标签: ukulele

Do you recall my " Is it possible to be in a bad mood while playing the ukulele? " blog from a couple of weeks ago? Well, I'm proud to report that (just a couple of days ago as I pen these words) I finished building my first do-it-yourself ukulele kit. As you can see in the pictures below, the finish on this one is just stain and varnish – I'm still working on a second instrument which will boast a Steampunk look-and-feel (I shall report further on this in a future column). Following the final coat of varnish, all that remained was to attach the strings and to then start happily strumming away (or so I thought—ah, the innocence of youth :-) As I'm sure you are aware, a standard ukulele has four strings. The instructions that came with the kit said to put the two thicker strings in the middle and the two thinner strings on the outside. But since all four strings that came with the kit were the same size, these directions were somewhat less than useful. Also, I remembered reading a review by someone else who said that everything about the ukulele kit was great apart from the strings, and that he recommended replacing them with better ones.   Neck attached (covered in masking tape) and first coat of stain applied   Thus it was that I meandered my way down to the local guitar shop with my ukulele grasped firmly in my hands (and it's not often I've had the occasion to say that). The reason I took my little beauty with me is that I wasn't sure if they came in different sizes (yes, we are still talking about my ukulele) and I didn't want to take any chance of purchasing the wrong strings. I'd like to say that the guys in the shop were totally impressed with the fact that I'd built my own ukulele, but I'm sad to report that they gave the impression that they saw this sort of thing all time. (On the bright side, maybe that means I'm not as weird as I'd feared ... maybe :-) So, armed with a nice set of new ukulele strings ($6.00, which I didn't think was too bad) I was poised for action. When I returned home that evening, I took the first string, tied a knot in one end, and threaded the other end through the hole in the bridge. But as soon as I put any tension on the string the knot slipped through the hole. I tried a bigger knot ... but the same thing happened. So with much moaning and groaning I retired to reconsider my line of attack. It was only when I was lying in bed that it struck me that I should be tying the knot around the bridge itself. That was a "Doh!" moment, let me tell you. But which knot to use? The next day I performed a Google search for "How to string a ukulele" and got a bunch of hits (it really is amazing what's out there on the Internet). One website in particular had a really nice picture that made a lot of sense, and it wasn't long before my strings were well strung (as it were).   The strings are strung!   When it came to tuning the little rascals, I started by trying to do it by ear using the free UkuTune app I'd downloaded to my iPad. Unfortunately this didn't work as well as I had hoped. The app is great but it does rely on your having an "ear" for this sort of thing and – sad to relate – it seems that I don't. I then tried a few other free apps, such as SpinTuner, which is very pretty to look at but totally useless when it comes to tuning a ukulele (at least as far as I could see – it may be absolutely wonderful once you get the hang of it). Eventually I decided to invest $2.99 on an app called AudioTuner, and this worked wonderfully for me. After choosing the instrument in which you are interested (guitar, ukulele, etc.), you select a string and pluck it and the app measures the frequency and displays it graphically and also says "too low" or "two high" and guides you in until the string is bang on tune. Then you repeat for the other strings. Once I had all four strings set up I played my first chord. It sounded horrible. I rechecked the strings and they were all out of tune again. So I retuned everything and tried again with much the same result. I then consulted my trusty Ukulele for Dummies book, which says that a new set of ukulele strings go out of tune very quickly for the first two weeks until they've stretched and suchlike. Tell me about it (grin). I kept on retuning the strings and things did get better over time, but they still drift out of tune really quickly. So I've resigned myself to a couple of weeks wait until things settle down. In the meantime I'm practicing my strumming technique using the "Calypso Strum" from Ukulele Mike's YouTube video – this is the one he recommends for Somewhere Over the Rainbow , which I plan on being the first tune I learn ( Click here to see the video of this strum). Meanwhile, I can't resist showing you the evolving sketch for the way my Steampunk ukulele is going to look. The idea is that it will seem to be a brass case with holes in the front and through the holes you will see gears (in reality everything will be painted on).   The working sketch for my Steampunk ukulele   Last but not least, I ran across the following image on the Internet. Obviously this isn't a ukulele ... but it does look interesting ... maybe it's a project for the future (grin)    

