Talk me out of (or into) a ukulele

Some thoughts (as a musician and teacher) who can play the ukulele, as well as other instruments:

-Follow your heart.  
You feel a tugging.  Go with it.

-Start small and easy and build from there.
I recommend buying a used cheap ukulele.  Check ebay Canada.  You might get only a toy, but fussing around with that, you will see whether you have what it takes to keep at it and proceed further.

-Stick to the standard.
Yes, you can tune any instrument to anything you want.  BUT, if you are trying to learn, good luck finding a teacher who can teach you anything.
Also, if you learn the standard basics (tuning, chords, scales), you can play with other people, use fake books, etc.

-Music is a language.
It's like any other tool.  You start by learning letters, then words, then sentences, then you can string things together to express yourself.
Start by copying someone else.  Your original choice of one song with a clear teacher is a good one.
While he is not using standard fingering, he is using standard chords, and he's teaching rhythm and picking, which you'll use anyway.

-Unintended consequences...there always are some!
Such as:  your fingers will get sore, you will develop calluses, you must keep your nails cut short, you will get frustrated with cheap quality once you improve, your chickens might freak out and run away...

-Music starts as a skill.
You must have what it takes to learn any other skill:
 -openness of mind, body, spirit
 -persistence
 -consistent practice
 -willingness to nitpick your mistakes and do things "correctly" even when it feels uncomfortable
 -good teaching material
 -ability to take criticism and learn from it
 -willingness to further your skill

r ransom wrote:For people who know how to play musical instruments, when do they play it?  Or is it always just practice?

With tv, radio, and busy lives, it feels like there is very little occasion to just play music for music's sake. Or am I wrong?

If I did learn, I would play for my chickens.  They put up with my terrible singing every night, so maybe they would like this better?

But what do normal people do?

To answer some of your questions,

> When to play?
You play whenever you feel like it, unless you play drums or tuba or something that will annoy people or get you fined...in which case, you either switch to electronic versions, join a group and practice at the temple (example: taiko drumming), or close all your windows, be nice to your neighbors, use earplugs, and hit softly or use a towel, rubber pad, or other way to muffle the loudness.

> Is it always just practice?
No.
Sometimes it's for fun.  Sometimes you just want to fool around/experiment.
Sometimes, if you get good enough and can make it happen, you can perform.
You may decide to teach.
But getting to that point will take months at the very least (and we are talking IF you've been fanatical and methodical with your practice AND you have innate ability...sounds like you deny the latter...).  Mostly that takes years.

Many musicians say we never get good enough.

And if you've performed, you also know it can be rare to fall "into the zone," where your skill level is such where you are not thinking about HOW or WHAT to play, but instead, can be almost in a zen state, and go with the flow and do some of your best ability and creativity.  We all dream of those moments.

>there is very little occasion to just play music for music's sake
Maybe.
You make your life what you will.
Some would argue that The Powers That Be have deliberately caused multiple distractions, feeding the peons propaganda and repetitive, confusing lies, meant to cause division, fear, hopelessness, and ultimately, dumbing people down and removing a sense of spirituality and human-ness, with all the limitless creativity, love, and intuition that entails.

If you want something to happen in life, you MAKE IT HAPPEN.
So schedule time for practice.  Make it part of a habit.
Set specific goals, break them into manageable bits, apply them regularly and consistently.
Shut off the overly critical censor in your mind.
Get into a place of curiosity and exploration and enjoyment.
Do it.

My musical partner and I play every 2 weeks.  Each of us will likely get inspired by a song we like, and want to learn how to play it.  After copying someone's rendition of a song off the internet, I will typically format it to my liking and then try to play it.  I may have to change some of the chords, or I may surprise myself with how good or bad it sounds when I play it. I send it to him before we play.  We play together every 2 weeks.  There are talent shows at two of the schools I teach at.  There are also open mikes in town.  

John S
PDX OR

Further comments, etc:

Have you seen this TED talk?


