# Ukulele



## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

Not sure if this is the right forum but it is an acoustic instrument.

Out of the blue my wife says she wants us both to get ukuleles and take some lessons. She has visions of us playing and singing together. I'm all for this. She has a very nice voice and can remember lyrics like nobody's business. She has never expressed any interest in singing while I play guitar. She sings in the car to whatever music we have playing. I want to do this with her but I know nothing about ukuleles. Is it possible to get a decent uke that we can learn on for around $100 each? I'm not too worried about sound quality but I don't want her to get frustrated by a hard to play instrument that doesn't stay in tune. If it goes anywhere we can always get some better ukes later. If not then we are not out a lot of money.


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## jimsz (Apr 17, 2009)

Kerry Brown said:


> Not sure if this is the right forum but it is an acoustic instrument.
> 
> Out of the blue my wife says she wants us both to get ukuleles and take some lessons. She has visions of us playing and singing together. I'm all for this. She has a very nice voice and can remember lyrics like nobody's business. She has never expressed any interest in singing while I play guitar. She sings in the car to whatever music we have playing. I want to do this with her but I know nothing about ukuleles. Is it possible to get a decent uke that we can learn on for around $100 each? I'm not too worried about sound quality but I don't want her to get frustrated by a hard to play instrument that doesn't stay in tune. If it goes anywhere we can always get some better ukes later. If not then we are not out a lot of money.


You could rent them for $6 month...

Beat the Winter Blues!


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

oh man, I'm so sorry to hear this. I hope you guys pull through


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

vadsy said:


> oh man, I'm so sorry to hear this. I hope you guys pull through


Not sure what you mean. We work well together. She tells me what do then I do it my way.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Kerry Brown said:


> Not sure what you mean. We work well together. She tells me what do then I do it my way.


slippery slope, ..one day you're learning complex ukulele chords together, next day youre strung out on heroin. be careful


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

do you have lots of friends?


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

$100 definitely gets you into a playable instrument. I have two Oscar Schmidt ukes, a concert and a baritone - quite happy with both. Consider getting a baritone for yourself - then your guitar chords translate directly. Also gives two voicings as you play.


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

If you do get a Ukulele, you can do much worse than to study Cliff "Ukulele Ike" Edwards. He was pretty far out there and a fine fine musician and master of the instrument. And an incredible scat singer. There's a fair bit of video of him on YouTube.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

Like what @bw66 mentioned. Baritone is standard guitar tuning D-G-B-E and the other ones are a different tuning. Kala and Leho are a couple of baritone brands a buddy has. Nice sounding guitars actually. Good luck.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

I wouldn't get the tiny soprano ukes. Too small. I own this tenor uke and really like it but it's really the only uke I've played.

Kala - Mahogany Tenor Ukulele


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Get tenor ukuleles. If you’re doing duets, you might string one high G and the other low G, it gives the low end some push and still maintains the uke sound. There are also five string ukuleles but they’re pricey. Install proper guitar style strap buttons. Aquila red strings are my favourite and good strings do make a huge tonal difference. Spend the money.

Here are my high and low G ukuleles both from Kala (I also have a baritone, a resonator and an Outdoor). One has a K&K pickup, the other had a factory under saddle pickup that sucked so I removed it and the preamp, creating a side sound port.


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## Jim9guitars (Feb 15, 2016)

Here's a fun fact: put a capo on a guitar at the 5th fret and the bottom 4 strings are in ukulele tuning, except the 4th string is an octave lower than it is on a real ukulele. Also, the D chord shape on the guitar is G and the F chord shape on the guitar is Bb on the ukulele. "Riptide" is one of the most popular song for most Ukulele students and a close second would be Isreal (can't spell or pronounce last name)'s version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow".


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

Theres 8 string ones as well.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

Wardo said:


> Theres 8 string ones as well.


Those are called Mandolins silly.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

... Oh.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

@Kerry Brown check out your local library. Mine (Terry Fox) has a weekly uke get-together on Thursday evenings. They accomodate all levels of ability and you can even take ukulelesout on loan, 3 weeks at a time, I think.

You don't have to be in Langley to be world class. Watching this was inspirational.

Mighty Uke (2010) - IMDb


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Kerry, we can borrow them from our Library in Fredericton, NB. There was a thread on this awhile ago and a number of members said they had the same service at their libraries. Maybe your library has that service. Here is the contact info if your are interested. 