Do you recall my " Can you be in a bad mood while playing the ukulele? " blog from a couple of weeks ago? Well, I'm proud to report that (just a couple of days ago as I pen these words) I finished building my first do-it-yourself ukulele kit. As you can see in the pictures below, the finish on this one is just stain and varnish – I'm still working on a second instrument which will boast a Steampunk look-and-feel (I shall report further on this in a future column). Following the final coat of varnish, all that remained was to attach the strings and to then start happily strumming away (or so I thought—ah, the innocence of youth :-) As I'm sure you are aware, a standard ukulele has four strings. The instructions that came with the kit said to put the two thicker strings in the middle and the two thinner strings on the outside. But since all four strings that came with the kit were the same size, these directions were somewhat less than useful. Also, I remembered reading a review by someone else who said that everything about the ukulele kit was great apart from the strings, and that he recommended replacing them with better ones.   Neck attached (covered in masking tape) and first coat of stain applied   Thus it was that I meandered my way down to the local guitar shop with my ukulele grasped firmly in my hands (and it's not often I've had the occasion to say that). The reason I took my little beauty with me is that I wasn't sure if they came in different sizes (yes, we are still talking about my ukulele) and I didn't want to take any chance of purchasing the wrong strings. I'd like to say that the guys in the shop were totally impressed with the fact that I'd built my own ukulele, but I'm sad to report that they gave the impression that they saw this sort of thing all time. (On the bright side, maybe that means I'm not as weird as I'd feared ... maybe :-) So, armed with a nice set of new ukulele strings ($6.00, which I didn't think was too bad) I was poised for action. When I returned home that evening, I took the first string, tied a knot in one end, and threaded the other end through the hole in the bridge. But as soon as I put any tension on the string the knot slipped through the hole. I tried a bigger knot ... but the same thing happened. So with much moaning and groaning I retired to reconsider my line of attack. It was only when I was lying in bed that it struck me that I should be tying the knot around the bridge itself. That was a "Doh!" moment, let me tell you. But which knot to use? The next day I performed a Google search for "How to string a ukulele" and got a bunch of hits (it really is amazing what's out there on the Internet). One website in particular had a really nice picture that made a lot of sense, and it wasn't long before my strings were well strung (as it were).   The strings are strung!   When it came to tuning the little rascals, I started by trying to do it by ear using the free UkuTune app I'd downloaded to my iPad. Unfortunately this didn't work as well as I had hoped. The app is great but it does rely on your having an "ear" for this sort of thing and – sad to relate – it seems that I don't. I then tried a few other free apps, such as SpinTuner, which is very pretty to look at but totally useless when it comes to tuning a ukulele (at least as far as I could see – it may be absolutely wonderful once you get the hang of it). Eventually I decided to invest $2.99 on an app called AudioTuner, and this worked wonderfully for me. After choosing the instrument in which you are interested (guitar, ukulele, etc.), you select a string and pluck it and the app measures the frequency and displays it graphically and also says "too low" or "two high" and guides you in until the string is bang on tune. Then you repeat for the other strings. Once I had all four strings set up I played my first chord. It sounded horrible. I rechecked the strings and they were all out of tune again. So I retuned everything and tried again with much the same result. I then consulted my trusty Ukulele for Dummies book, which says that a new set of ukulele strings go out of tune very quickly for the first two weeks until they've stretched and suchlike. Tell me about it (grin). I kept on retuning the strings and things did get better over time, but they still drift out of tune really quickly. So I've resigned myself to a couple of weeks wait until things settle down. In the meantime I'm practicing my strumming technique using the "Calypso Strum" from Ukulele Mike's YouTube video – this is the one he recommends for Somewhere Over the Rainbow , which I plan on being the first tune I learn ( Click here to see the video of this strum). Meanwhile, I can't resist showing you the evolving sketch for the way my Steampunk ukulele is going to look. The idea is that it will seem to be a brass case with holes in the front and through the holes you will see gears (in reality everything will be painted on).   The working sketch for my Steampunk ukulele   Last but not least, I ran across the following image on the Internet. Obviously this isn't a ukulele ... but it does look interesting ... maybe it's a project for the future (grin)    

