LP and the ukulele

Off-Topic
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One of my goals for this year is to spend more time with my tenor uke(s). While looking for sources of motivation (read: procrastinating as usual!), I discovered the artist named LP. She’s a singer-songwriter who re-surfaced after a decade of writing for others, and she composes on the ukulele. So, anyway, I had never heard of her, but I found myself absolutely digging her music and voice. I have no idea why she’s not more famous and why I had never heard of her before.

Here’s a video where she taught how to play one of her songs on the ukulele that it was written on:

(And it worked, I’ve successfully been motivated! Would be noodling right this hot minute if it wasn’t 1am – these little things are loud. Might be an excuse to buy an electric one… wee, retail therapy!)

Here is the song without the talking:

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Have a ukele too. Need to practice it a bit too, though being quite comfortable on guitar should help :wink:

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Have a ukele too. Need to practice it a bit too, though being quite comfortable on guitar should help :wink:

I imagine it helps, though I have never played a guitar. :slight_smile:

For me, it started three years ago when I had turned forty and my partner had moved on. Fantastic timing on her part! So I decided I needed two things to deal with the midlife crisis: A sports car and a new woman.

Then I looked at my life, and got a ukulele.

Mostly I wanted something small and portable that does not require electricity, and is affordable. I had previously thought ukuleles were just funny little things, but I watched videos of Jake Shimabukuro and John King, and that convinced me it was a proper instrument, not a toy. And very suitable for instrumental solo stuff too, not just for singers.

Without otherwise proper research, I bought one of those €30 soprano ukuleles + teaching book bundles. It was not playable. Chalked up the money, did some (but not enough) research and bought a concert-sized ukulele for four times the money. That one was much better, but I didn’t know that properly adjusted “action” and a good “setup” are recommended for string instruments. It was hard to play because the action was too high and intonation was off, so I lost interest. Half a year later, still midlifecrising and looking to broaden my horizon, I then got a properly set up tenor-size ukulele. Unsure whether that was a good fit for me, I also got a mid range soprano ukulele, because why wait and gather experience if you can spend money right away? Played some, made progress, but got sucked back into video gaming.

Then in the past year I wanted to give it another try, and what better way to motivate yourself than by wasting some more money? I bought a custom tenor ukulele from an Australian luthier (exactly this instrument, he’s got better pictures of it than I do), which was way outside of my budget. And import taxes totally screwed me over, but I just sucked it up.

I figured the expense would help to be more serious about the hobby. Naturally, the fact that it was a one-of-a-kind instrument that cost a bundle, intimidated me (OMG what if I drop it? Bang it? Scratch it?!), so I just played the cheaper instruments I had. Yes, stupid, of course, because the custom uke is the better player. It’s absolutely lovely and sounds much like a flamenco guitar (same wood), and I’m currently determined to do my practicing on it and just forget about the worries. Not like it needs to stay pristine. I also picked up a Hawaiian K brand longneck pineapple uke, and a 1920s Washburn (that one needs bridge repairs, but I got it at a low price and I wanted something vintage – which, of course, I also regretted, but one day I will be happy I have it).

If I could go back in time, I’d only have two ukes, a soprano and a tenor. Or one, a concert-size. And I would have practiced more, but I’m fixing that now! In spite of all of this, it was still cheaper than a sports car. I might have gotten the wheels with the money I spent on ukuleles, though!

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I think i would have some sort of crisis being of similar age if I ever grew up :badteeth:

Some instruments, more than others can seem like a toy, though I think that all really depends on how you play them.

I personally regard anything that makes a sound an instrument and sometimes kids toys make the best sounds!

Having your instrument set up correctly will make a huge difference. Have it set up for you, if you are not comfortable doing it yourself.

May I suggest a few other things, get yourself a guitar polishing cloth (much like a car shammy cloth) to wipe down the strings after each use. Sweat builds up and can dull the tone, plus cleaning can prolong the life of your strings.

Also be aware of heat, too much will affect the wood, causing it to swell and may cause warping,cracking, affect the glue and action and it will change the tone and more. Basically heat, especially humidity is not the friend of any wooden instrument. I recommend a hard case too if you do not already have one. (some more tips here: http://www.gibson.com/News-Lifestyle/Features/en-us/How-to-Save-your-Guitar-from-Summer-Heat-Damage.aspx).

The Monterey Cypress Tenor is nice indeed. However, it is still an instrument and one that is meant to be played.

Be careful for sure, but don’t let it scare you into not playing it. Just clean it after use and store it in a case and you will be fine.

Musical instruments can be expensive to buy, generally the more you spend, the better the quality. Don’t worry about having too many, you can never have enough :wink:

Instruments have their own timbre and each acoustic stringed instrument will have its own sound because of many factors such as the wood it was made from. You may find as I did, as you progress, you develop a fondness for a certain sound and will seek an instrument that reflects that. And being that the sound can vary, in the future you may find you are glad you have a few and may even want more.

Ps: I would spend money on any instrument before a car, for it can take you places no car could ever go :wink:

I think you made the better choice!

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Instruments have their own timbre and each acoustic stringed instrument will have its own sound because of many factors such as the wood it was made from. You may find as I did, as you progress, you develop a fondness for a certain sound and will seek an instrument that reflects that. And being that the sound can vary, in the future you may find you are glad you have a few and may even want more.

You’re right, and I really don’t regret having multiple ukuleles. They really all have their own character, and I find that it’s almost a mood-driven decision which one I pick up when I want to make noise.

Lately, I have felt drawn to my longneck pineapple soprano that was built in Hawaii and is my most traditional ukulele (it’s exactly the model the guy plays in this video, except he is an expert player!). It has that distinctive jingly ukulele sound, but because it’s a longneck (slightly longer scale than soprano ukes usually have), it has more string tension and higher sustain. The pineapple shape also gives it more low end, which I really like about it. It’s very lightly built (different-than usual bracing), so it almost booms (by small ukulele standards!). It’s really that one that I played every day over the past week, and right now that would be my desert island ukulele. But eventually I’ll pick up the other ones, for a different sound texture and playing feel. The week before I put all my time in the tenor uke I mentioned before.

I’m still glad I got into ukuleles and dodged the bullet that guitars are. They take up more space and cost more, relative to the quality at least (good ukuleles aren’t cheap, the cheap stuff you get in music stores or malls is really bad and fad-driven, and it makes me wonder how many people give a uke a try, buy some crap for $50, and then are convinced that ukuleles are terrible things, but an excellent guitar still costs more than an excellent ukulele). I do love the guitar sound, too, especially classical ones with nylon/gut strings. Not as much in love with e-guitars and metal strings in general, though. I don’t want to play with a pick and prefer the tactile approach. I like how uncomplicated ukes are – friendly little instruments. :slight_smile:

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All instruments have their pro’s and cons and there are also many storage solutions to reduce the space guitars can take up, though if a guitar is not for you, that is also no problem. It seems as though you have found enjoyment with the use and that’s good. I will also add though, sometimes you ca be lucky with replicas or cheap guitars that are just made right, as long as the neck is straight you may be surprised if you spend a little time hunting. As far as electric goes, the same applies though as type of wood may not make so much of a difference being g they have pickups, the greater the cheaper options. Again, if a guitar doesn’t interest you, no matter.
I am glad you seem to be getting the most out of your collection. I have a $50 one, though I expect it to sound like a $50 one and it hasn’t put me off the instrument. I may get a better one in the future as I enjoy collecting instruments and have an interest in learning as many as I can. In fact slightly off topic, I would really like to learn the flute. I have a tin whistle as entry into the woodwind world. Though a bass guitar is most likely the next instrument purchase for me.