Joy of Joys; My 11 yr. old has the uke bug!

I gave my youngest son my old Applause UA-10 for a birthday gift a couple of weeks ago. He started the trumpet this year at school, so I thought that now might be a good time to get him started. He was excited when he opened it, but only played it a few times over the past couple of weeks. I taught him the basics of how to hold it, what the various parts were called, and a few chords.

Well everything changed yesterday. He now can't put the thing down. He played it til he went to bed last night and it was the first thing that he went for this morning when he got up. I taught him the chord progression C, Am,F,G7 and the strum pattern DDUUD and it is amazing how quickly he picked it up. Like most people, originally he had trouble with the G7 chord, but he now changes back and forth from it pretty well. A positive reinforcent for practice makes perfect.

I am one proud Dad!

Aloha DKCrown,
Congrats on the new uker in the family and your new playing partner....will have some nice memories in the future...Have fun and enjoy...Happy Strummings MM Stan

That's great.. I have given up on my family to ever jump on the uke bandwagon... Handsome little guy, have fun you two will be jamming in no time!

Really cool, wonderful to have a family member join the uke world. you better stock up on some dolphins for all those kids that are now going to collect at your house to jam on ukes!! Who knows where it will go from here. Good luck!! Lozark

LOL. He just asked me if he could play my Moore Bettah! Yikes!

Smart kid.

Well, it's going around, and that's the first symptoms. Just get him a good throat spray and ride it out..

It's awesome to see them form a passion for an instrument isn't it. I mean, beyond the music class, or school band. I'm talking a real passion when they start to live and breath it. Rush home from school to get it back in their hands. Congrats... Water it, and it will grow... ehheh

I got my six year old God daughter an Uke for her sixth birthday last year...she was so excited and knows a few chords from a few lessons I've taught her but she's not yet "gotten the bug" she'll play it occasionally, but I do hope that one day I'll have a jammin partner in her, she's left handed and playing a right but she's coming along...

Congrats on spreading the Aloha!

joeybug said:

I got my six year old God daughter an Uke for her sixth birthday last year...she was so excited and knows a few chords from a few lessons I've taught her but she's not yet "gotten the bug" she'll play it occasionally, but I do hope that one day I'll have a jammin partner in her, she's left handed and playing a right but she's coming along...

Congrats on spreading the Aloha!

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hey bug..Maybe if ya string it up left paw for her, she'll get more comfortable with it. All ya got to do is reverse the strings and set it up for her being a lefty.. I bet she'll take more interests because it will be more normal for her.

dkcrown said:

LOL. He just asked me if he could play my Moore Bettah! Yikes!

Smart kid.

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"Yes, son. As soon as you have saved up its replacement cost."

This is really cool - I'm happy for you! I gave my wife and 2 kids ukes for Christmas (2009) - dolphins. Only one has really shown interest - my 5-year-old, who has to come running with her candy apple red dolphin any time she hears me practicing. It's great fun...but I don't get much practice in!

Tudorp said:

hey bug..Maybe if ya string it up left paw for her, she'll get more comfortable with it. All ya got to do is reverse the strings and set it up for her being a lefty.. I bet she'll take more interests because it will be more normal for her.

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I've thought about that..do I just swap the strings so they're upside down? She seems to fair okay playing right and uses both hands for a lot of things like cutting with scissors even though she has left handed scissors, I might ask her and see if she'd prefer it that way! Thanks for the advice!

joeybug said:

I've thought about that..do I just swap the strings so they're upside down? She seems to fair okay playing right and uses both hands for a lot of things like cutting with scissors even though she has left handed scissors, I might ask her and see if she'd prefer it that way! Thanks for the advice!

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Yeah, I'd ask her and see. She might be amberdexterioux. I am "primaryly right handed, but alsoamberdexterious and use both hands equally for allot of tasks, but play right handed. Or, ya might flip the strings around and tell her to hold it the other way and try it. Then ask her which way she likes better, then go with witch ever she feels most comfortable.