Oh, my back!

swinne

swinne

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I have come to the conclusion that my recent back problems are because of the way I am holding my ukulele. Ugh! Not trying to be crude or anything but my "lady parts" get in the way. :rolleyes: I think I definitely need to get a uku strap.
 
My back isn't hurting, but I'm having trouble holding my uke for the same reason so I'm shopping for a strap too. It's hard to find one that doesn't look look like it's actually bondage gear for outdoorsy people.
 
Make your own strap from nylon strapping found at any material store. Your uke would have to have a button installed. Easy to do yourself. Run the strap under the strings on the headstock and secure with a plastic buckle for belts. Voila, a uke strap for a fraction of the cost of a store bought one.
 
+1 for the Uke Leash. You can use it without a strap button, and if you later install a strap button or buy a uke that has one, you can buy an inexpensive adapter that converts the Uke Leash to a full strap.
 
teruterubouzu said:
My back isn't hurting, but I'm having trouble holding my uke for the same reason so I'm shopping for a strap too. It's hard to find one that doesn't look look like it's actually bondage gear for outdoorsy people.
Click to expand...

Hahahaha!
:eek:
 
I'm not sure if this will help with your back problem, but my new Mobius Strap will give your ukulele hands-free support without having to modify it.
 
A strap may help but it's not the real issue. If your back is hurting you are doing one or both of two things: "hunching" over the uke, or clamping it too tight. Work on your posture first, then on finding a strap or what have you that lets you play with good posture without losing control of the uke.

BTW, I prefer non-skid materials on the back of a uke either alone or in combination with a strap (alone on small ukes, in combination with a strap on larger ones). This does wonders for uke control.

John
 
And it was mentioned in one of the other threads we recently had about lady parts getting in the way: Some clothing is slippier than others, so changing your dress might improve your situation.

Of course best would be to play topless - but that's probably not exactly what you like to do ;)
 
I second the "check your posture" idea. I've found that sometimes beginners (male or female) want to keep an eye on their fretting hand so much that they inadvertently angle the plane/face of the ukulele upward so they can "look" at the fretboard easier. This causes problems in two areas--a back position that can really start to hurt and, also, a decreased ability to fret chords easily (especially those barred and partially barred ones--I'm talking to those of you who hate Bb right now!) because it becomes even harder to "open" your fretting wrist.

Fight your instincts to hunch your head over to look at the fretboard and angle that ukulele "up;" instead, think of keeping the body of the ukulele on a plane that's more parallel to your body (whatever shape it's in). Trust those fretting fingers to get where they need to without you looking at them quite so much--it *will* happen. I promise!
 
OldePhart said:
A strap may help but it's not the real issue. If your back is hurting you are doing one or both of two things: "hunching" over the uke, or clamping it too tight. Work on your posture first, then on finding a strap or what have you that lets you play with good posture without losing control of the uke.

BTW, I prefer non-skid materials on the back of a uke either alone or in combination with a strap (alone on small ukes, in combination with a strap on larger ones). This does wonders for uke control.

John
Click to expand...

Yes, you are right, John. I didn't realize how bad I was hunching over. And I didn't think about the uku being slippery either. What do you put on the back of your uku to help with that?
 
swinne said:
Yes, you are right, John. I didn't realize how bad I was hunching over. And I didn't think about the uku being slippery either. What do you put on the back of your uku to help with that?
Click to expand...

It's the rubbery non-slip shelf liner they sell in rolls at WalMart. I use 3M "77" spray trim adhesive (basically rubber cement in a spray can) to make them stick. I have found that what works best is a round patch about the size of the treble bout area (this is where most small ukes contact my body). I tried thin strips but they tended to creep, the big round circle works better. Ahh...just remembered I did a video on this a while back...



John
 
Sorry, may be off topic but I seem to remember a Luthier building a Concaved Back uke for well endowed Women.
 
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