Anyone trying the "One Uke" philosophy?

At around the 3:00 mark on this video, Jake Shimabukuro talks about why he plays and practices with only one ukulele. Although I am a new uke player with minimal experience playing various ukes, this concept/philosophy made sense to me. Has anyone tried this? Observations & comments?


I've only tried a handful of ukes, but consider the variables in switching from uke to uke: shape of the neck, width of fretboard, height of action, tension of strings and probably more that experienced players could list. Those are not insignificant for me since I'm still trying to produce clean, nice-sounding, in-tune notes along the fret board. Add barre chords and fast chord changes while strumming and the seemingly minor differences between instruments add up to make learning to play the uke even more challenging...at least for me.

FJ: Are you a collector of ukes?
JS: No, I'm not a collector. I have about four or five instruments at home…
FJ: Compared to many uke fanatics, that isn't many at all.
JS: Yeah. But I just have my main one that I tour with, play, practice on, record with. That’s my Kamaka four-string tenor.

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http://www.fretboardjournal.com/features/online/interview-ukulele-great-jake-shimabukuro

Well I agree with Jake in the sense that it's his main instrument and how he makes a living.

I'm much more serious about classical guitar, so while I have two, I"m actually thinking of selling my old one since I never play it. I play one guitar I know it intimately, and would never think of performing on different one unless I change to it permanently. MInd you I'm not a professional guitarist but do take it quite seriously and perform a few times a year.

But for ukes I now have 12 ranging from a Toy Story one to my favorite the KoAloha Pineapple Sunday.

Since I do not perform, nor take Uke as serious as Classical Guitar, I like having all these, and play them from time to time. Although I now play the Pineapple Sunday, the KoAloha Soprano T2, or the Mya Moe the most.

A favorite thing to do on a "lazy" day is to play the same tune on all 12 ukuleles.

Again coming from Classical guitar, I love the idea of being able to adjust my hands from the smallest Kala Pocket all the way to the huge stretches that some pieces demand on Classical guitar. I sort of see it as cross training, and I do believe all these Ukes, have actually enhanced my guitar technique as I'm now much more flexible in playing all different sized instruments.

Part of the allure of the Uke for us mere mortals is the affordabilty, variety of instruments and that we don't need to take it so seriously. But for greats like Jake Shimabukuro, Brittini Paiva, James Hill and others, they are the equivalent of professional classical guitarists who have spent more of their life mastering their instrument to a high degree of proficiency and excellent playing abilities.

Ivan

I'm probably the same. I have lots of ukes that I pick up now and then, but when practicing or recording, I generally reach for my KoAloha Super Soprano.

While technically I own 4 ukes, this is pretty much what I've been doing since I got my Kamaka pineapple last June. It gets played exclusively about 95% of the time. I have a couple songs I mess around with on the low G uke, and I've been exploring D tuning on my other concert Kamaka, and the Kiwaya is my travel/beater uke (but I still find myself bringing the pineapple with me more often than not).

I think there's something to the idea of becoming completely familiar with the things you noted - string tension, action, fretboard width, neck shape etc - on a single instrument. I do notice that when I switch between sizes I get kinda sloppy about finger placement, probably because I'm so accustomed to the shape/width etc of the pineapple neck. When I play the Kiwaya, I have to actually watch my left hand, because the neck is *so* much chunkier than the Kamaka neck and my fingers end up falling short of where they need to be.

For me, though, it's more about spending time actually *playing* and not sinking all of my time into changing ukes, changing strings, ogling ukes online, and so forth. Why not just focus on becoming the best you can be with what you already have? It just makes so much sense to me.

I do get a benefit from playing various sized instruments but when I'm serious (as in classical guitar) then I only play that one instrument.

I also feel that as I ramp up my study of Ukes, I will be focusing on one or two ukes for the most part and will be "playing" all the rest, not focusing on profficiency, technique or performing on them.

