Can't hold Ukulele tight when I play.

The one thing that concerns me is the use of the word tight. To me that would create tension. Excess tension is bad no matter what instrument we play. One great piece of advice I received came from singer/songwriter Michael Johnson, Bluer Than Blue was a huge hit in the late 70's. He was a world class guitarist and had an extensive classical background. He told me to find a comfortable position while playing and to stay as relaxed as possible. Michael used a strap when playing in concert. A good example of Mike's playing is a youtube video of Mike and Leo Kottke. The man had serious skills but he made it look so easy.

peanuts56 said:

The one thing that concerns me is the use of the word tight. To me that would create tension. Excess tension is bad no matter what instrument we play.

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I agree.

One great piece of advice I received came from singer/songwriter Michael Johnson, Bluer Than Blue was a huge hit in the late 70's. He was a world class guitarist and had an extensive classical background. He told me to find a comfortable position while playing and to stay as relaxed as possible. Michael used a strap when playing in concert. A good example of Mike's playing is a youtube video of Mike and Leo Kottke. The man had serious skills but he made it look so easy.

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Nice advice.

esank2018 said:

I agree.



Nice advice.

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Sadly, Michael passed away in 2017. He was in his early 70's and had been battling health issues over the last few years. I know he had gone through bypass surgery at some point in time. He was a first class performer and a wonderful, warm, humble guy. He was incredibly funny and had a very dry wit.
I heard him perform twice back around 2013. The shows were about a month apart and he remembered speaking to me at the first show. I've heard many well known guitarists over the years and he was in my top 3.

Delich said:

I've never played guitar before so ukulele is my first plucking instrument.

I found it's really hard to hold the ukulele steady when I play, it's a tenor, but is still small for me, and the head would drop down when my left hand left the board.

Since I use 4 fingers approach with my right hand, so I can't hold it with my right, and I don't like to use a strap.

The only way seems effective is to play topless and put the uku on my belly, but that's awkward, you can't play in front of many when you are topless.

I've even thought about to put a piece of double tape on the back of the uku to stick it on my shirt, or rope the uku with my chest.

Any other crazy ideas?

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I came up with the Mobius Strap to solve this exact problem. It gives complete hands-free support without modifying your ukulele. You can check it out at http://www.mobiusstrap.com. Works for me!

esank2018 said:

View attachment 114289

I received the Tenuto Slim today. I'm happy to report that it works for the tenor ukulele.

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That is an interesting contraption. My question is, can you move the ukulele around with it attached? I move my ukulele while I play to get a better angle when I change from one chord to another. Would that hinder the movement?

Rllink said:

That is an interesting contraption. My question is, can you move the ukulele around with it attached? I move my ukulele while I play to get a better angle when I change from one chord to another. Would that hinder the movement?

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I’m not sure I understand your question. The purpose of the support is to prevent the ukulele from moving when playing (e.g. when changing chords, etc.).

Anyway with the support on, you can adjust the support’s strap to adjust the height of the ukulele’s neck. The metal part below the suction cups can be swivelled so the ukulele rests better on your belly. You can also rest it either on your right or left leg whichever is comfortable.

Below is a link to a video on how it is used. It’s a different model but same concept.

https://youtu.be/Q0sULb42gtQ

Hope that helps, Sir

I can play guitar in standing posture without strap. There is a hidden technique about it. See these Youtube videos in this order.

• Left Hand Technique by Shinji Maki
• Left Hand Technique by Inotomo
• Hidden Left Hand Technique by Inotomo

A is Japanese famous comedian Shinji Maki. He can hold ukulele only with his left hand. B is Inotomo, she also uses her left hand technique in this video. C. Inotomo plays guitalele in standing posture without strap. The left hand technique is not clear but her left hand support helps her playing.

Marty Robbins plays his terz guitar (small guitar) in standing posture without strap. If you see his play in Youtube, you can understand the importance of left hand support in his play. Because the head of his guitar heads to floor and we can see that he holds his guitar in his left hand. Jake Shimabukuro plays his tenor ukulele without strap sometimes. We may see his left hand support sometimes in his play in Youtube.

We may play banjolele without left hand support, because the shape of it's tail is round and we can bit easily hold it only in our right arm. After you've got this technique, your ukulele floats between your left and right hands.

Delich said:

I found it's really hard to hold the ukulele steady when I play

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Ohta-san says that we should hold the ukulele with our thumb and index finger on our left hand steady in his book (Herb Ohta Ukulele Mothod).

