JukeManJole
Active member
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2024
- Messages
- 31
- Reaction score
- 27
Picked up a cheap ukulele my daughter got as a present from my sister and started strumming. Played it until it started breaking. Now I can’t stop.
Ended up getting an Enya Nova Mini U, and I am on my third set of strings now. Played them until I wore them out, which I am proud of. Finally mastered the D chord, to where I don’t even think about it. Still working on the E chord. Barre chords seem to get better the more I practice them. Trying to learn some classical, but it still sounds like garbage when I play past the 7th fret. (My barre chords past the 7th fret are worse than garbage). Playing high G.
I am not naturally musical, but I do have a tendency to repeat things over and over until I get them right. I actually enjoy this, so I have that going for me. I also had a ton of fun learning some basic theory, so instead of learning a new song, I have more fun transposing a song I already know to a different key. This has helped me memorize all the major and minor chords.
Not sure what to do next…….
LONG ramble below. Feel free to ignore. TLDR: What should I buy?
To be honest, I don’t like the way the ukulele sounds when I hear other people play it, aside from that one guy who demos all the instruments on theukulelesite.com. Hope that doesn’t offend anyone. I much prefer the sound of the acoustic guitar, but my daughter is just starting, and I just know that she would get demotivated if her dad started playing too. She has basically said as much.
However, I’m already invested in learning the uke, and I do REALLY like the smaller size and neck of the uke compared to the guitar. I’ve got small and fat hands (3” middle finger), and I know people say anyone can play guitar, but making the chord shapes and stretches for uke feels pretty effortless, and I like that.
Ultimately, I want to play music for my enjoyment, but I would also like the capability to play in a folk/country/bluegrass band after 5ish years of hard practice. I walked my this group of grey-haired gentleman playing some folk music at the market the other day, and I was just jealous. I’m almost never jealous. I can’t play the banjo or guitar at all hours of the day in my house because of the noise, but I can practice my uke late at night. (Thinking about a Risa stick plus pre-amp plus headphones to make it even quieter).
I’ve played the crap out of this Enya and would now like something a bit nicer. Considering the following:
1. Sticking with gCEA and buying a risa stick soprano or tenor to maximize practice time. Use all the practice time to actually get proficient at something and then reassess if I want to play a different instrument.
2. Buying a baritone uke. I’ve played some tenors at the shop and still didn’t much care for the sound.
3. Buying a tenor guitar. Would have to learn fifths tuning. I do love the sound, but it is bigger and I know I’d practice less. The Kalas look affordable and nice.
Ended up getting an Enya Nova Mini U, and I am on my third set of strings now. Played them until I wore them out, which I am proud of. Finally mastered the D chord, to where I don’t even think about it. Still working on the E chord. Barre chords seem to get better the more I practice them. Trying to learn some classical, but it still sounds like garbage when I play past the 7th fret. (My barre chords past the 7th fret are worse than garbage). Playing high G.
I am not naturally musical, but I do have a tendency to repeat things over and over until I get them right. I actually enjoy this, so I have that going for me. I also had a ton of fun learning some basic theory, so instead of learning a new song, I have more fun transposing a song I already know to a different key. This has helped me memorize all the major and minor chords.
Not sure what to do next…….
LONG ramble below. Feel free to ignore. TLDR: What should I buy?
To be honest, I don’t like the way the ukulele sounds when I hear other people play it, aside from that one guy who demos all the instruments on theukulelesite.com. Hope that doesn’t offend anyone. I much prefer the sound of the acoustic guitar, but my daughter is just starting, and I just know that she would get demotivated if her dad started playing too. She has basically said as much.
However, I’m already invested in learning the uke, and I do REALLY like the smaller size and neck of the uke compared to the guitar. I’ve got small and fat hands (3” middle finger), and I know people say anyone can play guitar, but making the chord shapes and stretches for uke feels pretty effortless, and I like that.
Ultimately, I want to play music for my enjoyment, but I would also like the capability to play in a folk/country/bluegrass band after 5ish years of hard practice. I walked my this group of grey-haired gentleman playing some folk music at the market the other day, and I was just jealous. I’m almost never jealous. I can’t play the banjo or guitar at all hours of the day in my house because of the noise, but I can practice my uke late at night. (Thinking about a Risa stick plus pre-amp plus headphones to make it even quieter).
I’ve played the crap out of this Enya and would now like something a bit nicer. Considering the following:
1. Sticking with gCEA and buying a risa stick soprano or tenor to maximize practice time. Use all the practice time to actually get proficient at something and then reassess if I want to play a different instrument.
2. Buying a baritone uke. I’ve played some tenors at the shop and still didn’t much care for the sound.
3. Buying a tenor guitar. Would have to learn fifths tuning. I do love the sound, but it is bigger and I know I’d practice less. The Kalas look affordable and nice.
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