What Does the Ukulele Mean to You?

Kyle23

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 7, 2013
Messages
1,025
Reaction score
2
Location
Buffalo, NY
I'd like to hear some people's thoughts on playing/owning/learning the ukulele. For me, it's the best $100 I've ever spent. Coming home after a stressful day and just playing is a beautiful thing. It kind of makes me upset that I didn't buy one 2 years ago when I initially was interested in learning, but better late than never. Also just learning new songs that you never thought you'd be able to do really pushes me to learn harder ones. Progressing, slowly, but surely is so rewarding and honestly I've never been happier because of this. I never thought an instrument could mean so much to me. And I'm just a few weeks in. I can't wait to see what else could come of this.

So that's my little opinion. I'd love to hear your guys opinions, how you started, what pushes you to keep going, and overall what it has done for you.
 
Ukulele is my lifeline. I started almost 2 years ago and I believe it to be one of the best decisions I have ever made.
 
wow Kyle!!! Great question!!!! Well, I reckon I'd be dead if I never picked up a uke. Played guitar for twenty years before I even knew what a uke was. Bought one out of curiosity about 6 years ago and have hardly touched my guitar since. It is my therapy, my relaxation, my joy, my little friend who just loves to be picked up and cuddled and played. After sex, the uke is the best form of recreation ever invented. It's got me through some rough times, good ones too, entertained lots of old folks and children alike, made waits at bus stops and for appointments go in a flash, opened up so many conversations with different people. It's pretty much taken over my life and it continues to challenge me daily to get better as a player. It can play any genre of music and can be taken anywhere. And they're just so doggone pretty and sound so incredibly beautiful. Best thing that ever happened to me, apart from meeting eugenie - was picking up that ol' sky blue mahalo in the local music shop 6 years ago. I share your joy mate, I've never been happier either.
 
wow Kyle!!! Great question!!!! Well, I reckon I'd be dead if I never picked up a uke. Played guitar for twenty years before I even knew what a uke was. Bought one out of curiosity about 6 years ago and have hardly touched my guitar since. It is my therapy, my relaxation, my joy, my little friend who just loves to be picked up and cuddled and played. After sex, the uke is the best form of recreation ever invented. It's got me through some rough times, good ones too, entertained lots of old folks and children alike, made waits at bus stops and for appointments go in a flash, opened up so many conversations with different people. It's pretty much taken over my life and it continues to challenge me daily to get better as a player. It can play any genre of music and can be taken anywhere. And they're just so doggone pretty and sound so incredibly beautiful. Best thing that ever happened to me, apart from meeting eugenie - was picking up that ol' sky blue mahalo in the local music shop 6 years ago. I share your joy mate, I've never been happier either.
I'm not sure how you top that!

For me, it means being able to play something other than the radio or kazoo. For the first time in my life, I can make music. I grew up too poor to have lessons of any kind. I've always loved music, so I finally have an artistic outlet... Even though I will never be a Jake or even a Eugene.
 
wow Kyle!!! Great question!!!! Well, I reckon I'd be dead if I never picked up a uke. Played guitar for twenty years before I even knew what a uke was. Bought one out of curiosity about 6 years ago and have hardly touched my guitar since. It is my therapy, my relaxation, my joy, my little friend who just loves to be picked up and cuddled and played. After sex, the uke is the best form of recreation ever invented. It's got me through some rough times, good ones too, entertained lots of old folks and children alike, made waits at bus stops and for appointments go in a flash, opened up so many conversations with different people. It's pretty much taken over my life and it continues to challenge me daily to get better as a player. It can play any genre of music and can be taken anywhere. And they're just so doggone pretty and sound so incredibly beautiful. Best thing that ever happened to me, apart from meeting eugenie - was picking up that ol' sky blue mahalo in the local music shop 6 years ago. I share your joy mate, I've never been happier either.

Appreciate it. And I appreciate your answer too. Exactly the kind of response I was looking forward to reading.
 
the ukulele is the best thing I ever bought, it has seen me through illness, boredom, despair and made me realise how much I have missed out on in my life, before the uke I had never touched a musical instrument, I have been playing the uke for 18 months or so and it has improved my life no end in fact it has taken over my life, I now run a uke club in my hometown with another UU member who I met through this forum and I also run a moderately successful band, we have played for charities such as Cancer Research and Breast cancer, we have helped out our local community with free gigs so they can make some money, we now are getting paying gigs in pubs and clubs, but most important of all I have made a lot of friends both locally and around the world just because of that little instrument, my only regret is that I didn't pick one up years ago, but as one poster has already stated its never too late to start
 
Great question, beautiful answers.

To me, the ukulele is like a new best friend.
Initially I bought a ukulele because I wanted to take a musical instument with me on holidays. I could not have imagined the world it opened up for me.
Every ukulele tutorial I watched on YouTube showed a smiling, helpful and happy person. And every time I pick up a ukulele, I think back to those first video's.
The ukulele allows me to express myself musically in ways that I never knew before. Being a bassplayer, I always needed at least one more bandmember to play a coherent song :)
I'm learning new songs and techniques every week and enjoy every minute of it.
 
