What to Play to Test Out Uke

the.ronin

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When you’re at a store or checking out a buddy’s uke? What chord progressions, finger picking patterns or song do you play to test it out and see how it sounds? Like MGM seems to have a standard medley ot chords, sturm patterns, and picking he uses whenever does a sound test video of a uke.
 
i first check how the uke sounds when I drop it on the floor, kick it around for a bit to test durability, and then I pick it up to strum. If it doesn't sound nice when I play Mary had a little lamb... well, let's just defenestrate this ukulele and grab another and repeat from the top...
Then I take the strings off an ukulele that passes the first three and see if they are suitable weapons for offing people that trespass on my property. Ukuleles, they look warm and innocent, but nylon in place of piano wire, we can slice tuesday into four different days. (anyone remember where that's from... color purple?)
Anyways... I play the simple F, G, C, Am, A, B, Bb, blah blah blah chords You know, the ones you need the most. Then do a little picking with stuff I've learned on here. Then play a little something that I make up on the spot, let's call that improve test. Then the last test is to see when I throw it as hard as I can against the wall, will it break? If it does, well.. I can't buy it. If it doesn't... well... let's consider it a possibility.
:wtf: exactly.
 
just find a song you're comfortable with that has some picking and some strumming in it. I used to use "Love Song" (from Aldrine's lessons) all the time. It got to the point where I could almost tune by ear by playing the second solo.
 
When you’re at a store or checking out a buddy’s uke? What chord progressions, finger picking patterns or song do you play to test it out and see how it sounds? Like MGM seems to have a standard medley ot chords, sturm patterns, and picking he uses whenever does a sound test video of a uke.

A song you are comfortable with, that follows your perfred style, and exertise (does that make sense)

For me I play Brown-Eyed Girl... Has a nice range of picking, up and down the neck. Some strech chords (as I like to call them) and I can feel how it all feels in my hands...
 
i use brown eyed girl too! and in my most recent trip to a uke store i played out of my league and cmj for the picking/strumming combination
 
I really do use MGM's sound clip 'song'* when I check out ukuleles, since it has some pluck stuff and strum things, and some low and high fret things that help check a lot of things out.

*Or as close to it as I can. I had trouble deciphering which chords he uses on the higher frets, so it's not the exact song. :D
 
while my ukulele gently weeps.

no not really :] i play Bandito Tyler O_O

.. .. .. any song that has picking in it, then if im satisfied i strum away at some random song.
 
When I'm looking to buy a stringed instrument, the first thing I play is the ol' intonation check at the 12th fret/harmonic. If I'm checking out a friend's, I just play around with the first song to come into my mind.
 
I think the "harmonics" test is very helpful to see if the uke is fretted correctly, at least at the 12th fret. Then fret-by-fret to hear the progression.

Then, whatever song I happen to be working on, or one that has intricate chording, to see if it sounds better than I remember my favorite uke did.

Got to check to see if the neck is straight and if the ends of the frets are smooth or "sticky" (as in shredding the flesh off your chord hand! Yikes!).

I usually smell into the sound hole. Why? I don't really know. However, if it doesn't smell like wood, I'd put it back. So far the ukes smelled, well, like wood.

I also might tap the back and front for the percussion effect. I never use it for that in any performance, but it makes it look like I know what I'm doing! lol
 
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