The top figure is good example of him. See the base of his index finger. He holds the ukulele with his thumb and base of index finger tight. He opens his side in order to hold his ukulele in this manner.



Bottom one is wrong example. This finger position is often seen on ukulele players with straps. He holds ukulele with his thumb and tip of his index finger. We can not hold ukulele steady or play easily in this style.

esank2018 said:

I’m not sure I understand your question. The purpose of the support is to prevent the ukulele from moving when playing (e.g. when changing chords, etc.).

Anyway with the support on, you can adjust the support’s strap to adjust the height of the ukulele’s neck. The metal part below the suction cups can be swivelled so the ukulele rests better on your belly. You can also rest it either on your right or left leg whichever is comfortable.

Below is a link to a video on how it is used. It’s a different model but same concept.

https://youtu.be/Q0sULb42gtQ

Hope that helps, Sir

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I watched the video and I see what his is doing. That might work. The point of the question was because I do not play a static instrument. I need to be able to tip the neck up to hit some chords, and move it back down a little for others. Plus I'm kind of animated when I play, I don't sit still. I would need a range of motion, some fluidity to play with. I did not know what this was. Someone one time was suggesting an adjustable contraption that stood on the floor and held the ukulele for the player, so they did not have to hold it at all. That seemed to be constricting, and that is what was coming to my mind when you first mentioned it. That said, I get along well enough just holding my uke, and sometimes I use a strap if I need a little more support, and that works fine. So I was just interested. Probably not something I'm going to invest in. Thanks for the video link.

zztush said:

I can play guitar in standing posture without strap. There is a hidden technique about it. See these Youtube videos in this order.

• Left Hand Technique by Shinji Maki
• Left Hand Technique by Inotomo
• Hidden Left Hand Technique by Inotomo

A is Japanese famous comedian Shinji Maki. He can hold ukulele only with his left hand. B is Inotomo, she also uses her left hand technique in this video. C. Inotomo plays guitalele in standing posture without strap. The left hand technique is not clear but her left hand support helps her playing.

Marty Robbins plays his terz guitar (small guitar) in standing posture without strap. If you see his play in Youtube, you can understand the importance of left hand support in his play. Because the head of his guitar heads to floor and we can see that he holds his guitar in his left hand. Jake Shimabukuro plays his tenor ukulele without strap sometimes. We may see his left hand support sometimes in his play in Youtube.

We may play banjolele without left hand support, because the shape of it's tail is round and we can bit easily hold it only in our right arm. After you've got this technique, your ukulele floats between your left and right hands.

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Hey Tush, I enjoyed watching those videos; the third one, in particular, is a good example of how nice it can be with just a uke (guitalele, in this case) and a single voice. Ms. Inotomo really has a pretty voice. And it's cool the way she handles the instrument without any kind of strap.
P.S. When I woke up this morning, if there were two words I never thought I'd say today, they would have been "Hey Tush"...

Hey Bill! I am Tush. ZZ Top's Tush is my favourite song. Inotomo's Youtube videos have taught me two things. The first one is that we can play guitalele without any kind of strap in standing posture. That is very cool. And she put long sleeve shirt dress. I know that half sleeve shirt helps to hold ukulele on my right arm. I've believed that they could hold ukulele only by left hand. Holding ukulele is very basic technique for us beginners. And this basic is important even if you put straps on. I rather recommend OP to learn how to hold ukulele than strap. There is proper method of holding ukulele and we can play ukulele without straps. Now I can hold ukulele only by left hand.

And the other thing I've learnt from her Youtube is that such small lady can play Gibson J-45 (jumbo guitar).

Hi, Dave! The only one I win you in my collection is Gibson J-45. But I know you will soon over take me.

Thanks, Tush! Yes, the ZZ Top tune is pretty cool! I was in college during the seventies and thought those guys were awesome! But my main idol was always Jose Feliciano; always loved his nylon-string guitar playing. And Terry Kath of the band "Chicago" was my other idol; I'll never forget the first time I heard "25 or 6 to 4" on the car radio in the Spring of my junior year of high school, and how I was just astounded at the guitar playing; Terry died way too young, but that is life. I've always felt so lucky to have grown up during a time frame where the musical artists I listened to (all of whom were popular at the time) included the likes of the Beatles, the Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan, the Beach Boys, Chicago, James Taylor, America, Gordon Lightfoot, John Denver, The Kinks, Glen Campbell, Three Dog Night, The Hollies, the Temptations, Earth, Wind & Fire, Poco, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and so on, ALL going on at the same time!! I know I might sound like an old cranky guy here, but somehow the music scene seems to have lost something nowadays, and I honestly don't mean to stir up a hornets' nest with that remark, because there are of course many wonderful artists out there, but somehow, something seems to have been lost along the way. But we have to go with the ebb and flow of things, I suppose, and try to find the good in everything!

zztush said:

Ohta-san says that we should hold the ukulele with our thumb and index finger on our left hand steady in his book (Herb Ohta Ukulele Mothod).

