Culture clash between two ways of seeing music instruments

I got into an interesting discussion today with a musician after a slight disagreement about the environmental conditions under which we were playing together.

Here's the thing: I'm quite meticulous about how I handle my acoustic music instruments. I always store them in sturdy cases when not playing them (except for my kora as I don't have a case for it, but I rarely take it out of the house anyway), I make sure they don't get scratched and I don't expose them to water or excessive heat/cold or extreme dryness/humidity. I even use microfiber clothes to wipe fingerprints of my ukes after playing them. The reason I try to take good care of them is that it took me a long time and effort to find each of them, that I find them unique and optimal for me, that I've gotten used to their particularities, and that I'd like to keep in good condition for as long as possible, preferably for life so that my instruments and I get to grow old together (aren't I a big romantic )
This means I generally don't play them outdoors (English climate, you know...) but that limitation doesn't bother me. I generally prefer having good instruments that sound great rather than cheap ones I can bully around and play on the street but that sound so-so. But that's just me.

My friend on the other hand is a busker and prioritises playing instruments anywhere under any circumstances, whether it be under the rain or when walking on stilts. His philosophy is play the instrument until it breaks and then get a new one, regardless of how expensive the instrument is. Completely valid point of view... as long as he doesn't touch my ukuleles lol
He doesn't really get why there are circumstances under which I'd rather not play since instruments are made for being played. I don't really get how he can tear and toss instruments the way he does. In short: total culture clash; but we agreed to disagree on this: only play cheap instruments outdoors and keep the good ones for indoors. Phew!

Which makes me wonder: which philosophy do you subscribe to? Instruments as long-term friends you should take good care of vs. as disposable means to an end?

(The question applying mostly to more expensive instruments than the generic 5 pounds uke)

I tend to take your side on this one. I become "attached" to my instruments and take care with them. It is true they were meant to be played and enjoyed, but abused is another thing. It would likely be a good idea to have a "beater" for the times the elements come into play

You two represent extremes that often play out in the question, "Should I get a travel uke?" One side says, "Yes" if you travel with a uke it is more likely to get smashed, stolen, lost or left in a cold or hot place. The other side says, "No", you'll never like the sound of your cheap travel uke as well as your good one. That debate pops up a lot.

rpfrogner said:

I tend to take your side on this one. I become "attached" to my instruments and take care with them. It is true they were meant to be played and enjoyed, but abused is another thing. It would likely be a good idea to have a "beater" for the times the elements come into play

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x2 well said!!! I invest in good quality instruments and play them a lot. Thus, they get scratches now and then and occasionally a ding. It is heart-breaking but the cost of having a instrument that is played a lot.

That's why I play an Ovation/Applause UAE20 acoustic electric with a composite back. It has the right combination of quality, tone, intonation past the 12th fret and durability. They take about a year and a half of constant playing to break in. Mine's traveled around the globe with me. It's been played through the splashing waters of the China Sea, in the sun, the rain. It gets wiped down with a towell after the wet sessions. The solid spruce tops on both of mine have not split yet. Should that happen, it's



and wood clamps. Rain, snow, wind and shine, the show must go on. Ric

@ricdoug: that picture made me laugh real hard haha. A sturdy instrument like an Ovation is definitely a good investment in your case, and if in case of damage you're able to repair it to a state that is satisfying for you then it's all good

@ukes4life: I do play my ukes a *lot* though, and bring them to (indoors) jam sessions regularly. I guess normal reasonable wear is to be expected and gives them some character. But I'm just not ready to play them in extreme conditions such as on a really cold rainy day or walking on stilts knowing it might cause them to get a crack or worse. I don't consider them easily replaceable in case something happens to them. Cold shiver just thinking about it. Brrr.

@pondoro: I'm torn about this one actually. If it sounds good I'll get protective of it regardless of its value, if it doesn't sound good (in particular if it buzzes a lot) I won't enjoy playing it so then what's the point of bringing it on a trip. I had a beater before but it still sounded great. Broke my heart when I parted from it.

@rpfrogner: you and I both! I think the consensus my friend and I seemed to have come to was "I play my ukes when we are at your house, you lend me one of your ukes when we play outdoors on stilts since you don't mind them getting damaged" haha. That way we're both happy.

I am with your busker buddy. However you also won't see me dropping tons of money on a uke. I am such a clutz I would hate to have an instrument where the thought of damaging it would keep me from playing it.

