Winter Time: Back To My Uke!

[Robtjm]

I too had a problem with cracks on my fingertips. A certain pretty well-known uke player and dermatologist told me that I should look for hand "ointment" rather than "lotion". Ointment provides a much greater level of protection. One product that he recommended and that I have used is Aquaphor. Since I started using that my hands are doing much better. It is a bit sticky initially, but that goes away after a while, and your hands do feel so much better.

 

[Papa Tom]

Follow-Up (November 30): I poked around the ukulele walls at Sam Ash and another local music store today looking for one of those smiley-face ukes (or something comparable). Everything in those stores is too dang expensive, And once you sit down and actually play many of the instruments on display, they just don't sound the way they looked on the website.

I also checked out a pocket uke ($175? Why?) and was very disappointed in the tone. For fifty bucks, I'd have grabbed it, but I don't see $175 worth of music there. The one I played was tuned to high-C, which I think is a no-no. Intonation up the board was not very good.

Anyway, the point is, I guess I'm back to drooling over anything uke again. This'll last until sometime in April, when I get back on my bike. Please don't let me do anything stupid this year, like buying another banjo uke!

 

[drewp]

I can't comment on fingers or cracking/splits in the fingertips. I don't get them (I'm supposing my hands have hardened over the years from paddling canoe in the cold) Opposite of most of you, I seem to get more enjoyment out of my uke in the spring/summer months. I just commented somewhere else that I feel that my uke doesn't have the warm, rich tones in the winter (when it's dry) compared to the summer when I'm down by the coast in 80-90% humidity. I recently took my uke out and played a few tunes. At first I thought I was playing poorly....next I changed out my strings....that helped a little....I then came to realize (and I don't know whether there's any validity to it or not) that my koaloha sounds better on a warm, humid day...out on the porch than in my artificially heated, dry house. Is June coming soon?

 

[Appalachian picker]

.......... This'll last until sometime in April, when I get back on my bike. Please don't let me do anything stupid this year, like buying another banjo uke!

No advice for cracking skin....but I count my blessings that I live in Norther Tennessee where I can ride my bike in relative comfort year round. I had Thanksgiving and the day after off from work, and in the last 4 days have ridden 170 miles. Morning temps in the high 20's mandated some extra layers, but today I was in a long sleeve jersey and knee warmers, and was even able to shed my gloves mid-ride.