Hive Ukuleles: "Ukulele Nocturne"

maclay

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Well, I have corrupted another guitar player. I met Michael Watts at the Healdsburg Guitar Festival this summer where I was exhibiting for the first time. He had flown in from the UK to play a concert and give a workshop at the festival. Michael is known throughout the acoustic guitar community as a connoisseur of modern lutherie and has played all over the world, often demonstrating the work of some of the biggest names in modern guitar building such as Ervin Somogyi, Jason Kostal and Brent McElroy. This is his first composition on the ukulele, and it is called "Ukulele Nocturne."
I am very honored that Michael will be using one of my ukes on his album.

In this video, Michael is playing a Hive Ukulele made with a master-grade Adirondack Spruce top and Wenge back and sides.


http://michaelwattsguitar.com/home.cfm
 
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That's awesome. It's amazing how well he plays in such a short period. My thought being a guitar player myself for many years made the transition to ukulele much easier then if I had never played guitar. I hope what happened to me doesn't happen to him and that is I don't hardly touch my guitars anymore.
 
I really like the curves on this ukulele
 
Saw this yesterday... Very nice. Was glad to see another video with a Hive ukulele. Although, I certainly haven't tired of that one with Christopher and Emily...her voice in hypnotic.

Dean
 
Glad he opted for high G. Temptation for a lot of guitarists is to go for the low G, but the re-entrant opens so many new possibilities and really yanks you back out of old guitar habits when you're not paying attention.
 
Hey Dean, let me know when that Compass Rose comes in.

Will do Jake. Should be seeing it up my way mid-week sometime. Maybe I'll work up my own "Ukulele Nocturne"...might sound a lot like Mary Had a Little Lamb" though... :rofl:

Cheers, Dean
 
Glad he opted for high G. Temptation for a lot of guitarists is to go for the low G, but the re-entrant opens so many new possibilities and really yanks you back out of old guitar habits when you're not paying attention.

Im glad Michael chose the re-entrant tuning, because I absolutely love this piece! Great players like Michael really inspire me as a builder, and encourage me to explore new possibilities.
 
...I hope what happened to me doesn't happen to him and that is I don't hardly touch my guitars anymore.

Heh, heh. Yeah, that seems to happen to a lot of us - not that I was a master of guitar by any means. I've got a good friend who is an amazing blues and jazz guitarist and he won't touch my ukes when I visit because after falling in love with my UBASS he's afraid if he touches a uke he'll like it and won't play his guitars any more! I've tried to explain to him that could be a good thing because a really primo uke is much cheaper than a really primo guitar... LOL

John
 
Heh, heh. Yeah, that seems to happen to a lot of us - not that I was a master of guitar by any means. I've got a good friend who is an amazing blues and jazz guitarist and he won't touch my ukes when I visit because after falling in love with my UBASS he's afraid if he touches a uke he'll like it and won't play his guitars any more! I've tried to explain to him that could be a good thing because a really primo uke is much cheaper than a really primo guitar... LOL
John

I don't think we have to worry about that, Michael is extremely dedicated to the guitar. Im just glad he sets aside a little time for the uke........I personally feel that he has a real talent for it :)
 
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