What's your Ukulele story?

Miss Michele

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My interest in playing the ukulele came from boredom, really. I work an evening shift while my friends and family all work the day shift. I hardly have a social life because of this. I have other hobbies, but I wanted something different in my life. I decided it had to do something with music because I enjoy listening to music. I wanted to create my own music. So I did some research on a few musical instruments. I stumbled across an ukulele video and I was hooked! The more I watched and researched, the more excited I became about learning to play the ukulele! Before I even got my uke, I would sit for hours watching tutorials and learning chords. Thanks to boredom, I'm a happy Uker! ;)

What's your ukulele story?
 
This promises to be a great thread, so I'll keep mine brief:

Dad got hooked on uke when stationed in Hawaii, taught me the basics when I was about 9. Picked a little banjo and guitar in High School, moved on to piano. Bought a Kamaka as a souvenir in 1991, but let it gather dust. Two years ago, took it backpacking so I could jam with the boys, then decided it was time to finally learn to play. It is now my overriding passion in life (next to my wife (had to say that:)).
 
Posted this about a hundred times in the past few weeks...not shy about posting it again.
I was given the holy grail, and ignored it for 20 years. Think it is a pretty good story:
An Old Ukulele
 
My friend brought an Ukulele and posted pictures on her blog, she said she wanted to buy one in many different colours. Anyway, I was out shopping one day and we saw a charity shop that was selling new instruments and low and behold there was this purple Ukulele, with a blue and red one too. The price was within my budget and I thought I would give it a go, I brought it and then found myself wiling away the hours learning chords and then I found this place and the rest, as they say is history!
 
actually got tired of using the computer for gaming lol got myself a uke and now i play that instead

having a blast!!
 
How I found the ukulele was sort of a divine intervention I believe. If you’re not spiritual, I guess this will throw you off. But I don’t know how to describe it any other way. At one night while searching for songs we will sing in church, I found in youtube a cover of really mellow Christian song reinvented using a ukulele. Knowing how the song sounded originally, I tremendously noticed the difference. The mellow heavy Christian song sounded light, honest, vulnerable, and in my opinion happier. That opened up a whole new respect for a new instrument. I googled ‘ukulele.’ From numerous articles, one of which I don’t remember anymore, I read that the ukulele is the second easiest stringed instrument anyone could learn. And it was fate from then on. Maybe I could learn the ukulele. Weeks passed, and for days I also passed by numerous music shops gazing through a very very limited stocks of ukuleles. I ended up with one that’s made in Indonesia. Got home, looked up how to tune it and then I was surprised and hour later. I was able to learn this land is your land, yellow submarine, and surfin’ USA in one hour and these were taught by one guy – Ukulele Mike from youtube. Three songs in one hour, I was amazed and happy. Sure it wasn’t MJ’s man in the mirror but it’s better than Mary had a little lamb.
 
Great threat!

After playing the guitar for a couple of years, I realized that the music I played on guitar weren't the music I liked to play. Also, I grew tired of the fact that everyone could play guitar - Nothing special about that.
A couple of hours on YouTube showed me that ukulelemusic was what I had been looking for all the time, so I ordered a ukulele to try it out, and has been loving it ever since.
One of the things that I love the most is that Ukulele is completly underrated where I live, and most often considered a small toy. I love the expression of people's faces after I've played a couple of numbers. No more laughs when I bring my ukulele :)
 
My story not so exciting... but here it is, Years ago (I wont tell exactly how many) I was a DJ at my college radio station, just before they changed over to CD's from real vinyl, I played this song occasionally by Camper VanBeethoven called Take the Skinheads Bowling, moving forward a few years(and several years ago) One of my old DJ friends emailed me a link to a ukulele cover of it by three women, members here ukulezo is one, loved it and was amazed that the ukulele could make music like that, and then when I saw people doing Ramones covers on the uke, I was smitten.... Alas I did nothing about it.

So years later my kids are older and all taking instrument lessons Oldest 14-guitar, next 10- violin and just started flute, youngest is8 and has been taking guitar and just started double bass. I was raging in jealousy at my kids making music (loving it all the same and so excited to have live music blaring all the time) One day, chatting with the guitar teacher, he starts mentioning the ukulele and how the shop just got a good one... and says you should play because you are so intrigued with music(noting he had been trying to get me to play guitar) and that got me thinking about it again... I was a bit scared to do it because it wasn't in the budget for me to have lessons but for a belated birthday gift my husband bought me a very basic uke, a Greg Bennett for about $60. A week later, in a terrified state, I replaced the strings with aquila's and I am making my way around the fretboard a little....

I love all your stories... keep 'em coming...
 
I've played and owned all sorts of instruments over the years, but I played guitar first. Stringwise, mandolin came next. On another board altogether, another mando player I respect (and member of this board) mentioned that he wasn't playing his mandolin much since he'd been having so much fun with uke. Uke? Who knew?
Around that time, I came across the Jake video of "While My Guitar etc" and that was that-- I had to give it a try.
I still play my other instruments too-- just revived my guitar interest, and I still play a lot of mandolin in a small Irish band and at sessions.
 
My story isn't very interesting, but I'll share it anyway.
I loved the version of Somewhere Over The Rainbow by Glee, the cover of Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's version, and I was in love, especially with the sound of the uke, it sounded so light and happy. I didn't go and buy an uke immediately though, I got my Mahalo completely by accident, from a guitar shop in a shopping centre. I was actually going to buy a new pair of shoes, but I saw it hanging there for a bargain $39 SGD, so I thought I'd get it. I'm really hoping to get into this like how so many people are on here.
 
