Jumpn in with both feet

I Don't know why but I just got the hankerring to play Uke. SO I bought an Oscar Schmidt OU2T. Well, it's sitting at home waiting for me to pick it up. I won't get there for a week or more and had some time to drop by WoodWind BrassWind, where I picked up a cheap Rouge Soprano yesterday, and played it for hours last night. I'm hooked. I ordered a dozen books to help me learn, but so far have been using the web.

OK, the cheap Rouge has a very high action, but I have built banjos before so I'll fix that when I get home. I've already tightened the tuners. It came with Martin nylon strings, but I bought a set of Martin fluorocarbons too, so I will swap strings in a few days.

I drive truck, and freight has been down for some time. Now I can learn ukulele while I'm sitting around waiting for a load. So far I have tought myself violin, viola and banjo this way. I get in over 40 hours a week practice.

Like I said, I'm hooked, and am thinking about buying an Oscar Schmidt OU7TE too. Oh I ordered a Luna concert electric, the Tattoo version this morning, hope it's in when I get by the house. Should I get a baratone too?

Has anyone here tried the Oscar Schmidt OU7T out? How do you like it. I'm not worried about my cheap ukes being a laminate, as they will get banged up on the truck, and be exposed to dry and wet conditions, so will be less likely to split than a solid wood. Since the OS OU7TE is supposed to be solid wood, it won't travel on the truck with me.

For books I've grabbed;

1)Fun With The Ukulele Mel Bay

2)Songs and Solos for the Uke Mel Bay (Ken Eidson)

3)Absolute Begginers Steve Sproat

4)Uke'An Play Jimmy Buffett

5)Easy Songs for Ukulele Hal Leonard

6)The Beach Boys For Ukulele Beach Boys

7)Ukulele for Dummies

and Jumpin' Jims

8)Ukulele Beach Party
9)Island Tropical tubes
10)Jim's 60's Uke In

11)The Most Requested Songs (Ukulele) Hal Leonard

12)and the stupid little one page starter guide from Rouge.

Last night I was using Ukulele Mikes You Tube lessons. They really got me going. I can already do all 4 basic 4/4 strums, and the 3/4 strums, as well as play a few of the pieces right along with him. I think I played Sloop John B for a few hours last night.

Oh one last thing about me. I do not watch any TV. I mostly work and play instruments. And lately, it's mostly play my instruments. The only thing bad about starting the Uke seems to be, that I will be spending less time practicing my violin, and viola. I practice my Cello and Trumpet when I'm home for a few days. I hope to get a hand full of songs memorised by Nov. for my vacaton down to Florida. I can't wait to sit on the beach and strum away while the sun sets over the Gulf.

Good stuff, learn your chords at Uncle Rod's Ukulele Boot Camp. good luck

Yikes! You do have it bad .

Sounds like you have some cash to burn- I would save it up and do the quality over quantity thing. I would rather have one Kamaka and a decent "beater" for in the truck than 10 laminate ukes. I went cheap on my first uke (not that the ukes you're buying are cheap, but I think we're in different income brackets ) and I kind of wish I had that money back to put towards a nicer one. I'm currently stuffing money into the "hobby" fund and playing my Makala less than enthusiastically.

I played an OS OU2 concert for a couple of months (my uncle's). I liked it. Somewhat muted (partially due to the strings- I finally got him to buy a new set) and not set up great. I did like the wide fret board. I would search around and try and play some other ukes and see what you like. Or if that's not an option go on other peoples recommendations (preferably someone that has tried 'em all, lol).

I'd skip the baritone for now, as it's tuned differently and will become confusing trying to learn both.

Welcome to the forums! It's a one-stop place for all things uke.

Yep, looks like you got it bad.

As far as books, I'd add Fretboard Roadmaps and Jumpin Jim's Daily Ukulele to your list.

Welcome to Ukulele Underground!

You have it bad mate...good for you! I would recommend a Baritone whole heartedly, because it is the perfect match for al the other instruments you play, and I figure with a Flip video in hand you are off to the races accompanying yourself....But Bari is normally tuned differently than uke, unless you have a set of SOuthcoast linear non wound strings, which are the best things to happen to the ukulele ever.
In any event- look forward to seeing what you throw down. A video camera is a must, because with 40 hours of play time, you are going to get good fast.

