Loving my Ukulele.
@JadePlatypus (234)
Australia
July 20, 2016 5:55am CST
A couple of months ago, I purchased a tenor Ukulele and I must tell you what fun it is. Uke's have only 4 strings, so much easier to learn than a guitar, and for those of us with smaller hands and shorter arms, ukes are easier to hold than guitars. What is more, to play a C chord on the ukulele uses only one finger on one string. So easy. Now, I can't say that the sound of a Ukulele is full and vibrant; in fact my guitar-playing hubby calls it a 'tin-pot little baby'; but I don't care. It is easy. Well.....it's partly easy. For some reason, I have trouble strumming continuously keeping the same beat. I can't sing and play at the same time. I'll keep practising and in the mean-time, any tips to make me a wonder-strummer would be gratefully appreciated. 
5 people like this
6 responses
@JadePlatypus (234)
• Australia
22 Jul 16
Yes @simone10 , guitar is hard on the fingers. My husband has a steel-string guitar, I think he has callouses on the tips of his fingers. The uke is easy, it has nylon strings. Well, easy-er, anyway. I shouldn't say easy, not yet.
1 person likes this
@simone10 (54187)
• Louisville, Kentucky
22 Jul 16
@JadePlatypus You are right about callouses. My son plays the guitar and that is what he told me about the finger tips. I stopped because I didn't want callouses on my finger tips.
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@JudyEv (342447)
• Rockingham, Australia
20 Jul 16
The ukulele seems to have had a resurgence of popularity lately. I have short, stubby fingers and always found the stretch required by a guitar to be beyond me. Regarding singing and playing, when my husband complained of not being able to coordinate hands and feet when learning to play (dance-band) drums I remember telling him that I'd read that you needed to get one of the 'sections' acting automatically before adding another section. So once he got his feet going without having to think about it he should start adding his hands. When I started conducting a small group whatever my left hand did my right hand copied. I had to get my right hand secure in beating beats before trying to indicate dynamics with the left. But I'm not sure it's quite the same with strumming and singing.
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@JadePlatypus (234)
• Australia
21 Jul 16
Yes, it seems to be popular, I'm not sure if it's just in Aus or not. My husband tells me the same -to strum the pattern over and over and over and over again until it is automatic, and then add the voice.And he recommended that I count the beat by stamping my foot, which is hard for me because when I was playing Clarinet with a concert band, the foot movements were frowned upon. Ahh, its a wonderful learning curve. What sort of group where you conducting?
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@JudyEv (342447)
• Rockingham, Australia
21 Jul 16
@JadePlatypus I know many groups don't like you stamping your foot. Can you wriggle your big toe up and down and count with that? I conducted a brass band for a while. They couldn't find a conductor and most only knew brass whereas I had done a lot of piano and theory. So I got to be 'it'.
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@arthurchappell (44998)
• Preston, England
6 Aug 16
A popular instrument here in the UK - have fun with it - i'm sure you'll sound fine
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@JadePlatypus (234)
• Australia
20 Jul 16
It will only take you 5 minutes to learn one chord, it is wonderfully simple. I hope you can borrow your niece's uke sometimes.
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@JadePlatypus (234)
• Australia
21 Jul 16
Yes, I have heard of George,and he was a good Uke player. There is another one now, Jake Shimabakuro. Ohhh, he is brilliant. If you get the chance to watch his videos or see him you may like him too. He makes it look so easy. He has a technique where he strums down with 5 individual fingers and then up with 5 individual fingers really fast and it sounds like a mandolin. Really great.
@rina110383 (24492)
•
21 Jul 16
I used to play the piano when I was a kid. Now, I can't remember a single key. I would love to try ukelele.
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@JadePlatypus (234)
• Australia
21 Jul 16
I was happy, because the Uke was (relatively) cheap to buy. I do admire those who know how to play the piano, how did you remember which note was which when you played really fast? Practise I suppose!
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