Your favorite things about ukes

[MRP!]

I won't list everything I like about them, but rather just share the story that got me hooked. As a little kid of maybe 6 or 7, my sisters and I had ukuleles. I don't remember where we got them, or even when. But I'm sure they were really cheap. I think I knew three chords and enjoyed playing around on it. But then at some point they sort of faded... as have any clear memories of what happened to them. But then over 40 years later, on March 11, 2011 Japan (where I live) was hit with the biggest earthquake and tsunami to strike this little island since such things were measurable. Over the next year or so I made over ten trips to the disaster zone with volunteer relief workers. The first trip was about 1 week after the quake. That team was mostly made up of young people from Hawaii. One of the guys had a uke with him and he played it everywhere. In the car, at our base camp, amidst the rubble of washed away towns and villages... it was a constant backdrop in the middle of unimaginable horror and devastation. It was comforting, it was encouraging and it sort of set the mood for our entire trip. That was when I decided I wanted to get a uke for myself. The ability of that little instrument to bring peace and joy in the midst of chaos and sadness got me hooked!

That's a moving story!

 

[ripock]

To be honest, I like the strokes to the ego. Since the ukulele is so undervalued, if you just do mundane musical stuff like playing scales or fingering arpeggios, people pat you on the back because you're doing it on a uke. I'm not too proud to take that praise although it is quite undeserved.

 

[Captain Simian]

I love how you can get some really cool chord voicings with just a couple of fingers and how easy they are to take anywhere.

 

[KohanMike]

...when I show up at an open-mic with a ukulele, amidst a sea of guitar players, I am certainly different.

I'll add that every other Sunday, weather permitting, I play my ukes in a park with a small group of acoustic guitarists who have readily accepted me without hesitation.

 

[TerryM]

1. The friendly, welcoming, unassuming, laid-back, no pressure nature of everyone and everything I've encountered related to the ukulele.

2. It's such fun to have one handy when the mood strikes, to just mess around on it, to play and sing in a group or just by yourself in the dark.

3. How quick these little things multiply, but are also relatively easy to hide store.

 

[MelTheUker]

I adore the sound of the reentrant tuning. I've also always wanted to sing and play an instrument together at the same time. I found the guitar too intimidating to try, and never got very good at piano. But I picked up a ukulele a little over 4 months ago, and haven't looked back!

I also love the community! I joined a local ukulele fest this past weekend. Everyone was so kind and supportive! I haven't felt such a sense of belonging in so short a time with any other experience. I look forward to meeting up in some local jams now!

 

[RafterGirl]

The ukulele was the instrument that unlocked the inner musician inside of me at the age of 57. I'd never really played any musical instrument before, and I took to it instantly. Now I'm playing in a performance group, in my church worship band, and I'm writing my own original music. Who'd have thunk it???? It has brought me such joy and a wonderful ukulele Ohana.

 

[Eggs_n_Ham]

What are your favorite things about ukes? For me, they are:

- The intimate, small size, allowing great music and tones anywhere, ease of packing/travel, yet still very serious instruments, on which you can do any style of music, if you try.

- Increased space between strings, compared to guitars, where many of us came from

- The Aloha Spirit - uke players are generally very open minded, accepting, happy and considerate folks.

These are a few of my favorite things...about ukes. How about you?

The extremes of the uke. From the very tiny "isimo" to the baritone, from two chord songs to the sublime and complex, the ukulele is musically "pluripotent". Almost limitless capabilities.

 

[Wiggy]

4 strings, 4 fingers.
Porta-fordable.

 

[mlolya]

I love the vast variety. The different sizes shapes woods and voices. Each instrument has its own song to sing and I wanna hear them all!

 

[Oldscruggsfan]

So much lighter weight than the brass- tone ring 5 string banjo I hefted for 40 years, and as someone said, tunes just seem to fall out of it.
Unlike uke players, banjo players are generally a fractious crowd.

 

[badhabits]

For me it's pretty simple- fun to play.

 

[70sSanO]

To be honest, I like the strokes to the ego. Since the ukulele is so undervalued, if you just do mundane musical stuff like playing scales or fingering arpeggios, people pat you on the back because you're doing it on a uke. I'm not too proud to take that praise although it is quite undeserved.

This is so true. Fingerstyle melodies, especially anything up the neck.

John

 

[Bad_Astronaut]

I like that I can play anywhere - I don’t need to set up any other gear or find a spot large enough to play without smacking the headstock into something. I could probably play in an economy airline seat, though I hope to avoid that scenario, if at all possible.

I like the weight. When I am tired, lugging out my six string bass, or even a guitar, can feel like a lot.

I like that ukuleles are not intimidating. One can play something resembling music from the get-go.

I like that a person can buy a legitimate, usable instrument for well under $100USD.

I like the instant respect the ukulele commands from other musicians - guitarists, oboists, tin whistle enthusiasts, you name it. As soon as they see that you’ve got a uke, they know that you are a next level artist and expect great things.

 

[Ukecaster]

....I like the instant respect the ukulele commands from other musicians - guitarists, oboists, tin whistle enthusiasts, you name it. As soon as they see that you’ve got a uke, they know that you are a next level artist and expect great things.

Good one! A rowdy crowd requesting Tiptoe is always a good sign!

 

[thegadgetfish]

Adding another post here: I've been visiting my family lately, and of course bringing my ukulele everywhere I go. They've started requesting very old, traditional chinese songs i've never heard of, but thanks to the magic of google translate and chordify, i've been able to strum along. My aunt today was very excited and even began to sing along! It's definitely something i've never been able to accomplish during my 10 years of piano. The ukulele brings people together with just a few chords.

 

[bacchettadavid]

Good one! A rowdy crowd requesting Tiptoe is always a good sign!

On a serious note, any musician who hasn’t listened to Tiny Tim would do themselves a favor by listening to his first two albums, God Bless Tiny Tim and Tiny Tim’s Second Album as well as his final album, a collab with Brave Combo titled Girl.

 

[barisaxer]

Ukuleles make me smile!

 

[Altrove]

I also love the challenge: it's a relatively easy instrument to pick up and be able to make pretty ok sounding music with in a very short period of time; but it's also an instrument that takes a lot of effort to build skill on if that's what you want from it. If not, then it's fun to play regardless. I love that I can play classical and early music on it, and that a lot of music written for a Renaissance guitar is perfect for the ukulele, even in original tablature.

Same, it seems an easy instrument but it can get very challenging if you want to master it to adapt to every kind of music. 4 strings are not a limit but a challenge! If like me someone is not much into traditional hawaiian music, then you can learn on it many techniques of classical guitar and acoustic guitar. Play classical and renaissance music, and I'm proud I just took my tenor to a orchestra concert dedicated to Beethoven.

I like it being portable and rather cheap to have a decent instrument to play with.

I love to play an instrument that few people know here, to spread knowledge about ukes and to break the prejudice of being toys.
I noticed that people only know the soprano and since I play tenor in orchestra (and my new tenor -see avatar- looks like a mini acoustic guitar) I often get asked which kind of guitar I play and I have to explain that is just a "bigger" ukulele
I like this kind of uniqueness and I think that ukulele players are the best community ever, I always feel welcomed by other ukulele players no matter the nationality or age gap. I like the not judgemental attitude, the lack of competition, the kind way to support and guide the beginners and the will to help any player in needs

 

[BigJackBrass]

The ukulele sparked a resurgence in my exploration of music, finding new artists and buying albums more than I have for years.

I don't only listen to Cliff Edwards