Guitarist for 20 years, but a big fan of George Harrison and knew he loved the uke ( I love the story about George - he always travelled with two ukuleles - so that if he started playing with a friend, they could join in)

Bit the bullet about 2.5 yrs ago with a cheap and nasty Mahalo and got hooked. Seem to play the uke more than guitar now
 
I've always loved music and tried for many years to find an instrument I could actually play. Guitar came and went, flute, blues harp, piano, penny whistle, and mandolin. I could never get to the stage where I could competently play anything worth listening to. This frustrated the heck out of me, and I watch as my two kids grew up and took to music. Both sang in choirs, and the older kid, our daughter, took to percussion. Our son stayed with voice and is now an opera singer.

While I've loved seeing the kids successes in the background there has always been a disappointment that I have not been able to play an instrument myself. My brain just hasn't been able to make it happen. A few weeks ago, on Father's Day in Australia, I got a big chocolate and a little cardboard box from my kids, that says on the front "Dear Dad, happy Father's Day, from your loving children. xoxo Father's Day 2010." I didn't realise that is was an instrument inside until I opened the box, and when I did, there was this beautiful little Makala MK-SN. I've been playing it non-stop since then, and have five tunes in my practice set, and I'm not far off being able to play them all at a reasonable speed with enough clarity that you can tell what they are. That's better than I've ever done with any other instrument in 57 years. I'm hooked on my little uke, and I love playing it every day.

Bruce in Adelaide
 
My story isn't very interesting, but I'll share it anyway.
I loved the version of Somewhere Over The Rainbow by Glee, the cover of Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's version, and I was in love, especially with the sound of the uke, it sounded so light and happy. I didn't go and buy an uke immediately though, I got my Mahalo completely by accident, from a guitar shop in a shopping centre. I was actually going to buy a new pair of shoes, but I saw it hanging there for a bargain $39 SGD, so I thought I'd get it. I'm really hoping to get into this like how so many people are on here.

Same as this person, Was watching Stu on Glee and just had to do it... Brought me a 20 dollar uke to get use to the chords, Now just upgraded to a Concert Mahalo and can say I can play "Someone where over the Rainbow". I've got my mistakes to a maximum of about 8 everytime I play... But hey ... you have to crawl before you can walk :)
 
My story is posted somewhere around here... but here's the distilled summary:

I'm a multi-instrumentalist (guitar, bass, mandolin, dulcimer, keyboards and percussion); started as a drummer in 10th grade. I always thought the uke was a toy.

Fell in love with uke on my first visit to Hawaii in 2003 when I saw/heard many Hawaiian bands on 3 of the islands. Researched the uke upon returning home and bought a mango Fluke. Wow... then I bought an Applause electric tenor uke. When I returned to Maui in 2005, I bought a Kamaka 8-string tenor uke at Bounty Music as my ultimate musical souvenir. I spent an entire day traveling between Mele Music and Bounty Music before making my decision about 2 hours before my plane departed.

Since then, I've acquired 7 ukuleles: KoAloha sceptre and a Pineapple Sunday, a very sweet Ohana soprano, and several Kala's, to add to my collection. I play them all... :)
 
My clock-radio awoke me last May, and, shortly, a tune started. It was "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", and I thought, "That almost sounds like a 'ukulele!?" (I didn't know that it actually was a 'uke) I got a notion to buy a 'ukulele to see if WMGGW could actually be played on one of them. (I sold my Martin guitar about 20 years ago, and hadn't played anything since.) Through the painful fingertips and cramping left arm, I've rediscovered making music, and am enjoying it more than the guitar, by far. It is amazing just how many intricate chords and playing nuances there are on a little soprano 'ukulele. I now listen to music with a different ear. "I bet I can work that out on my pineapple.", etc. It's a terrific antidepressant as well.

So, mahalo, Jake Shimabukuro, for the inspiration.
:shaka:
 
Wasn't allowed..ALLOWED! to play music or learn an instrument as a child, so naturally I tried to learn after I left home. I tried guitar, keyboard, drums, banjo, harmonica, jaw harp, nothing stuck until this little bundle of love entered my life. I'm getting better, but maybe because I feel like I'm cheating I haven't posted songs yet on youtube, etc. Still kinda fighting the parental shame I guess.
:anyone:
 
I asked for a guitar for my 7th birthday. This was almost 40 years ago and kid-size guitars were not common at all. The music shop salesperson steered my dad toward a ukulele instead; this was probably especially attractive to my dad because between growing up in the 1920s and 1930s and spending a lot of time in Hawaii he could play a bit - hey, no need to spend money on lessons for the kid! So I happily strummed my little uke for a couple years, then my dad passed on and I moved to a city where there was no cultural diversity whatsoever, and thus had no way to continue learning. I ended up trying to learn guitar and piano, did poorly at both, but never lost my interest in music.

Fast forward, um, almost 40 years. I found myself living near a great music shop where there was a ukulele instructor whose musical sensibilities were in line with my own, and - well, here I am :)
 
My wife suggested that I buy a ukulele on a trip to Hawaii in 2009. Never had played ANY instrument ever. Saved up money from various sources (loose change, gift money etc.) and while in Maui, visited Bounty Music, they did not have what I was looking for (KoAloha Tenor). Went to Lahaina Music and they did not have a KoAloha Tenor....but they did have Kamaka Tenors! I played a few and bought one. Was given a $100 discount due to a very minor scratch in the gloss finish near the sound hole. They even threw in the hard case for it and a set of strings. Sold!!! Now I have been playing for a year and have aquired two more ukes (Damn UAS!!!) It has been a blast!!
Got my Makala Concert as a Christmas present from the family and most recently bought a Kanile'a 6 string deluxe tenor from Bount Music in Maui.
 
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