What is an unpopular/controversial opinion you have regarding the ukulele?

[BBegall]

As the title says, what is a "hot take" or unpopular/controversial opinion you have about something related to the ukulele?

After playing low G and baritone ukuleles for several years I've lost all interest in re-entrant tuning.

Sorry.

 

[bilbo56]

Love the yellow and blue books and looking forward to the next one.

Hot take: Low G and baritones get more attention on UU than the rest of the ukulele world. If you're on UU enough, you'll think your missing something if you don't have a low G uku.

 

[Another Ukulele]

Ha, some good ones on here.

Here's mine: 99% of the time, ukulele players who say they play jazz are just playing an arrangement of the written melody of a standard, and that's it. While pleasant, that's not jazz. As a starting point, jazz is improvising a new melody over the standard chord changes. If you're not doing that, you're playing a show tune from the American Songbook. Which is fine! But it ain't jazz.

Improvise on 12 bar blues.
it ain’t jazz, but it is improv.

 

[kkimura]

Didn't someone say that if you play the wrong note once, it's a mistake but if you play the wrong note more than once, it's jazz?

 

[Mike $]

What people don't realize about improvisation, is that it is all well practiced and worked out ahead of time...all the licks and riffs. Then they are rearranged to suit the players mood. They aren't inventing a new melody right there on the spot, they're assembling licks, scales and arpeggios. It's not a difficult skill to learn. Even if you only play one arrangement, you can change a few notes and voila, you're improvising!

 

[Milesaway71]

While technically correct, it also means that commonly used words such as "jazz standards" doesnt have any meaning. Those tunes from that American Songbook you write about, which many jazz musicians have played, are commonly referred to as jazz standards. So, yeah, playing a rehearsed version of a jazz standard doesnt make one a jazz musician. But to communicate with other than jazz enthusiasts, it makes sense to say that I like to play old jazz standards or stuff that sounds "jazzy", uses "jazz chords" etc. And I do try to avoid calling my own playing jazz, out of respect for musicians with skills enough to actually play a jazz session. But not using the word at all to describe a genre is silly. Imagine trying to describe the type of songs I like to play and the sound I try to imitate as "American Songbook", "Tin Pan Alley" or "Old Show tunes". People my age not into the genre would have zero clue what the first two means and get misleading associations from the last.

I guess that this is the next level of another opinion:
Ukulele strum along meetings are not "jams".
While the word jazz in the pure sense implies something with swing feel and improvisation, the word jam has not even crossed over to describe a genre. It solely means playing unrehearsed and improvising. You can discuss the level of improvisation, and whether it needs to sound good enough to be pleasant for any other than those playing. But there need to be improvisation.

What people don't realize about improvisation, is that it is all well practiced and worked out ahead of time...all the licks and riffs. Then they are rearranged to suit the players mood. They aren't inventing a new melody right there on the spot, they're assembling licks, scales and arpeggios. It's not a difficult skill to learn. Even if you only play one arrangement, you can change a few notes and voila, you're improvising!

Wonderful... I've been away from forum a few months and immediately find an interesting OP. This theme is right up my (tin pan) alley.

We all know the uke has always fit perfectly with early jazz/pop (as portrayed in so many iconic pictures) where it at best was used as a complementary instrument in rythm playing. Learning about the genre turns out to be fascinating to aspiring musicians as it (Tin Pan Alley) holds a vital place in western music evolution.

For myself, not being classically trained, the basic geometry of the chord progressions holds vital clues to understanding how the heck "modern" songs whether folk, blues, pop, or jazz, are constructed and played.

*What my HOT TAKE here is; The uke can be, and is, among other things, a soloing instrument.

How the uke transitioned into a solo instrument (sort of) ... those older "wizards" of uke used a lot of chord melody skills, but apparently the uke is generally not considered for its solo-ing prowess. I'd love to go down the list of uke solo-ers up to this point in time...

 

[therealsimon]

I think Tiny Tim set the ukulele reputation as a legitimate instrument back at least 30 years.

When a friend invited me to come to a uke club meeting, my first response was, "That small toy Tiny Tim and Fred MacMurray played?"

I'm glad I went and found out my perception of ukuleles was so very wrong.

Tiny Tim definitely ruined the ukulele's reputation, and made people think of it as a novelty/joke.

Simon

 

[BuzzBD]

Those who preach anyone who spends more than $150 for a ukulele is foolish, but take umbrage when others describe the instrument as a toy.

 

[therealsimon]

As a creator of play along videos, in my case, and I’ll also add for a few of the others, the goal is to make resources that can be used with groups of students, age 11 up, in music classes where students can learn how the basics and play music they enjoy (I also make play alongs in a variety of styles). And what is great is that it takes away the requirement to sing (though they sing anyway).

The play alongs were never really meant to be for everyone (though anyone is welcome to use them) nor were they meant to be the only thing that someone ever plays…

But it does make learning enjoyable and fun in music classes, which are often trapped in the genres of folk music and classical music. And I love classical and folk music—but it isn’t THEIR music.

In my interview with Jim Beloff, Jim didn’t want to make a 3rd Daily Ukulele, feeling that “his” music was represented and that it was someone else’s job to represent the music of others—I’m glad he changed his mind and is coming out with the 3rd collection !

I understand, and as a teacher I do appreciate the work you do with play-alongs, as yes it does make ukulele more engaging in the classroom. My point was while they do teach ukulele to a certain extent, to keep progressing on the instrument, more than uke play-alongs are needed, and a lot of people don't realize this and keep using uke play-along videos.

