An article that has confused me

bazmaz

bazmaz

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-13644211

I know of Steven Sproat, and have had some chats with him on FB. I own his learn to uke DVD and I know he has some learn to uke books. The article also makes it clear that he is uke gigging, started a uke club, and also teaches the uke.

I am therefore HOPING - that this is a case of being mis-quoted by the BBC insofar as the article name is "too popular"...

To bring some balance to my post - I know there are some players who find the popular media take on the uke (and the massive use of ukes in pop music) a little trying. Personally, I also hate dumbed down articles referring to it as a small guitar or a novelty toy. I also think there are masses of uke owners who bought it purely for novelty.

All of that said though, if 1000 kids buy a uke for fun, and 2 or 3 go on to make a real go of it, who knows, one becoming as skilled as Jake - where is the problem?

Like I say - hope he was mis-quoted - seems odd to be a performer, teacher, dvd seller, book seller, club founder yet then complain its too popular?

Just throwing that out there - alternative views welcomed
 
He got great at a unique instrument and could suprise and amaze people when he made good music. Now the popularity of the uke and the numerous talented players have made him "mainstream." He was comfortable with the old set-up. It is like living and owning a business in a beautiful small town that suddenly becomes popular with tourists. You can make more money but the pace of life changes and the people are no longer suprised by your beautiful small town - they arrive with preconceived expectations.
 
It was just a thought he expressed, one I've had myself a few times of late.

There's no denying that part of the attraction of the ukulele is that it's not "the" instrument. Nothing wrong with that. No need to be a fanboy.

And I commend the writer for dispensing with what is today's perfunctory lede involving Jake and/or Tiny Tim and/or Eddie Vedder. If I read one more round-up-the-usual-suspects trend stories, I'll barf.
 
I couldn't possibly disagree with this gentleman more. I love the fact that the uke is becoming mainstream. I would love to have more people to play with!
 
I agree with a lot of what Pondoro said. I also applaud Steve for being honest. I wish they'd stop hyping the Uke so much in the media. Why not build up other instruments that don't have many players? Other instruments do exist. I don't like 90% of pop music. Lets have a some variety, some originality.

It honestly feels like sometimes they hype it so much for the sales.
I don't want it to turn into a guitar where some people buy it to be cool or to use as a fashion accessory. It's just the latest trend to some and I don't like that. I think music lovers would have found uke with or without all the attention.

I haven't listened to Eddie Veddar's uke album yet but I wish he'd just have made another album that wasn't "ukulele themed" he can play more than one instrument.
I believe that It's not necessarily the instrument you play as much how you express yourself through it.

I'm in no way against spreading the uke love. I've given some away and every once and a while I attempt to teach my nieces and nephews to play. I realize that the uke is a really accessible instrument and very flexible in terms of what you can play. & I love it for that. I just think the media should tone it down already and let things happen naturally. This is just my opinion.
 
I dont disagree much with anything anyone has said - but..

The thing that I dont understand is that the article leads by saying "ukulele is too popular" but then goes to great lengths to mention that Steven teaches, coaches, runs a club, sells instruments and sells tuition DVD's.

In fact alongside his performing, he does an awful lot to promote people learning the uke. It is for that reason alone that I find it odd for the BBC to lead with a comment that he thinks its too popular - it goes totally against what he has been trying to do for last few years.
 
bazmaz said:
I dont disagree much with anything anyone has said - but..

The thing that I dont understand is that the article leads by saying "ukulele is too popular" but then goes to great lengths to mention that Steven teaches, coaches, runs a club, sells instruments and sells tuition DVD's.
Click to expand...

I can´t see the contradiction. There is a difference between "selling" and "selling out" (e.g. Remember the UOGB vs. TUKUO discussion). I also think, that Steven considers himself more as an artist than a vendor. I don´t find it surprising, that an artist doesn´t like the idea of selling indiscriminately to the masses.
 
uke5417 said:
It was just a thought he expressed, one I've had myself a few times of late.

There's no denying that part of the attraction of the ukulele is that it's not "the" instrument. Nothing wrong with that. No need to be a fanboy.

And I commend the writer for dispensing with what is today's perfunctory lede involving Jake and/or Tiny Tim and/or Eddie Vedder. If I read one more round-up-the-usual-suspects trend stories, I'll barf.
Click to expand...
Well said...
 
I see nothing wrong with the popularity of the Uke and how the media is hyping it up. Just as I don't think the popularity of the guitar has done a thing to lessen it as an instrument or the people who play it. The more music in the world and the more people who play it the better. If the ukulele makes music more accessible or all the media hype inspires a few more people to play it, all the better. I don't think an instrument can get over played or too popular.
 
I find that articles about the resurgence of the Ukulele tend to be very annoying in that they are usually quite inaccurate or are just a re-hashing of the same article, over and over! As someone said the rounding up of the usual supsects also becomes very trying!
As for Stephen Sproat, I find his comments understandable enough maybe, but also a little iggnorant. Sure, its nice to be a little different from the crowd, having a unique hook is great for any musician but it seems silly to then be upset when other people find out that they too find enjoyment in playing that instrument...
In regards to the rising popularity of the uke, I must be lucky in that where I am there are still not that many people doing it, so it hasn't got old yet. I can see how it must be annoying to see people play the uke purely because its "cool" at the moment. But if it is a fad for most people then those people will drop off while the people who have discovered the uke through the media coverage and who find that they really do enjoy it and can appreciate it, well hopefully they will stick around. And so we might end up with a richer array of uke music without the posing hipsters getting in the way with their crappy sounding, out of tune ukes! Win.
-F
 
Pondoro said:
He got great at a unique instrument and could suprise and amaze people when he made good music. Now the popularity of the uke and the numerous talented players have made him "mainstream." He was comfortable with the old set-up. It is like living and owning a business in a beautiful small town that suddenly becomes popular with tourists. You can make more money but the pace of life changes and the people are no longer suprised by your beautiful small town - they arrive with preconceived expectations.
Click to expand...

Steven Sproat was already mainstream before the ukulele craze. He has played guitar as an entertainer, along with ukulele for at least a couple decades. Steven is a Formby fan and grew up listening to George Formby because his father was a fan. Maybe he is tired of the media "bandwagon" effect.

There is a difference in some performer's eyes between general popularity and "media popularity".
 
Blame the media (such as it is). The "too popular" line was just to get attention ..it worked.
 
Ingrate and Moore Bettah - that was my take on things - media manipulation - would be interested to hear Stevens take on it.

Note the title which is a statement, but actually the quote a bit further down is "in a way it has become to popular". That's quite different is it not?
 
He said something like "It's almost like the uke is TOO popular," right? That could mean so many things.

To be honest, I was lifelong drummer looking to make music again after 10 years. I picked up a uke because, unlike had I picked up a guitar or a piano or, G-d forbid, another set of drums, no one around me had any expectations with the uke. When I was able to produce some pretty impressive sounds and rhythms with it, people were surprised and highly entertained. And even though there were lots of guys out there who played much better than I did, the instrument itself was still a novelty and still very cool at that.

NOW you've got things like the "Most Adorable Girl Ukulele Player" contest and all kinds of pop songs and commercials using the uke and it seems to have taken a step back into the realm of the ridiculous. While a few years ago, people would ask "Was it George Harrison who inspired you to play the uke?", now they ask, "Oh, so you are you like that nerdy chick with the horn-rim glasses on You Tube?" and "Can you play 'Soul Sister?'"

It kind of reminds me of how Tiny Tim's massive popularity ruined things for all uke players in the first place!
 
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