smokemeister25
Active member
OK... i'm ready for the flaming. ''dang this guy is dumb..."
not long ago i bought a new ana ole custom koa tenor uke. i don't have it yet. in the meantime i've been practicing and using an inexpensive kala concert someone loaned me and i have no idea what the strings are on it or how old they are. it probably cost about 75 bucks. i've been practicing scales and chords by just strummng with my right thumb. i've also been practicing a lesson kimo hussey showed on youtube using his first finger to strum down, followed by a down thumb, and then using his first finger to strum up. i've gotten so i can actually do it kind of (certainly can't do it like kimo ....) but i can do it. i call it the ''claw technique..." admittedly, when i try to change chords and do it i suffer from non co-ordinationitis syndrome. also, when i use the first finger down strum it uses the nail of that finger as opposed to the fleshy part of my thumb and first finger.
but i'm getting absolutely NO tone out of the instrument. also, no volume. at all.... is it because of my technique or just this uke? i realize it's a plywood instrument and all that and i'm sure that's a lot of it. my new all koa custom made tenor HAS to sound a bunch better when i get it. and also i probably can't get as much leverage using my fingers as opposed to just using my thumb, at least right now with my current level of ability. but wondered if other people suffer the same situation and if anybody had a experience of what a better instrument sounds like and if that's a large part of it? my new custom ana ole is a tenor and this kala is a concert so that should also help with more tone and volume, and i admit i'm not the greatest player. in fact i'm not good at all....
the only other ukulele i've ever had to compare this one with was an all plastic model that i got for Christmas when i was 4 years old which was over 50 years ago (ok... quite a bit over 50 years ago) and at that time i thought it sounded great and i was a blossoming Segovia of the ukulele world. but i guess i was a little jaded by my 4 year old virtuosity.
anyway, thanks for opinions and comments. thought i'd ask before running out and buying a 200 watt amp to sound my no volume problem...
not long ago i bought a new ana ole custom koa tenor uke. i don't have it yet. in the meantime i've been practicing and using an inexpensive kala concert someone loaned me and i have no idea what the strings are on it or how old they are. it probably cost about 75 bucks. i've been practicing scales and chords by just strummng with my right thumb. i've also been practicing a lesson kimo hussey showed on youtube using his first finger to strum down, followed by a down thumb, and then using his first finger to strum up. i've gotten so i can actually do it kind of (certainly can't do it like kimo ....) but i can do it. i call it the ''claw technique..." admittedly, when i try to change chords and do it i suffer from non co-ordinationitis syndrome. also, when i use the first finger down strum it uses the nail of that finger as opposed to the fleshy part of my thumb and first finger.
but i'm getting absolutely NO tone out of the instrument. also, no volume. at all.... is it because of my technique or just this uke? i realize it's a plywood instrument and all that and i'm sure that's a lot of it. my new all koa custom made tenor HAS to sound a bunch better when i get it. and also i probably can't get as much leverage using my fingers as opposed to just using my thumb, at least right now with my current level of ability. but wondered if other people suffer the same situation and if anybody had a experience of what a better instrument sounds like and if that's a large part of it? my new custom ana ole is a tenor and this kala is a concert so that should also help with more tone and volume, and i admit i'm not the greatest player. in fact i'm not good at all....
the only other ukulele i've ever had to compare this one with was an all plastic model that i got for Christmas when i was 4 years old which was over 50 years ago (ok... quite a bit over 50 years ago) and at that time i thought it sounded great and i was a blossoming Segovia of the ukulele world. but i guess i was a little jaded by my 4 year old virtuosity.
anyway, thanks for opinions and comments. thought i'd ask before running out and buying a 200 watt amp to sound my no volume problem...