How has the uke changed your life?

I've been in the uke community for a while now, and I always hear stories about how taking up the ukulele has totally changed someone's life.

I'd like to hear stories about how the ukulele has changed your life.

Where to start?

If it wasn't for the people on this site, I'd probably be in bed 24/7 depressed about my husbands deployment. Everyone is so supportive, it floors me. If it wasn't for the kindness of the people on this board, I wouldn't have a uke. I'm still in awe and thankful for the generosity of the people here. I mean really, on what other boards do you see people gifting ukulele's and offering so much help? I'm stuck in this little city out far from everything and don't drive. So, I'm kinda stranded unless I take the sketchy bus that rarely runs. Because of this, I don't work and have a lot of spare time. I used to play World of Warcraft all day long. Now, I am productive and play my uke, socialize with my friends in the mini jams and try to help others out. I've discovered a lot about myself. One of the things I look forward most to now is jamming it up on the minijams and UWC. OMG, I am so excited to meet everyone!

I'll tell you guys a secret. Lisa (lisaxy424) is what got me sucked into UU. I was looking at the Go 90's video contest (I think that's what it was) and I saw her video for "Groove is in the Heart." It made me laugh so much, it was so fun and Lisa was so great in her performance. Once I saw that, I thought that if she is that cool then everyone else must be as well. I wasn't wrong either. I love you guys!

Oh yeah, and apparently I learned how to play the uke and sing a bit, LOL!

life

yeah the ukulele has had a huge influence on me as a person. I had recently gotten let out of a hospital, and I was going through an extremely rough period in my life when I started playing.

A music store had opened in my town and being one of the firsts home from college I thought I'd take a walk over and see what they had. I had seen some really awesome uke players on youtube and as soon as I saw that they had one I felt as though it be a good hobby to get my mind off things. As a trombonist music has always been my thing.

So I bought the uke and started learning songs, it helped me find my voice. I had always wanted to sing but never really gotten the chance because I was always a horn player and not a singer. Because learning songs I eventually played a bunch of birthday parties and even went on a mini tour with my friends band. Its been such a ride so far I can't wait to see what else is in store.

After bringing the uke back to college with me a lot of my friends started buying them too, I also joined a bunch of vocal groups at my school and am considering majoring in voice for grad school. If I never bought the ukulele I probably wouldn't have ever found this gift I have.

As a culmination to everything it helped me overcome, this past fall I played in front of 5000 people at my colleges' pep rally, it was an experience I wouldn't have traded for the world.

seeso, if I'm going to be honest I can't really say that discovering the uke has changed my life. Enhanced, yes. Changed, probably not.

Having found the uke I subsequently found UU. I spend a lot of time here, and love every minute of it, especially the forums. I've also recently found a local uke group, which I enjoy. This summer I plan to attend UWC 2010, where I plan to meet alot of my new-found UU friends.

But my life remains basically unchanged. I still love my family, go to work every day, and enjoy life for the most part. When you stop and think about it, what more can you ask for?

mailman said:

seeso, if I'm going to be honest I can't really say that discovering the uke has changed my life. Enhanced, yes. Changed, probably not.

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When I saw seeso's post, the word "enhanced" was exactly what went thru my mind as well.

I've always been into music, the uke is just another way of expressing that. The biggest change is that I spend a lot less time playing guitar now.

I've been playing for about 2 months. It's my first musical instrument and I'm loving it. I chose the Uke because of the fresh upbeat sound it seemed to have.

It's changed the musical appreciation bit of my life. before, I didn't listen to a lot of music, or appreciate the differences much. Now, I've found a whole new world. I live about 15 minutes out of Liverpool, UK, home of the Beatles, and found a passion in learning some of their tunes (thanks mainly to Mike Lynch's You-Tube channel. Thanks Mike) I can now appreciate the talent in their songs like never before.

I have to get on the "enhanced" bus too...

BU (before ukulele) I would come home from work and sit in front of the TV or get sucked into play station especialy during these months when it gets dark so early not really doing anything.

