Multiple uke owners: how do you pick/rotate which uke to play?

mikelz777

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I know there are a lot of multiple uke owners out there and I was wondering, how do you choose which uke to play and how do you go about making sure that all of them get played? It must be rough for those who have tens or dozens of ukes. I'm currently at five ukes and I'm seriously considering a sixth. I don't currently have a system but I'll play one for a couple of weeks and then I'll switch to another that hasn't been played the longest. I'm under the line of thought that if I have it and plan on keeping it then I need to be playing it!
 
My mind set evolved from “if I have them I got to play them all the time” to I play which one I feel like playing. I have all the sizes so if I feel like a certain song sounds better on soprano or concert of low G tenor I will play that. Other songs are almost exclusively played on baritones. Then there is high G vs low G and with all my tenors it’s what tone do I feel like hearing, deep and resonant......bright chirpy and loud etc.

If you plan on playing ukulele for the next 20-30 years a big bunch of ukuleles will all get played. Variety is the spice of life as they say
 
I have nine ukes, with one being a beater uke that hangs on a stand in my computer/music room so can I grab it at a moments notice, that's the one I play the most at home. The rest are in a humidified cabinet I made from a bookcase shelf in the livingroom. When I used to go to a meetup in the park on Sunday afternoons, I always rotate through the group. I signed on to more online uke jams, so I can continue to rotate through them.

I normally play bass uke with my seniors uke group, there are two of us because we have about 60 members playing most gigs, but when we do small gigs with ten or twelve of us, one will play bass, the other uke, so I will rehearse for a few days with the one I chose for the gig. Next time that happens, I use a different uke. But gigs are out for now so I make up for it with the online jams.

When it comes to bass ukes, I have 30 and because we meet twice a week, in person before and now online, I make a very concerted effort to rotate between all of them.


This is Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly Grove near the Beverly Center
9 tenor cutaway ukes, 4 acoustic bass ukes, 12 solid body bass ukes, 14 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 39)

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video, Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheCCStrummers
 
My mind set evolved from “if I have them I got to play them all the time” to I play which one I feel like playing. I have all the sizes so if I feel like a certain song sounds better on soprano or concert of low G tenor I will play that. Other songs are almost exclusively played on baritones. Then there is high G vs low G and with all my tenors it’s what tone do I feel like hearing, deep and resonant......bright chirpy and loud etc.

If you plan on playing ukulele for the next 20-30 years a big bunch of ukuleles will all get played. Variety is the spice of life as they say

Yep. That's what I do too.
 
How do I pick which one to play? I play the one I feel like playing at the time. I know it sounds a bit trite, but it is true. They have a slightly different sound and feel, and it depends on my mood. I will get into ruts, where I play the same one almost exclusively for a while, but then I will hit a song that I really want a particular sound for, and switch it up.

How do I make sure they all get played? I don't. I've given up on that. The instruments don't really complain, since they are just wood. I do de-tune them if I know I won't be playing them for a while.

I do feel bad sometimes, as I have some very nice instruments that don't get played as much as they deserve to be played, but it is what it is. I am going to re-home some of the more neglected ones, although now does not seem to be much of a sellers market, if Reverb listings are any indication.
 
I have about a dozen ukes, with most of them being bought in the last year. I do my best to practice with all of them regularly. The reason for me playing multiple ukes is to listen (and learn) how different one uke can sound from another. I'm still amazed how different woods, sizes, strings, and construction can make the same note "sound" so different. (And Mikelz777, thanks for your comments on the Kala KA-FMCG; I took advantage of the great price + 20% off to add a spruce top concert to the collection.)

At any one practice session, I usually go through all the ukes of the same size, focusing on the one I want to listen to for whatever reason. I'm not able to easily switch sizes without missing a few fret positions for some minutes which seems like a waste of practice time.

Regarding playing, I regularly change my reasons for why I play one over another depending on what I'm playing, but in general, I like the sopranos for strumming and the concerts for finger picking. Some day I may sell all but one tenor; my older, slightly arthritic hands never seem too happy with tenors.
 
