I have a pair of ukuleles. They are fun to play. I bought fleas from http://elderly.com/. You can get a flea for $175 US.
They really lend themselves to chord work. It is easy to learn and play chords on uke. They seem less flexible for melody playing at least in their standard tuning. If it is a tune in c, you might be ok.
I play Irish Traditional Music almost exclusively,
but never on Uke.
I've tried, but it just isn't a natural fit. That said, I've heard that mastery of Ukulele can be a good lead in to guitar.
Why are you getting a uke? Is to eventually buy a guitar? If that is the case, just buy and guitar and learn to play on it. Uke's aren't very good fro Irish music. If you are looking for something with 4 strings, then buy a mandolin.
The usual spelling is UKULELE but your one I’ve seen.
It means “little jumping flea” in Hawaiian (or similar). They evolved out of a Portuguese instrument in the last few hundred years after sailors from that country (Port) took them there.
You need to choose which one you want: Baritone (tuned DGBE like the top strings and in unison of the six string devil (SSD)-(proper uke players never say the “G” word!), Tenor tuned a fourth up (GCEA) or the treble or concert (tuned also GCEA but re-entrant i.e. the G string is tuned an octave higher than you’d expect). In fact the tenor can be re-entrant or with a low G non-re-entrant (?!) entrant (???!!!).
Another variation is the BANJOLELE. This is a treble but with a banjo style body. There are high, loud and shrill. This is the thing that George Formby and Tessie O’Shea played. Tiny Tim played the standard treble uke.
You can also get rainbow coloured ones, flying vee ones, pineapple shaped ones. It is a fab instrument.
Good bog standard make is Mahalo (designed in Hawaii, made in China). These are good work-a-day models, not flash nor shight, a bit like Fenders in the SSD area. Have a Google and don’t forget Google Image Search!
Don’t get one with SSD type machine heads. They may be easier to tune but the tuners make them so neck heavy they are impossible to play. Buy one with tuning pegs or modify straight away.
Ukes are very easy to learn as they have nylon (or gut strings) and don’t hurt as much as the six string devil. They do make a stepping stone to playing SSD esp. for kids. You can soon add on the knowledge in order to play their extra A & E strings! The baritone is perfect for backing Trad Irish. The bottom string is a D blah blah blah…
Nothing to do with or like mandolins for instance!!
Don’t believe what some may say!
As soon as I walk in and whip it out people smile! You’re never alone when you’ve got your little ukulele in your hand!
I would suggest that you go to www.ebay.com and find a seller there named "musicguymic" (MIchael Aratani). He is a fine retailer based in Hawaii. Tell him your price range and INSIST on Aquila Nylgut strings, and he can be your guide. (His instruments retail for as little as fifty dollars, U.S., plus shipping)
It is essential that a ukulele be set up properly if it is to be deemed a viable beginner's instrument. The combination of Mr. Aratani's expertise setting up the instrument and the greater volume and finer tonal qualities permitted by the Nylgut strings should render your experience with the "ukulele ('ooh-koo-leh-leh) most enjoyable. (My second choice would be Elderly Instruments at www.elderly.com. They are experienced retailers with regard to the ukulele, but stopped providing set-up as part of the instrument purchase some years ago, unlike "musicguymic", who typically includes it with every purchase.) I would suggest that you ask for a sound clip of any instrument that you may purchase before it is shipped to you.
I would also suggest that you seriously consider using a strap. Install a button on the back, and tie a shoestring under the strings on the headstock to support it. In that manner even a soprano was rendered playable by me, when I had previously used concert or tenor size instruments exclusively. You can also employ a concert guitar strap, but with less ease of use and more risk that the instrument will come loose from the strap. The "Uke Thong" was my solution when I could not bring myself to mar the finish on my concert ukulele.
If you seek to use the instrument for popular ukulele tabs, ask Mr. Aratani to set it up with a standard, re-entrant set of Aquila strings. If you wish to use it for Irish music, I would suggest that you give some consideration to requesting a "low G" string set, which will extend the range of the instrument to the "G" note below middle C (Low G - C - E- A). You can also ask Mr. Aratani to equip the instrument with one of a Aquila's "Perfect Fifths" sets of strings, which will provide you with mandola tuning, and perhaps an even better fit for Irish traditional music. It may take some time for him to order the perfect fifths set.