Simon

 

[ukukeguy]

Tiny Tim definitely ruined the ukulele's reputation, and made people think of it as a novelty/joke.

Simon

In defence of HK, he probably influenced Bowie's creation of Ziggy Stardust as much as, if not more than "Legendary Stardust" Cowboy Norman Odam. He was also a fan of "old time' music (then probably only about 40 years old; the Beatles/Bowie are older than that, relatively speaking!) and far more tunes than just TTtT which are still being talked about today.

 

[ukukeguy]

Please don't correct my dialect.
UK. Is it yoo-kay or ooh-kay?

<edit> In American English, I use only these words that start with the sound "ooh:
oops
oof (more of a cough sound)
ooh (exclamation of pleasure or displeasure)
oompah (when describing polkas)

Words That Start with OO

Words Starting with OO: OOB, ooblast, Oobleck, OOBs, oocapt, oocapts, oocyeses, oocyesis, oocyst, Oocystaceae, oocystaceous, oocysts

www.merriam-webster.com

I'd say umpah, but you'd have to consult an umpire on that.

 

[Patty]

There are many examples of words from other languages that are used routinely by English-speakers and have their pronunciation anglicised, I don’t think that it is a measure of disrespect. For example “voir dire” is pronounced by at least some Americans in a way that makes me want to tear my own ears off, “croissant” is another one, but I don’t think they’re being disrespectful to French culture.

There’s a difference between how you pronounce a word when you’re actually speaking that language and how you say it in conversation in your own language, imo.

Agree! “Toilet” came from French but we don’t pronounce it twah-lay.

 

[Patty]

For anything more complex than strumming first position chords I use a strap or sit down - even on a soprano.

Yes! This is my biggest unpopular (or at least controversial) opinion about the uke. I consistently use a strap, even seated or semi-reclining on the couch. Why risk dropping the uke? And why not be as comfortable and have as much control and good form (thumb behind neck) as possible? Also, I can get up to answer the phone or get a fresh Guinness Extra Stout without putting down the uke.

Unpopular opinions #2, #3, and #4:

* If you use a strap, put on strap buttons. You’re not playing a museum piece.

* Low G works perfectly well on sopranos and concerts.

* If you don’t like your strings, change them right now. Don’t wait till the current ones wear out. Keep experimenting with new strings till you find the ones that make you happy. Life is short.

 

[ukukeguy]

But imagine going to an open mic, and only staying while you performed and then skidadling? That would be rude, the true contribution is your attention not the songs you sing… And finding better comments than "nice bring" requires focus.

I have actually witnessed this at open mics in the past and yes, it is incredibly discourteous. I have stopped doing the Seasons as I frequently get bored with my own submissions before I've completed them, so it seems unfair to inflict them on others, but I genuinely get more pleasure from other people's submissions than my own, even if I don't always comment.

 

[gustophersmob]

After playing low G and baritone ukuleles for several years I've lost all interest in re-entrant tuning.

Sorry.

Its funny how people like different things, its what makes the world interesting. I started on electric bass then picked up acoustic guitar. That was around 27 years ago. When I started playing the uke in 2015, the high-G re-entrant tuning really attracted me. It makes it so different than my other instruments. Now, almost 9 years later, soprano re-entrant is still my first choice.

 

[mcramton]

I think Tiny Tim set the ukulele reputation as a legitimate instrument back at least 30 years.

When a friend invited me to come to a uke club meeting, my first response was, "That small toy Tiny Tim and Fred MacMurray played?"

I'm glad I went and found out my perception of ukuleles was so very wrong.

A friend of mine thinks the problem is the name ukulele - it just sounds silly.

 

[Voran]

There is nothing wrong with not doing covers.

I have upwards of 100 original songs in my head I would rather not forget. I don't have spare memory for covers.

 

[DuckyI]

Improvise on 12 bar blues.
it ain’t jazz, but it is improv.

Well, that depends on the solo! But jazz and blues come from the primordial musical soup after all

 

[MusicalApprentice]

* Low G works perfectly well on sopranos and concerts.

* If you don’t like your strings, change them right now. Don’t wait till the current ones wear out. Keep experimenting with new strings till you find the ones that make you happy. Life is short.

Love these! Especially the last one.

(And I have to try low G on a soprano. I've been wanting to hear it, need to find some time, and get a low G string to try....)

 

[RafterGirl]

Beware. The following opinions may be unpopular or controversial. Please be kind & remember that the ukulele (however you pronounce it) is an instrument of joy & happiness. To each their own.

Straps - yes, always for me

Thumb position - wherever it feels best at the moment.....behind, not behind, wrapped around to play a chord with my thumb like a guitar player. Whatever works.

Along the same line as the thumb position - I'm not obsessive about 100% correct fingering for chords. If it sounds good in passing, I'm ok with it. I'm either playing at home for my own pleasure & practice, playing in a band with other instruments (guitars & piano), playing in a performance group with 20 other ukulele players, or playing in a jam with 50-60 ukulele players of all levels. I doubt that anyone else knows or cares if I'm playing a "correct" D7 or a Hawaiian D7, a "correct" B flat or cheating with a Gm7. If the guitar players in my band hate a certain chord fingering, they just slap on a capo and change key.

Strum patterns - helpful at times, but I mostly "feel" it. When I do an open mic song and people ask me afterwards what the strum pattern was that I was playing, I just kinda shrug????

Hate - glossy necks & capos

Why do I type radius fret board instead of radiused...... stupid auto correct keeps changing it as I type and I give up.