GreyPoupon
Well-known member
I wanted to share with the community a realization I've had lately that may be unpleasant to some.
I started off really interested in playing fingerstyle uke. And I actually became somewhat accomplished at a number of songs - especially the simple tabs by Rob for Baroque Uke and Ken for Bluegrass Uke and the Jaime's stuff for Lute music on Uke. Some great songs that are a joy to play.
Now this stuff is great - but whenever I played it I was always left with the sensation that I was trying to mimic another instrument on the uke. And while this was admitedly part of the charm, it is also engaging in an activity that is in the artistic shadow of something else. (A real classical guitar, or a real banjo, or a real lute...)
But with strumming and singing - something I just fell into recently but now with a vengance - I feel like I at last stumbled upon the uke's real calling. As a strumming instrument the uke brings its own truly unique sound that no other instrument has. Yes, it's a string instrument, but there is a certain up beat jump and skip that is classically ukulele and only ukulele. And I feel like just now am I really breathing in this small instrument's real charm.
In short, I am raising the possibility that perhaps the growing fashion of finger style uke is actually just a distraction from the uke's true calling - as a back up strummer for simple down to earth folk singing.
Am I onto something or am I creating division where none need be?
(Also, wanted to re-share something that probably has been posted 1,000 + times here: Robert G's Ukulele songbook is real genius and a great fit for early strummers like me. I think, but am not sure, that he has shamelessly opted for the easier chord to hold whenver possible... In any case, I had a lot of fun with it this past week.) (Link below)
http://www.scorpex.net/uke.htm
I started off really interested in playing fingerstyle uke. And I actually became somewhat accomplished at a number of songs - especially the simple tabs by Rob for Baroque Uke and Ken for Bluegrass Uke and the Jaime's stuff for Lute music on Uke. Some great songs that are a joy to play.
Now this stuff is great - but whenever I played it I was always left with the sensation that I was trying to mimic another instrument on the uke. And while this was admitedly part of the charm, it is also engaging in an activity that is in the artistic shadow of something else. (A real classical guitar, or a real banjo, or a real lute...)
But with strumming and singing - something I just fell into recently but now with a vengance - I feel like I at last stumbled upon the uke's real calling. As a strumming instrument the uke brings its own truly unique sound that no other instrument has. Yes, it's a string instrument, but there is a certain up beat jump and skip that is classically ukulele and only ukulele. And I feel like just now am I really breathing in this small instrument's real charm.
In short, I am raising the possibility that perhaps the growing fashion of finger style uke is actually just a distraction from the uke's true calling - as a back up strummer for simple down to earth folk singing.
Am I onto something or am I creating division where none need be?
(Also, wanted to re-share something that probably has been posted 1,000 + times here: Robert G's Ukulele songbook is real genius and a great fit for early strummers like me. I think, but am not sure, that he has shamelessly opted for the easier chord to hold whenver possible... In any case, I had a lot of fun with it this past week.) (Link below)
http://www.scorpex.net/uke.htm
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