Uke Armrest - Star Musicals?

[aaronkb]

Hey fam!

Gonna pre-empt this by saying I know how to hold a uke the traditional way and I’m not a fan, so please don’t suggest it lol. I think it might have to do with having super long arms but I just don’t like it at all.

Anyway, the edge of the uke always cuts into my forearm so I’m looking at armrest options. Most are for mandolin, if anyone has tried any I’d love their thoughts but I’m very curious about the one Star Musicals advertises for the ukulele. The page isn’t in great English but it sounds like they know what they’re talking about. Unfortunately there aren’t any pictures or reviews. Does anybody have experience with them?

Ukulele Armrest

Armrest for Ukulele in Ebony Wood ——————————————– New Playing your instrument for long time needs rest , so here comes the armrest for Ukulele. Just rest your arm on this armrest and play your instrument with ease…😃 Advantages ——————— Easy to install Increases your comfort Reduce body contact...

starmusicals.com

Thanks,
Aaron

 

[ploverwing]

I was wondering about that too. I attached a strap to one of my tenors and I find that it doesn't bite into my forearm as much, do you still have an issue with it with a strap, too?

 

[aaronkb]

I was wondering about that too. I attached a strap to one of my tenors and I find that it doesn't bite into my forearm as much, do you still have an issue with it with a strap, too?

A little less so because I no longer need to hold it up with my arm, but still a problem because the most comfortable way for me to play is resting my forearm on the top of the lower bout. If you’re interested in a sense of how I play, I’m YouTube-famous with a whopping 5 subscribers!

https://youtube.com/channel/UCDQD0ODf1gRAFbqy4Azu8dQ

 

[ploverwing]

Yeah, I hear ya. Same same. I get a bit of a welt on my forearm (it goes away). I'm assuming it just gets toughened up, lol. I'm not holding it in a death grip, although I'm likely holding it wrong, based on some videos linked here on UU. But not based on others. Sigh. Nice music! Thanks for sharing

ETA: just found this thread, don't know if it's useful? And this? And this? Reminds me of a chin rest on a violin. Why not?

 

[aaronkb]

Yeah, I hear ya. Same same. I get a bit of a welt on my forearm (it goes away). I'm assuming it just gets toughened up, lol. I'm not holding it in a death grip, although I'm likely holding it wrong, based on some videos linked here on UU. But not based on others. Sigh. Nice music! Thanks for sharing

ETA: just found this thread, don't know if it's useful? And this? And this? Reminds me of a chin rest on a violin. Why not?

Thanks, I’ve seen a couple threads on it but not sure if they’re the same ones so I’ll check them out tomorrow!

 

[rhiggie]

Hey fam!

Gonna pre-empt this by saying I know how to hold a uke the traditional way and I’m not a fan, so please don’t suggest it lol. I think it might have to do with having super long arms but I just don’t like it at all.

Anyway, the edge of the uke always cuts into my forearm so I’m looking at armrest options. Most are for mandolin, if anyone has tried any I’d love their thoughts but I’m very curious about the one Star Musicals advertises for the ukulele. The page isn’t in great English but it sounds like they know what they’re talking about. Unfortunately there aren’t any pictures or reviews. Does anybody have experience with them?

Ukulele Armrest

Armrest for Ukulele in Ebony Wood ——————————————– New Playing your instrument for long time needs rest , so here comes the armrest for Ukulele. Just rest your arm on this armrest and play your instrument with ease…😃 Advantages ——————— Easy to install Increases your comfort Reduce body contact...

starmusicals.com

Thanks,
Aaron

Aaron, I don't want to hijack your thread but... in addition to what it does to your forearm, there's the muting factor. And that's the part that concerns me more. The top needs to be as free as possible to vibrate. I'm not sure how the construction varies but I have noticed that some ukes seem affected more that others. And also I have owned ukes where when the back is lightly against my body the whole sound mutes, move it away and it rings like a bell. And these were good brand high end ukes. I would love to know why some ukes do this and others seems unaffected, and sometimes they are the same brand. It's the thing that worries me most when buying a uke I can't play before buying.

 

[Patty]

I’ve had the same problem: big red crease across the right forearm where it hits the uke. For me, the solution was a padded arm sleeve made by Oasis, purchased from Strings by Mail. Suggest you get the small if you decide to try this. They tend to stretch, and you want it to fit snugly. It’s very comfy. I forget it’s there, and later find myself wearing it around the house after I’ve stopped practicing!

 

[ploverwing]

I’ve had the same problem: big red crease across the right forearm where it hits the uke. For me, the solution was a padded arm sleeve made by Oasis, purchased from Strings by Mail. Suggest you get the small if you decide to try this. They tend to stretch, and you want it to fit snugly. It’s very comfy. I forget it’s there, and later find myself wearing it around the house after I’ve stopped practicing!

Yes the armband has been a suggestion in other threads. I like the idea of this because it's easily used between any ukulele, and doesn't potentially damage your ukulele as I'm not sure about the armrests and their mounting style. The one that @aaronkb linked I cannot see any image - can anyone else? They are an inexpensive experiment, but shipping from India, I don't know if it'd make it less inexpensive. As @rhiggie indicated, and posters mentioned in those other threads that I'd linked, resting the arm does affect the sound at least somewhat. I'm sure a lot of players would scoff at that and say "what's the big deal?" since really, that's how a ukulele is meant to be played, then I guess that buffered sound is how it's supposed to sound. But the idea that it could be even better sounding... I don't hate that idea at all! A new set of strings can completely transform the instrument's voice, and then this arm rest could open it up even further, it's kind of intriguing. Plus the benefit of a more comfortable arm!

 

[KohanMike]

I've had that problem for a while because I have nerve damage to my neck spinal cord from radiation treatments for cancer in 1973, plus hip issues, which forces me to sit and slouch when I play. I bought a Lanikai Bocoté Thinline uke because I liked the look, and found that the problem pretty much went away when i played it. So I decided to replace 6 of my 8 standard depth ukes with thinline. I bought another Lanikai and a Hricane (on it's way) going from 8 to 4, and I always use a strap.

---

Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly Grove near the Beverly Center
4 tenor thinline cutaway ukes, 3 thinline acoustic bass ukes, 5 solid body bass ukes
•Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
•Member Cali Rose & The CC Strummers: www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video, www.facebook.com/TheCCStrummers

 

[clear]

I've had that problem for a while because I have nerve damage to my neck spinal cord from radiation treatments for cancer in 1973, plus hip issues, which forces me to sit and slouch when I play. I bought a Lanikai Bocoté Thinline uke because I liked the look, and found that the problem pretty much went away when i played it.

Although I don't find the arm-on-uke-edge a problem to begin with (with soprano and concert sized ukes), using a thin line uke definitely removes any arm-on-uke-edge situation because my arm become very parallel to the uke top. The thin line actually makes playing a bit more difficult for me because of the lack of "hold" on the uke by the arm-on-uke-edge .lol.