I have five ukes and each has a unique role. The concert uke is my go to for playing at home, learning new songs, and just to have around. Then I have two tenors that are used for playing out and if course serious practice for getting ready to play out. One is a six string that gets most of the strumming work and the other a linear for fingerstyle and some of the strummed songs. Then there is another concert that is tuned in fifths that I wanted to learn playing but sadly never got around to as I am too busy with regular ukes. Finally a long neck soprano for travelling and situations where I don't want to take the expensive solid wood ukes. It was also adopted by my girlfriend who is now getting into uke as well.
 
(And Mikelz777, thanks for your comments on the Kala KA-FMCG; I took advantage of the great price + 20% off to add a spruce top concert to the collection.)

Here's some pics of mine to whet your appetite! The back has a nice almost 3-D flame/curl that I can't capture in pictures. Even the spruce top has a little flame in it.

thumbnail_IMG_2233.jpgthumbnail_IMG_2236.jpgthumbnail_IMG_2238.jpg
 
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Kind of like the John Lennon song, "Whatever Gets You Through The Night", it's whatever I feel like at the moment. No rhyme or reason. Really, the only regular exception is when I restring. I'll play that uke for a few days until the tuning settles in.
I am however far more partial to concert or baritone size and tend to play the tenors and sopranos somewhat less frequently.
 
It might not be popular to say, but I think I have too many. Even with a "horses for courses" approach where I try to have different sizes (I like them all) with different stringing for different songs, moods, and occasions, I find the biggest limiting factor to be time. I have some that just don't get played.

So I'm trying to put together a master list of ukuleles I'd like to have/keep. Which is difficult, because there are so many different ukes I'd like to try. But I don't think I have the time, energy, or space to go through dozens and dozens of instruments like some people seem able to do. So I've been trying to be more strategic about which ukes to try. And though I hate selling, which ukes I should let go.
 
There is no system but with only 3 it's pretty easy to figure it out......one is strung low G so that's gets some consideration....and the the Godin sometimes gets reserved for when no one is home and I went to crank it up a bit......sometime I play all three in a day.....
 
I have more than I need from sopranino to baritone But seem to like the tenors best. I have them hanging in the family room, living room and upstairs music room. Some are in their cases but I find if I see them I play them. When I start working on a song I’ll play them on every uke and then narrow it down to several tenors - said I have too many. Then, I finish polishing it up on the selected tenor. I find I only really play 5 or 6 most of the time. I do rotate out 1 or 2. Then when I’m feeling justified, I start playing the song on my guitars. And I’m not even a good player!
 
I have lots. I change when I fancy trying something different. If I don't play them for too long, I move them on.
 
I go to whichever one grabs me at the time. There is no logic to it. I keep one right next to my desk but change it now and then, again with no reasoning. My Pono is by far the quietest and we do have annoyingly over sensitive upstairs neighbours so that tends to be my early morning uke but at other times I let my instinct decide.
 
I just throw a dart. Which ever uke it sticks in, I play. Best is when I get a bullseye: clean through the soundhole, and out through the back. :D

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Tsk, tsk.... advanced players use Nerf guns
 
I only have three of them at the moment, but only one of them gets regular playing. The other two are pretty much ignored. I'm probably being mean and hurting their feelings by not playing them, but I don't care.
 
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Each of mine has a slightly different tone or feel, different scales & body sizes, acoustic & solid body, with pickups & not - plus I have two in re entrant tuning(!), with different strings! :D

When I was doing The Seasons, I'd just pick one up & give it a try, to see if I thought it sounded right, then use it.

Nowadays, I just pick which ever I feel like. ;)
 
Every now and then go look at your collection switch the ukes that are outside and you are not playing with the ones you miss. Keep different sizes, low and high G ukes accessible. If you find a particular uke never leaves the closet, sell them.
 
Now that I'm playing exclusively at home, I don't have to worry about a good one getting damaged, so I can play anything. I have two online jams a week, and I bring two or more ukes to each one - generally ukes that are considerably different: uke and banjo uke; sopranissimo and tenor; cigar box and standard.

EDIT: At one time, I used a random number generator to pick which one I would play. :D
 
I use guilt as my guide. I cut down my collection to two instruments, one for linear tuning and one for re-entrant tuning. I heavily favor the linear tuning. However, whenever I feel that it has been a while since I've regaled myself with that shrill re-entrant sound I will switch out my ukuleles and justify having the re-entrant ukulele
 
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