Now after dinner its get out a Uke and start strummin something.
Plus it has opened my ears to a whole world of cool (new to me) old music I didn't listen to 20's 30's Tinpan and Hapa-Haole.
Now that I can play the Uke I was able to start learning the Guitar which I figured was to hard to learn!!!

But first and foremost I will ALWAYS be a Uke Player!!!!

The only real change my life is I have built a Uke Room to play in...
http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewtopic.php?topic=32394&forum=18&hilite=denver

itsme said:

When I saw seeso's post, the word "enhanced" was exactly what went thru my mind as well.

I've always been into music, the uke is just another way of expressing that. The biggest change is that I spend a lot less time playing guitar now.

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I agree! Enhanced! I have tried many other stringed instruments and this is the first that I have really enjoyed playing.

I have also met many awesome folks, some in RL some here on the boards.

Well before the uke I was a fat, bald headed and hairy guy. Since the uke I got skinny, had hair implants and waxed my body J/K

I haven't had a life changing experience yet for me but I have been able to spread the uke love through children and I have been able to see others lives change through this little instrument.

Upon further reflection my life has changed in that I no longer look at guitars and lust after them. I rarely even pick up a guitar now a days

all of the sudden chicks dig me...

I think the catalyst for me getting into the uke was a natural progression that started with:

1. Being an active member of a outrigger canoe club
2. Gradually becoming besotted with all things Hawaiian, and being especially intrigued at the meaning behind the term 'the aloha spirit'
3. Meeting some visiting Hawaiian Stand Up Paddlers (Brian Keaulana, Kathy Tarada, Todd Bradley, Dave Kalama and Dave Parmenter) at a clinic at the annual Noosa Festival of Surfing and experiencing that spirit first hand
4. A paddling friend giving me a copy of 'Facing Future' by Bruddah Iz
5. Listening to him play the uke and BADLY NEEDING TO PLAY ALONG WITH HIM
6. My husband bought me a soprano which kicked me off.....slowly. I discovered UU which sped up my learning process so much that I then bought myself a Lanakai Tenor and now I am obsessed and possessed by the power of the uke

The nicest thing the uke has done for me yet is allow me to perform with my nephew Alexander on his guitar for a recent family reunion. We jammed along together to Amy Winehouse (Valerie) and a HillTop Hoods (Still Standin') song and our family spontaneously applauded at the end. NOW BIZARRE!!! Never expected that to happen

So that is a special memory. Also...I now watch hardly any television and every song I hear I am analysing if it would be a good song on the uke. I dont sing the melody anymore...I am humming the base line to hear the chords I should be playing on my uke.

I just love the brotherhood of the uke and I think there is a lot of love on this website, as proven by the truly beautiful "Get Well" compilation for Seeso.
Hope you are feeling tip-top mate and have experienced the healing power of the uke....and that is quite enough from me!

haolejohn said:

Well before the uke I was a fat, bald headed and hairy guy. Since the uke I got skinny, had hair implants and waxed my body J/K

I haven't had a life changing experience yet for me but I have been able to spread the uke love through children and I have been able to see others lives change through this little instrument.

Upon further reflection my life has changed in that I no longer look at guitars and lust after them. I rarely even pick up a guitar now a days

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PLEASE let me know how! I've been playing since August and I'm still fat bald and hairy! But I would have to agree with life enhanced with a uke, it's just such a fun little friend. I still can't quite understand this UAS though, I can't look at ukes with out wanting them and spend a lot of time now thinkling about them, and researching them. I even dream about them most nights! I've played guitar on and off for forty or so years and owned svseral, but they never got to me like this little instrument has. I really look forward to and enjoy the weekends my grandkids come over and we play together, so I guess it really has changed my life.

I've always been a bit of a musician ever since I took choir in elementary school and my folks forced me to take piano lessons, LOL (Thank you, parents!)

But the ukulele was the first fretted string instrument I ever picked up. I was in hawai'i and my dad bought me a 15$ mahalo uke and a chord book as a souvenier. Up until that point, I'd never really taken fretted instruments seriously.. But the ukulele really opened up to me this whole new musical world. Nowadays I proudly have added guitar, bass, mandolin, and banjo to my repitoire, and with the help of this website, I've begun designing my own instruments as well. The ukulele opened my mind and exposed me to worlds of theory that I never would've experienced.

definitely the people, for sure, they pretty much all rock

Playing music changed my life - the 'ukulele is just my translator of choice.

