Uke Players V Guitarists

Leodhas

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I've only been on here for a few days now as I have been seeking help because I'm due to buy my first Uke. However I have noticed something aboot Uke players through this forum. That on the whole they appear to be far more relaxed, less anal aboot things than Guitar players, just generally nicer folks.

As a Guitar player I have wasted a few hours on certain forums, harmony central and the like and don't get me wrong, there are some good folks on those forums but there does appear to be far more FUDS (idiots) on those sites than on here. In fact I haven't come across one tadger(penis) on here. Everybody comes across as chilled and very helpful.

I've obviously hung around with a few guitarists in my time in the real world and when I think about it they are definitely more uptight than the folkie instrument guys I've come across. Maybe the guitar just attracts a lot of pricks but I don't know what that says about me :confused:, hopefully it means I will improve myself as a person via Uke. :cool:
 
Yes, the forum here is wonderful and much more laid back. I think it also has to do with what we are willing to deal with from an admin/mod stand point. We will not stand for ignorance, hateful/derogatory comments and the like. I hope those that join UU and that are already part of the community will continue posting in a positive, helpful manner.
 
Yes, the forum here is wonderful and much more laid back. I think it also has to do with what we are willing to deal with from an admin/mod stand point. We will not stand for ignorance, hateful/derogatory comments and the like. I hope those that join UU and that are already part of the community will continue posting in a positive, helpful manner.

Absolutely agree that the admin is very important, especially when people start ranting on aboot things ! However that's what I mean aboot the Ukeies here, no one comes across as a ranter. Whereas I've found a lot of guitarists are ranters, usually it's aboot who/what is the best at this/that and they appear to get uptight aboot the most unimportant of things. Maybe it's something in the Uke players grass, via the cows who eat it and then produce the milk, obviously! Or perhaps it is just the joy that's found from playing such a harmonious instrument, who knows, but I want some.



On a personal note a can't believe it's past 4 am here and I'm still up and I've got to go to my maws tomorrow morning for a family breakfast. Screaming nieces and nephews with a hangover won't be fun!
 
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It's hard to be grumpy and uptight when you're playin a uke!!
 
It's hard to be grumpy and uptight when you're playin a uke!!
I wonder if that has to do with the Aloha spirit that is innate with the uke's origin?
 
The Ukulele is a happy instrument...when you hear it your mood/attitude seems to just be HAPPY!! WELCOME Leodhas to UU.
 
It's hard to be grumpy and uptight when you're playin a uke!!

This is true! :D

There are plenty of friendly, helpful guitarists out there who are open-minded and easygoing. But the d-bags make up a larger, more outspoken proportion of the guitar community than the uke community.

Whether it's the moderation or just a quality inherent in uke players, we just don't get many threads like "whose the best ukalale player jake shimbakro or james hill" or "julia nunes sux bcuz she doesnt play crazy 128th note harmonic minor solos, she just strums + sings!!!1". A lot of other musicians tend to find a clique within their instrument's community, so the speed metal guys and the blues guys and the jazz guys all hang together and badmouth each other. But UU is very musically diverse, yet the folks who dig traditional Hawaiian music or jazz or reggae or hapa haole or folk or classical aren't constantly at odds. It's refreshing, really. The only other instrument with a community this supportive is probably the didgeridoo.
 
I've only been on here for a few days now as I have been seeking help because I'm due to buy my first Uke. However I have noticed something aboot Uke players through this forum. That on the whole they appear to be far more relaxed, less anal aboot things than Guitar players, just generally nicer folks.

As a Guitar player I have wasted a few hours on certain forums, harmony central and the like and don't get me wrong, there are some good folks on those forums but there does appear to be far more FUDS (idiots) on those sites than on here. In fact I haven't come across one tadger(penis) on here. Everybody comes across as chilled and very helpful.

I've obviously hung around with a few guitarists in my time in the real world and when I think about it they are definitely more uptight than the folkie instrument guys I've come across. Maybe the guitar just attracts a lot of pricks but I don't know what that says about me :confused:, hopefully it means I will improve myself as a person via Uke. :cool:


I will give you five dollars if you write an entire post in scottish slang. seriously. five dollars.

oh, yeah, i heart ukes. :D

edit: six dollars if you include a translation
 
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the problem with some musicians, not just guitar players, is ego. There is a great deal of snobbery, one-upmanship and trying to be cool. people who play uke tend to suffer a little less from these afflictions.

A lot of folks find their songwriting stilted and difficult and that is cos of ego too. they are trying too hard, trying to write something meaningful.
 
I've been playing guitar for over 35 years and I have to agree with you about guitarists. First, there are simply many more of them, so consider statistics and probability as providing a larger pool.

What contributes to making the guitar more of a jerk-magnet (or creator) and a relatively more hostile discussion topic? I would say that in the electric guitar community (I use that word "community" a little loosely here) the "guitar hero" thing still goes on and on despite direct statement that that whole thing is dead. Also, gear, pickup options, quality of offerings, Strat vs. Tele, etc... You might also note that most guitarists overplay not simply "showoff." Many not only have GAS but NAS (Note Aquisition Syndrome). Ask any bass player who knows what he's doing for their observations about their skills when it comes to rhythm. Acoustic guitarists and discussions are somewhat more benign actually toned down by snobbery here and there?

Really, guitarists have more reasons to be uptight. They deserve our compassion (like all people). There are more of them and music has changed (vs. rock guitar solos etc.) In the first place though, let's stop calling them "guitarists" when the vast majority are "guitar players." They actually have reasons to be less uptight: they just don't know it. Here's one: most people want to listen to singers.