I bought an expensive solid wood acoustic Guitar and never played it because I wanted to "save it" for good gigs, well I ended up playing my POS beater all the time. A friend pointed out that it was just a TOOL and I was wasting it. I now use them (uke, guitars, etc.) as a tool, since I am not a collector, I am a player!! Think about it, it would be like buying a Lexus and not wanting to get it dirty so you drive around in your 15 year old clunker. Remember one thing, you never ever see a U-Haul behind a hearse!!!!

Hi Lalou, I'm more on your side but a little bit torn I confess. For most of my musical life I've really babied my instruments to the point where I couldn't bare to have fingernail marks on them from hard playing, dings etc etc and like you, would always wipe them over to remove and oil, perspiration, dirt and clean them, and certainly never take them anywhere they might get damaged by environmental factors.

About a year ago I started to change my way of thinking. I now look upon each mark of strum wear as a sign that the instrument is being loved...more than I look at a perfect as new specimen in it's case as a sign of love. What I mean is, if the instrument bears signs of playwear, to me that says how wonderful an instrument it really is...that it needs to be played because it sounds great. I used to be so hung up about cosmetic things and aesthetics but now, as I've refined my collection down to the bare bones, the instruments I now own I will most likely keep for the rest of my life, so blemishes and marks from heavy use no longer concern me as much.

Case in point...I had a gorgeous custom Collings uke but was so scared of marking it that I hardly ever played it. Then it occured to me one day...why have I spent $1500+ on an instrument to let it sit and rot in a case and never be seen, let alone heard. It was kind of my 'epiphany' about this issue and since then I've gone totally in the opposite direction But do I still take good care of em...you bet!!!!

While I wouldn't go as far as to purposefully take out an instrument into conditions where it could be destroyed, I think they're meant to be seen and played and enjoyed. I actually look forward to the day when I can have a grail uke and have it look warn out just from my playing. The best music teachers always had instruments like that, and I wanted to be like them.

Although I think the last time I took a nice uke to the pub was when a drunk dude who was showing some interest in it, picked it up without permission, tried to play some guitar chords, then put it down very hard onto the table with an audible bang. His friends got him about it, but uhh.... yeah, never again. I said played in by MY hands, not destroyed by Drunky.

I'm halfway into each train of thought. On the one hand I don't think you should be busking with any instrument in the rain or when it isn't nice out. Two reasons: Your instrument probably costs more than you'll make...and no one wants to stand in the rain or in the cold on their way to somewhere and stop and listen to a busker. It just doesn't make much sense.

I would definitely play nicer instruments busking, and I do...when it is decent outside and there's a chance of getting listened to instead of just heard (there is a difference). That being said, the Pono Tenor is my go to uke when I want to perform in a more professional environment (aka not a party), and my soon-to-arrive KPK Soprano is my bang-around, don't-care-much-what's-going-on-around-me uke. I would say beater uke but I don't beat up my ukes, and I don't let others do it either.

And if the KPK turns out to be as cool as I'm hoping, I may pick up a tenor and concert to have as my live-out-of-case solid ukes. I've not had an instrument crack on me and I don't plan on letting it happen, but I do want a uke I don't have to worry about. It's not the most expensive in the world, but it looks nice and should sound nice and feel great to play. Anything more than that is just a bonus!

Dimensional stability is something that is not given top priority in high end stringed instruments. It is assumed that fine violins and guitars, for example, will be given the care appropriate to the high investments their owners have made.

We feel that ukuleles are a slightly different case. While they're not much different in size than the violin, their portability and "go everywhere" reputation has been a large part of their popularity. We live in a different world today, however - one of climate controlled dwellings and international travel. Wooden instruments were never under this sort of stress before, and an unstable instrument doesn't play well.

I think that the ukulele, in particular, due to it's smaller size, can still be built of wood, but built in a way that can give it freedom of movement through almost any environment. We've got an approach that we love - and it's one that still puts top quality sound as the first priority. We'll have the first ones ready this summer.

I personally have always hated the idea that my nice instruments needed to be "locked up" for certain parts of the year, and yet I've seen vintage instruments that have survived for decades develop cracks when I moved to an "energy efiicient" home. I think some new thinking in design is in line. The ukulele can be free again!

P.S: scratches are cool!

I think I'd tend to side with the OP on this one. Growing up, money was really tight, and I learned to value and take care of what I was lucky enough to have.