There is a lot there about mindset, curiosity, the internal critic, and following your heart.  Also about how to jump to that first plateau, and how to get motivated easily.


Also this TED talk, which may be less intimidating, and more hopeful: (and it's by a guy who learned how to play the ukulele, too!)




Some further tips:
--Easy practice time, found!
I used to tell my students (ages 3-adult) who said they had no time to practice, to practice every time they saw a commercial on tv.  A typical 1-hour show has 20 minutes of commercials.  That's more than enough time daily to make great, consistent gains.  (Nowadays, the devices go with you, so that may be dated advice...)  The point is, you have time.  You just need to STOP doing other, wasteful things, and devote your time and attention to what you WANT, instead.

--Expect plateaus.  Typically, you will make progress for a while, then kind of stagnate.  
People often get frustrated at those times.
Like a tree you transplant, when there is nothing going on above ground, the roots are likely growing stronger and preparing to put out the fruit when the time is right.  It's invisible.  It seems like nothing is happening. That's not true.
Similarly, if you persist consistently, the fruits will come.

--Work on the hard stuff.
The tendency is to play the easy parts and avoid or "mumble" through the hard parts, or what you don't like.
Instead, focus on the hard stuff, and once you get that, you will make a big leap.

--Slow it down.
If something is hard, slow it waaaaay down.  

--Practice smart.
What you practice will get better.  So don't practice mistakes.  Practice the correct stuff.
Every time you play a mistake, you practice it.  You'll get better at playing mistakes.  Is that what you want?
Slow down enough to play it correctly.  Then practice THAT.

--Then speed it up.
Once you can do something s-l-o-w-l-y, correctly, then start speeding up, gradually.  If you start to make mistakes, slow it back down (or you'll practice mistakes).
That is how to gain fluency.  If you cannot do it slowly, how can you expect to do it quickly?!

--Use a metronome.
How do you keep perfect time?  By following something that keeps perfect time.
Buy or find an online metronome and use it to practice.
Nothing frustrates other musicians more, than trying to play with musicians who cannot keep a steady beat. @#$&!!

--Record yourself.
Yeah, it's hard to watch ourselves. That critic starts SCREAMING and throwing fits!  haha
But it's a great way to keep track of progress.  When we're inside of it, we have a hard time seeing things objectively.
It can also point out things you didn't know you were doing, that you might want to change or correct.

--Compare yourself to yourself.
The tendency is to look at others and say, wow, he learns so fast!  Geez, she has such beautiful style.  I feel like a dolt.
Instead, say, Hey, two days ago, I couldn't play anything.  Now I can play four chords and I'm working on the hammering technique!  Yay!  Keep up the good work!  You can do it!

--Push yourself just a bit.
Find something just a little harder than where you are.  If you want to learn a really hard song, that will only frustrate you.  You need to match up where you are, with something that is do-able, just barely, with a bit of work.

On that note, the first video, with the medieval (jeez, what a hard word to spell!!!) song--that first pattern he's showing you, with the hammer, may take you several days to a week to learn.  This is definitely more advanced stuff.

You might try to find something slower and easier and simple, and build up to that.

--Find ways to share.
Your chickens may or may not love your "music." [fair warning!  haha]
BUT, you might be able to play chords for your grandkids' Christmas carols singalong.
Or play the chords while you sing Happy Birthday to your husband.
Or do a singalong at a senior center.
Find or start a group so you can play with others, whether it's with the same instrument, or with different ones.  (But remember:  music is full of politics, just like everything else!)

And on THAT note, I leave you with one of this guy's videos (which always bring me to tears.  The fact that animals that can easily kill or hurt you will be so curious and gentle instead, because of music, speaks to the magnificence of spirit and Nature that we share.).  Not to mention it's so beautiful!



Finally, some words on criticism:  
Consider the source.
--Those who DON'T DO, are quick to criticize.
--Those who DO, understand how difficult it is, because they've been there themselves.  And they will either be supportive, or will give you pointed, helpful tips.  There is mutual respect amongst those who have put in the time, money, energy, discipline, and persistence, to get to where they are.  Listen to them.