What is the saying All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy? well There is practice\study\Performing and then there is playing. ;-)

I'm apparently one of the few folks here on UU who have fewer than five 'ukuleles, and who isn't hell-bent on acquiring as many as I can. There are several reasons, but perhaps the biggest one is that I find my Kanile'a is just a great fit for me. I'm very comfortable with it, and it is very comfortable for me, and I just don't have any need or craving for more. The only reason I have two is because I have one as low G. Otherwise, I'd probably sell or gift away the aNueNue.

I understand the things other folks here say about having a full quiver: different woods, different sizes, different builds, etc etc etc. Those may be completely valid points, and I am not going to ever try and argue against them, but they simply don't apply to me, and so, just like gun afficianados can justify what they do, it just doesn't resonate with me. That's not to say anyone is right or wrong, but I personally don't get the need for a roomfull of ukes, just like those folks don't get limiting themselves to one or two.

That vid was from Toronto... just before I picked up a uke! If I'd only started playing sooner!

Thanks for the video. I think I have a very controllable version of UAS. Not a whole lot of ukes I care to own, though there are a lot that look gorgeous and I do admire good craftsmanship in luthiers.

It's an interesting concept that is suitable to some, but not all. Someone like David Lindley, for instance, has done quite well playing all manner of different instruments.

I'm not a pro, but I do play out a bit, and when I play uke, 95% of the time it is my Lanikai O-8E, mainly because it's my only 8-stringer, and it's also the only string instrument I own with a pickup. But just staying in the uke realm, when I jam with friends, I occasionally also play my banjo uke, because I like that sound on certain songs, and I keep a Fluke at work, so I can work on songs during my lunch break without having to cart the O-8E back and forth every day. Whether you play one instrument or several really comes down to what your goals are.

- FiL

PoiDog said:

I'm apparently one of the few folks here on UU who have fewer than five 'ukuleles, and who isn't hell-bent on acquiring as many as I can. There are several reasons, but perhaps the biggest one is that I find my Kanile'a is just a great fit for me. I'm very comfortable with it, and it is very comfortable for me, and I just don't have any need or craving for more. The only reason I have two is because I have one as low G.

... That's not to say anyone is right or wrong, but I personally don't get the need for a roomfull of ukes, just like those folks don't get limiting themselves to one or two.

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You and me both, PoiDog, and for all the same reasons. Of the four that I have, I could very happily get by with just two - the pineapple, and the low G concert. I was actually close to letting one of the concerts go - it took a while for me to warm up to playing low G at all. I'm still in the "not sure if this is for me" stage with it, but I do really enjoy it for certain arrangements.

I do still think having a beater uke is a good idea, but even that isn't a necessity. But it's nice to be able to bring a uke to the beach or desert or wherever without my having to stress out about all the what-ifs that could happen if I brought my Kamaka pineapple!

Olarte said:

...when I'm serious (as in classical guitar) then I only play that one instrument...There is practice\study\Performing and then there is playing. ;-)

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You mean you're never just "playing" your guitar? Didn't Jake say that he often has breakthroughs when just messing around & experimenting with his uke?

janeray1940 said:

For me, though, it's more about spending time actually *playing* and not sinking all of my time into changing ukes, changing strings, ogling ukes online, and so forth. Why not just focus on becoming the best you can be with what you already have?

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Well said! I'm not saying there's any right or wrong path, but it is a struggle to be content and focus on fulfilling my potential on an incredible ukulele instead of "ogling" custom ukes.

Oddly enough, I also play with just one ukulele, and it is the one signed by Jake. Whether it is one or just a couple that are played consistently, there is much to be said for developing a rapport with your instrument. Bassist Victor Wooten sees such a connection essential in his provocative "The Music Lesson," which came out a few years ago. Mike

Drew Bear said:

You mean you're never just "playing" your guitar? Didn't Jake say that he often has breakthroughs when just messing around & experimenting with his uke?

Well said! I'm not saying there's any right or wrong path, but it is a struggle to be content and focus on fulfilling my potential on an incredible ukulele instead of "ogling" custom ukes.

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You're right, definitely no right or wrong here. But one thing I should point out is that when you have found "the one," like I have, and like PoiDog seems to have done, it's a lot easier to be content with what you've already got.

