ghostrdr
Well-known member
Welcome! Wow 3 pages in less days! I think that is a statement about how friendly the uke community is.
I would answer your question in two ways: I think there are two primary considerations: impediments to learning and encouragements to learning.
Impediments to learning: I think as a beginner, you want to reduce as many impediments to learning as possible.
(1) People recommend a good setup because it makes the uke easier to play. If the instrument is setup poorly and the string height is too high or causes buzzing or makes it difficult to play a chord cleanly, you will get frustrated which will make it harder to play.
(2) Having a uke without a strap means it slides around and is less stable thus creating an impediment to learning. Asking for a $5-10 strap button on the bottom of the uke helps a lot of people. They also tie the other end of the strap between the tuners (and try to get geared vs friction because they are easier to use and reduces another impediment to learning)
(3) A lot of ukes these days come set up pretty good out of the box. But there is still a lot of variation. I think as a beginner, getting a $10 clip on tuner is vital. Those things are incredible compared to trying to tune by ear to a speaker.
These three things will reduce a lot of impediments to learning. In contrast, you also want to pick things that encourage learning.
Encouragements to learning:
(1) laminate vs wood. Is there a huge difference in sound between laminate and wood? There can be. As a new player will you be able to tell, maybe. But the question, in my humble opinion is really will the extra money spent on the higher quality instrument encourage you to play it more because you enjoy the sound more? Maybe not at the beginning as you are just starting out. Some people pay extra on looks because it looks pretty. Grain pattern, wood color, it looks fun! If it makes the player pick up the uke more, then it is totally worth it. Just know, that all wood instruments require more care and maintenance to get temperature and humidity right. Laminate instruments are more care free. Remember a uke just laying around the house is likely to get picked up more and played, even for a few minutes at a time.
(2) pick a song you want to learn! If you can get three chords down. C chord which can do right now. F chord which takes a little practice and G or G7, which takes a little practice, hundreds, yes I said hundreds, of songs will be open to you!
(3) I agree sing! It makes it fun! Also helps with your rhythm. ItÂ’s great your wife is doing it too. You can motivate and encourage each other!
Welcome again!
Rich
I would answer your question in two ways: I think there are two primary considerations: impediments to learning and encouragements to learning.
Impediments to learning: I think as a beginner, you want to reduce as many impediments to learning as possible.
(1) People recommend a good setup because it makes the uke easier to play. If the instrument is setup poorly and the string height is too high or causes buzzing or makes it difficult to play a chord cleanly, you will get frustrated which will make it harder to play.
(2) Having a uke without a strap means it slides around and is less stable thus creating an impediment to learning. Asking for a $5-10 strap button on the bottom of the uke helps a lot of people. They also tie the other end of the strap between the tuners (and try to get geared vs friction because they are easier to use and reduces another impediment to learning)
(3) A lot of ukes these days come set up pretty good out of the box. But there is still a lot of variation. I think as a beginner, getting a $10 clip on tuner is vital. Those things are incredible compared to trying to tune by ear to a speaker.
These three things will reduce a lot of impediments to learning. In contrast, you also want to pick things that encourage learning.
Encouragements to learning:
(1) laminate vs wood. Is there a huge difference in sound between laminate and wood? There can be. As a new player will you be able to tell, maybe. But the question, in my humble opinion is really will the extra money spent on the higher quality instrument encourage you to play it more because you enjoy the sound more? Maybe not at the beginning as you are just starting out. Some people pay extra on looks because it looks pretty. Grain pattern, wood color, it looks fun! If it makes the player pick up the uke more, then it is totally worth it. Just know, that all wood instruments require more care and maintenance to get temperature and humidity right. Laminate instruments are more care free. Remember a uke just laying around the house is likely to get picked up more and played, even for a few minutes at a time.
(2) pick a song you want to learn! If you can get three chords down. C chord which can do right now. F chord which takes a little practice and G or G7, which takes a little practice, hundreds, yes I said hundreds, of songs will be open to you!
(3) I agree sing! It makes it fun! Also helps with your rhythm. ItÂ’s great your wife is doing it too. You can motivate and encourage each other!
Welcome again!
Rich