Music gave me an artistic outlet, something to strive for, a ballast to hang onto. I'm pretty confused about where to go with life as it is - going to college in a couple years, etc - if I didn't have music, who knows where I would be.

This was my contest entry to "Uke Can Change the World" at FMM:

"Three years ago I began to suffer from multiple knee disabilities; Patella Femoral Syndrome, Osgood Schlatter Disease and severe tendonitis. At this time I was a very avid skateboarder, snowboarder, and wake-boarder. I loved these sports with a passion and when these injuries hit me, I was stripped of them.

I began physical therapy, only to have my knees worsen. It was then determined that I would need surgery. I was devastated. My Jr. and Sr. years of high school were dominated by three knee surgeries. Unable to do the things I loved, I became very much down and depressed....

Then I found the ukulele. This little four stringed instrument changed my life. Something about it, I just loved. Maybe it was the simplicity, maybe it was the warm sound, or maybe it was the fact that nobody can strum a uke and not smile. I became more passionate about playing the ukulele than I was about my sports. Whenever I am down and think of how these injuries have caused me to miss out on so much, I realize how fortunate I actually am to have found such an incredible thing in the ukulele. I truly believe that the ukulele has magical, musical healing powers. It sure worked on me.

And while I am still struggling with these knee problems in college, I realize more and more how these injuries, while being such a burden, are actually a blessing for allowing me to find the ukulele."

Uke hasn't changed my life at all, really. I play thirteen musical instruments, so, the ukulele is one of many. I play mostly guitar and ukulele. I have a uke sitting beside me most of the time when I am home, whether I am working on Ukulele Player Magazine or writing a new book, or just checking the forums.

Music has always been a part of my life and was the most enjoyable part of growing up. For me, family means music and music means family.

shanifawni said:

definitely the people, for sure, they pretty much all rock

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Not me. I only swing a little.

The ukulele is the perfect instrument to have around at all times, so I have one around most of the time. (Not like when all I had was an unwieldy guitar.) That's the extent of my life-changing experience with the four-stinged jumping flea.

It's not only the ukulele. . . for me it's music in general. It has made a profound difference in me as a person.

Growing up, my attitude about my life was in relation to things, the determinants of quality in my life were always pretty external because I didn't have an easy childhood. I used to judge the quality of my life based on things or opportunities which other people had and I didn't, which I thought would make the crappyness in my life go away if I could just. . . I used to judge my success by looking at what I had, or not, instead of who I am.

I work and tolerate the vicissitudes of the workplace and the apparent caprice of employers because I have to, because this is the way our society is structured. I need to go to work in order to afford to buy instruments and stuff.

It's funny, music is MY endeavor. It's MY goal. Participating in a completely immersive discipline is perhaps the ultimate in self actualization. Additionally it's not like I have to depend on the sense of justice of some boss for a reward s/he may give to someone else because s/he likes that person better. The strange twist of it is that I can share knowledge and experience to help others in their musical journey and it actually increases my endeavor and reward as well. Giving = receiving = giving. . .

Everyone wins. . . except the people who have to endure my playing. . .

THAT'S awesome.

I've battled bipolar depression and severe social anxiety for 15 years. Music is one of the few things that helps me cope, and out of all the instruments I use to make noise, the ukulele has helped me the most.

Guitar used to be my main instrument, but I was always really uncomfortable playing it for others because the guitar community can be super snobby when it comes to technique/choice of gear/style of music.

I picked up the uke after a trip to Hawai'i and messed with it for a while before I decided to learn how to play it for real. When I discovered UU, I was blown away. The community is so friendly and supportive and laid-back. Everyone's in it for fun. It's not a huge competition. Even the people with incredible technique and sophisticated arrangements are super nice and don't take themselves too seriously. I know I still don't post a lot of videos, but the fact that I've made any is a huge step for me! Feels good man.

I've made so many friends through playing the uke, and I've found so much amazing music too.

So yeah, the ukulele has had some effect on my life. :B