Guitar player turned uke player from Michigan

[jiveturkey1]

After playing guitar for 20 years, even in a band, I'm switching to ukulele. Admittedly I don't have a ton of natural ability/rhythm. I could play lead guitar and learn solos and improvise some but my rhythm acoustic skills have always lacked. The band I was in was definitely amateur with friends and they put up with me. I did contribute but it would be tough when we had a show coming up and they wanted to add songs at the last minute. So, it stopped being as fun after a while and I'd rather play pool on Friday nights then go to practice. Fast forward to last December. I visited my son and he got me hooked on the ukulele. I bought a Kala bamboo tenor and got to work learning chords and strumming patterns. My wife said, wow, you're 10 times better at that then guitar! She can sing and it's always been disappointing to both of us because I couldn't play rhythm guitar well enough to play along with really. I mean I could but I'd rather make noise with my electric guitar and pedals. So, I've been learning to play songs and she's singing. We're having a blast!
I've added 2 more to my bamboo Kala. An old West German made Bruko soprano my dad bought for $2 that I fixed up. And a Koaloha Ksm-t2 soprano body with tenor neck.
I look forward to learning from the forum!
Ben T. from SW Michigan

New item by ben tackett

photos.app.goo.gl

New item by ben tackett

photos.app.goo.gl

 

[ploverwing]

Welcome to the UU forums! We are delighted that you've discovered ths wonderful little instrument.

I don't think your photo links worked, the permissions settings don't seem to make them available for us to see (at least me!). Would you mind trying again? I'll check in again to see if you need approval (sorry for the filter, but we gotta try to keep the spammers out).

 

[jiveturkey1]

Thanks for the welcome! I'm not a tech wiz!! I'll work on it...

edit: Hopefully that worked.

here's another

New item by ben tackett

photos.app.goo.gl

 

[Wiggy]

...My wife said, wow, you're 10 times better at that then guitar! She can sing and it's always been disappointing to both of us because I couldn't play rhythm guitar well enough to play along with really. ... So, I've been learning to play songs and she's singing. We're having a blast!

It doesn't get better than that. Welcome Aboard!

 

[jiveturkey1]

Thanks Wiggy!! #havingfun

 

[frets alot]

Welcome, from Northern Lower Michigan (Gaylord)!

 

[jiveturkey1]

Thanks! We're about as far SW as you can go in Buchanan. We love Northern Michigan and the UP! It's an amazing natural wonder. We have an old classic boat that we trailer up the to the port towns of Lake Michigan and explore the waterways. We've even boated downtown Traverse City. Like to hunt rocks too

 

[KohanMike]

Welcome Ben (jivetrukey1). I played rhythm guitar for almost 50 years since 1965 when I was 15 (the British invasion of course), but in mid 2013 when I was 63, I took up the tenor uke. Slipped right into it and joined a 35 person uke group. Never touched my guitars again (gave them to my nephew, a very accomplished player).

A year later the leader of the uke group asked if anyone would like to take up the bass. Another member did. For all the years I played rhythm guitar I was often told I should play bass, they said I had really good tempo and feel, but I didn't want to be encumbered by a large electric bass, forget a standup double bass. I discovered the bass uke and mini bass guitars and went for it. Bass uke is now my primary instrument with tenor uke and blues harmonica close behind.

 

[Joe T]

Welcome to UU, juveturkey!, and a warm hello from Chicago!

 

[Kenn2018]

Welcome to the UU Forum jiveturkey1. It's wonderful that you and your wife can make music together.

Yoopers are great people. Just beautiful up there.

A soprano body with a tenor neck? Interesting. You'll have to post a sound file or two so we can hear what it sounds like.

 

[mjh42]

Welcome! Perhaps you have found a stringed instrument to have fun on for a long long time......

Your experience will be a plus no doubt.....

Don't know if you ever had GAS but if you get UAS you'll be able to fit a lot more ukuleles in the same amount of space as your guitars.......

Oh and there are steel string magnetic pick up ukulele's as well......

Have fun!

 

[Jan D]

Welcome to the UU Forum, Ben. Lots of guitar players (both good and bad) have found redemption in the fun-filled ukulele. Sounds like your uke journey is progressing quite well. May it be a joyful one for you and your wife!

 

[stevejfc]

Welcome Ben!

 

[jiveturkey1]

Welcome Ben (jivetrukey1). I played rhythm guitar for almost 50 years since 1965 when I was 15 (the British invasion of course), but in mid 2013 when I was 63, I took up the tenor uke. Slipped right into it and joined a 35 person uke group. Never touched my guitars again (gave them to my nephew, a very accomplished player).

A year later the leader of the uke group asked if anyone would like to take up the bass. Another member did. For all the years I played rhythm guitar I was often told I should play bass, they said I had really good tempo and feel, but I didn't want to be encumbered by a large electric bass, forget a standup double bass. I discovered the bass uke and mini bass guitars and went for it. Bass uke is now my primary instrument with tenor uke and blues harmonica close behind.

Thanks for the welcome! I played bass on a few songs in the band and it was a lot of fun. I'm not natural at it though. The uke bass sounds fascinating. Aren't the strings silicone or something?
I bought a metronome finally so maybe I'll learn to groove better

 

[jiveturkey1]

Welcome to UU, juveturkey!, and a warm hello from Chicago!

Thanks
I'm about an hour and a half from downtown Chicago. Love visiting. I'd like to take a trip to Aloha City ukes sometime

 

[KohanMike]

Thanks for the welcome! I played bass on a few songs in the band and it was a lot of fun. I'm not natural at it though. The uke bass sounds fascinating. Aren't the strings silicone or something? I bought a metronome finally so maybe I'll learn to groove better.

Yes, the strings are polyurethane, but after a few short years of stickiness, long settle in time, stretching requiring cutting off excess, I stopped using them and now only use Kala/Galli flatwound nylon core made for bass ukes.

 

[ploverwing]

I bought a metronome finally so maybe I'll learn to groove better

You might find @Yukio 's video (shared by @TimWilson ) enlightening:

Swinging with a metronome

On the 3rd page of a thread about uke jams, our man @Yukio posted one of the most amazing videos I've ever seen, completely changing everything I'd ever thought about using a metronome. It made perfect sense in that context (here's the post), but after watching it a couple of times, I wanted to...

forum.ukuleleunderground.com

 

[Blank Williams]

Welcome, from a fellow Michigan player!

 

[Ms Bean]

Welcome to UU, Ben!