10 Reasons why ukulele is the perfect instrument

Since I watched 30 Rock the other night, I now tune mine with "This guy might suck" :)

I agree with those reasons, even "the look".. I need to think of some more of my own.
 
The fact that I am able to actually play it is a pretty big reason for me. Now I just need nine others, huh?
 
Good post Wolfybau...
I like the uke because it is so people friendly and fun...isn't that enough....
 
Heck, even cheap ukes are better than guitars. (Well, way more convenient for camping, anyway). . .

1. Inherently more structurally sound due to its compact size.
--You can use it as a canoe paddle by day without it snapping.

2.The tension of four nylon won't fight you like six steel strings
--You can then dry it out over the campfire in the evening without the tension pulling the neck out of set or yanking off the bridge.

3. Easier to share.
--Just tune it back up and toss it back and forth with your friends all night around the bonfire.

4. More music for the price.
--When it accidentally falls onto the fire as it's tossed about, you don't have to eat Spam for six months saving up for its replacement.
(Granted, a Martin D-28 on the fire probably provides a lot more BTUs than a Harmony soprano, but I don't want to test that.)
 
I can find at least 15 reasons, starting with the most obvious ones.

They have strings. Love strings.

They're cheap.

They don't take much place.

A uke fits better in your hands than a guitar. Playing a guitar is like hiding behind a big piece of furniture. What's the point of having 6 strings if you only have four fingers to fret them anyway?

The tone range of the ukulele is similar to that of children voices (according to Jake S. in an interview I saw on youtube some time ago) and who doesn't love children voices?

It's the perfect instrument for many different great music styles, from 20's swing music to traditional hawaiian music, pop, bossa nova, etc.

Technique-wise, you can play a uke sort of like a guitar, and sort of like a banjo, and sort of like anything. And it will sound great!

It's a percussive instrument AND a notes instruments.

You can do things with the uke you can't do with other instruments. Explaining which ones means I'd know how to do those fancy things and I don't, but think James Hill's One Note Samba. Good luck doing that with something else than a uke, even if you're James Hill!

It sounds great next to other instruments as it has its on "bandwidth". Uke + trumpet/guitar/double-bass/cello/accordeon = epic.

Playing the uke makes you happy. Having a bad day? Play for a few minutes and everything feels fine again.

You can easily convince your friends to start playing it by lending them a cheap uke and dragging them to a local uke session. The result: instantly smitten, works every time. Muhahaha (<- evil laughter)

They are the prettiest things on earth after vintage tea pots. And unlike tea pots you can make music with them.

+1 on the nylon strings not fighting your fingers like guitar strings.

Kids can play them and kids are the best, hence ukes are the best.

People who play the ukulele are automatically awesome. George Harrison once said he had never met a ukulele player he didn't like. Neither have I.

They're from Hawaii and Portugal. I love Hawaii and Portugal. Never been but love them anyway, mostly because the ukulele comes from there. I know, recursion recursion recursion.
 
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I did a blog post on the subject a while back, lemme find it and copy/paste!

* Ukuleles reduce stress - Since I started playing last summer, I have found that when I'm at the end of my tether or something has happened to stress me out, a little plucking and strumming - whether a song or not - really does reduce the stress levels

* Ukuleles are easy to learn - In the beginning it is easy to find a few one or two chord songs and there is a mammoth amount of tutorials and websites out there that will help you learn, not to mention some very talented people offering lessons, like the people of UU.

* Ukuleles bring friends - Since joining UU and other Ukulele sites, I have met people who I would consider to be close friends, it's widen my social circle and when you're me, that's a good thing and a hard thing to achieve!

* Ukulele players are the best around - As mentioned in the above reason, I have yet to meet someone online who's involved with Ukes and who isn't happy to go out of their way to teach, help or offer advice about anything you may wish to ask them regarding Ukuleles. They're happy to help, they're welcoming and they're ever so supportive and will almost always "come along for the ride!"

* Ukuleles are fun - As Baz said in his ten reasons, people just find the sound of the Ukulele and the way it brings people together just something to put a smile on your face, the music, the Aloha, the design of the instrument itself just make you want to break out in a grin.

* Ukuleles are affordable - Sure, you can pay a few thousand pounds or dollars for a high end custom, but when you're just starting out or moving up to a better made instrument, you can still get a lot of bang for your buck. Take me for example...my first Uke cost £12, my latest £100 and even though I had to save for the last one it's an affordable price and goal.

* Ukuleles are portable - Whether you want to take it abroad or just have a "beater" one in the car for trips, you can take this little instrument everywhere without worrying about it taking up too much space.

* Ukuleles are "low maintenance" - The strings don't need changing as much as guitar, you can keep them in a corner, you can keep them in a locked car, unless you live somewhere that's humid or very dry, there's pretty much nowhere you can't stash your "stash"

* UAS is contagious - Whether they've heard of them before or not, when someone sees you playing and how easy and how good it sounds, they want one, and so another Ukulele player is born.

* Ukuleles allow you to express yourself - Whether you want a plain one or want to paint it or decorate it, it allows you to do that, you can have one that shows your happy side, one that is decorated with your own art, play music that speaks to your emotions, feelings etc. I could go on and on, the point is that you can pretty much use the Uke to express yourself musically.

There are a few more points I didn't mention, like the amount of Ukulele resources around these days, as the Ukuleles popularity grows so do the amount of sites that offer tips, chords, tabs and so on..my favourite is UU, but there are a few more sites in the sidebar of this blog. So there we have it, my ten reasons for playing Ukulele.

That's basically my main ten reasons!
 
Off the top of my head (without looking at the blogspot you linked to) and in no particular order:

The ukulele's small. (1)

The ukulele sounds sweet. (2)

The ukulele also sounds sad. (3)

It's not that difficult to learn the basic chords. (4)

If you know how to play guitar, you can play ukulele, too. You'll even be able to play along with others, once you've learned new names for familiar chords. (5)

The ukulele is cute. (6)

Hawaiian music is beautiful. (7)

The ukulele makes people smile. (8)

There are great-sounding ukuleles available for less than $50. (9)

Koa, mahogany, myrtle, spruce, sapele, bamboo, styron, red cedar, mango, cherry, and many more wonderful substances look and sound beautiful. (10)
 
Four: The right number of strings.
A comfortable amount of space between the strings. (I like mandolins, too, but why are the necks pencil-thin?)
Different tunings transform the uke, making it versatile. Re-entrant is great for arpeggios, linear has a fuller sound. Fourths and fifths-based tunings are options, too.
Practicing is fun.
Ukulele players are friendly people.
Relatively inexpensive.
 
I come from a flute background and this reason will only apply to other wind players - ukuleles never clog! They don't get filled with condensation and then you have to wait to play them again. Also, unlike wind instruments, you can sing and play at the same time :)

Love the ukulele!

Nix
 
I come from a flute background and this reason will only apply to other wind players - ukuleles never clog! They don't get filled with condensation and then you have to wait to play them again. Also, unlike wind instruments, you can sing and play at the same time :)

Love the ukulele!

Nix

:agree: I used to hate it when my lips would give way playing the Oboe in the middle of practise, had to wait a while to play again and it would frustrate me!
 
I come from a flute background and this reason will only apply to other wind players - ukuleles never clog! They don't get filled with condensation and then you have to wait to play them again. Also, unlike wind instruments, you can sing and play at the same time :)

Love the ukulele!

Nix

You don't have to break them in, either. I play recorder and when I get a new one, I have to restrict myself to a few minutes a day at first - unless it is plastic, that is.

OTOH you do have to break your fingers in - only once, though (as long as you keep it up)
 
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