First Time Strumming an Ukulele

efiscella

UU VIP
UU VIP
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Messages
902
Reaction score
789
Location
Sewell, NJ (suburb of Philadelphia, Pa)
The other day I was talking with a person who is totally new to ukulele and stringed instruments. He was "fretting" (pun intended) over which first ukulele to purchase. He has never played a stringed instrument. He has been researching ukuleles on this forum and many others, reading, and watching videos and the data is overwhelming, almost to the point of paralysis, especially if you never played. He found me on here and saw that I distribute Alvin "Pops" Okami's Wow and Star Spangled Banger ukulele. He asked about them, and although the price is really reasonable for a high quality instrument, he asked if "they are too good for a first ukulele."

That got me thinking to my first purchase back in 2008 and the experience that I had. I will share that now and I wonder if anybody else had the same Kind of experience as me.

2008 I was in Waikiki and went to Pua Pua Ukulele and wanted to buy an uke to bring home from Hawaii, but so many ukuleles and which one to buy. There were the K-brands, Kala, Lanikai, Cordoba, Makala, and Kohala. They all seemed expensive to me. I loved the look of the K-brands, especially the Kanile'a but what I found was that because I never played a stringed instrument, when I strummed, the $2000 ukulele sounded as bad as the $100 ukulele which really sounded bad. My fingers dug into the strings. Flopped between the strings. Every uke I played sounded dull. The Kamaka sounded like a Makala in my inexperienced hands. I even took 4 free lessons at the store (they did that to get people playing so they could sell an ukulele). By the end of the lessons I knew that Kohala and Makala were not for me but maybe a Kala.

I ended up buying a Travel Kala-concert with Tenor neck. Went home and played 30 minutes minimum every night and sometimes for hours and within a month, I wanted something better-- more musical -- easier to play, more volume and sustain, better tone. I joined UU and started buying everything I could, just to try them. Well not everything -- every K-Brand and offshoot like Pono and Islander, even Koalana.

I am wondering if anyone else had that experience and although the general rule is to purchase the best ukulele you can afford-- my question is "are there limits?"
 
Last edited:
So sorry. I'd like to get the replies going, but I don't understand the question.
 
So sorry. I'd like to get the replies going, but I don't understand the question.

I suppose I am asking two questions:

1. has anyone else had a first experience where they just stunk strummimg the ukulele. Where great ukes sounded as bad as the worst, because of the lack of skill.

2. Can an ukulele be "too good" to purchase as a first ukulele?
 
I suppose I am asking two questions:

1. has anyone else had a first experience where they just stunk strummimg the ukulele. Where great ukes sounded as bad as the worst, because of the lack of skill.

2. Can an ukulele be "too good" to purchase as a first ukulele?

That would depend on how much you play it. If you play something daily, logging on hours and hours of enjoyment ovsr time, the value you have gotten for ths cash can easily justify an expensive uke. Similarly, if a uke is rarely played, the cost can rarely justify the expense, even if it is a cheap ukulele, but especially if it is an expensive one.
 
I think that too inexpensive an ukulele can create a bad experience and discourage a person from pursuing playing. But there are plenty of modestly priced Enyas, Ohanas, Kalas, etc. that sound reasonably good to encourage further playing.

Can you get too expensive an instrument for a beginner? No, I don't think so. So long as they know enough about handling it properly. Of course the newbie probably won't appreciate the instrument until they grow into it. And most likely, they won’t know what sound they prefer without experience and hearing various instrument builds. So if you buy too expensive, it will be harder to change it.

I began playing a Luna tenor provided for beginners to try at our club meetings. I decided I wanted my own tenor instrument before the next meeting, and knew that the Luna probably wasn't the one I wanted. I knew absolutely squat about instruments in general, and especially ukuleles in particular. I searched for information online. The UU Forum did not come up in my searches. I read several articles and about the only knowledge I came away with was, that the best wood for ukuleles was Koa! My wife suggested Amazon since I had a couple of gift cards for them. I looked a dozens that were listed. Read the reviews. And settled on a koa tenor from Fender. Mostly because I liked the headstock shape. The koa was laminate. All I can say was that it was "adequate." I later read about "setup" and realized that was probably why playing a barre on the first fret was so difficult.

I remember thinking that I would never pay more than $500 for a ukulele. That was ridiculously high.

