jon_s
Member
Hi everyone-
I've been lurking here for the better part of 2 months & thought I finally ought to register if only to voice my thanks for the wealth of information I've found on these pages which has been extraordinarily helpful as I embark on my ukulele odyssey.
Small bit of background-
I used to play varied flutes, tin whistles & the like - then strayed altogether from music. I have a couple of acoustic guitars on hand but always had trouble getting beyond the initial pain, a few chords was all I could ever muster - probably would have been a better idea in hindsight to start out with a nylon stringed guitar.
Anyway, fast forward a bit - about 6 weeks ago I decided to buy a Ukulele pretty much on a whim ( the Donner concert in my sig line), stupidly cheap so a low risk transaction + I was guardedly hopeful that my fingers would soon both harden up & become more dexterous with that instrument.
A couple of observations a few more weeks into the experiment -
I'm playing the ukulele(s) ummm... they multiplied... A couple hours a day. My only limitation is not pain on the fretting fingers but rather when they get tired. The Ukes get a lot more attention than the guitars but certainly all 4 get played at least a little daily and the Guitar has also in fact benefited by getting over the hump with the uke.
I'm enjoying the journey so far; the Donner was a purchase made on a whim (~60 incl bag, tuner & extra "strings"), but as it turns out after the fact Baz had reviewed that same ukulele & on balance didn't think that badly of it. It is a decent starting point, much improved by Aquila Nylgut strings & even more improved by a set of Aquila red strings, at least as my ear is concerned. Why yes spending over 10% of the initial cost of the instrument on strings is absurd it does make a difference at least to my ear.
Then I had to get a tenor- Cordoba in sig. I like it a lot too, the difference in build & tone quality is apparent vs. the Donner since the Cordoba's MSRP is well over twice that of the donner & it shows.
...Yeah I get I'm totally entry level / laminate instruments here but ya gotta start somewhere. I also will use the Donner as a setup guinea pig (what's to lose?). Her intonation is pretty close actually but I'd like to lower the action a bit & as noted better to mess with low $$ things to learn with when if you really really screw it up - no great loss .
Then of course I decided I needed a soprano & one from Mim's ukes should be here in the next day or so - an Ohana referenced in my sig line that should at least in theory be a step up from the Cordoba etc. which I'm very excited about because setup! & also that laminate willow is darn pretty. The irony of that Ukulele being shipped from China to Long Beach (where Ohana is headquartered) to VA & back to Long Beach is not lost on me either. Sheesh I live about 10 minutes from Ohana's facility. Maybe I should try to talk them into a walkthru sometime...
There is a method to my madness- I'm learning 15 chords or so at the moment that I want to apply to a few songs I like- that's right just chords, getting them clean, transitioning between them , some arpeggio, some strumming but mostly just teaching my fingers & ear as I go.
Having multiple sized instruments helps- I just practice on the smallest until my fingers get a little tired, then move up a size - rinse / repeat and pretty soon I end up with a couple hours practice a day easy peasy.
SO why yes- I'm having fun,
Thanks everyone for this resource, I'm looking forward to becoming a part of this community.
I've been lurking here for the better part of 2 months & thought I finally ought to register if only to voice my thanks for the wealth of information I've found on these pages which has been extraordinarily helpful as I embark on my ukulele odyssey.
Small bit of background-
I used to play varied flutes, tin whistles & the like - then strayed altogether from music. I have a couple of acoustic guitars on hand but always had trouble getting beyond the initial pain, a few chords was all I could ever muster - probably would have been a better idea in hindsight to start out with a nylon stringed guitar.
Anyway, fast forward a bit - about 6 weeks ago I decided to buy a Ukulele pretty much on a whim ( the Donner concert in my sig line), stupidly cheap so a low risk transaction + I was guardedly hopeful that my fingers would soon both harden up & become more dexterous with that instrument.
A couple of observations a few more weeks into the experiment -
I'm playing the ukulele(s) ummm... they multiplied... A couple hours a day. My only limitation is not pain on the fretting fingers but rather when they get tired. The Ukes get a lot more attention than the guitars but certainly all 4 get played at least a little daily and the Guitar has also in fact benefited by getting over the hump with the uke.
I'm enjoying the journey so far; the Donner was a purchase made on a whim (~60 incl bag, tuner & extra "strings"), but as it turns out after the fact Baz had reviewed that same ukulele & on balance didn't think that badly of it. It is a decent starting point, much improved by Aquila Nylgut strings & even more improved by a set of Aquila red strings, at least as my ear is concerned. Why yes spending over 10% of the initial cost of the instrument on strings is absurd it does make a difference at least to my ear.
Then I had to get a tenor- Cordoba in sig. I like it a lot too, the difference in build & tone quality is apparent vs. the Donner since the Cordoba's MSRP is well over twice that of the donner & it shows.
...Yeah I get I'm totally entry level / laminate instruments here but ya gotta start somewhere. I also will use the Donner as a setup guinea pig (what's to lose?). Her intonation is pretty close actually but I'd like to lower the action a bit & as noted better to mess with low $$ things to learn with when if you really really screw it up - no great loss .
Then of course I decided I needed a soprano & one from Mim's ukes should be here in the next day or so - an Ohana referenced in my sig line that should at least in theory be a step up from the Cordoba etc. which I'm very excited about because setup! & also that laminate willow is darn pretty. The irony of that Ukulele being shipped from China to Long Beach (where Ohana is headquartered) to VA & back to Long Beach is not lost on me either. Sheesh I live about 10 minutes from Ohana's facility. Maybe I should try to talk them into a walkthru sometime...
There is a method to my madness- I'm learning 15 chords or so at the moment that I want to apply to a few songs I like- that's right just chords, getting them clean, transitioning between them , some arpeggio, some strumming but mostly just teaching my fingers & ear as I go.
Having multiple sized instruments helps- I just practice on the smallest until my fingers get a little tired, then move up a size - rinse / repeat and pretty soon I end up with a couple hours practice a day easy peasy.
SO why yes- I'm having fun,
Thanks everyone for this resource, I'm looking forward to becoming a part of this community.