I picked up a guitar today

Keef

Keef

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We have had a guitar sitting around since the early 60's so today I picked up this giant monster and tryed to play it but only made noise so I removed two strings and retuned it as a uke in low g and tryed again no go OMG!! It's like a mile between frets :) I'll just put the steel strings back on it and put it away
 
i did the same thing. i learned guitat on a classical cordoba. not only were the frets a mile apart, the neck width was forever wide. how did those things ever become popular? i sold it and bought a pocket uke. ahhh, that's better.
 
I thought that if I played uke, I could possibly transfer into playing guitar.

So I have tried picking up guitars and I don't see it being possible for me to play a guitar.
 
A former guitar player, I now have an aversion to the beasts.
The sheer weight alone....
 
Hahaha nice one Keef - dont we all wish we had fingers like that sometimes.. I am also turned off the religious path of the 6-strings goliath, its currently for sale and althought I had many good times... my hands now feel sufficiently dwarven!
 
I have a nice Martin HD28-35 and I can't play it anymore either. I don't know how I ever did but that was 22years ago but I still have the guitar and it looks brand new. One day I might try again but it seems so big.
 
Keef said:
We have had a guitar sitting around since the early 60's so today I picked up this giant monster and tryed to play it but only made noise so I removed two strings and retuned it as a uke in low g and tryed again no go OMG!! It's like a mile between frets :) I'll just put the steel strings back on it and put it away
Click to expand...

I feel the same way now when I pick up my old Yamaha acoustic. Strangely though, I do NOT feel that way when I play a bass. I don't really know why the acoustic guitar feels so much more huge than a bass guitar. I guess it's just because I've played bass for 30 years now, and it feels like part of my body... and I rarely play guitar anymore. I was never very good at it anyway, lol.
 
I have only been playing the uke for about 3 weeks and just yesterday pulled out the Taylor to check a chord progression I used to use a lot and man the neck felt like a baseball bat. It is amazing how fast things change.. I haven't played that much over the last 10 years but it never felt that strange when I pulled them out in the past...
 
I started playing the guitar about 10 years ago, and the ukulele a couple of years ago and switching between the two is not a problem for me. If i had to choose between the two however, the ukulele would always win!! :D
 
I don't know what you guys are complaining about. I seem to do fine with guitars. Those big chords? Piece of cake!

six_fingers_1.jpg
 
I still get mine out occasionally - it's only been a year and a half since I took up the uke. I don't have a problem with the fingering, but the SOUND, so bassy and thick, I sure like the light sprightly uke sound.

I have been playing the banjo more and more since taking up the uke, which is good, but there doesn't seem to be much advantage. With either one, once you go up five frets, you're in uke territory.
 
What I like about this thread: emphasizes how different things feel or simply new found tonal preferences.

Early on and I think this is a temptation for a lot of ukers, there's this impulse to bash guitar playing and guitarists. Yeah I did some of the same. I've come to conclude that most ukers would do better to connect with musicians who play guitar and other instruments and maybe even bring up skills in other instruments.

I played guitar for most of my life and am grateful for that foundation, and like I said in another thread, I just ordered an actual banjo...
 
I'm with luvdat pretty much.

My musical background is firmly with the acoustic guitar - 20 years of it. It was what I first learnt to play music on and write songs on. It gave me an outlet for all the lyrics and poetry I was writing and stopped me from going nutty. Being proficient on the guitar certainly helped me an incredible amount when I started on the uke about 4or so years back. It made the initial journey much quicker. But like any instrument, the deeper you plumb the depths, you find out how much more there is to learn. This is definately true of the ukulele - perhaps not so much with the left hand, but the many right hand strumming patterns take sooooome learning. I do admit to the little voice on my shoulder tempting me to put down guitar stuff occasionally though!!!

We should all be humble and recognise our limitations. I play often with a 12string guitar player and we have a great time. He still can't take the uke seriously but I'm winning him over by degrees.

Hmmm...banjo..a very unforgiving instrument if ever there was one!!! I've had one for a few years now but really haven't progressed beyond a VERY rudimentary level! I should sell it really but I've got this dream...
 
luvdat said:
What I like about this thread: emphasizes how different things feel or simply new found tonal preferences.

Early on and I think this is a temptation for a lot of ukers, there's this impulse to bash guitar playing and guitarists. Yeah I did some of the same. I've come to conclude that most ukers would do better to connect with musicians who play guitar and other instruments and maybe even bring up skills in other instruments.

I played guitar for most of my life and am grateful for that foundation, and like I said in another thread, I just ordered an actual banjo...
Click to expand...

I was with you up to the banjo part :eek:

I've played guitar for over 40 years. It takes me a few minutes to get back in the groove when I switch but I do get there. That said, I prefer to bring an uke along anywhere I go.
 
clayton56 said:
I still get mine out occasionally - it's only been a year and a half since I took up the uke. I don't have a problem with the fingering, but the SOUND, so bassy and thick, I sure like the light sprightly uke sound...
Click to expand...

I play guitar and uke in our band and you get used to the size difference, but during the first guitar song you really feel the size difference before you settle it. The boominess or thick bass can overpower the ukes so I don't play a flat top guiitar with the ukes. I discovered by accident that archtops sound better with ukes, it doesn't over power them.
 
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