*Phone:* 604-892-3110
*Fax:* 604-892-9376
*Email:* [email protected]


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

I bought a Ukulele kit a few months ago when they went on sale at StewMac. I haven't built it yet though


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

Lincoln said:


> I bought a Ukulele kit a few months ago when they went on sale at StewMac. I haven't built it yet though


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

Thanks everyone. We are going to rent a couple of ukes for a month and see how it goes.


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

Did you know the first and fourth string on a Ukulele are the same thickness. Only the 2 middle strings are different. Why do I know? I bought my Grand Niece a Ukulele for her birthday only to find out she's left handed. It looks like I only have to change the 2 middle strings.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

High/Deaf said:


> a weekly uke get-together


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## GuitarT (Nov 23, 2010)

jimsz said:


> You could rent them for $6 month...
> 
> Beat the Winter Blues!


Ah yes, Loan & Persuade, "Where the payments begin!".


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## GuitarT (Nov 23, 2010)

Check Roy Smeck. A little precursor to Eddie Van Halen at 1:25.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Steadfastly said:


> Kerry, we can borrow them from our Library in Fredericton, NB. There was a thread on this awhile ago and a number of members said they had the same service at their libraries. Maybe your library has that service. Here is the contact info if your are interested.
> 
> *Phone:* 604-892-3110
> *Fax:* 604-892-9376
> *Email:* [email protected]


won't post any links to his internet findings in Gibson threads,. posts a Fax machine number for a library 6000 miles away. 

you are helpful and completely fucky @Steadfastly


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

GuitarT said:


> Check Roy Smeck. A little precursor to Eddie Van Halen at 1:25.


Little bit of Pete Townsend in there too.


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)




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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

If you want to do an instrumental:




Or you have more people join in:


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

Guitar101 said:


>


George Formby was *such* a smarmy bastard, his recordings bug me. But on stage or cinema, he has this big innocent face that makes it all funny and innocent-seeming.


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## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

vadsy said:


> won't post any links to his internet findings in Gibson threads,. posts a Fax machine number for a library 6000 miles away.
> 
> you are helpful and completely fucky @Steadfastly



Ya those numbers are from where Kerry is from and Squamish is where he lives.


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## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

Kerry Brown said:


> Thanks everyone. We are going to rent a couple of ukes for a month and see how it goes.


Curious how that is working out for you, no el cabongs yet?


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

MarkM said:


> Curious how that is working out for you, no el cabongs yet?


Wait till he brings home the resonator ukulele.


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

MarkM said:


> Curious how that is working out for you, no el cabongs yet?


Not yet. We rented one. I showed her how to tune it and printed out a chord chart for her. She’s looking for a simple song with two or three chords. That’s as far as we got then life intervened. I had glaucoma surgery on my right eye and now she has to do everything. I’m not supposed to lift more than ten pounds or bend over. I have three different eye drops, some every two hours. I’ve been off work for a week so she is the breadwinner plus doing all the cooking and housework. Another week of this and maybe she’ll have time for the ukulele. Me, I can barely read the chord chart I printed out so I’m sticking to my guitars until my sight comes back.


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

Kerry Brown said:


> … That’s as far as we got then life intervened.


Life does that. At least it's not a puppy.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

MarkM said:


> Ya those numbers are from where Kerry is from and Squamish is where he lives.


I am aware of that. I was just saying how helpful Steadly was being. Faxing a ukulele across this country is no small feat


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

vadsy said:


> I am aware of that. I was just saying how helpful Steadly was being. Faxing a ukulele across this country is no small feat


Be easier to 3-D print one remotely.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Doug Gifford said:


> Be easier to 3-D print one remotely.


Nothing is easy with a ukulele


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Huh???? Everything's easy with a ukelele. The ultimate hang loose instrument, brah.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

Kerry Brown said:


> Not yet. We rented one. I showed her how to tune it and printed out a chord chart for her. She’s looking for a simple song with two or three chords. That’s as far as we got then life intervened. I had glaucoma surgery on my right eye and now she has to do everything. I’m not supposed to lift more than ten pounds or bend over. I have three different eye drops, some every two hours. I’ve been off work for a week so she is the breadwinner plus doing all the cooking and housework. Another week of this and maybe she’ll have time for the ukulele. Me, I can barely read the chord chart I printed out so I’m sticking to my guitars until my sight comes back.


Speedy recovery, KB.


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