Would a tenor ukulele be a good place to start?

Hi guys, this is my first topic. I'll be posting on the introduction forums as soon as I finish this thread.

I had an amazing moment today. I was out on my stoop smoking a cigarette. Yesterday I met a guy who happens to be my next door neighbor. Today he came over and asked if I wanted to hang out. Well we had a joint or two and music came up. It turns out he plays the fiddle. I listened to him and he sounded great.

He just picked it up on a whim and started playing one day. He asked me if I played any musical instruments. I told him I can play the tuba but I haven't played it since I was 14. He followed up with a question that actually caught me off guard. He said: "Well do you want to play an instrument?" I was taken aback by this for a second and I answered yes. He kept probing and asked if I could play any instrument what would it be.

The answer to the question should be blatantly obvious; I'm here aren't I? Why the ukulele? I just love the way it sounds. Beirut is probably one of my favorite bands... the Penalty is my favorite song by them and it features the uke pretty heavily.

I've never REALLY played a musical instrument before. When I was 10 I took a year of piano lessons. From grade 6 to 8 I was in my schools band where I played tuba... but other than that I am musically retarded. I can read sheet music though... on the bass clef at least... I have no idea if the treble clef is any different... that's how dumb I am when it comes to music.

I am giddy with anticipation... I cannot wait until I get my ukulele. I told my friends today and they just laughed at me and made fun of me. I don't think they think I was serious... but I am. I want to make this my main hobby.

Here's what I plan on doing. I plan on going to my local music store and looking at their inventory, if any, of ukuleles. I will then come here and ask which one would be the best to get... something to hold me over until the tenor arrives.

I want a tenor ukulele and I have some questions. The two I've been looking at are the Makala Tenor ukulele and the Lanikai LU-21T or 21TE. One question I have right off the bat is this. Does the LU-21TE sound drastically different from the 21-T? I know it has a pick up but I have no idea if that effects the sound when its not plugged into an amp.

The reason I'm leaning towards the makala is because the MGM guy on ebay has one for a nice price with a chord book, strings, and a pitch pipe. I like the Lanikai because Zach Condon played it... heh... I know that sounds trite but its the truth. My price range is 200$ with shipping.

Also... is there any reason why I shouldn't start with a tenor?

Welcome to UU. There's really no reason why you shouldn't start with a tenor, but if you've never played any string instruments, the concert size might be a better place to start. I say this because of the higher string tension on a tenor ukulele. It'll be a bit harder to play if you're not used to it. The concert size, on the other hand, have comparatively lower tension and should be easier to learn on. I personally started with the concert size, then became a tenor guy, and now I'm more or less back to the concert scale as my main player.

Anyway, have fun with your ukulele journey.

Aloha Mattson,
Go to the Music store and try all the sizes out...start with the soprano and work your way up...once you find a size that is comfortable, the sound you like, and easy playability, you can
decide on what brand you would like and try those....it will give you an basic idea....try as many as you can until you find the right one for you!!! Have Fun and Enjoy and Let us Know
what you decide to get or got!!! "Keep strumming them strings" MM Stan
BTW- Welcome to the UU and our forums..

GX9901 said:

There's really no reason why you shouldn't start with a tenor, but if you've never played any string instruments, the concert size might be a better place to start. I say this because of the higher string tension on a tenor ukulele. It'll be a bit harder to play if you're not used to it. The concert size, on the other hand, have comparatively lower tension and should be easier to learn on.

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I see no logic in your suggesting a concert. No one ever says to someone who wants to take up guitar that "well, it's too big for you to start on" or "the tension's too high". Then difference in string tension between concert and tenor is negligible. And tenor ukes are way smaller than guitars.

I'm a guitarist who took up tenor and never felt a need to go smaller.

itsme said:

I see no logic in your suggesting a concert. No one ever says to someone who wants to take up guitar that "well, it's too big for you to start on" or "the tension's too high". Then difference in string tension between concert and tenor is negligible. And tenor ukes are way smaller than guitars.

I'm a guitarist who took up tenor and never felt a need to go smaller.

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Since you're a guitarist, starting with a tenor would have been no problem at all. But for someone like me who did not play any string instruments prior to the ukulele, the tenor scale was noticably harder for me to play when I started out, mainly due to the higher string tension compared to concerts and sopranos. That's why I made the suggestion of starting with a concert. Of course, anyone can start on any sized ukulele and probably won't have an issue if he or she works at it. I just thought one might as well start with something easier to play.