Maybe you will find others who want to learn with you on the permies forums...?

r ransom wrote:What i really like is something like the mandolin, but they are crazy expencive.

If I can learn the ukulele, is it close enough to the mandolin or lute?  They have strings, so it can't be that different.

Or am I dreaming?

Well, here's one answer:
A mandolin has 8 strings.
An ukulele has 4.
So the mandolin is at least twice as difficult.

All kidding aside, you'll have to see if there's a musician here who plays both ukulele and mandolin, to see how much translation there is from one to the other.

<They have strings, so it can't be that different.
Well, strings feel different and sound different.  Plastic strings don't hurt your fingers as much as steel strings.
Tuning will obviously be different, so notes will be in different places on the instrument.

There's likely a reason they sell toy ukuleles, and many kids take ukulele lessons, and no toy mandolins that I know of, nor do I know any kids taking lessons on them, either...although, if you're somewhere like Appalachia, I'm sure I'd be wrong!!  

This may answer some of your questions:

A few things I disagree on from some above posts.

I have never regularly tapped my foot. But I am trying it now! I have found that I tend to sway back and forth unconsciously to mark the measure, which is another option for less tappable rhythms.

I have never found a metronome helpful or fun to play with. I don’t want perfect rhythm. It is, I find, a constraint on the emotive variation that makes a piece of music human. You will never hear a symphony played to a metronome. The best performances are often the most rhythmically unique (or awkward)—that is one of the ways the emotion, the humanness shows through.

I also disagree strongly with the assertion that one needs short nails, specifically on the right hand (if you are right handed. If left then read opposite.) On the left hand, yes it’s very helpful, but the right hand benefits from longer nails in almost all situations. Not abnormally long (they will likely break off in that case!) but for that same reason there is no need to cut them. Long nails are especially important for the clawhammer style of playing—learning clawhammer banjo I was overeager and wore down my index and middle finger nails to almost nothing! Now playing on the ring finger.

Alina Green wrote:

Well, here's one answer:
A mandolin has 8 strings.
An ukulele has 4.
So the mandolin is at least twice as difficult.

All kidding aside, you'll have to see if there's a musician here who plays both ukulele and mandolin, to see how much translation there is from one to the other.

<They have strings, so it can't be that different.
Well, strings feel different and sound different.  Plastic strings don't hurt your fingers as much as steel strings.
Tuning will obviously be different, so notes will be in different places on the instrument.

There's likely a reason they sell toy ukuleles, and many kids take ukulele lessons, and no toy mandolins that I know of, nor do I know any kids taking lessons on them, either...although, if you're somewhere like Appalachia, I'm sure I'd be wrong!!  :)

An added nuance: mandolin has four courses of strings—each course has two strings that are tuned to the same note and the strings are pressed together as if they are one.

So for the mental aspect you are only dealing with four “strings” or courses, but yes they are physically more difficult to press down being metal and doubled.

The fact that they are louder and have a fuller sound due to the doubled strings, lends them to the playing of melody. Watchhouse, my favorite band, used to be Mandolin Orange… but they still have lots of mandolin. Notice how a pick is used—very atypical for ukulele with much lower string tension.

A beautiful instrumental that shows its strengths well is Coming Down from Green Mountain




This performance was positively magical how the mandolin and cello played in unison.

Never pigeon hole your instrument!

Overthink = paralysis.
Hunker in a bunker = fail.
Drop in on a local ukulele circle = success.

There are also many libraries that have cooperative arrangements with other libraries.  If yours won't rent out a ukulele, there may be a nearby one that you could arrange to have it sent to your library.    You could also possibly rent one, or look on Craigslist or Facebook marketplace.

John S
PDX OR

I head into town this week, so I'll ask the librarian.

My learning style is different. But it works for me.