Not really cash to burn, but sitting in my truck playing instruments is my biggest expence. I'll add the Jumpn Jim's daily Uke to my collection, but what are fret board road maps? I have a page with 144 different cord finger placements already. Does the book (fret board road maps) give you tips on how to finger the cords easier?
I love the Ukulele Mike videos on you tube. I practice alot, and am getting better, but it has taken me more than 40 hours to get some songs down. And I still haven't memeorised any.
I grabbed a Santa Rosa baritone for $20, figured at that price I couldn't go wrong. Then grabbed a set of non wound high G strings for it. SO I think it should use the same fingering for the cords as my other Ukes. I haven't recieved my Luna concert yet. It doesn't ship untill the 30th. I love my Oscar Schmidt OU2T. Seems set up well right out of the box. I haven't had the chance to lower the action on my Rouge soprano yet. That Uke is a finger killer compaired to my OS.
Looked at the Kamaks tenor....I think I'll wait on putting that much into a Uke. Chances are that after I can play half decient, I'll start some other instrument anyways. I want the Uke to take along when I go on a cruise and for vacations in Florida. Like I said I carry them in a truck, so they can get damaged. Just had my best violin and viola stolen, so I don't want expensive instruments, just usable ones. I do have to say, for beginners, don't over look the Oscar Schmidt Ukes. Even the lower priced OU2's seem quite good to me.
Only video camera I have is in my cell phone, and I can't hold the phone and play. I do have a sound card and have recorded violin viola cello music. Solos and multi track/quartet on the truck. Did a bunch of ABBA songs with the supplied sound track that came with the book. Did a 3 track recording of Viva La Vida on violin. That came out real good, and a recording of Hey Soul Sister with a Karoke sound track for back ground on violin too.
My favorite musicians are; Iz (of corse), Jimmy Buffet (I want to be able to play a bunch of his stuff on Uke), Vanessa Mae, and a Europian group called Fuse. Other wise I listen to classical music. Mostly Bach.

this is the fretboard roadmap which itsme mentioned:
http://www.amazon.com/Fretboard-Roadmaps-Ukulele-Essential-Patterns/dp/1423400410/ref=pd_sim_b2

welcome to UU, btw if you are looking for some solid/easy to carry in truck uke, maybe you should check out travel ukulele like Kiwaya or Kala's and see if they are strong enough to survive.

gtrk said:

but what are fret board road maps?

Click to expand...

The roadmap book is great for learning chord structure and theory behind them, you can quickly learn your fingerboard and play multiple voicings of the same chord without needing a book. It is great for people who want to eventually learn songs by ear.

Edit: Welcome to DU!

Congrads and welcome. Buffet's Pencil thin Mustache and Grape-fruit Juicyfruit sound great on the uke and are fairly easy once you get the barring down. Have fun.

foxfair that's the one I just put on my Amazon wish list. I'll get it with my next order.
vanflynn I'm working on Margaritaville now. And I really want to get One Particular Harbor learned. I guess you already have his Uke/an Play Jimmy Buffett book. I wish it had Migration and Holiday in it.
I'll get 3 or 4 hours paractice in today and got 6 in yesterday. I should get another 4 to 6 in tomarrow. My fingers will feel like raw hamberger by then.

This is the little finger killer.

Oscar Schmidt OU2T

Here's the sweet CHEAP tenor I love.

Just did the set up on the Rouge today. WOW what a difference it made. Much easier to play now and it sounds better too.

Here's the Baritone I grabbed. It's a Santa Rosa, not an expensive one. Didn't have time to fool with it much, been jammin with my OS Tenor and little Rouge Soprano for the last 3 days. Concert Uke hasn't shipped yet, can't wait to try it out.

Oh! Are there any Uke players here from the Ardmore, Ok. area?

Just bought an Oscar Schmidt OU5. Waht would be the best strings for this Uke? Are the D'Addario Pro Arte string louder than the Aquila strings? I have heard this uke doesn't project as well as some other KOA concerts do. But it sure is pretty and I got a real good price.

Welcome to UU

We're a friendly bunch, and it seems like you've been well and truly bitten by the Uke bug! Those are great books to start with, I also do a "Daily Ukulele" post in Uke Talk that uses songs from the Jumpin' Jim book - The Daily Ukulele, very good book, has helped move me from beginner to intermediate player - though a heap of practise helped!

Someone has already suggested Uncle Rod's Boot Camp, so I'll second that and I also love "Ukulele For Dummies" very very good and informative book!

Welcome again!

Get :music:

Joey

On my saving up to buy list is a Kanilea K-1 tenor Koa Hawaii Island Tattoo ukulele.

Good luck on uking! It is a calling, really...or maybe more like an infection. A shot of penicillin will help clear that up and the itching will go away over time.