L3F1 MUSIC

Uke Ukulele

Holding a Ukulele: the Best Way to Do it

Holding the ukulele is something that most players never give a second thought to (they just hold it in whatever way comes natural). However, holding the ukulele correctly is vital for your playing. Holding it in the wrong way could mean it slipping and ruining your performance. Imagine standing in front of a room full of people, playing a song and having it slip out of your hands. That's the sort of embarrassment that your certainly want to avoid.

Less dramatically, how you hold the ukulele will influence the sound that the ukulele makes. If you want to get a good tone out of your ukulele, it is vital that you get into good habits in how you hold your uke.

Furthermore, holding your ukulele in the wrong way will restrict your movement. You want to make sure that the way you hold your ukulele does not unnecessarily restrict what you are able to play.

Hold Your Ukulele Loosely

The ukulele is a very small instrument. Because of this, it is very easy for the sound it makes to be strangled if you hold it too tightly. You can test this for yourself. Stand close to a wall (facing it), hold your uke as tightly as possible against your body and strum it. Then move it away from your body completely so it's just being held by your fretting hand. Strum it. Compare the sounds and you'll be able to hear what a difference this makes.

Holding a Ukulele When You Are Sitting

Watch the all time great players such as Roy Smeck and Jake Shimabukuro and take note of how they hold the ukulele. They tend to hold it diagonally so that only a small portion of the ukulele is touching their body. They also rest it gently on their thigh to make sure it doesn't slip (rather than holding it with their arm).

Holding a Ukulele When You Are Standing

This is a much trickier proposition. When you stand up, you have to compromise a little more on sound by holding it tighter to ensure it doesn't slip. You should have the back end of the ukulele between the inside of your forearm and your body. From there it should be angled away from you so that you can see some of the back of the ukulele when you look down. This means it can vibrate freely resulting in a louder sound.

About the Author

Al Wood writes at Ukulele Hunt about the Kanilea ukulele, KoAloha ukulele and Applause ukulele.

UKE EXPERTS! what ukulele should i get?

i'm going to purchase my FIRST ever ukulele, and i know NOTHING about ukulele's... so which one would you suggest from your experience? price isn't that big of an issue i've been saving

what would be the ultimate uke to get for me?

also i do have some experience with the acoustic guitar

The best ukulele for beginners is the Lanikai LU-21. It's affordable, but it has a decent sound. The price is usually around $60, plus extra for a case. Or, if you have bigger hands, go with the LU-21C.

One other good option would be the Kala K-S or K-C.

Uke Ukulele
Ukulele lesson #1 Anatomy of the uke, right & left hand technique - Uke Lessons for Beginners

Martin Ukulele 5K Uke $4199 Martin Ukulele 5K Uke Features: MODEL 5K Uke CONSTRUCTION: Mahogany Blocks/Dovetail Neck Joint BODY SIZE: Soprano Uke TOP: Solid Highly Flamed Koa ROSETTE: Single Ring TOP BRACING PATTERN: O-Uke TOP BRACES: Solid Sitka Spruce BACK MATERIAL: Solid Highly Flamed Koa BACK PURFLING: none SIDE MATERIAL: Solid Highly Flamed Koa ENDPIECE: none ENDPIECE INLAY: Black/White Boltaron BINDING: Grained Ivoroid TOP INLAY STYLE: Style 41 with Black/White/Black Boltaron SIDE INLAY: Black/White/Black Boltaron BACK INLAY: Select Abalone with Black/White Boltaron NECK MATERIAL: Select Hardwood NECK SHAPE: 5K Uke NUT MATERIAL: Bone HEADSTOCK: Solid/Square Taper HEADPLATE: Solid Highly Flamed Koa /Uke Style Flower Pot - Abalone HEELCAP: Grained Ivoroid FINGERBOARD MATERIAL: Solid Black Ebony w/ Point On End SCALE LENGTH: 13.614'' Uke Pattern OF FRETS CLEAR: 12 OF FRETS TOTAL: 17 FINGERBOARD WIDTH AT NUT: 1-13/32'' FINGERBOARD WIDTH AT 12TH FRET: 1-13/16'' FINGERBOARD POSITION INLAYS: Unique 5K Inlay Design-Long Pattern - Abalone FINGERBOARD BINDING: Grained Ivoroid FINISH BACK & SIDES: Polished Gloss FINISH TOP: Polished Gloss FINISH NECK: Polished Gloss BRIDGE MATERIAL: Solid Highly Flamed Koa BRIDGE STYLE: O-Uke Style "BRIDGE STRING SPACING: 1-41/64"" " SADDLE: Long Bone TUNING MACHINES: Gotoh Gold Uke w/Ivoroid Buttons RECOMMENDED STRINGS: Martin M-600 Nylon - Clear BRIDGE & END PINS: none PICKGUARD: none CASE: 505 Geib style INTERIOR LABEL: none ELECTRONICS: not an option OTHER OPTIONS: Available left-handed at no additional charge Get Your Martin Ukulele 5K Uke Today!