Only a few days ago, I didn't even know how to spell Ukulele , but then purchased a "Build Your Own Ukulele Kit" and now I can't wait for it to arrive. This is a bit of an involved tale (what do you mean "That's not unusual for you, Max" ?) so please bear with me while I explain... While driving back and forth between my home and office in the mornings and evenings I listen to the National Public Radio (NPR). A couple of months ago there was a program about a Hawaiian musician called Israel "IZ" Ka'ano'i Kamakawiwo'ole (1959 – 1997). As part of this we heard him playing the ukulele and singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow from the film The Wizard of Oz . I have to tell you, this really is one of the most beautiful things I've heard. Somehow IZ's voice and his ukulele meld together in perfect harmony (no pun intended). Whatever you're doing, this makes you pause for a moment's reflection and brightens your day. As the weeks went by, this slipped further and further toward the back of my mind. Then, yesterday evening, I happened to be glancing through a catalog from Uncommon Goods . And what did I see on page 53? You guessed it; it was a Make Your Own Ukulele Kit . Actually, this is not quite as hard as you might expect because the main body is pre-assembled. All you have to do is take the unfinished parts, sand them down, assemble them, add an optional painted design, and attach the strings (I've not actually read the instructions, you understand, I'm just guessing that it's best to add the strings after you've painted the main body). All that remains now it to learn how to play the little scamp!   Make Your Own Ukulele Kit from Uncommon Goods   Actually I think this is an amazingly good deal, because it costs only $40. In fact I was so enthused when I saw this that I immediately ordered two kits – one for me and one for my son. Now, before we proceed, take a moment to listen to IZ playing his rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow – even if you've heard this before it's well worth pausing to listen to it again. This is the song I intend to start with (if you're not careful I will post my own video on YouTube – be afraid, be very afraid). The only slight stumbling block is that I've never played a banjo in my life, but I don't like to let little things like this slow me down. My next action was to start searching around on the web. Almost immediately I ran across a site called Ukulele Boogaloo , and from there I found the chords used in Somewhere Over the Rainbow . As you will see if you Click Here , this shows the chords (there are only five) and how they are associated with the lyrics. You must admit that this is pretty amazing. I've said it before and I'll say it again: "The Internet is AMAZING!" (Young folks who were brought up with the Internet simply cannot imagine how much time and effort all of this would have taken when I was a lad.) But wait, there's more, because I returned to YouTube and found a guy called Ukulele Mike who has hundreds of videos of instructional ukulele lessons out there. Lesson 97 covers the chords used in Over the Rainbow . As you'll see in this video , Mike starts by showing the chords themselves; he then plays the song with the lyrics and chord changes superimposed as annotations on the screen. One other slight problem that struck me is how I should set about tuning my ukulele once I've built it. So I did a search in the iPad app store and found a plethora of apps geared up to tuning ukuleles (I know, I didn't believe it either). I just downloaded a free app called UkuTune that seems to work really well. Once I have my completed instrument, this app will help me to tune it by ear. If that fails, there's another app called Cleartune – Chromatic Tuner for $3.99 that actually listens to you plucking your strings and displays the corresponding values on a meter ... but I think UkuTune will be more than sufficient for my needs. I was just exchanging some emails with my old chum Andy Shaughnessy, who is the editor of a competing publication we won't discuss here (grin). Andy plays many instruments. When he heard what I was doing he sent me a message saying "It's hard to be in a bad mood while you're playing or listening to the ukulele!" The only reason he's saying that is that he's not heard me play (grin). But that leads me to a couple of thoughts. The first is that if anyone else decides to invest in one of these, please (a) let me know and (b) record (maybe even video) yourself. Perhaps we could have a competition. The winner gets some amazing prize like ... a signed photo of yours truly (OK, we can work on the prize part ). And if enough of us end up doing this (yes, I know I'm stretching here), we could all meet up next year at ESC or DAC and play together and then have a few beers ... or maybe have a few beers and then play together. Well, I'm afraid that I have to go now, because I want to root out some more ukulele music on the web, but before I do I have one more thing to share... when I was a kid I used to watch a lot of black-and-white films on the television with my parents. Actually they were all black-and-white – even the ones in color – because we only had a black-and-white television. Anyway, there was a British singer-songwriter and comedian called George Formby (1904 – 1961). George was a major star of stage and screen in the 1930s and 1940s; he sang light, comical songs, accompanying himself on the banjo ukulele. Check out this video (this will be nostalgic for some readers of my generation). Would you believe that this man was a sex symbol back in the day? It obviously wasn't his looks. I can only assume that it was his dexterity with the banjo ukulele. Obviously I'm not saying that playing the ukulele will make us into objects of desire, but I certainly don't think we should rule anything out, so let's start practicing (grin).