Playing the ukulele brings a little sunshine into even the darkest day. I find it impossible to do anything but smile while playing the ukulele.
 
I started out playing the guitar, It was always around the house because my dad used to play, and I learned off youtube and such, when I got to school I wanted nothing more that to play for the school band, but there supposed "Audition process" involved the conductor choosing people based on who he knew personally. I got given a ukulele as a present from a friend and took that up, had some fun noodling around on it, but didn't really take it seriously, but as time went on I found myself reaching for the ukulele, because on the ukulele I only had to learn songs I wanted, when I felt like it. Now the ukulele is my first love.
 
This is a wonderful thread and I have loved reading through everyone's heartfelt responses! My uke is one of my best friends -- I can share joy, sorrow -- and so much more with my uke -- the relationship is one of reciprocity; a partnership of expression that is undeniably crucial in my life. I have played a handful of instruments in my life -- but none have captivated me the way that the uke has. The more that I give to my uke, the more my uke gives back to me -- it's truly amazing! The ukulele is indeed a special, unique, instrument; it's diminutive size makes it charming, endearing, and inviting to play. This incredible instrument has united people around the world; the uke community is made up of folks who are so supportive, encouraging, giving. I'll say it (write it) again, i feel so blessed to be a part of the UU community! Playing my uke, and also listening to others play their uke, is the equivalent of a huge, warm musical hug...and smile!!!!
 
I agree, the uke community is amazing. I was hesitant to post this because if I would have made this on any other forum I'm apart of it would have been called too corny to get serious responses. But then I remembered how great the people are here.
 
I agree, the uke community is amazing. I was hesitant to post this because if I would have made this on any other forum I'm apart of it would have been called too corny to get serious responses. But then I remembered how great the people are here.

I know exactly what you mean, and I am glad you decided to post!
 
Well I bought my first uke, a Kanilea k2 tenor a little over two years ago and it was one of the best things i've ever done as well. I'd been playing guitar and a little piano for 30 years but wasn't playing much any more but getting that uke and then learning dozens and dozens of new songs was just so much fun and re-inspired me to play music every day. I also joined the local uke club and i've done three open mike nights which were each one of the highlights of my life. I'd never played in front of a crowd before but always wanted to and the ukulele helped me achieve that goal.
I've also led singalongs with family and friends at get togethers and camping trips that every one really enjoyed. Definitely a life changing event getting that little uke. And i'm more popular now too :)
Tell your friends!
 
To me its therapy. Last year was really rough for me, normally I'm a pretty open person but I think I was playing uke for several weeks before I told anyone besides my partner I was learning. To this day I haven't mentioned ukulele on Facebook. Why? Because my uke is so close to my soul that I didn't want anyone to belittle what was going on or not understand how important it is. If I'm having a rough few days I can just get comfy with my uke and belt out a couple chords and feel happy again. After failing my degree last year due to things outside of my control its made me feel like I can achieve something and its helped remove the depression. I've always medicated myself with music, if I've had a bad day ill play my favourite song over and over and my uke is just an extension of that. The ukulele community is something that's really surprised me, for such a little instrument it has a big heart.

And, so much more than the above, but I just can't put it into words.
 
Last edited:
I'm most grateful to my ukuleles for my new friends. We play every other Sunday in the basement of a bar and once in a while at gigs together. Before that I played guitar alone in my room for many years. After a year with my uke group we've all made great progress but our fondness for each other has grown too. We're starting to go to each others non-uke events. I feel so rich and blessed to have these people in my life. We make wonderful music together and we're having so much fun. I never expected this to happen and I'm so happy that it did.
 
I floundered unsuccessfully with drums, guitar, madolin, back to guitar...... never really "got it". Sure I looked at the little diagrams and made what seemed like music but in truth it was more semiorganized noise. When I started playing the uke (partially to knowing the chord shapes from guitar) then the why started clicking in my head (at least at a very basic level, the F goes after the C here, now a G..) Anyway, I feel that I am now making true music and am really enjoying it.
 
To me the ukulele means a great hobby. What makes a great hobby?

> Intellectually engaging -- history, culture, geography, technology and technique, a bit of music theory, etc
> Social aspects -- online and local friends
> Creativity -- musicality, performance, etc
> Therapeutic -- meditative sometimes, mindful practice, come aside and fully engage with the music in the midst of life's demands
> (Inter)active -- beats the heck out of passively letting "entertainment" wash over me

Also reanimates a layer of me that was active in my past (fiddle and banjo that I set aside years ago when a band I played in broke up for a variety of reasons). The shutting down of that aspect of my previous life was welcome at the time, but missed again recently.

I'm having a ball with the uke!
 
Top Bottom