Your First Ukulele and what it meant to you.

My grandmother bought me my first ukulele from Long's Drugs at the Ala Moana Shopping Center almost 60 years ago!
it was a 'noname' very light wood soprano made in Japan... $7 if I remember correctly :)
My 6th grade teacher, Mrs Wong, wanted to teach the class to play the ukulele. Wow! How fortunate for me and my
classmates. I'm not sure how many others have kept with it, but it kept me out of trouble, I'm sure. I would listen
to K-Poi (local Rock station in the 50s and 60s in HNL) and try to play along. [that's how I learned to transpose!
hardly any of the songs were in the key of C, so I had to learn to play in other keys! At least until I worked out the
chord progressions. then I'd transpose them to either the keys of C, F or G :)]
I kept singing and playing through Jr High and High School, then got a new uke to take to College in Chicago [Here's
the story as it was between a Kamaka and a Martin. I didn't have much money so I went with the 'cheaper' Kamaka
at $28 for a soprano. The Martin was expensive at $35!! Oh If I knew then what I know now... :)]
I was able to get a Martin Tenor in Chicago just before returning to HNL. It had inflated to a whopping $145 with
Hard Case!.
I eventually traded it to Gordon Mark for 2 Kamaka's, a Tenor and a Baritone since I was mimicking his playing and
he played a Martin Tenor and a Kamaka Baritone. I know, I know, I'm now a Soprano, longneck Soprano, or Concert
guy now. go figure.

Oops, getting back to my First uke... I sure wish I still had it, but the termites probably enjoyed it as much as I did :)

keep uke'in',
 
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