On the other hand, my mother kept her "good" stuff in the china cabinet, and there was rarely ever a good enough occasion to actually use it, lest something got broken. I'll drink wine out of crystal goblets now and if I happen to break one, at least I got to enjoy using it instead of just admiring it sitting in a china cabinet.

I am one of those who was brought up to be careful (parents lived during the Depression and WWII) so I always treat my things well. I have a few ukes that I can relax a bit more with, like my Dolphins, and my Flea, which is important for many circumstances where you can't control the people around you. I think of the ukulele as a work of artful craftsmanship, both visually and aurally. I truly enjoy looking at them almost as much as playing them. I know others who think of their instruments like it was a tool, like a pencil to a writer (or these days a computer). That's just the way they are, which I am sure is very freeing. But I think they are missing something.

–Lori

Well I think that you pay for the instrument and how you want to use it or pamper it is up to the person.

The one thing I am very careful about though, for guitars is that I make it clear I am happy to let anyone play it but as often I am demoing them for a builder, once damaged, it is considered sold out of respect to the luthier. My own guitars, really are kept for home or studio or controlled environments. Anything I do to them, I can live with, any abuse they get from someone else and there is usually trouble. I'm not gentle with my instruments, but they aren't abused either so they get wiped down and put into a case for storage but I don't use a lot of protective gear like sleeves for them either.

This guy went busking with a $2,000,000 Stradivarius. Long read, but it did win a Pulitzer http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401721.html

Although I don't own any big ticket ukes (yet) I do take good care of the insturments I have. I will, in the near future (Christmas!) be spending a pretty healthy chunk of change on a K-brand so perhaps my attitude will change, but I think I want to walk a middle path on this - use reasonable caution to protect my insturments and respect their makers, but don't let that caution make me miss out on a fun playing experience. The Buddha said, "all things pass away." I'm sure that applies to ukes as well, regardless of the care we might give them. It's the time spent playing and enjoying them that matters to me.

This is why God created the Kala solid mahogany tenor. So that we could have a very nice sounding ukulele that we don't have to worry about. Let me tell you, playing that thing on while sitting in my skivvies in the hot springs along the Rio Grande, or in the Andes near Pichidegua, or in my backyard around the campfire, it's like honey with butter and whipped cream.

I guess it is how you were raised and what values you have...I tend to baby my instruments, but play and enjoy them at the same time...my thoughts ...I will only let my treasured ukes to people who I know will respect and take
care of them...I have dropped friendships if they mishandle my ukes, I see it as a form of disrespect....and I am not kidding..LOL..

Thank you all for your answers, it's very interesting and inspirational to read what people's opinions and philosophies are about this!

Bill1 made a good point about buskers: if your job is to play in any circumstances and it will earn you enough money to replace the ukes you damage through playing that way, then you have to be less precious about it. Me, I don't play professionally and I don't make enough money to constantly buy new ukes. Also I'm more like rpfrogner, eugene, itsme, Lori, mm stan and others, I try to take good care of my things because that's how I was brought up and I want them to last and enjoy them as long as possible.

In case that didn't come across, I do play my ukes a lot (at least a couple hours a day every day), I bring them out to jam at friend's houses and at the pub quite often (a uke-friendly pub mind, full of ukers who value their instruments and won't abuse other people's like that guy did to Plainsong's) and I sometimes lend them out to friends who I know I can trust them with. So it's not like I don't get to enjoy them by being too careful. Also I do get the occasional tiny scratch, which I can totally live with because it's just part of them getting played and gives them character. But I'd rather it happen through normal wear rather than through avoidable accidents, and I just don't want to play one of my own ukes somewhere dodgy if I know it's going to cause substantial damage to it, or let people who don't appreciate them go ahead and abuse them. It's just not worth it IMO.

On another end of the spectrum than my tear-and-toss busker friend, I have another musician friend who recently stepped on his guitar by accident and broke it really badly: the soundboard got cracked and the sides and back broke apart. Unlike busker friend who runs a circus company and makes quite a good living out of making music, this one is a broke singer-songwriter who can't afford getting a new guitar for a long while, so he duck-taped it and still performs professionally with it. But he's so talented and his performances are so breathtakingly beautiful that he could just be playing a tin-can with a rubber string and no one would notice it's not an actual guitar hehe. Actually I think most people don't notice the duck-tape at all.