Question: ukulele and the internets

Ukulele is experiencing a resurgence in popularity right now. Some say its the recession, some say its that we all live in cramped one bedroom apts in cities. Personally, I took up guitar (then moved to ukulele) when Guitar Hero was getting popular. At the time, I saw the Guitar Hero craze as the beginning of the end of modern civilization... but thats another topic.

Question is: Could ukulele's popularity happen without the internet? Without youtube? Without UU? Something as new as the internet, online fame, and net communities spurring a rediscovery of an old stringed instrument- wasn't someone in this forum looking for an ukulele thesis?

I'm of the opinion that the internet was the key to the resurgence. Before the spread of the internet, the Fluke had been introduced through paper versions of the Homespun Music catalog, and that probably helped - but I think new people discovered the charm of the instrument thanks mainly to the WWWeb.

I think music became more easily accessible because of the internet - music is much easier to get now, especially off-beat stuff like ukulele, and sites like youtube also make it easier to see non-professionals doing it and and therefore making one want to try it for oneself. Learning is easier too - there is a wealth of information online about almost everything, playing an instrument is no exception. I would not have discovered ukulele if it wasn't for the internet - I've played guitar for a while, but when I needed something smaller to play when I was stuck on a hospital bed, and later, a couch, I wouldn't have found ukulele without first seeing the little 5 year old playing "I'm yours" and then Jake playing 'While my guitar gently weeps' (and it really was the kid - Jake lives on a different planet from where I hang!).

I wouldn't be here without the Net.

I'm sure it hasn't hurt. But I truly can't remember why I wanted a uke. Three years ago at Christmas, I just decided I wanted one. It must have gotten in my mind from somewhere, but I wasn't someone who was always on youtube, etc. Perhaps I heard news stories about rising popularity and thought it sounded like fun. I honestly don't know.

I didn't pick up the ukulele because of the great ukulele players I later found on Youtube and UU. A 8-year-old girl played a few tunes for me and then I decided to become a ukulele players as well. And THEN I started googling for ukulele music out there. But sure, the Internet helped me understand the instrument better and faster and it helped me finding all the great people that share the love for the little 4-stringer.

The Internet accelerates everything. Especially madness

As sebi noted the Internet accelerates everything. Personally it was live & recorded (as in CDs, radio) exposure to the 'ukulele that hooked me. Uke Minutes, Lessons have accelerated my learning. The internet is my source for tabs/music. Price for living on the fringes of civilization.

The uke is not a mainstream instrument, so to have any real surge in popularity, it needs the help of a large media outlet.

The last real surge in ukulele popularity was in the early-mid 1950's. Why? Because of Arthur Godfrey's TV show. The large, diverse audience provided by TV (and radio) put the ukulele in front of the masses. Some got interested and took it up, and popularity rose.

Same thing is happening now, but the internet is larger than TV. Not necessarily because the internet reaches more viewers, but because it allows the average Joe to publish content. Where it takes millions to start a TV station, just about anyone can shoot a video and put it up on YouTube. This equals a huge amount of exposure.

Jason

I first bought a uke when I was living without the internets! But I'd wager that the internet has helped things

Paul December said:

I wouldn't be here without the Net.

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Me either, but to really test the theory, you would have to also answer why the internet has not created a surge in guitar players. They make videos too and more of them.

I got a video of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain passed to me on my e-mail network that got me started.

The internet sure is a big catalyst for UAS.

Regarding why there hasn't been a huge surge in guitar players; I would think it's because the guitar is already popular.

There are already millions of guitar players. People see the guitar everywhere. The guitar is very common - it's nothing new. So in this case, I don't think the internet is showing anyone anything they haven't already seen and heard on an almost daily basis. Mainstream music (almost all styles), TV, Movies, etc. have guitars all the time. The internet may be making it easier for people to learn guitar, but I wouldn't expect it to create a surge in interest.

With the uke though, it's not top-of-mind with most people. So, it seems that a person's first exposure to the uke could very well be the internet. They see a UOoGB video, or one of Jake's videos and think it's funny, cool, impressive, whatever. Maybe that leads them to look for more information, and maybe they want to buy one. That person may not have ever seen (or been reminded of) the ukulele had it not been for that video.

That's what happened with me. I played guitar for years. I knew about the uke, but was never interested in it. Never even picked one up. Then one day I was on Break.com or a similar site, and saw Jake's Gently Weeps video. That was impressive. I had no idea a uke could sound like that. I checked into them for a few weeks, but decided I didn't want to spend the money on one.

Fast forward another year or so, and Jake's video popped up again, and I was reminded about the uke. So, I started looked at other videos on YouTube. I'm not a big fan of Jake's style actually (he's a great player, just not my style), but because of the internet, and the seed planted by Jake's video, I was quickly and easily able to find lots of other styles that were more to my liking. After doing a bit of research, I went ahead and ordered a cheap Mahalo to see if I liked it.

Had I not seen Jake's video, or any of the other videos showing me other styles - all on the internet - I would probably not be playing the uke.

Jason

I picked up the uke on a whim while in Hawaii, but I probably wouldn't still be playing if not for constant inspiration from youtube.

Jason Paul said:

Regarding why there hasn't been a huge surge in guitar players; I would think it's because the guitar is already popular.

There are already millions of guitar players. People see the guitar everywhere. The guitar is very common - it's nothing new. So in this case, I don't think the internet is showing anyone anything they haven't already seen and heard on an almost daily basis. Mainstream music (almost all styles), TV, Movies, etc. have guitars all the time. The internet may be making it easier for people to learn guitar, but I wouldn't expect it to create a surge in interest.
Jason

Click to expand...

That's a pretty good explanation. To be honest, I bore easily and the guitar usually bores me today. I've infrequently strummed (I won't call it playing) the guitar for the last 40+ years. Don't get me wrong - I love folk, country, and popular music and much of it is played on the guitar, but its just too common. I think its more difficult to produce something new sounding on the guitar that hasn't already been heard in every garage, elevator, or TV show. I go into the big guitar stores to play with the ukes. On my way to the uke section, I often hear really good players slashing away. For some strange reason, it just doesn't draw me in. However let many of our UU'rs do something good on the uke, and I say, "Wow, I gotta learn to do that."

Ian - methinks you need to brush up on your LOLspeak.

Both internets and interwebs are acceptable. Preferably with the article "teh" rather than the commonplace "the", ie. "teh interwebs", or even "teh interwebz".

All in good fun though. I can be a bit of a Grammar/Spelling Nazi myself, and I don't like what today's chat capabilities are doing to the English language. However, I know there's also a difference between being lazy and/or ignorant (not good), and just being funny (good in moderation). Of course, it's not always easy to tell.

Jason

Pwned. (sorry, coulnd't resist )

I picked up the uke because I saw Sophie Madeleine playing "The Beard Song" on youtube. So yeah.

My picking up the uke had absolutely nothing to do with the Internet. I think I'd still be at it without the internet but it wouldn't be as much fun. Actually UU is where I go mainly. Made some wonderful friends too.