My left hand had an easier time with the fingerings on the soprano fretboard when I started. The frets on my tenor are more widely spaced making B and E more difficult.

I have the Makala MK-T, it has great sound. If I had to do it over I would have gotten an acoustic/elec. I get drowned out by my friends acoustic guit. So I guess I'll just have to upgrade. Good luck. Keep posting your progress and uke pics, we likes that.
DAP

I have a Makal MK-T (and a bunch of other Ukes at this point) and I play it every day. Some Aquila strings and maybe a little action love (which you can forget if MGM sets it up) and it will serve you well.
I ahve done more than one action set-up in the short time I have been playing and believe me, it is totally worth just getting it from Mike. I have one he did and it is my favorite player right now

I have the Makala Concert that I bought from MGM. And yes it came all set up, with aquila strings and for the money...it sounds pretty darn good!!!

Thank you all for your comments and help

I called up my local music shop with an inquiry about their ukuleles. They told me they had uke's starting from 25 dollars going up to the 80 dollar range. I asked about tenors and they said they had none in stock but they gave me a SKU number for one and I'm putting through an order for it. Here's the uke I'm ordering on Friday:

http://www.long-mcquade.com/product...k_Instruments/Kala/Mahogany_Tenor_Ukulele.htm

That is the store I am buying it from. I'm going to browse their selection... anything I find on their website I can just write down the SKU and they will order it for me when I go in on Friday. They told me they had a nice selection of concert and sorprano uke's so what I plan on doing is ordering a tenor and either getting a concert or sorprano uke to at least learn on for the time being.

Should I go with the cheapest uke they have or should I go with one in the 50-80 range. I mean I really don't mind paying the extra for the better ukulele its just in my mind I already have a better uke on the way so should I invest in a good sorprano or concert uke. Speaking of which... for about two weeks I'm going to be learning on either a concert or sorprano uke... which of the two should I get?

So... when I'm holding my new ukulele in my hand and I want to start teaching my self how to play.... where is the first place online I should go? I was thinking about that ukulele theory thread. I want to play this instrument so much that I'll be able to sight read music. Any links would be appreciated.

Oh... and I was going to make a separate thread for this question but I guess it could be answered here. How do you pronounce ukulele... I'm actually just concerned with the last two syllables. I hear everyone pronounce them LAY LEE but when I see it spelled out I see no accents... shouldn't they be pronounced LAY LAY? Heh I'm sorry... its just my aspergers LOL

EDIT: Never mind the question about the concert or sorprano ukulele question... looks like the only thing they have in stock that I'm interested in is a Kala Soprano... well that was an easy decision. The cheap ukuleles they have are made by a company called Denver.

Mattson said:

So... when I'm holding my new ukulele in my hand and I want to start teaching my self how to play.... where is the first place online I should go? I was thinking about that ukulele theory thread. I want to play this instrument so much that I'll be able to sight read music. Any links would be appreciated.

Oh... and I was going to make a separate thread for this question but I guess it could be answered here. How do you pronounce ukulele... I'm actually just concerned with the last two syllables. I hear everyone pronounce them LAY LEE but when I see it spelled out I see no accents... shouldn't they be pronounced LAY LAY? Heh I'm sorry... its just my aspergers LOL

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I think the 'e' sound is pronounced as the 'e' sound in 'egg' I'm sure you know then the 'u' in 'uku' is 'oo' like 'loot' not 'you'.

As for getting started if MM Stan hasn't thrown this out there one of our fav's is Ukulele Mike on Youtube many good beginner lessons. He is one of many that will be suggested. GO FOR IT!!!
DAP

Mattson said:

Oh... and I was going to make a separate thread for this question but I guess it could be answered here. How do you pronounce ukulele... I'm actually just concerned with the last two syllables. I hear everyone pronounce them LAY LEE but when I see it spelled out I see no accents... shouldn't they be pronounced LAY LAY? Heh I'm sorry... its just my aspergers LOL

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Just Google.... ukulele pronunciation.

General pronunciation: YooKooLayLee
Hawaiian pronunciation: OoKooLayLay

Correct Pronunciation: Whatever the heck you like!