I bought an Ohana Cedar/Rosewood at a local shop. And had them setup my Fender. Then a Pono Acacia from Uke Republic. and it was off to the races. I wanted to try different woods and brands. UAS had grabbed, because I was fascinated by the different sound each tenor ukulele produced. That has not changed, though the degree of difference has narrowed.
 
I am in the extreme minority here, but my feeling is screw beginning ukuleles. They are a waste of money. I started with a $200 one, moved onto a $400 one, now I am happy with my $2000 Kamaka. If I had just bought the Kamaka to begin with it would only been $2000, but as it stands I have spent about $3000 (including the ukuleles I discarded). I know that wasn't exactly your question, but I felt my experience very strongly after reading your post.
 
I am in the extreme minority here, but my feeling is screw beginning ukuleles. They are a waste of money. I started with a $200 one, moved onto a $400 one, now I am happy with my $2000 Kamaka. If I had just bought the Kamaka to begin with it would only been $2000, but as it stands I have spent about $3000 (including the ukuleles I discarded). I know that wasn't exactly your question, but I felt my experience very strongly after reading your post.
No, that is exactly my question-- thanks

Actually, back in 1079, I purchased a Kamaka HF-38 at the factory and it sat in a closet for 30 years because I could not play it. It was hard to play and there was no support back then here on the East coast. If it had been an HF-3 there would have been no problem adjusting, but the HF-38 was too difficult for me. Once I got the Kala, and quickly moved from that to Kamaka, Kanilea, and KoAloha, I realized that the HF-38 would never be for me, but at least I had the taste of the sound of a quality uke.

My original point was that I feel like I wasted my money on the Travel Kala. I should have spent the $500 on quaity uke right from the beginning, but $2,000, how do you know that you are going to stick with it when you are a newbie?
 
No, that is exactly my question-- thanks

Actually, back in 1079, I purchased a Kamaka HF-38 at the factory and it sat in a closet for 30 years because I could not play it. It was hard to play and there was no support back then here on the East coast. If it had been an HF-3 there would have been no problem adjusting, but the HF-38 was too difficult for me. Once I got the Kala, and quickly moved from that to Kamaka, Kanilea, and KoAloha, I realized that the HF-38 would never be for me, but at least I had the taste of the sound of a quality uke.

My original point was that I feel like I wasted my money on the Travel Kala. I should have spent the $500 on quaity uke right from the beginning, but $2,000, how do you know that you are going to stick with it when you are a newbie?

If I spend $2000 I am going to stick with it no matter what...even if it clog-dancing to Miley Cyrus.
 
A Newbie going into a Music Store is not going to buy a $2000 uke.

They will see that for that amount of their hard earn cash the prices of iconic instruments like a Fender Stratocaster or Gibson Les Paul or a Yamaha or Roland keyboard and see the label on a uke that says $2000 and their first thought will be wtf is that price.

No, a newbie will look cheap and spend perhaps 2 or 3 times the cheapest they and maybe up to $200 thinking that if they spend a bit more the uke will last longer.

Does owning and playing a $2000 uke make you 10x the player than if you played a $200 uke?
 
If he wants a decent uke at a reasonable price, I would suggest an Enya concert. He will spend a small amount of money and get something he can use to get started - or continue. If he enjoys it enough to get a better uke, he will at least have some experience.
 
A Newbie going into a Music Store is not going to buy a $2000 uke.

I don't see why not. Thirty years ago I decided to learn the flute, so I went to a music store and got a several thousand dollar instrument for $23.89 a month. What's that nowadays? The price of a few packs of cigarettes or a night at the cinema or a fraction of a cell phone bill. It is doable if making music is a priority to you. Obviously it isn't necessary but it is one path and it is not hard to do.
 
I don't see why not. Thirty years ago I decided to learn the flute, so I went to a music store and got a several thousand dollar instrument for $23.89 a month. What's that nowadays? The price of a few packs of cigarettes or a night at the cinema or a fraction of a cell phone bill. It is doable if making music is a priority to you. Obviously it isn't necessary but it is one path and it is not hard to do.

A newbie might lose interest quickly and take a substantial loss on the uke he has to sell.
 
If newbies are willing to research and buy used (whether $50 or $2000), they will most often "lose" less than most new instruments if they decide not to play it.

My very first uke was a beautiful like new Kamaka tenor, purchased over the phone unseen and second hand from a guy's barn where he sold guitars. I eventually sold it for more than twice what I bought it for to a guy here on UU, and that guy sold it for even more.
This once in a lifetime "deal" was only possible because I read up on good ukuleles outside of my price range and was ready to buy. I also knew (having played guitar) that I would enjoy a better instrument - in terms of playability and sound and looks.

