My Bushman Ukulele
Many, many years ago, about 14 or so, YouTube recommended a video of a cute blonde playing the ukulele and having a lot of fun with her friends. I completely blame my ukulele addiction on Julia Nunes. That video triggered something in my creative side and I was off to find myself an ukulele and learn how to play. Julia had won the first Bushman ukulele contest and I watched the excitement in her unboxing video. And then I saw a couple of the members of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain were playing Bushman ukuleles. Within a few months I had seen both Julia and the UOGB live in concert. And set my heart on getting my own Bushman ukulele. I entered the Bushman contest, hoping to win a gift certificate toward one of these beauties. And did okay with my original song, I Learned to Play…
UKEtopia! Adventures in the Ukulele World
There are many, myself included, that put a great deal of the credit on Jim and Liz Beloff for the current wave of ukulele popularity in the United States and the rest of the world. Chances are pretty high that if you play ukulele you have a number of Jumpin’ Jim’s song books in your collection. Many uke clubs use the big yellow The Daily Ukulele for their jam sessions. Regulars at ukulele festivals and workshops all over the world; Jim and Liz add a touch of familiarity and family to the gathering. Their welcoming personalities are a big part of their success! Flea Market Music has been teasing a new Beloff book for several months. I was tempted to pre-order on Amazon, but The Magic Fluke Company sent out a message a few weeks back that they had autographed copies available, so I sent my order off to Phyllis and…
The UKUL3L3 Dude!
After several years of being totally jealous of the individuals that had acquired Michigan’s UKULELE license plate and then the GCEA plate, (Yes, I know who has them both!) I finally went my own route. After consulting with a number of individuals and test marketing, I made a decision. You have to apply in person, so I made an online appointment at the Secretary of State office one Monday morning for the following Thursday. I walked in and out in less than ten minutes with my receipt and new registration. It arrived about two weeks later, and I was out of town. After another week, I finally put it on the car! I have also registered the domain name, so it will lead anyone that happens to look for it to The Ukulele Dude!
Midwest Uke Camp 2018 – Workshops
One of the big draws of Midwest Uke Camp is the opportunity to learn from some of the best instructors available! The organizers spend a lot of time lining up top talent and then trying to fit it all into a coherent schedule. And Ben Hassenger and company do a great job. Everyone has to choose eight workshops from a selection of over 60! When selecting workshops, I consider a number of factors. I usually start with the track aimed at my playing level, looking down the list of classes. Typically, I will eliminate any class I’ve already taken, but you’ll see below where I actually repeated myself! The other big consideration is to try and take a course from as many different instructors as I can. Not only does it expose me to new instruction, but helps me learn effective teaching techniques to use in both my ukulele workshops…
BeCause Everyone Forgets – Simple Ukulele Music Theory
An Introduction to ‘Eine Kleine’ Musical Theory for Ukulele Players I know! Your eyes glazed over just thinking about it and you are thinking “I just want to play the ukulele and have fun, I don’t need to understand any of that theory stuff.” Trust me! This will be pretty painless and will provide some basic tools that will help keep you from going crazy in the future! I’m not going into all the whys and therefores and deep depth dives, this is sort of a top layer ‘here’s enough to make you dangerous’ stuff. How many notes can you play on the ukulele? It is a pretty simple question. Most people readily understand that there are seven notes, A through G in music. Many of us learned the FACE and Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge and the notes found on the basic music scale. That covers all the white…
Should I Use a Pick to Play My Ukulele? FAQ
Like so many things, this is entirely up to you and how you play! So here are some things to consider when making your decision. When recording it can provide a sound that is picked up better by the recording system. For those with tender fingers or thin nails, due to arthritis or being young, it can be uncomfortable to play with the fingers. And it doesn’t have to be a pick, you can even use pretty much any stiff item, a piece of soft plastic, cardboard or an flat silicone eraser. One time we put a bunch of zip ties to use with a group of kids! I have one of those pick punches that can be used to punch picks out of old credit cards or gift cards. When I go to a class of beginners, I’ll have a bag full of small picks punched out of soft…
What is Your Favorite Ukulele Chord and Why?
I was able to attend the 2017 Midwest Uke and Harmonica Camp in Olivet, Michigan. As I got moved into my dorm room and walked over to the orientation meeting, I came up with a sort of ice breaker to use. Rather than asking people where they were from, I was going to ask them what their favorite ukulele chord was and why it was their favorite. Some people had an answer right away, others had to think about it for a while (or a day!). So here are some of the responses I got, along with a bit of introduction to the ‘celebrities’ I got an answer from. Gerald Ross was the fastest one to answer, absolutely no hesitation. “The magical chord! C6 [5-7-5-7]. Whenever I pick up an ukulele that is the chord I play, and then slide two fingers up into the Cdim7 [5-6-5-6] or down to…
Can I Fly With My Ukulele? FAQs
Please note that the following article is specifically aimed at domestic travel within the United States. If you are crossing international borders, restrictions on certain types of wood and ivory can be cause major problems at customs. Make sure you are fully informed before taking your instrument through customs anywhere in the world! The safest way to travel with an ukulele is to carry it on as your personal item. I have never had any trouble going through security carrying an ukulele. The closest issue I had was when the screener asked what it was and if I could play it. I offered to, but he waved me on through with a grin. I have a bit of bungee chord that I use to wrap around my case, through the handle, and fasten it to my roller bag. My roller bag is one of the smaller types that will actually…
How Do I make an easy E Chord? FAQ
Over the years of being a member of ukulele groups and many online forums, there are a number of questions that continually come up. So I am creating a number of articles to address these FAQs. Like all advice, you have to take the responsibility and make the ultimate decision yourself. So here’s the first one! What is the easy way to make an E chord? There are many ways of making the E chord. A Major chord only requires 3 notes. To have an E chord you must have the E (duh!), G# and B notes. So you really only have to play three notes, the fourth string can be used to double up any one of those three notes, or not played at all. So there are many ways of playing the E chord, but most chord books will show you one of four ways. The most common…
Ukulele: The World’s Friendliest Instrument
Ukulele: The World’s Friendliest Instrument Daniel Dixon Gibbs Smith Publishing Hardcover 144 Pages Audience – Any Player Rating – Ukulele pictured – c. 1960’s Silvertone Baritone Lavishly illustrated it follows the same general format as most ukulele books. It starts with a history of the instrument and its emergence from Hawaii to the rest of the world. It then goes into a variety of the great players, both past and present, and some of the amazing manufacturers. The use of photographs and pictures makes the book flow nicely and provides a colorful read. The book includes a few pages at the back from “The Daily Ukulele” by Jim Beloff on playing the instrument and a chord chart with 108 of the most common chords. The resources include web sites and local clubs, but it is a limited listing (12 entries) and is unfortunately already out of date. Overall I found…