ok first of all my ukulele is a makala tenor upgraded with aquila strings. bought it from mgm. great guy, great service by the way. i just got it three days ago, so yeah it gets out of tune, but i got an electronic tuner, so it's all good.
my musical experience is...the piano. unusual huh? been playing it since i was five so you can say i'm pretty decent. now your probably wondering how'd this guy get interested in the ukulele. well it was my trip to the philippines that was an eye opener to the ukulele. so i was just at the mall right? i see a store called "kultura pilipinas" and i'm like hm, i need some souveniers anyways. so i went in and i saw the magic instantly cast upon me. a ukulele! it wasn't really a playable ukulele, but the sound was good enough for twenty bucks. so yeah i bought it and played with it for hours on end. after playing on the piano for so long, i just wanted a break and try something new.
so finally my questions (sorry that intro seems a bit long huh?):
1. i don't know how many of you play the piano then switch over to the ukulele, but my fingers are naturally curved due to piano playing and now the ukulele demands more straighter fingers for muting with the pinky especially. anyways how long do you cope with it?
2. how long do you practice per day?
3. are your thumbs suppose to hurt after a few weeks of playing? or am i simply pressing too hard?
4. maybe it's too late to ask this question...but i've been playing i'm yours by jason mraz for about two weeks, and still can't get that f sharp consistently. i usually go: clean, buzz, buzz, clean, one string muted, buzz, clean. what i'm trying to say is...is this a good starting song for a newbie like me? or am i going too strong? and if you can estimate...how long does it take to master this song for a person of my skill level assuming i play everyday.
5. so yeah my strings are still in that stretching status, and it is evident with the out of tune sound. i'm wondering when it finally gets stretched and settled, will the strings be easier to press down?
so those are my questions. sorry this was such a long post. but if you can answer them, thank you in advance. and if you can add any other helpful tips, please by all means tell me.
my musical experience is...the piano. unusual huh? been playing it since i was five so you can say i'm pretty decent. now your probably wondering how'd this guy get interested in the ukulele. well it was my trip to the philippines that was an eye opener to the ukulele. so i was just at the mall right? i see a store called "kultura pilipinas" and i'm like hm, i need some souveniers anyways. so i went in and i saw the magic instantly cast upon me. a ukulele! it wasn't really a playable ukulele, but the sound was good enough for twenty bucks. so yeah i bought it and played with it for hours on end. after playing on the piano for so long, i just wanted a break and try something new.
so finally my questions (sorry that intro seems a bit long huh?):
1. i don't know how many of you play the piano then switch over to the ukulele, but my fingers are naturally curved due to piano playing and now the ukulele demands more straighter fingers for muting with the pinky especially. anyways how long do you cope with it?
2. how long do you practice per day?
3. are your thumbs suppose to hurt after a few weeks of playing? or am i simply pressing too hard?
4. maybe it's too late to ask this question...but i've been playing i'm yours by jason mraz for about two weeks, and still can't get that f sharp consistently. i usually go: clean, buzz, buzz, clean, one string muted, buzz, clean. what i'm trying to say is...is this a good starting song for a newbie like me? or am i going too strong? and if you can estimate...how long does it take to master this song for a person of my skill level assuming i play everyday.
5. so yeah my strings are still in that stretching status, and it is evident with the out of tune sound. i'm wondering when it finally gets stretched and settled, will the strings be easier to press down?
so those are my questions. sorry this was such a long post. but if you can answer them, thank you in advance. and if you can add any other helpful tips, please by all means tell me.