My Uke journey at 2 years now

engravertom

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Hi Folks,

Coming up on 2 years with the Uke. I have tried many, and bought many, most of which my wife and children play now.

I started with a Kala basic Tenor in December of '09, and loved it! Over the next year, I learned to play a few songs, along with my two oldest sons, one playing classical guitar, the other an acoustic bass. In 2010 I bought my daughter, and son number 3, each a Kala soprano.

I then bought myself a baritone, but my wife took to that pretty quickly, late in 2010. Still desiring one for myself, I bought a second Kala baritone, and settled on re entrant G tuning for it. Loved it!

However, I got a copy on John Kings Classical book that Christmas, and the stretches were getting to me. By now, my oldest son had claimed my tenor. Of we go to the store, and I come home with the Anuenue papa I long neck! Beautiful sound, easy to play, I am finished, right? BTW, second son now takes over the second baritone, and we turn it into an octave bass. Passing on other Ukes to my kids sort of allows me to buy new ones, right?

Of course I'm not done! reading here, looking at youtube, etc, I decide I have to have a Kiwaya Long neck soprano. We have some money to spend, so I head to the store. I love the Kiwaya, but nearly $400 is a lot. I feel selfish, so instead I try out several ukes and buy a Cordoba soprano, and a concert. I let the kids choose which ones they want. Daughter takes the Anuenue (ouch!) 3rd son takes Cordoba soprano (16 frets, almost a long neck, ouch!) and I end up with the Cordoba concert. I like it but I'm not done yet! ( I eventually trade the concert in toward s a nice popcorn snare drum! heresy!)

Seeing the guitalele at the local GC is a bad moment... Classical music is what brought me to the Uke, and the guitalele beckons. I get one. I like it. I try several tunings, even re entrant, even re entrant with high and low g's. String spacing too tight. I make it a 5 string uke, in linear tuning. Now, I basically have a low g tenor with an additional low d. I can play most guitar music with minor mods.

Oldest son is now a senior. About a month ago, we decide to get him his graduation present so he can use it for his music this year. We end up with the Cordoba Tenor acoustic electric, and a Fishman amp. You can see and hear it here, on his first youtube video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ig62CtrTkvE&list=PLA196B6227E82A3E1&index=2&feature=plpp_video

Now, daughter takes the kala tenor, and keeps the Anuenue. 1st son has his nice Cordoba tenor, 2nd son still has kala baritone as octave bass, wife has kala baritone, 3rd son has kala soprano and Cordoba sorpano, and I have Guitalele and daugthers old kala soprano.

Done yet?

Right!!

Since we travel for Christmas every year, we decided to do our own gift giving at home over Thanksgiving. The question, go whole hog and get a classical guitar, or get another Uke? The budget doesn't allow for the Kiwaya, ( it is still at Bernunzios!) I want a baritone, but I can always borrow my wife's... Anuenue is also out of the budget right now...


Drum roll please!



The Kala SLNG!



It is on the way as we speak. I'm back to the Long neck soprano. Kala Ukes have been good to us, and I am confident this will be a good Uke. This will be the first one I have bought over the net, although the guitaele was bought at GC, and came from the back room, not the one I tried on the floor. Southcoast strings are already on the way for the new Kala.

Only 4th son doesn't have a Uke yet. He is 6, but with Down syndrome, he is not ready to learn that yet. He is making progress on the drums though! I gave the Kala soprano I had to a friends daughter.

We are learning songs together, both strumming and classical style. I hope to make some videos soon, but life is busy.

Right now, I SHOULD be satisfied. I can play low g and classical guitar music on the guitalele, and Re entrant music on the Kala SLNG. Maybe over the years, I might want to upgrade to a nicer Long neck soprano, and maybe a low g concert or tenor.

Our family ensemble consists of two sopranos, one tenor, one guitalele, one baritone, and one octave bass. Also, we can field an electric bass, electric guitar, classical guitar, a Yamaha keyboard, and some drums. if we can keep it together, we can have a lot of fun! we already are! I never expected anything like this, but the Uke has really made my life better in ways I did not expect. And, as the family grows, and maybe disperses some, I hope to make music myself, with my wife, and with whoever else is around at any given time!

This thanksgiving, I am thankful for many things! My Savior, my family, our freedom, music, and the ukulele!

Aloha!
 
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Wow, thanks for sharing your Ukulele story! I'm at 15 months almost (Started August 31st 2010) and loving every second of this train ride! Sounds like that Uke bug did bite the whole family :D Always nice to share music with our children :D

Thanks for sharing :D :music:
 
I can feel the love you have for your family. Since my kids are still young, I hoard the ukes!!! However, I'm always telling my wife I need another so I can share with the kids as they get older. LOL
 
Oh my goodness. I enjoyed your post, very entertaining. Sounds like a fun and musical family you have there. So tell me how many kids do you have? I am too lazy to go back and try to count them all.
 
4 boys, 1 girl in the middle= 5. They are 6,10,12,13 and 17. I have played the drums since i was 12, which is to say, for 35 years!! Well, many years i did not play at all. My wife played piano, then clarinet, then saxophone. I tried to learn classical guitar a few times.i tried again when my oldest was 12. he stuck with it, but i didn't. he is self taught. he really took off on the Uke after seeing Jake live last February.

Thanks everyone!
Tom
 
Aloha Tom,
You are really truely blessed with a musical family....good excuse to buy more ukes when possible..yes I know the store bernunzio in rochester, upstate NY.... got a kamaka used soprano
from there used...nice people... thank you for the nice story..and glad to hear from you again....Happy strummings..
 
What a wonderful post! That's a great blessing that your whole family can make music together. What fun that must be, too.
 
great original post really nice to see and feel the closeness the uke has brought to your family, not sayin you were'nt close b4 an all that but what i meant was it is nice to see you all enjoying some thing together sadly lackin in a lot of families these days
 
Loved reading your post! So much love you have for your family (and generous too) they are blessed to have you.. enjoy your new uke as long as you manage to hang on to it!!
 
Thank you! Reading your post really made my day.
Blessings to you and your family
Cheers, Mark
 
Wonderful, Tom!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
 
I'm sure you're going to love the Kala SLNG. I got mine a month or more ago. I'm a newb of just over 6 months or so and I'm playing the heck out of it. Love the sound and neck and my playing is improving considerably.
 
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