If I was still playing the entry-level Ohana that I started with, I would definitely be ogling other ukes! While it was a fine starter instrument, I learned two things really quickly: I liked the sound of koa, and I needed more than 12 frets. After upgrading to a concert Kamaka, I learned really quickly that with my little hands, I was more comfortable on a soprano. With all of that in mind, it was easy to figure out the right uke for me, for now. So, I think a lot of UAS really comes down to finding the perfect fit (which some may never find).

I only have 2 that I play.. A Kala for a beater and my Kanile'a.. I'm attached to both I think. I love the sound of each even if one is obviously better than the other.

PoiDog said:

I'm apparently one of the few folks here on UU who have fewer than five 'ukuleles, and who isn't hell-bent on acquiring as many as I can.

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Likewise. I have three ukes. One is out on more or less permanent loan, and I never expect to see it again, which is fine. The other one is a beater fluke I left in America. I only brought one uke to Germany, it's the only uke I've played in two years, and I can't come up with reasons to switch or get another one!

Yes. I subscribe to the "One Uke" philosophy... one of every brand, size, color, wood, shape etc.

Seriously, truth be told I could easily be very content with one uke and fully get the rationale behind it. I have a main player and it is my Kamaka Tenor (signed by Jake) and probably play it 90% of the time. I have several others because the "hunt" and occasional switch up makes me happy. I get great joy in thinking about what uke I'll find on my next trip to Hawaii. Given their relatively low cost (compared to cars, guitars, and cameras which I also like) they're easier to acquire. Also the resale market is good so recycling the collection occasionally can work. Both statements can't be said for cars, guitars or cameras. If I could test drive cars or cameras like ukuleles, I'd probably do it.

Having said all that, there are two ukes I'll never part with (again)... my Kamaka Tenor and Hilo Soprano which was my first. I say part with "again" because I did sell my Kamaka Tenor to a fellow UU'er and was able to buy it back thanks to her kindness and highly evident Aloha spirit. Thanks, Doreen. And the Hilo soprano is nothing more than a $25 student uke I got at a gas station in Maui. But man, does it have some memories attached.

Drew Bear said:

You mean you're never just "playing" your guitar? Didn't Jake say that he often has breakthroughs when just messing around & experimenting with his uke?

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Absolutely that's part of my point when I practice I focus on technique, sound etc... but there are days where I just play, go through old pieces etc... usually on a nice weekend day.

I learned a while ago not to confuse the two because if you do, you make less progress. Many times I would sit down to practice and never really made much progress, only because I was just playing pieces and not really working on the craft.

Same will be for Ukes as I ramp up my interest and my motivation to playing as good as I can. I plan to eventually progress in my chord\strumming and then also play some classical pieces as well. To do that it will require focused practice like CG (Classical guitar) but the uke will always lean more towards the fun side of things than the work that's involved in playing classical guitar. That is one of the reasons why I like Ukes so much!

I subscribe to the firearms philosophy of ukulele ownership... You can never have too many.

But I only have one guitar, and don't really feel like buying more.

Depending on what your repertoire covers as you are learning, you might still need two: one in gCEA and the other in GCEA. I'm converting my Kanilea MST-4 to GCEA and will keep my $45 laminate at re-entrant for learning pieces that work only with that tuning.

Jake's now at the point where he arranges his own stuff and he can standardize to just GCEA.

The one uke philosophy could also be expanded to be a one instrument philosophy. Should you just stick to uke? Just to acoustic guitar? Just to electric guitar? Or maybe you regards yourself as a musician and also a multi-instrumentalist?

Don't know about one uke, but I plan to make my Mainland my "main" uke and possibly go back to a baritone for certain music. And the Dolphin for camping trips and goofing around. And it is a "wait for the Mainland" uke as well.

Drew Bear said:

You mean you're never just "playing" your guitar? Didn't Jake say that he often has breakthroughs when just messing around & experimenting with his uke?

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Not even kidding.. I've gotten better/ had breakthroughs while on the toilet. Sometimes i'm on there so long my legs go numb.