Slam article begs the question................

Off the top of my head....

It brings me joy. I get out of my head when I am playing/singing and I am totally in the moment and absorbed in music I love. It makes me feel good just to hold a ukulele, I love the hunt for vintage ukulele's, and I have met so many wonderful people through our mutual connection of this instrument that I feel like my world and life becomes richer through my friendships with them!
 
I play b/c it makes me look cool.
 
To be honest, I play the ukulele because I saw some YT videos of people playing it, and it looked like fun. Then I was in a music store in December 2009 and saw how cheap the ukuleles were. I went home with a Kala KA-TG and started playing it. I played the trumpet in high school, then took a long hiatus (about 40 years) from playing music, other than strumming my old classical guitar once and year and remembering how hard it was to play. Now, I have 7 ukuleles, 2 guitars, a clarinet (which I don't know how to play), a Casio keyboard, some recording equipment, a drum machine, and am thoroughly enjoying myself with music again. I have met a lot of new friends in my ukulele group and around the World. Its just more fun and easier to play than the guitar. At my age, I no longer care too much about what chics or guitar snobs think of me (other than my wife).

When I first bought it, I thought it was cute, but have come to discover its a serious instrument. The uke rekindled my dormant love of playing music. Anyone who thinks otherwise should try playing some classical music on it, or maybe some of Jake's or Dominator's stuff.
 
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Because it fits my hipster image? :)

Seriously though - in addition to the fact that I love the sound of it and it's fun to play, I started playing a couple years ago because when I was a child, it was my first instrument. For years I had thought about getting one again, taking lessons, etc but somehow kept running into excuses. Eventually I ran out of excuses - and it's been the most amazing little journey, between the people I have met and the learning I have done. I just can't imagine life without it!
 
It was seven years ago. I was 42 years old and struggling to learn how to play the guitar. I had my first heart attack followed by a Quad Bypass. During my recovery, I decided that life was too short and that the guitar had too many strings. I picked up the ukulele and never put it down.
 
To annoy Jim DeRogatis?

Um, really though, I guess I play them because they're just so darn playable. How can you not play one?

I mean, you might as well ask why you pet kitty-cats. :)

JJ
 
Cause I got em layin all around the house.. ;)
 
I don't really have a specific reason :(
I just like playing instruments.

That's kinda how I got into playing guitar, bass, drums, harmonica, ocarina, recorder, tinwhistle, keyboard/synthesizer/piano (barely :p) and ofcourse, ukulele.
 
I originally picked up the ukulele after a long period of guitar strumming. I honestly felt that I had played all of the songs out of that specific guitar that I could. So I picked up the uke with intentions of writing the saddest songs I could come up with on the happiest sounding instrument I could find. I wrote two sad songs and that was all I could do. Everything else that has come out has been at turns- beautiful, happy, perhaps a bit melancholy, but still light. I broke my left wrist years ago and it never healed properly, and ukulele doesn't fatigue me as much as guitar does. I've had the intention of picking the guitar up more, but a uke is so handy. So easy to pop into the car. And I've recruited about a dozen people into the uke world. That makes me happy. And more than anything else, uke people are good people.
 
I don't really have a specific reason :(
I just like playing instruments.

That's kinda how I got into playing guitar, bass, drums, harmonica, ocarina, recorder, tinwhistle, keyboard/synthesizer/piano (barely :p) and ofcourse, ukulele.

What greenway said, except that with me, it's piano, flute, harmonica, accordion, tinwhistle, recorder, ocarina, mandolin, guitar (barely), various hand drums and other percussion (bones being the latest), and, of course, ukulele.

Granted, the uke was one of my first instruments, and I've played it since I was a little kid. I am one of those people who has been watching in awe as what has been considered a dorky little instrument by almost everyone I know for much of my life has suddenly and unexpectedly become cool. I'm still waiting for the same thing to happen to the accordion.
 
I first tired the ukulele becuase it looked interesting and... if you can play guitar you can play ukulele... like that if you can dodge a car you can dodge a wrench mentality.

I PLAY the ukulele becuase it is more fun to play, it is not competitive, you can play it anwhere, love the sound, but another very selfish reason is that I can play it lying in bed.

For years I tried to find a small guitar that would let me lay back in bed at night, watch some hockey or basketball, and noodle away. I never found one that really worked. But a ukulele is perfect, so I always have one that I can pick up and noodle as my beloved Ducks make another playoff run... the Lake Show isn't a bad venue either.

John
 
For the same reason I ride a motor scooter and have a funny looking dog, it amuses me. The ukulele asks nothing of me, it only brings me joy. I rarely play in front of other people but I enjoy saying that I play a ukulele. I'm too old to care if any one thinks what I do is lame, pluck them if they can't take a joke!
Pete the plucker
 
I wanted to learn a instrument and chose the accordion because it is happy and quirky. I was having so much fun that I wanted to learn another instrument. I chose the ukulele because it is happy and quirky and a whole lot easier than the accordion.
 
I mean, you might as well ask why you pet kitty-cats. :)
JJ
:D Well I try to avoid our cats but I liked the reply.
My parents bought me a banjo uke in 1961 or so. We played in front of our 3rd and 4th grade class and we were cool.
 
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Well, I built my first ukulele as a college project 30 years ago. Why? Because it was different, cute, portable, unusual, friendly, always brought a smile on people's faces... It has also taught me more about musical theory than the guitar ever could.
 
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I play Uke because I can make the music I want to make on it. Also, I couldn't really play drums unless I found a band to play with, and that would mean time away from my family.

Now, my family is becoming a mini Uke orchestra!

Lovin' life with the Uke!
 
To paraphrase RFK:

"Some see those who play ukulele and ask why... I see those who have never played ukulele, and ask why not?"
 
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