Just a few days ago, I didn't even know how to spell Ukulele , but then ordered a "Build Your Own Ukulele Kit" and now I can't wait for it to arrive. This is a bit of an involved tale (what do you mean "That's not unusual for you, Max" ?) so please bear with me while I explain... While driving back and forth between my home and office in the mornings and evenings I listen to the National Public Radio (NPR). A couple of months ago there was a program about a Hawaiian musician called Israel "IZ" Ka'ano'i Kamakawiwo'ole (1959 – 1997). As part of this we heard him playing the ukulele and singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow from the film The Wizard of Oz . I have to tell you, this really is one of the most beautiful things I've heard. Somehow IZ's voice and his ukulele meld together in perfect harmony (no pun intended). Whatever you're doing, this makes you pause for a moment's reflection and brightens your day. As the weeks went by, this slipped further and further toward the back of my mind. Then, yesterday evening, I happened to be glancing through a catalog from Uncommon Goods . And what did I see on page 53? You guessed it; it was a Make Your Own Ukulele Kit . Actually, this is not quite as hard as you might expect because the main body is pre-assembled. All you have to do is take the unfinished parts, sand them down, assemble them, add an optional painted design, and attach the strings (I've not actually read the instructions, you understand, I'm just guessing that it's best to add the strings after you've painted the main body). All that remains now it to learn how to play the little scamp!   Make Your Own Ukulele Kit from Uncommon Goods   Actually I think this is an amazingly good deal, because it costs only $40. In fact I was so enthused when I saw this that I immediately ordered two kits – one for me and one for my son. Now, before we proceed, take a moment to listen to IZ playing his rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow – even if you've heard this before it's well worth pausing to listen to it again. This is the song I intend to start with (if you're not careful I will post my own video on YouTube – be afraid, be very afraid). The only slight stumbling block is that I've never played a banjo in my life, but I don't like to let little things like this slow me down. My next action was to start searching around on the web. Almost immediately I ran across a site called Ukulele Boogaloo , and from there I found the chords used in Somewhere Over the Rainbow . As you will see if you Click Here , this shows the chords (there are only five) and how they are associated with the lyrics. You must admit that this is pretty amazing. I've said it before and I'll say it again: "The Internet is AMAZING!" (Young folks who were brought up with the Internet simply cannot imagine how much time and effort all of this would have taken when I was a lad.) But wait, there's more, because I returned to YouTube and found a guy called Ukulele Mike who has hundreds of videos of instructional ukulele lessons out there. Lesson 97 covers the chords used in Over the Rainbow . As you'll see in this video , Mike starts by showing the chords themselves; he then plays the song with the lyrics and chord changes superimposed as annotations on the screen. One other slight problem that struck me is how I should set about tuning my ukulele once I've built it. So I did a search in the iPad app store and found a plethora of apps geared up to tuning ukuleles (I know, I didn't believe it either). I just downloaded a free app called UkuTune that seems to work really well. Once I have my completed instrument, this app will help me to tune it by ear. If that fails, there's another app called Cleartune – Chromatic Tuner for $3.99 that actually listens to you plucking your strings and displays the corresponding values on a meter ... but I think UkuTune will be more than sufficient for my needs. I was just exchanging some emails with my old chum Andy Shaughnessy, who is the editor of a competing publication we won't discuss here (grin). Andy plays many instruments. When he heard what I was doing he sent me a message saying "It's hard to be in a bad mood while you're playing or listening to the ukulele!" The only reason he's saying that is that he's not heard me play (grin). But that leads me to a couple of thoughts. The first is that if anyone else decides to invest in one of these, please (a) let me know and (b) record (maybe even video) yourself. Perhaps we could have a competition. The winner gets some amazing prize like ... a signed photo of yours truly (OK, we can work on the prize part ). And if enough of us end up doing this (yes, I know I'm stretching here), we could all meet up next year at ESC or DAC and play together and then have a few beers ... or maybe have a few beers and then play together. Well, I'm afraid that I have to go now, because I want to root out some more ukulele music on the web, but before I do I have one more thing to share... when I was a kid I used to watch a lot of black-and-white films on the television with my parents. Actually they were all black-and-white – even the ones in color – because we only had a black-and-white television. Anyway, there was a British singer-songwriter and comedian called George Formby (1904 – 1961). George was a major star of stage and screen in the 1930s and 1940s; he sang light, comical songs, accompanying himself on the banjo ukulele. Check out this video (this will be nostalgic for some readers of my generation). Would you believe that this man was a sex symbol back in the day? It obviously wasn't his looks. I can only assume that it was his dexterity with the banjo ukulele. Obviously I'm not saying that playing the ukulele will make us into objects of desire, but I certainly don't think we should rule anything out, so let's start practicing (grin).