Professional recognition of the Uke...

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Brewerpaul

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My Celtic band members joined the musician's union, so I now get their journal, International Musician. I this month's issue, there's a 2 page spread of new equipment such as keyboards, effects pedals, and along with those is an Ohana pineapple uke! Nice to see our favorite instrument (apart from pennywhistle ;) ) getting respect from the pros as being something other than a toy or tourist souvenir!
 
I've only been playing a few months, and I do sometimes feel like the guy at the back of the wave. But it's still a great place to be, and I'm so thankful for everyone who arrived earlier. It's such an easy instrument to get into at the moment, with SO many resources: Youtube, books, online tabs and notation. I even find myself trolling for bits of history and biography.

Sadly, the pennywhistle never had the same effect on me. Other than the week I spent wondering why Clarke build their whistles so sharp.
 
"The wave" hasn't even begun to crest. Many people are currently using it in recording context without it's ever being considered a principal instrument and some people are bringing it into the foreground.
 
A nephew of mine recently had his opinion of the uke changed. He had an invitation to go to the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, TN to see a big-time singer/songwriter (who's name escapes me at the moment) that he greatly admires. He told me that when the fellow (who's name escapes me at the moment) went on stage he had a ukulele. My nephew thought he was going to make a big joke out of the whole thing until he began to play. He was really impressed and now considers the ukulele a "serious" instrument. Good thing too, 'cause I'm busy converting his son from quitar to the uke!
 
The 'ukulele has always been a respected instrument by professionals here in the Islands, and it don't matter to me a bit what the rest of world thinks.
 
Ahnko Honu said:
The 'ukulele has always been a respected instrument by professionals here in the Islands, and it don't matter to me a bit what the rest of world thinks.
Click to expand...

Only thing that concerns me is that I love hearing it and playing it. I don't care about "the wave" or whether it shows up on hit records. I'm playing it, I'm having a ball, it makes me and everyone around me smile. That's enough.

The best part of the current wave and the professional recognition noted at the beginning of this thread is that wider varieties of high quality ukes are easier to come by now.
 
Ahnko Honu said:
The 'ukulele has always been a respected instrument by professionals here in the Islands, and it don't matter to me a bit what the rest of world thinks.
Click to expand...

Let me follow up with my perspective here in NJ. First, what is "professional" about most of today's music industry and what qualifies at this point in history as a "professional instrument?" Second, and I have to say this, guitar snobbism, for example, especially these days is a bit misplaced, misdirected considering that the guitar itself is no longer really the center of all things music. If guitar is still more popular though than ukelele, does that make it more "professional?" Third, instrumentalists of any instrument for the most part have never had the same popular recognition as singers...with exceptions such as Ohta-San.

This is a long winded way of arriving at "Who cares? after seeing Lady Gaga on the big flat screen TV at a laundramat.
 
this has come up before, but I'll say it again, I'm actually kind of sad to see the uke go mainstream. I like being different.
 
RevWill said:
Only thing that concerns me is that I love hearing it and playing it. I don't care about "the wave" or whether it shows up on hit records. I'm playing it, I'm having a ball, it makes me and everyone around me smile. That's enough.

The best part of the current wave and the professional recognition noted at the beginning of this thread is that wider varieties of high quality ukes are easier to come by now.
Click to expand...

:agree:

On the other hand, being ahead of "the wave", or whatever it is, means that we have had time to practice before people start taking notice.
 
pulelehua said:
Sadly, the pennywhistle never had the same effect on me. Other than the week I spent wondering why Clarke build their whistles so sharp.
Click to expand...

I'd try a different tinwhistle if I was you. I do own two Clarkes and (sadly) no other, but played lots of those with plastic heads. those are way easier to play and don't need as much air!
 
I don't think we're in any danger of being too mainstream. In England, people still expect you to know "When I'm Cleaning Windows" and little else. That song must be 75 years old or so. I suspect tenors are a big part of the problem/success. They just don't look as incongruous being played by a large male. They look like small guitars to many people. Hence my aversion. (But that's really a whole other thread ;) )

What IS changing here is that ukes are being used in place of recorders in some primary schools to teach children basic music skills. That I think is just fantastic. A school near me has a whole clutch of Makala Dolphins. Good taste, and the students are obviously learning on pretty decent instruments.
 
I have only been playing a short time, but my retired situation allows me to play about 4 hours per day. What I love most about the ukulele, is that no one has real expectations of the instrument. Therefore they are shocked and often amazed that the instrument can be so beautifully played. I usually refer them to a Jake session on Youtube and they come back changed persons. This instrument has transformed my artistic life. Ukulele players will perform while guitarists of equal experience hide in their basements because of the unrealistic performance expectations they carry around.
 
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The other day my girlfriend said, "Have you heard the song Soul Sister? (By Train) It's precious, and has a ukulele in it."

Of course, that was my cue to learn it and play it for her. But it's a uke, and it's on the radio.
 
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