"Sweet Georgia Brown" on martin-esque Brüko rosewood

Jan Haasler

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A while ago I visited the factory/workshop if Mrs & Mr Pfeiffer Brüko) and played many models they had there.
I ended up with 3 sopranos to choose from.
A Walnut Pineapple, a padouk soprano, a rosewood soprano.
Because my time to stay was nearly off with the help of the Pfeiffers I took the rosewood model.

After fooling around with my new Brüko Rosewood model (I love the Martin-esque look) and trying out different strings I found its sweet spot in a d f# b tuning (D tuning) and with Worth Brown mediums.


I really shines now and sparkles I think.



The other clip is just a random impressions with my kids in the background talking...
 
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You got some nice ukuleles there, well suited to your playing, which I enjoyed.
 
Your Sweet Georgia Brown performance is the type of playing that epitomizes a personal favorite ukulele style. I'll be watching this again and again, for sure.
I agree. This is, as you noted, the epitome of ukulele strumming I seek to emulate. Though I gravitate toward the three-finger style of “lyric-melody”, Jan’s wonderful style is precisely what springs to mind when I think “ukulele”.
I’ve worked on a three-finger version of SGB for several weeks but am pivoting to Jan-style after watching this cover on that really nice Bruko!
 
Thank you very very much for all the comments and the feeback.

I am mostly using my thumb, or my thumb and index for all of my playing (chord melody, strumming, solo playing mostly thumb or alternating thumb and index like Mark Knopfler coming from the guitar).
Though I am not focussing on a specific style per se with my ukulele playing.
I took elements of Herb Ohta-Sans playing as well as a bit Roy Smeck-ish techniques or stuff, that modern players use without stating that I feel I copy those styles but amulate them to suite what my music demands.

I am capable of a three finger and four finger style (I am a trained guitar player, classical, folk/Blues/rock and jazz styles) but on the ukulele I feel those playing styles do not do the instrument justice, at least when I play with guitar-ish techniques.
So I play (especially on the soprano) very different from how I was used to play on the guitar (you may check out my solo work on my "Ukumentals" albums if you like to or on my other youtube videos).

For this video here I was heavily influenced by the sound that Roy Smeck has on his albums with band context (because that Brüko rosewood in D tuning there sparkles so well and I felt to play a bit in that style... I am not a big expert on Roy Smeck's ukulele playing anyways).
Here I mostly strum the chords/chords+notes quite hard and loudly for that chord solo kind of style. But it is also intersting to play it completely different too I think.

However.
I alsways suggest what ever it is you are after to practise/play, just do it. Listen to yourself and listen to what you are aming at and at a certain point be okay with what you have achieved. That will be your indidvidual style in the end.
 
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Beautiful work on both these videos, Jan. The contrasting instruments and playing styles were very interesting. Thank you for sharing!
 
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