Siv's Ukulelog

**Siv** · 03-04-2021, 10:25 AM

After watching me progressing on the ukulele and getting a little jealous, my daughter asked me if she could get one. To be honest, I didn't even think of recycling one of mine and I just asked her what she would like. She immediately said she wanted a plastic one - being a lefty, the Enya Nova doesn't really work for her so the Outdoor looked to be the option. So an order was placed, low G and assembled for a lefty. This was also stuck in icepocalypse and arrived a little late but it's in her hands now - she chose green!

Incidentally, I've been keeping an eye on the humidity in the house pretty religiously. Icepocalypse led the house to drop to a humidity of 25% when we had no power/heating etc. But now that things are back to normal, humidity had been between 47% and 62% so perfect for the ukes. In any case the Kamaka lives in its case just in case.

**Dada** · 03-04-2021, 11:12 AM

Hi, I just stumbled over this interesting thread, it is great you let us be part of your journey. When I started out maybe 2 1/2 years ago with this ukulele stuff, I devoured all possible sources on the net, what is a good uke, how do you play it, what are things to be aware etc. We've all been there. I started out with a makala soprano, a classic entry instrument (and I still have it, it is the instrument I keep in my office at work), but bought other ukes in the bay, just to satisfy my curiosity. For instance I got a concert size instrument and then a tenor (and discovered that the tenor size was not mine at all). Right now, I think I lean towards the concert size, but still have a couple of regular sopranos (the original sound and genesis). We all know the dangers of UAS, and while I still have the urge to get more instruments (currently have 9), I have not given in to the urge for some time now.

I sort of lost count, but you seem to have acquired 5 or 6 instruments in 6 weeks now. This is great to see, and I like how you comment on the merits of each instrument. This is certainly an aspect of the hobby -- new instruments, gadgets, cases. What I am missing a bit in this thread so far is some insights into the other, perhaps even more important aspect of the hobby: making music. How are you doing in that area now? As a beginner, it is easy to get lost in the many opportunities the market offers, but don't let the temptations distract you from learning to play. Granted, there is a lot of satisfaction (and excitement!) in getting a new instrument, but the act of making music is, in my mind, much more satisfying (and that satisfaction perhaps even longer lasting). There is so much joy in finally mastering a piece that you were not able to play when you started practicing it. There is so much to learn (I myself feel I have only started to scratch what is possible). I guess my advice, if it is needed at all, is to focus on playing and not so much on buying -- especially since you have an excellent uke pool to draw from now.

Looking forward to your next posts.

**Neil_O** · 03-04-2021, 11:50 AM

Originally Posted by Siv

daughter has been watching someone called "Soot" on YouTube and asked me if she can get an acoustic guitar.

My son had been playing uke but asked for a guitar because of the same Soot lad! Pretty funny, catchy music Wilbur Soot makes.

**Siv** · 03-12-2021, 04:51 PM

I don't talk much about my playing because I'm cack-handed and far from competent. However I do play every day, for at least half an hour, if not more. I've been following various people on youtube, mainly working on the left hand, learning chord patterns and getting some muscle memory. The bane of my playing was bflat but with the Kamaka or Opio, I don't have nearly as much problem playing it so setup makes a difference until my fingers get stronger.

But playing along with my daughter, I wanted to add another dimension so thought a bass would be fun. I also didn't want to have a bass that I would have to plug in - part of the appeal of the ukulele is the ability to pick up and play so I wanted that with the bass. But it seems that u-basses all need to be plugged in to be heard. So I thought that wouldn't work and forgot about it. Until someone mentioned the Cordoba mini bass. I checked out a few videos and made an offer on a like new on on Reverb and it was accepted. It's exactly what I was looking for - can be heard fine without being plugged in and works as an accompaniment to my daughter.

One of the things I initially struggled with was the tuning. Tuning it as it's meant to be like a normal bass left the strings a bit floppy and I didn't really like it. So I've tuned is like a uke GCEA and it's nice to play and sits an octave below a regular uke. It's an occasional thing for me but nice to have on the wall. Now I've filled up all the slots - do I add more or lose a uke or two?