I need to over analyze and imagine before I start.  To learn enough of the theory to learn the "correct" way (or a few versions of that).  I have to feel that this is worth investing my most valuable resource - my time.

It takes alot of thinking to get past this stage, but without it,  it's doomed to fail.

Then pick one "correct way" and work through it for about a month to learn muscle memory.

Evaluate and adjust.  Start on a three prong attack:
1. Right way
2. Theory obsess in downtime
3. Experiment with wrong ways

Eventually, I find a path somewhere between the three that gets me the skill i want.

...

To help with the thinking stage

I got a wooden spatula and tried some of the (neck hand?) Finger pressing strings.  It's probably going be a limit of 20 min sessions for the first weeks as my hands don't have the right muscles. Yet.

Now I'm observing my life and looking at the spaces i can make time for practice.  I've never found the time to do whatever, but I can usually make time if I can pair it with existing habits.

I suspect it's too loud for insomnia time when others are sleeping. That's dedicated to learning painting anyway.  Afternoon coffee is looking promising.  That would be 4 to 5 days a week. My brain is active then, but body tired and not up to physical activity.  I'll keep looking to see if there is an everyday time as skipping days in the early stages goes poorly for me.

In the first video, the person uses his little finger to press down the string.  

In other videos, they don't need that finger.  

Is it possible to play without the little finger pressing down the string?  

r ransom wrote:In the first video, the person uses his little finger to press down the string.  

In other videos, they don't need that finger.  

Is it possible to play without the little finger pressing down the string?  

Is it possible?  Yes.  Django Reinhardt, certainly one of the greatest guitar players of all time, only had use of two fingers and his thumb due to an accident. Is it ideal? No. You have four strings and four fingers. In the long run, it is better to use four and the thumb sometimes, but if that is not possible you can adapt.

Thank you.   That's helpful

I'm confused nearly to the point of giving up.

Help

I'm going through the first pile of ukulele books from tne library and half says the only correct way to tune a ukulele is GCEA and the other half, including the dummies books, say that gCEA is the only right way to tune for proper sound.

Who do I believe?

Some books suggest that I can finger/fret/whatever the same for both tuning.   Other books insist they have different fretting fingers and that we must learn the proper way.  

Making things worse, they say uppercase is lower and lowecase is upper but not one book explains what upper g and lower G means.   Or what tuning up vs tuning down and why we can't tune down a g without floppy string....i don't know.  The dummy books are especially assuming that I speak music.

I did not expect so much conflict on, what I foolishly assumed was such a foundational topic as tuning.

My question

1. Which gives the sound I want for the music in the first video, softer rounder sound?  If that makes sense.  Less merlot and more barolo if music was flavored.

2. Double checking, I would need to change the string to go from g to G and back again (i think this was confirmed upthread).  So I should choose one.

3. Is the finger on the fret stem the same for both?

4. Is there some way to tell what string is on a ukulele?  

I don't think there's a difference between gCEA and GCEA.
I have used strings for guitars on my ukulele. They were too long of course.  I had to cut them off.
My son got angry at me and threw my ukulele across the room and damaged it.  I didn't buy a new one because I thought he might do that again.
It still works and even though I no longer think he'll damage it. I still use it as is.
I think there are lots of little things you'll be learning over the next year, that will seem like little things in a few years.
I realize they don't seem like little things now.
You will get through them.
I would try to find someone you could ask these questions to locally, although I'm sure we're all happy to help.
John S
PDX OR

Looks Sounds like it is low G for me.  
Her teaching style is a good match for my brain.

You're right. I never heard of this before, because I play baritone uke. It's more like a guitar.
John S
PDX OR

If you find joy in playing an instrument, then I say increase the joy in your life by getting one! If instead you find it more of a "I'm bored, that looks interesting", then I would wait. I tend to fall into the second option, so I try to wait a while before a purchase or see what alternatives are out there or if it was a passing thing. But if you know it's what you would enjoy learning (and prepare for a learning curve if this is your first stringed instrument), don't wait any longer as every life can use more joy in it. You'll increase your own joy, as well as those around you (after you learn a few notes ).