I certainly hope that these suggestions have been of some service to you, and wish you all the best with the magnificent ukulele. You may reach Mr. Aratani directly at: musicguymic@aol.com.
I have a Baritone Ukulele and it's great fun...not real good for ITM...but great for some of the older stuff like....As Time Goes By,Dont Fence me In,Makin' Whoopee and songs of that era,,,
Really cheap too....mine cost me Aussie$ 59.00..
Baritone Ukes are tuned DGBE,,,as in the top 4 stings of a guitar...lots of chord charts and info on the 'net ...
I play the uke (easier to spell !) . . no good for Irish music . . but zoukboys right about the older stuff . . this is a list of some of the songs I play in stndard C tuning G C E A :-
Love is the sweetest thing
If you were the only girl in the world
Show me the way to go home
Ain't she sweet
Side by side
Tiptoe through the tulips
When your smiling
When the red red robin etc
Oh i do like to be beside the seaside
I'm forever blowing bubbles
Has anybody seen my gal
Etc Etc . . .
I'ld just like to say that my SO has a uke, and is always bugging me for the chords to tunes, when she doesn't know the tune, or wants a change from playing it on flute or whistle. I'm sure there are more po-faced sessions where one wouldn't be well received, but our friends are broad-minded.
Ukelele purchase (probably spelt wrongly!)
Ukelele purchase (probably spelt wrongly!)
Does anyone have any idea about ukeleles, where I might buy one, cost, how easy they are to learn etc.?
# Posted on August 19th 2008 by Stuartpiano
Re: Ukelele purchase (probably spelt wrongly!)
Contact the Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain and they'll point you in the right direction
http://www.ukuleleorchestra.com/main/Workshops.aspx?SessionKey=
# Posted on August 19th 2008 by boxedup
Re: Ukelele purchase (probably spelt wrongly!)
Try raising your question here:
http://www.ezfolk.com/forums/category5/
All the best!
Peace,
Ed
# Posted on August 19th 2008 by ejsant
Re: Ukelele purchase (probably spelt wrongly!)
I have a pair of ukuleles. They are fun to play. I bought fleas from http://elderly.com/. You can get a flea for $175 US.
They really lend themselves to chord work. It is easy to learn and play chords on uke. They seem less flexible for melody playing at least in their standard tuning. If it is a tune in c, you might be ok.
I play Irish Traditional Music almost exclusively,
but never on Uke.
I've tried, but it just isn't a natural fit. That said, I've heard that mastery of Ukulele can be a good lead in to guitar.
# Posted on August 19th 2008 by abuteague
Re: Ukelele purchase (probably spelt wrongly!)
Why are you getting a uke? Is to eventually buy a guitar? If that is the case, just buy and guitar and learn to play on it. Uke's aren't very good fro Irish music. If you are looking for something with 4 strings, then buy a mandolin.
# Posted on August 19th 2008 by Celtic Guitar
Re: Ukelele purchase (probably spelt wrongly!)
I have a kamaka baritone uke. Fabulous instrument.
http://www.kamakahawaii.com
# Posted on August 19th 2008 by Chief Wanganui
UKULELE!
The usual spelling is UKULELE but your one I’ve seen.
It means “little jumping flea” in Hawaiian (or similar). They evolved out of a Portuguese instrument in the last few hundred years after sailors from that country (Port) took them there.
You need to choose which one you want: Baritone (tuned DGBE like the top strings and in unison of the six string devil (SSD)-(proper uke players never say the “G” word!), Tenor tuned a fourth up (GCEA) or the treble or concert (tuned also GCEA but re-entrant i.e. the G string is tuned an octave higher than you’d expect). In fact the tenor can be re-entrant or with a low G non-re-entrant (?!) entrant (???!!!).
Another variation is the BANJOLELE. This is a treble but with a banjo style body. There are high, loud and shrill. This is the thing that George Formby and Tessie O’Shea played. Tiny Tim played the standard treble uke.
You can also get rainbow coloured ones, flying vee ones, pineapple shaped ones. It is a fab instrument.
Good bog standard make is Mahalo (designed in Hawaii, made in China). These are good work-a-day models, not flash nor shight, a bit like Fenders in the SSD area. Have a Google and don’t forget Google Image Search!
Don’t get one with SSD type machine heads. They may be easier to tune but the tuners make them so neck heavy they are impossible to play. Buy one with tuning pegs or modify straight away.