The top figure is good example of him. See the base of his index finger. He holds the ukulele with his thumb and base of index finger tight. He opens his side in order to hold his ukulele in this manner.



Bottom one is wrong example. This finger position is often seen on ukulele players with straps. He holds ukulele with his thumb and tip of his index finger. We can not hold ukulele steady or play easily in this style.

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Great advice from one of the masters. I've heard Ohta San and Herb Jr. live a few times. Any advice Ohta San gives should be followed to the letter. He still plays great at 82 or 83. I had the chance to meet him in 2016, great guy. I also got to meet and talk with Herb Jr at the Kamaka facility. Extremely gracious as well.

Hi, Bill! Thank you for the reply. My favourite album of Jose Feliciano is "And the Feeling's Good" (See the figure below). I had this one both LP and CD, now I have only CD. I like his voice. I had Chicago's LP "The Great Chicago". This one is Japan only. hehe

A1 Introduction
A2 Does Anybody Really Know What Time Ii Is?
A3 Questions 67 And 68
A4 I'm A Man
A5 Prologue, August 29, 1968
A6 Someday (August 29, 1968)
B1 Poem For The People
B2 Make Me Smile
B3 25 Or 6 To 4
B4 Flight 602
B5 Free
B6 Lowdown

This album is released for their Japan tour 1971. They've released only double ablums but this one was single album and best selection. I thought this one was very reasonable. I like 25 Or 6 To 4 too. I remember that I tried to play by ear Terry Kath's lead guitar on this album with my acoustic guitar. LP was not good for repeat dictation and my dad was angry with me. My Idol is the Allmann Brothers Band. When I was senior in high school, we had a Rock festival in a college near by. There was a tribute band of the Allmann Brothers Band in Kobe Japan. It is Idle Wild South. I knew nothing about the band before I went there. The opening was "Don't want You No more". The sound was exactly the same as Duane Allman's Les Paul and Marshall amp to me. I thought Duane descented to the stage. The funny thing about the concert was that there are many muscular college students were employed for the guard of the stage. That was mid 70s. Not far from Woodstock. Audience were all crazy. The muscular students were employed from Karate, Judo, American Football team and so on. We were long hair, they were short cut. But they were laughing too. Just their appearance was not suitable for the concert. Yes we had a really good era for music.




Hi, peanuts56! You are lucky you met Ohta-san in person. You might see his famous big thumb nail on his right hand. I quote a chapter "Listen to the music" in his book below.

Good musicians are good listeners. This doesn't mean that we listen to music on radio doing something else. The serious music students listen to music with some criteria.

1. Which key, major or minor
2. Beat
3. Sound variety
4. Sound volume
5. Tempo
6. Which intruments
7. Which chords

Listen to any kind of music (Hawaiian, Folk, Country& Western, Rock, Pop, Standard, Jazz, Renaissance, Baroque, Roman, Contemporary). You can distinguish the kind of chord, after listening various kind of music with close attention. After this step, you can play music by ear without music sheets.

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I did not believe this advice because I thought practice is most important. Ms Seiko Sumi is a pianist and educator. She says that listing is the basic of music in her book. Two masters say same thing. I thought it worth to try.



Now a days, we listen to music while driving, reading, walking.... We do not much attention to music. Our ear is get used to it, we can do anything with listening. Our ear is half closed and eye are working when listening music. When I was kids I listen to music in front of Stereo Hi Fi system. LP records require concentration. I can not do all of the criteria Ota-san gives during listening, I just close my eyes. Then image of the musicians, instruments and stage come up. This changes my music life. I enjoy listening music every day. This brings me better chord recognition as Ota-san said. Now I really appreciate chord progression of Stairway To Heaven　(Am AmM9onG# Am7onG Don F# F6), intro of Yesterday (C B7sus4 E7 Am) and so on. We can play any songs we hear, chords are same. We can play any chords we hear. Ohta-san is great ukulele player and educator.

Thank you so much, Tush, for your thoughtful and detailed reply! Have a good Sunday and a good week ahead!