Frustrating Conversation with Guitar Playing Coworker

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ukejack82

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I had a very discouraging conversation with a coworker yesterday who I have talked to before about music theory. I made the comment about how much I enjoyed attending UkeFest a few weeks back. He proceeded to lecture me about why the guitar was superior/better than the ukulele and how he "just did not get it". He asked me why I would bother with an instrument that "only" had four strings when I could enjoy doing so much more with a guitar. I shared with him that the ukulele was very accessible to me and that it brought me enjoyment. I respectively told him that I understand that everybody has preferences regarding musical tastes, etc. and that I did not understand his need to educate me or get me to change my mind. I mentioned that it was just as silly as arguing about which is better, vanilla or chocolate ice-cream. It is a matter of tastes. Although I am not a musician, I expect that each instrument has advantages and disadvantages, and that all can be appreciated and valued in their own right. It just irritates me that he felt he had the right to make value judgments regarding my instrument choice and that he felt compelled to get me to "see the light".

Anyway, once I got home and started practicing Sentimental Journey on my Mainland tenor last night, I felt a lot better.

Sorry for ranting, I just needed to get this off my chest.

- Jack
 
It surprises me when musicians feel the need to put down instruments that they don't play. Methinks his heart isn't in the right place. The purpose of playing guitar, or ukulele, or whatever, should be to make music and enjoy it. Not to assert that you're superior to other people. Boo on him. :)
 
Hi ukejack82

> Sorry for ranting, I just needed to get this off my chest

Glad to hear it out. You were absolutely right that the ukulele was very accessible to me and that it brought me enjoyment. None of his business what you do.

I am a guitar player but I love ukuleles, too. And I don't preach!

Happy Pickin
Chief
 
Oh don't pay attention to that sourpuss.

The land owner here where I live, well, I was teaching myself trumpet. Making excellent progress too. I quit for various reasons (not that great a busking instrument, and I'd rather sing and play an accompanying instrument). But, I said that since I'm learning, maybe he could get his guitar out and we could play some stuff. He said trumpet and guitar don't go with each other, it'd be like fried eggs on ice cream!

His preferred music is the kind of stuff you hear played in the background in corporate buildings.

I don't discuss music with him much. Great guy, but music is like religion....
 
Whats the point in putting down another instrument these kinds of people really annoy me. Music is to be enjoyed, and where is the enjoyment out of putting down another instrument.
 
I love ukes.
I love flamenco guitars.
I love steel string guitars.
I am very happy that all of them exist.

I also like the accordion. I like bongos. I like harmonicas.

None of them take the place of the others. They are different and no one is required to play or even like any or some or all.
I get into moods - uke moods, guitar moods, etc. I get real focused on an instrument, and then after awhile, I rotate to another one. It keeps it all fresh and exciting for me.

Mostly I'm glad that I get to play and listen to them all!!!
 
Your story reminds me of when I was a young teenager. I was taking guitar lessons and I would go to flea markets with my family, and I was always looking for a vintage guitar. I clearly remember my parents pointing out lots of "four string guitars", to which I would turn up my nose, saying "that's not a guitar". I didn't even consider the ukulele. Looking back now, I wish I hadn't been so ignorant of the wonderfulness of the ukulele, but at the time what I saw was guitar.....kind of like tunnel vision.

Seems like some people are just like that all their lives (I claim being young for my silliness). That bravado that sometimes pervades the guitar world is unfortunate because those who embody it miss out on a lot....just like I missed out on all the great uke's I could have had for next to nothing!
 
I too play ukulele & guitar, I enjoy both.
I must admit that I used to think of the ukulele as a toy compared to a guitar.
Then I discovered James Hill and as the saying goes "the rest is history"
The last few years I have been privaledged to be part of the ukulele community.
I have met and played with some of the big names as well as many of the great folks here on UU.

What I have learned is the ukulele is an instrument of its own and is not a toy guitar, after all a violin only has four strings and some of the greatest music written is played on it.
The other observation I have made in my musical journey is that folks who put an instrument down probably are musical snobs.
I know many guitar players that hold themselves out as some elite player. On the other hand some of the great professionals I have met encourage others to play.
Go to festival where some of the pros are and you will find them in the middle of the jam with us common folks.
James is a great example along with UU's own Aldrine, Matt D., The Dominator, Bartt and too many others to list in this post.
 
Often these guys give you all the insight you need into their behavior, negating the usefulness of further argument, when they say:

"I JUST DON'T GET IT".
 
ukejack82 said:
...why I would bother with an instrument that "only" had four strings when I could enjoy doing so much more with a guitar.
Click to expand...
A flute - the European orchestral kind - has a dozen holes and levers for creating notes. A Japanese shakuhachi has just four.