Ukes are very easy to learn as they have nylon (or gut strings) and don’t hurt as much as the six string devil. They do make a stepping stone to playing SSD esp. for kids. You can soon add on the knowledge in order to play their extra A & E strings! The baritone is perfect for backing Trad Irish. The bottom string is a D blah blah blah…
Nothing to do with or like mandolins for instance!!
Don’t believe what some may say!
As soon as I walk in and whip it out people smile! You’re never alone when you’ve got your little ukulele in your hand!
# Posted on August 19th 2008 by yhaalhouse
Re: Ukelele purchase (probably spelt wrongly!)
I would suggest that you go to www.ebay.com and find a seller there named "musicguymic" (MIchael Aratani). He is a fine retailer based in Hawaii. Tell him your price range and INSIST on Aquila Nylgut strings, and he can be your guide. (His instruments retail for as little as fifty dollars, U.S., plus shipping)
It is essential that a ukulele be set up properly if it is to be deemed a viable beginner's instrument. The combination of Mr. Aratani's expertise setting up the instrument and the greater volume and finer tonal qualities permitted by the Nylgut strings should render your experience with the "ukulele ('ooh-koo-leh-leh) most enjoyable. (My second choice would be Elderly Instruments at www.elderly.com. They are experienced retailers with regard to the ukulele, but stopped providing set-up as part of the instrument purchase some years ago, unlike "musicguymic", who typically includes it with every purchase.) I would suggest that you ask for a sound clip of any instrument that you may purchase before it is shipped to you.
I would also suggest that you seriously consider using a strap. Install a button on the back, and tie a shoestring under the strings on the headstock to support it. In that manner even a soprano was rendered playable by me, when I had previously used concert or tenor size instruments exclusively. You can also employ a concert guitar strap, but with less ease of use and more risk that the instrument will come loose from the strap. The "Uke Thong" was my solution when I could not bring myself to mar the finish on my concert ukulele.
If you seek to use the instrument for popular ukulele tabs, ask Mr. Aratani to set it up with a standard, re-entrant set of Aquila strings. If you wish to use it for Irish music, I would suggest that you give some consideration to requesting a "low G" string set, which will extend the range of the instrument to the "G" note below middle C (Low G - C - E- A). You can also ask Mr. Aratani to equip the instrument with one of a Aquila's "Perfect Fifths" sets of strings, which will provide you with mandola tuning, and perhaps an even better fit for Irish traditional music. It may take some time for him to order the perfect fifths set.
I certainly hope that these suggestions have been of some service to you, and wish you all the best with the magnificent ukulele. You may reach Mr. Aratani directly at: musicguymic@aol.com.
All the best!
# Posted on August 20th 2008 by Arthur Nordstrom
Re: Ukelele purchase (probably spelt wrongly!)
I have a Baritone Ukulele and it's great fun...not real good for ITM...but great for some of the older stuff like....As Time Goes By,Dont Fence me In,Makin' Whoopee and songs of that era,,,
Really cheap too....mine cost me Aussie$ 59.00..
Baritone Ukes are tuned DGBE,,,as in the top 4 stings of a guitar...lots of chord charts and info on the 'net ...
# Posted on August 20th 2008 by zoukboy
Re: Ukelele purchase (probably spelt wrongly!)
I play the uke (easier to spell !) . . no good for Irish music . . but zoukboys right about the older stuff . . this is a list of some of the songs I play in stndard C tuning G C E A :-
Love is the sweetest thing
If you were the only girl in the world
Show me the way to go home
Ain't she sweet
Side by side
Tiptoe through the tulips
When your smiling
When the red red robin etc
Oh i do like to be beside the seaside
I'm forever blowing bubbles
Has anybody seen my gal
Etc Etc . . .
# Posted on August 20th 2008 by Justintime
Re: Ukelele purchase (probably spelt wrongly!)
I'ld just like to say that my SO has a uke, and is always bugging me for the chords to tunes, when she doesn't know the tune, or wants a change from playing it on flute or whistle. I'm sure there are more po-faced sessions where one wouldn't be well received, but our friends are broad-minded.
# Posted on August 20th 2008 by Guernsey Pete
Re: Ukelele purchase (probably spelt wrongly!)
PS; The Ukulele Orchestra rock !
# Posted on August 20th 2008 by Guernsey Pete