From Lute to Uke $18.63 From Lute to Uke: Early Music for Ukulele is a collection of 24 pieces of early lute music brilliantly arranged for the ukulele by classical guitarist and uke player, Tony Mizen. All arrangements are for GCEA-tuning and include ukulele tablature as well a

Lucky Uke $19.21 Featuring ukulele-based reggae and surf-pop renditions of heavy metal anthems, Lucky Uke is the self-titled debut album from the Montreal project fronted by musician Matt Laurent. The 2010 release includes unique interpretations of classic tracks from U.S

The Joy of Uke, Vol. 1: A Basic Guide to Playing Ukulele $26.96 While the ukulele is often seen as a stunted little brother to the guitar or the mandolin, in fact, the instrument has a rich heritage in ragtime and Hawaiian music, and "Jumpin" Jim Beloff is considered to be one of the modern masters of the uke. The Joy

Joy of Uke, Vol. 1: A Basic Guide to Playing Ukulele $27.11 While the ukulele is often seen as a stunted little brother to the guitar or the mandolin, in fact, the instrument has a rich heritage in ragtime and Hawaiian music, and "Jumpin" Jim Beloff is considered to be one of the modern masters of the uke. The Joy of Uke: A Hands-On Guide to Playing Ukulele offers a beginner's guide to playing the ukulele, demonstrating fretting and strumming techniques, and showing how to play a handful of old-time classics on the instrument, including "Give My Regards to Broadway" and "When the Saints Go Marching In." Beloff is also joined by a number of other ukulele enthusiasts, including Ian Whitcomb, Travis Harrelson, and Poncie Ponce. Beloff also shows off his collection of vintage ukes. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Famous Ukulele Songs

The great thing about the ukulele these days is that a lot of popular songs that we're originally played on this great instrument are being covered on it--you can find uke videos all over the internet for most popular songs today. But for those interested, here is a list of famous ukulele songs that are well known for being played on a uke, and ones that a lot of people will probably be asking you to play once they find out you have the instrument.

 

Tonight You Belong To Me is probably going to be on every list you find. This song was written by Billy Rose and Lee David in 1926, but that's not how most people know it. It became popular in the movie "The Jerk" where Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters sing along. Since that time there have of course been many covers.

 

Another older song that keeps getting covered today is Ukulele Lady, originally by Gus Kahn and Richard Whiting in 1925. You can find popular covers by Kermit the Frog, or Better Middler.

 

Somewhere Over the Rainbow is one of my favorite famous ukulele songs. It was originally done by Harold Arlen and Yip Harbury in 1939, but the version that really made is a uke song is by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole. If you don't think you're familiar with the uke version, you probably heard it in the movie 50 First Dates.

 

There is no uke played in Jason Mraz's song "I'm Yours", but people cover this song on the uke constantly, making this a popular uke tune. This is a great example of how a song that's more popular today is helping making the uke a more common instrument.

 

Hey, Soul Sister by Train is another more current popular option. This is one of the very popular, current famous ukulele songs that gets covered a great deal online and that your friends will probably ask you to play shortly after finding out you have the instrument, so it's worth learning now.

 

About the Author

Once you decide to learn to play the ukulele it's pretty easy to get started! You can pick up the pace by learning songs you already know and love, like with Lady Gaga ukulele covers.

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The Joy of Uke 2 [VHS] $18.63 In this long-awaited follow-up to Volume 1, Jim teaches chord shapes and progressions, complex strums and accompaniments to some of the most beloved songs in popular music history. With his usual warmth and good humor, Jim guides you through each song, slowing down the tricky parts and sprinkling the lesson with wisdom gleaned from his deep knowledge of the instrument. Before long, he'll have you ...

Ukulele for Kids, Vol. 1 [VHS] $19.95 This lively, fun-filled lesson shows kids everything they need to start making music on the ukulele. With its small body and fingerboard, the uke is a perfect starter instrument for young people. Marcy Marxer teaches the parts of the instrument and how to hold it and tune it up -- then it's right into the first song! Ginger (a large, lovable dog puppet) plays a prominent role in these child-frie...

Standard Ukulele Mount Domestic Red Oak $19.99 Imagine being able to display your beautiful ukuleles and protect them at the same time. The design is simple. The material is domestic red oak, with black vinyl caps to protect your precious instrument. The warmth of this wood will enhance the room and display your favorite instrument. The one hole attachment mounts securely to your wall in a matter of minutes, with all hardware included. Handcra...

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