Years ago I met Bucky Pizzarelli (jazz guitarist)with a resume that included a steady gig on The Tonight Show during the Johnny Carson era. He was one of the most decent warm humble persons I ever met. I would call him a "guitarist."

In short, many "guitarists" are more uptight because underneath it all they are simply "guitar players."

I think with the ukulele, you find most people happy just to say they "play the uke" or call themselves a "uke player." I don't think it's only because "ukuleleist" is harder to say. Melissa, could you kindly research that word?lol...and then ban anyone who uses it...not me in this case...

Always stay a beginner, someone who listens more than plays.
 
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the problem with some musicians, not just guitar players, is ego. There is a great deal of snobbery, one-upmanship and trying to be cool. people who play uke tend to suffer a little less from these afflictions.
.

Not to mention all that baggage that comes with the history of guitar playing and guitar players and the gearhead snobbery that comes with collecting equipment and amps and pedals. There's a lot pompous sniffing and huffing at other people's rigs and tastes and styles and by this point it's pretty damn hard to do something with a guitar that somebody else hasn't already done and a lot better than you. And then there's the aspect that there are probably billions of guitar players out there and they have to find someway to feel special about it. (and this comes from somebody who played guitar for 30+ years and is in the process of liquidating most of my vintage collection)

There are fewer ukers with less expectations of what is, has and can be done with an ukulele. For the most part since the ukulele doesn't garner a whole lot of respect for the most part in the regular world there's a lot less posturing to be done. (Most average people aren't really impressed by an instrument that they immediately associate with novelty tunes.) There's no need for pretense and a general willingness to help one another.
 
There are fewer ukers with less expectations of what is, has and can be done with an ukulele. For the most part since the ukulele doesn't garner a whole lot of respect for the most part in the regular world there's a lot less posturing to be done. (Most average people aren't really impressed by an instrument that they immediately associate with novelty tunes.) There's no need for pretense and a general willingness to help one another.

That's actually the whole reason I picked up the ukulele, because I was really intimidated by the level of skill people expect you to have when you pull out a guitar. But no one expects anything out of a uke, so it's much less pressure and generally more enjoyable. I also maintain that it's impossible to take yourself too seriously when you're playing a ukulele.
 
you see for me, the very idea that there is 'pressure to perform' or 'expectation' or that you' feel intimidated by the level of skill expected' is bizarre. to even say that means you play for othe people, to impress them or to gain respect or something, i dont know exactly. it seems very very odd to me. in fact it is ego.

play for you, cos you like it, play what you like, who gives a s** about anyone else. I understand it is quite hard when you are younger, and there is pressure to be cool or fit in or whatever, but the really cool people don't give a flying f*** what anyone else thinks.
 
Mr. or Ms. Luvdatuke seems to be projecting his/her own uptightness/grumpiness in generalizing about guitar players. Try Acoustic Guitar Forum. There are a few people there who seem the way luvdatuke states, but the overwhelming majority are no less mellow than people on this forum. Now, if you're talking electric guitars, that's a whole nother subject and group of people. When some innovative musician gains a following for doing heavy metal on the electric uke with distortion turned way up, then guess what will happen.
 
Maybe a further point about ukulele players is that they want to jam together, and the more playing together the better. We've seen and admired (and been participants in :) )large ensembles of uke players, but I've yet to see a large conglomeration of other single instrument players. Fifty guitar players on stage? Ummph? Fifty uke players on stage? Cool!! So when you meet other uke players whether through this forum or in real life, it's like "when can we play together?"

(mind you, the "how many was it" piano players at the LA Olympic games still figures in my mind as a grand spectacle. lol)
 
Mr. or Ms. Luvdatuke seems to be projecting his/her own uptightness/grumpiness in generalizing about guitar players. Try Acoustic Guitar Forum. There are a few people there who seem the way luvdatuke states, but the overwhelming majority are no less mellow than people on this forum. Now, if you're talking electric guitars, that's a whole nother subject and group of people. When some innovative musician gains a following for doing heavy metal on the electric uke with distortion turned way up, then guess what will happen.

Reread my post. We're not in disagreement. Actually I'm not completely against that type of "snobbery" that values quality acoustic instruments but doesn't confuse that quality with one's identity. That's why I chose the word "benign." But hey, I'll go with more "mellow" to be in complete agreement not considering that a concession when it comes to the acoustic guitar.

Also, not in reply to your post: I'm not against "showing off." Just entertain me, have a good time, and don't look down on others. Roy Smeck? Was he a bit of a "showoff?" You got to love it.

And last but not least I have to say, "Go Jets!" Go Jets!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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The uke is a fun instrument. Most of us are on this forum to seek like minded funsters. All of us can get trollish at times, because we are humans, but it seems like for the most part, we are a lot more willing to accept that different people like different ukes and different music and it's all good. I don't know what it's like on other forums, but I love the fact that I can play and chat and be 55, and there are folks 18 and 30 and 60 and whatever who do the same.

"Nice town. Know what I mean?" Thornton Wilder, OUR TOWN
 
the problem with some musicians, not just guitar players, is ego. There is a great deal of snobbery, one-upmanship and trying to be cool. people who play uke tend to suffer a little less from these afflictions.

A lot of folks find their songwriting stilted and difficult and that is cos of ego too. they are trying too hard, trying to write something meaningful.

for sure...there's much more EGO in the guitar world. Guitarists are pretty competitive about which pony can do the most tricks. Ukers just wanna feel the music
 
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