Does your partner, husband, wife, significant other understand your uke obsession?

DownUpDave said:
Yup, mine too. She is glad I have a healthy hobby that keeps me outta the bars and brothels but has zero interest in any of it.
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Well, that's not working for me Dave. I'm in the bar playing whenever they give me the chance. I don't think that I'm particularly obsessed with ukuleles so it is not incessant enough to get on her nerves, but actually my wife doesn't pay a lot of attention to me, so I don't think that she cares one way or the other.
 
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My first uke was one that my wife bought but didn't play. After I'd been playing for a few years, she bought one for herself and became an enthusiastic player. Now she has more ukes than I have!
 
frolicks said:
However, her horse wasn't too impressed by my sitting on his back, strumming a cowboy song. At least, it didn't panic...! :D
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You need your own horse. Now there's an expensive uke accessory!

In my household, I play uke. DH plays sax, clarinet and xaphoon. Our son the jazz major plays piano, bass, guitar and uke (also steel pan but he doesn't own any of those... yet). We exist in an uneasy truce. As long as nobody buys a new instrument, we're fine. If one of us gives in, the truce breaks and suddenly our family has a bunch of new instruments and no money. I try very, very hard not to buy new ukes because saxophones are expensive.

It did end well for me when hubby sunk a truly amazing amount of money into an officially-licensed Cubs jersey after the series win and told me go ahead, buy a uke. My baritone cost less than the jersey.

Having an understanding spouse is not my problem. My problem is I married a jazz man (and gave birth to one) while I'm a roots folkie. We compromise on blues. I keep a few "ukulele husbands" on the side for Mississippi John Hurt, Tom Paxton, Emmylou Harris and Jimmie Rodgers.
 
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We respect each others hobbies. My wife's is knitting and crochet. She can't really complain about my uke collection either because there is a big stack of wool at one end of the conservatory and boxes of wool in various other places round the house. Her and our younger daughter have knitted my socks and very comfortable they are too.
 
My wife doesn't appreciate my uke playing, usually. But if I switch to tin whistle or banjo for a few weeks, she is glad to see the ukes come back out...
 
I have a few ukes, my wife has a few ukes, we play in the same band. It works out.
 
Rllink said:
Well, that's not working for me Dave. I'm in the bar playing whenever they give me the chance. I don't think that I'm particularly obsessed with ukuleles so it is not incessant enough to get on her nerves, but actually my wife doesn't pay a lot of attention to me, so I don't think that she cares one way or the other.
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Yea our regular uke jam is in a pub so I guess that wasn't 100% accurate. At least I now play music instead of drink my face off :cheers:
 
mountain goat said:
I was once married to someone who didn't get it.
so I divorced her and married a fellow uke player. :)
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plus 1

I’m very happy for you, too.
Life has changed so much for you.
 
My wife wouldn't let me sell one of my ukes, unless I get one to replace it. Specifically, I would have to get a solid zebrawood uke, before I can replace the zebrawood laminate I have (and don't play often at all).

Since that discussion, I think I've acquired another 4 or 5 instruments, but I'm still prohibited from getting rid of that specific uke.

And the only criticism I got after buying a new PA system was that I didn't have her check the specs first, as she has previously worked in the A/V design industry - but when she saw it was in the JBL Professional Series, she allowed that I had made a good choice.

So yes, she is comfortable with my having 23 ukuleles. And 4 spinning wheels, 20+ drop spindles, and around 50 pounds of roving, waiting for me to spin it; And did I mention the Looms? 2 in storage, 2 waiting to be used. (Plus the new portable loom I just got for her).

She also just taught me to knit, as physical therapy. Soon, I can start using some of that yarn I've made, over the past 5 years... unless she beats me to it.


-Kurt​
 
Mrs. Sweetie kinda-sorta gets it. She doesn't fully understand the UAS part of it but she is supportive of the hobby. Supportive enough that she is actually attending Camp Ookoolaylay with me in a couple weeks. She doesn't play uke but she is very musical, so there is hope yet. In the meantime, she is willing to camp with me at a multi day ukulele event... that is good enough for now. :)
 
Both my wife and I are highly educated, and far from stupid. Therefore, although she has no active interest in the ukulele, she understands that the mathematics that underlie music is the same sense of proportion that rules the world and balances the seasons...the whole Platonic music of the spheres stuff. So she appreciates that I am doing something important and she has the capacity to listen to and understand the theory and the intervals that I am working with. She shows enough interest to sustain the conversation, but I doubt she internalizes the information. I have no complaints. Her civility is all a person can expect.
 
I'm lucky. My wife plays stringed instruments and has been telling me for years that I should play strings too.
So I did, starting with ukuleles.
 
Definitely. I was a trumpet major and also play djembe and ashiko. She doesn't like me to play those when she's home, especially the djembe and ashiko! I can play my ukulele any time!
 
Mr. Ukalady has bought me every "nice" ukulele I've ever had. He doesn't play ukulele at all but seems to truly love to watch/listen as I smile, sing and strum my way through songs. Even when I do it poorly.

I was monogamous for almost 10 years with my first ukulele (a custom LoPrinzi hubby gave me for my birthday) and then he convinced me heartily I needed to find a tenor (or two now)--and pushed me towards *really* nice ones when I didn't think my playing justified the expense and investment.

I've spent the past 22 months playing with an ensemble that called for me being out of town at least three days a month and practicing every night for 30 to 45 minutes--and on top of that an upcoming 10-day trip to Hawai'i during which he is *not* going. And he's happy for me (maybe because I've *finally* learned to sing to pitch in the process!).

Nope, you can't have him. He's been mine for 38 years now and I'm hoping for 38 more. I'm also hoping some day he takes up the ukulele so we can do this *together...*
 
My 80 year old mom lives with me. She is a watercolor artist, so she understands the need for different ukuleles, just as she needs a variety of brushes. Lately, we’ve been sitting outside in the evening singing oldies together. Lovely to share music with her.
 
RafterGirl said:
My 80 year old mom lives with me. She is a watercolor artist, so she understands the need for different ukuleles, just as she needs a variety of brushes. Lately, we’ve been sitting outside in the evening singing oldies together. Lovely to share music with her.
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Thanks for sharing that, it was very heart warming. My parents passed on before I took up ukulele but I know my mom would have loved it if I played for her.
 
brimmer said:
My wife doesn't appreciate my uke playing, usually. But if I switch to tin whistle or banjo for a few weeks, she is glad to see the ukes come back out...
Click to expand...

Funny! I have a tin whistle and a banjo, but my ukes get all my attention.
 
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