and i only started practicing last Monday!).

oh i'm so glad that i listened to you guys that it IS possible for a newbie like me to play this! i'm so able to play this for my wedding - and probably have more time to learn more songs to play too!

thanks!

p.s. the ONLY problem i'm having problems with is that Csus4?!? I got this uke chord cheat sheet and it doesn't have it. i'm gonna browse around here as there must be someone who knows about it.
 
cleokizzy said:
just thought of letting you guys know that i'm actually able to play it! i'm still clumsy when it comes to changing the chords but if i keep it up, i'll be able to play the whole thing by next week!!! (and i only started practicing last Monday!).

oh i'm so glad that i listened to you guys that it IS possible for a newbie like me to play this! i'm so able to play this for my wedding - and probably have more time to learn more songs to play too!

thanks!

p.s. the ONLY problem i'm having problems with is that Csus4?!? I got this uke chord cheat sheet and it doesn't have it. i'm gonna browse around here as there must be someone who knows about it.
Click to expand...

Congratulations! I knew you could do it. You could play Csus4 as 0013 (just play a regular C chord and put a finger on the E string at the first fret).
 
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