For reference I think the first video (the king’s forest) was played with a high G.

Do it!!
I bought  a ukulele 3 years ago and have enjoyed getting to know my instrument.  I don't have chickens. So, I can't speak to what a chicken's reaction would be.
You do not have to be able to read music to play a uke, just a cord fingering chart and a little strumming gets you through a lot of songs. There's lots of good how to books available as you progress and gain skills.
If you can find a ukulele  to play with as you're learning, it helps.
Good luck, and enjoy!

Noting the number of ukulele videos posted on this thread is all the evidence one needs to see that a portable, (relatively) simple, 4-string instrument is a pretty popular item. The potential for creating a satisfying result simply is truly one of the ukulele’s biggest appeals.

I once taught an adult, group ukulele class that covered no theory, no note-reading, no nothing at all technical. The goal was to play nice stuff without having to become a “real musician” (as a couple of the participants noted). It went over real well. In a few short weeks everyone was singing and strumming and, clearly, enjoying themselves.

I attached a link to a (little-viewed) video of myself playing a Joni Mitchell tune. It was posted for the adult class to help  a couple of the more advanced beginners transition from strumming to finger-picking. The song is pared down to minimize complexities. If you look at the YouTube description you’ll see that I also posted sheet music for it in tablature form, which the students thoroughly ignored. Fun is so much more pleasant than the technicals, especially when one is getting older and not sopping up new ideas and skills like a hungry child might!

When my son was in high school, he was in and out of the hospital for a while. His cousins (for some unknown reason) brought him a ukulele. He studied videos and mastered it, then moved on to guitar and bass. it became a passion, and he has been in a band ever since.  Completed a European tour last summer, so you never know where things will lead you... Good Luck!

r ransom wrote:I hope this will pass, but a sleepless night bread an increasingly strong desire to buy and learn to play a ukulele, or other similar string instrument.  That's all I can think about, playing music for my goose who loves song time.
...
And yet, there is a drive in me to identify the skills I am worst at in this world and test myself against them.

Ukulele are supposedly affordable, make a variety of music, and easy to learn.  Now, could I do this for under $50CAD?  Or hopefully, someone will talk me out of it?

I would never try to talk someone out of playing an instrument. I took up guitar at 19, and as a kid sometimes played a comb (a really poor man's kazoo). The benefits of playing music are endless and don't require high skill to bring some pleasure. Enthusiasm, which you're expressing, is the most essential thing, because that supports the persistence that builds skill.

The ukulele is the lowest cost string instrument I know of and an excellent choice. (I play occasionally, though acoustic guitar is my daily instrument.) Decent instruments might be at least $100 CAD from a music store or online, but used ones are available for much less. I just checked Kijiji and found an unused one (with a case) in Ottawa for $50! A couple of others are $20 and $40.

Enya and Flight brands are good and not pricey. I got that Enya black plastic one with the super cool sound holes. Everyone compliments it. I got concert since I love classical and also a wide variety of songs. I changed my tuning to low G to be able to have the widest range for my instrument. There are great resources online to learn chords and play Somewhere over the Rainbow which was my first goal. Slowing it down and playing along gives you the basics by immersion like a language. schedule listening adjacent to your practice time and your brain will think you were practicing the whole time😳. Also pick up a Yamaha or aulos plastic recorder for about 10 or 15 USD. Join Sarah and play with the rest of us at team recorder on YT. She is a great teacher and I play for my animals all the time. I'm just starting to go to public places and play now that it's been a few years. I have about 50 years of background in classical piano and voice, and teaching music to my kids and their friends. I have super bad stage fright performing on piano. note: Get the bigger and deeper sounding uke that is tuned the same way as the soprano or higher uke. Or the alto recorder if your hands are bigger or if you like the sound better. You can also tune a Mando like a uke for a very cool medieval vibe but with the easy uke chords. There are good Mando lessons on YT (tuned same notes as a fiddle.)