Granted, this takes a little gutsiness and some financial capacity. And there are many more people looking at the "deals", and the digital world makes them much more public, so less likely a story like mine.

But still, if a newbie bought one of the recent like new Kanile'a K-1 concerts sold at $600, or a repaired vintage Martin sop at $300 (both much more worthy compared to a cheap uke of a $50 luthier set-up if needed), the playability and sound of those instruments probably increases chances of successful playing or of re-sale at the price paid.

(I confess that doing things this way does dramatically increase the chance of being bit with the UAS bug, LOL.)
 
Last edited:
I think we still (though to a lesser extent) combat the perception that the ukulele is a “toy” or a less serious instrument than a guitar. That misperception is not helped when tourist stores and ABC markets in Hawaii sell unplayable wall hangers for $30-50.

So, the initial price of $150-200 for a true entry level model is already 5x what some people expect and are shocked by that.

I remember my first ukulele was a concert lanikai that was not set up. It was laminate and painful to fret the first position chords. What an impediment to learning. I remember what the shop owner said, sometimes paying more to get a better sound out of an instrument inspires you more to play. At first, I dismissed that as I wasn’t sure I wanted to make that investment in an nstrument I may not take to. I traded the lanikai back in after two weeks and used the store credit to buy a KoAloha koa concert. I played that exclusively, until I discovered tenors and low G.

So, while my first strum was not great, I enjoyed it enough to pay more to play a higher quality instrument.

So, what do people think is the sweet spot for an entry level uke? $150-$250? $300-400. $500-700?
 
I think we still (though to a lesser extent) combat the perception that the ukulele is a “toy” or a less serious instrument than a guitar. That misperception is not helped when tourist stores and ABC markets in Hawaii sell unplayable wall hangers for $30-50.

So, the initial price of $150-200 for a true entry level model is already 5x what some people expect and are shocked by that.

I remember my first ukulele was a concert lanikai that was not set up. It was laminate and painful to fret the first position chords. What an impediment to learning. I remember what the shop owner said, sometimes paying more to get a better sound out of an instrument inspires you more to play. At first, I dismissed that as I wasn’t sure I wanted to make that investment in an nstrument I may not take to. I traded the lanikai back in after two weeks and used the store credit to buy a KoAloha koa concert. I played that exclusively, until I discovered tenors and low G.

So, while my first strum was not great, I enjoyed it enough to pay more to play a higher quality instrument.

So, what do people think is the sweet spot for an entry level uke? $150-$250? $300-400. $500-700?

So, Yes, I agree. That kala travel concert that I bought had awful setup. and my hands and fingers hurt so badly. Of course, my wife had no understanding, when only a month in, I wanted to to buy a better uke, when I had "already paid $375" for an ukulele. My second ukulele was a concert KoAloha, set up by HMS, and I still have it today. I too like the low-G tenor but I just can't seem to part with this KoAloha. As for the Kala, I use it now to collect autogtraphs.
 
I’ve been playing about nine years. I don’t think it’s necessary to spend more than a few hundred dollars on a first Uke. The most important thing is that that first Uke be solidly constructed but not over built and then set up so that it’s as easy to play as possible.

These will ensure that the person has a decent shot at having a good playing experience and discovering what the ukulele is all about musically and whether or not it’s something they want to pursue.

If they end up upgrading to a better, more expensive instrument later they’ll appreciate having an extra one to travel with, to loan or to share with a friend.
 
Of course, much depends upon the person's age and musical background and level of desire to learn to play. Not to mention local resources for lessons and social support.

If an adult, I think spending $300 to $500 is a good starting point. There are a lot of very good ukes at that price. Most people, should they continue to play will keep that for a year or so. That gives the beginner plenty of time to learn the basics. Try other sizes and makes and models and be able to make an informed decision about where to go from where he/she is in their journey. If they are lucky, there will be a nearby uke club where they can try other instruments, have a lot of fun and be encouraged to continue.

To answer your first question Ed, would it be a problem learning to play piano on a Steinway and Sons Grand Piano? Probably not. Should they buy one if they have never played before? Ditto.

If I had to do it over, would I have purchased a $2000 tenor to begin to learn on? Nope. I would have missed out on a lot of the journey of learning. And, I would have had no idea what tenor would best suit my needs then and in the future. Heck whilst I have a clearer picture now, I still don't know what would make the ideal instrument for me five years from now.
 
Top Bottom