Would anyone argue that the music from the shakuhachi is less than, or in any way inferior to the western flute? It is in many ways a more difficult instrument to learn and play because you have to get a wide variety of sounds from only a limited number of holes, so the technique is subtle and challenging.

Same with the ukulele. The number of strings does not define the quality or complexity of the music it makes.

In both cases, it comes down to the person playing it who defines the quality of the sound.

You might ask him why, if more strings is better, he doesn't play a 10-string guitar.
 
ukejack82 said:
He proceeded to lecture me about why the guitar was superior/better than the ukulele and how he "just did not get it". He asked me why I would bother with an instrument that "only" had four strings when I could enjoy doing so much more with a guitar.
Click to expand...

By his logic, a harp must be far superior to a guitar because it has many more strings. I don't recall anyone ever saying to Jimi Hendrix, "Why would you bother with an instrument that has only six strings when you could be doing so much more with a harp?"

Frankly, the only useful thing he seems to have said to you is that he "just did not get it." The "it" he doesn't get is that each instrument makes music and serves its own purposes. I agree with Natalie that if he doesn't appreciate the ukulele for the way it helps fellow musicians make music, then he's really no musician at all.
 
hoosierhiver said:
Some people have low self esteem and always have to talk other people down to boost themselves up.
Click to expand...
On the other hand, I think some people (who often just happen to be guitarists) have overly inflated egos and talk other people down because they genuinely feel superior.

I mean, everyone knows if you're the "lead guitarist" you're really the star of the band, and the rhythm player, bassist and drummer are all there just to back you up, right? :p
 
I had a similar conversation with a guitar playing snob. I told him that I play guitar too, but I love ukulele as well. He gave the usual "more range, more versatility, blah blah blah" babble, I proceeded to introduce him to Jake and James Hill. I pointed out that they could do more on four strings then he could dream of doing on six. That shut him up pretty quick. Hes a convert now ;)
 
Starting off as a bassist over 35 years ago, that is a battle that has gone on between bassists and guitarist since before I was even born. I also played guitar, so I got both sides, and never gave the bass a hard time over the string count war. But, I was in the middle of many of them. I could jam on the base better than many guitarists I played with over the years, and gained allot of respect because of that, but still had to jump into the argument when 6 stringers would gang up on a 4 stringer. That arument will never go away. Kinda like the oil and turf wars of the middle east. been going on the millinia, and will probably continue for another bunch of millinia. There simply is no end, and many 4 stringers don't get why 6 stringers are so high and mighty, and 6 stringers will also feel they are superior, and just "not git it" about the draw of the 4 stringers. Fortunatly, I don't care, because I get both. Tell your 6 string friends, you have a hard core guitarist that jams his Gibson Les Paul with his teenaged daughter on her Les Paul, in the same session as we jam on our lowly Ukuleles, and get as much, some cases more statifaction from it. If I had to give up my Les Paul, or My uke and was only to have one. Odds are, I would give up my Les Paul. So, there, from the perspective of a bassist/guitaist/Ukest. ;) just sayin..
 
itsme said:
everyone knows if you're the "lead guitarist" you're really the star of the band, and the rhythm player, bassist and drummer are all there just to back you up, right? :p
Click to expand...

When the conversation came up with me, playing Bass. I used to say that we all are like a big christmas Jello Mold. The Lead guitarist, vocals, keyboards were the peices of fruit & marshmellows, nuts etc that gave the jello mold a special little bonus. But, the bass and rhythem section was the jello that held all the other good stuff in the mold together. Without them (the jello), the rest was just a bowl of fruit that most wouldn't even pay any attension to. ;) that would most the time shut them up.. hehhe
 
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Tudorp said:
If I had to give up my Les Paul, or My uke and was only to have one. Odds are, I would give up my Les Paul. So, there, from the perspective of a bassist/guitaist/Ukest. ;) just sayin..
Click to expand...

You could always "give up" that Les Paul right into my hands ;)
 
philpot said:
You could always "give up" that Les Paul right into my hands ;)
Click to expand...

well, if I had too. I would.. But, it is in the same catagory as my 9mm. You would have to pry both of them from my cold dead hands.. lol..
 
Tudorp said:
well, if I had too. I would.. But, it is in the same catagory as my 9mm. You would have to pry both of them from my cold dead hands.. lol..
Click to expand...

Good philosophy ;) I like to think of it as, you can have anything you want but my God, my family, my guns, and my instruments, in order of importance ;P try and take any of those away and I'll fight you for it.
 
philpot said:
Good philosophy ;) I like to think of it as, you can have anything you want but my God, my family, my guns, and my instruments, in order of importance ;P try and take any of those away and I'll fight you for it.
Click to expand...

Kinda weird that I group them like that too. Because, fortunatly, when I played people like to listen and I never had to resort to playing for them at gunpoint. But, not as good as I used to be either, so not ruling that out these days, hahhaha..
 
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