Ukulele is a great beginner instrument since the strings are nylon not steel like an mandolin. George Harrison kept the trunk of his car full of them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8nau2OQzuc If you are living in a space with major temperature fluctuations the material an instrument is made of is an important consideration along with placement in the building. NEVER place an instrument against an exterior wall, by the windows or near a heat source. These extreme hot, cold and humidity shifts will encourage glue bonds to break popping all pieces of wood apart. ENYA makes carbon fiber Ukuleles in lots of colors which will remain the same no matter the weather and could be used as a paddle in an emergency. Sometimes folks sell them used for less but the only thing that will break over time are the strings. https://www.enya-music.com/collections/ukulele These are great for camping, festivals and can remain over night in the trunk of your car for years no problem.

M Ljin wrote:For reference I think the first video (the king’s forest) was played with a high G.

Ah.

Do you think it would have a nice sound if played with the low G?  

I would highly recommend.  You can get a nice soprano Ukulele at Guitar Center for a reasonable price.  It is a super fun instrument to play, easy to learn and you will be the hit at the next fl camp fire.  

David Milano wrote:....

I attached a link to a (little-viewed) video of myself playing a Joni Mitchell tune. It was posted for the adult class to help  a couple of the more advanced beginners transition from strumming to finger-picking. The song is pared down to minimize complexities. If you look at the YouTube description you’ll see that I also posted sheet music for it in tablature form, which the students thoroughly ignored. Fun is so much more pleasant than the technicals, especially when one is getting older and not sopping up new ideas and skills like a hungry child might!

That's a very strong argument in favour of learning the ukulele.  Absolutely love that song and the way you played it.  This looks like it will take a while to understand enough to try it, but it's good to have a goal.

Bernadette is a wonderful music teacher, including ukulele. I have watched many of her videos on YouTube (excellent ones on music theory) and attended her workshops at the Reno Ukulele Festival last year. The style of playing is called fingerpicking (as opposed to playing chords or chord melody). Even if you only commit to give the ukulele 5 minutes a day, you will be amazed at your progress. Often I play more because I don't want to stop once I start, but 5 minutes adds up over time. If you really don't stick with it, you may be able to resell it for close to what you purchased it for--if it is a good quality instrument. My chickens just love hanging out with me (and vice versa) so I imagine playing ukulele with them would be wonderful. I'll try it to see their reaction. I've been meaning to teach them to play a child's xylophone that I mounted in their run. My experience is that it is best to just jump in and have fun--don't overthink it. Best wishes.

Like some have said, with a few chord (finger patterns), you can play many, many songs. 3 or 4 chords and you can play tons of songs. Literally within an hour you can play some songs you know.  

Finger picking takes longer but is very beautiful.

John S
PDX OR

Raven
I watched this guy doing a Ted Talk, and he talks about mastering something in as little as 20 hours. I saw the comments about years of study... Good for them, if your chickens could live so long.
Here's Josh Kaufman

All the books say to tune the ukulele, all we need to know is "my dog has fleas".

Eh?
Search engines don't want to tell me why these four words have to do with gCEA.

Is there some basic pop culture references I'm missing?

"My dog has fleas" is sung, not spoken. The origin is murky, but the song unforgettable. It provides the tones of each string relative to each other. Check youtube.

Oh...it's the name of a song!  Okay.  That makes things fall into place.  Thank you

r ransom wrote:Oh...it's the name of a song!  Okay.  That makes things fall into place.  Thank you

Well, sort of. But that advice isn't very useful if you don't have a strong sense of pitch and want to tune to standard pitch. Decent clip-on tuners have gotten so cheap that I can't think of any reason not to use one. Snark is a widely used one, I also like my D'Addario micro, and Amazon lists one with good reviews (https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B078WVSS2K/ref=sspa_mw_detail_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9kZXRhaWw) for under $10CAD.
Playing in tune is usually better than the other way, eh.

100% clip on tuner for me