MIMF

I'll apologize in advance to all you Ukulele afficionados, builders, players, people of the 51st State and anyone else that is offended by what I'm about to say.

Ukuleles are like Zero Coke...a drink you have when you are not having a drink, or an instrument you have when ............

I just made this one for my son-in-law, who decided he had to learn an instrument before it was too late - he chose the Ukulele. I'm sorry, but I now know why there's no Ukes in Rock bands, orchestras, or even in a dark corner of most peoples garages. A loose translation of Ukulele is "jumping flea" and it's little wonder that it has an historical association with comedians like George Formby and Tiny Tim.

Apologies again, but it's just not my kind of strings. This one has a Fir top, the rest of it is Tasmanian Blackwood.

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I used to have a similar opinion of ukes, until I found -this- guy's music.

http://youtu.be/k8L_g0UPcWY

or

http://youtu.be/puSkP3uym5k

or

http://youtu.be/PB3RbO7updc

or

http://youtu.be/E5EXVhL_kVI

Search for more of his videos(there are many). Turns out, the uke is a rather versatile, and yes, real, instrument.

They are fun to make, take less wood, can be made with all sorts of quirky changes in design and shape. The perceived "rules" about ukes are just not the same as guitars.

But like guitars, how many do you really need sitting around the house?

Listened to those links. Awesome. Reinforces my belief that any string under tension can make music. It's not the instrument, it's the one playing it. I'm inspired to get my Ukulele out. I used it once in a song. Learned a few basic chords and played it as a rhythm Uke. Gave the song personality.

Nice little "flea." I'm seeing more Fir on people's instruments on the forums.

And yes, Shimabukuro is fricking amazing and has done much to elevate the uke above novelty/comedic status.

I was quite surprised when a couple of my chic/hip daughters started to play the ukulele. They seem to be "in" with the younger crowd these days. I have some koa to rebuild the first uke my #5 daughter had, which we got at a garage sale for a couple of bucks. The lady had played it in college, which must have been the 50's or early 60's for her. The pineapple shape body was all busted up and poorly repaired, and it finally collapsed. But the neck and tuners are good quality. So I do not consider it a shame to build a uke at all. And seriously, who says instruments have to be serious?

That one you built is good looking too.

Just for information....The rock band "Train" uses a ukulele on some of their songs.

Oh well, I stand corrected!!!

One question about the Uke. The one in the pics is built from a plan which came from a recognized supplier. I learned a few chords so I could play it for a test run and I notice that holding it against the body dampens the amplitude significantly. When you pull it away from the body after strumming a chord, it gets louder during the sustain. Is that normal in Ukulele World? Is it because it is such a small instrument or is my bodily disdain affecting the resonance?

That's completely normal in smaller instruments, Barry. Violins are held under the chin to allow the back to move freely. Mandolins are held at an angle to the body to affect the same, and those who can't/won't assume the proper posture use a device called a "tone guard" that holds the mandolin away from the body. Uke's are in the same boat...

Thanks Mario. You learn something every day.

51st state?
Even when strummed traditionally the ukulele has a warm attractive sound if well made. Good ones are surprisingly expensive. The average mass market uke is like the average mass market guitar, not much of an instrument.
Ukuleles are fun to build, but are difficult to build well. Most of us don't take them too seriously, and that may be one reason that they sound less than "stellar".
Your's looks quite nice.

Most people build 'em too big:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzL_K08CwAE

If the standard is cigar box uke, that one in the video is a cigarette box uke.

Most people build 'em too big

Chris, that little tiny cigar box is more of a novelty. 'Ukulele sizes have been standardized for quite some time (Soprano ~13", Concert ~15", Tenor 17", Baritone 19").

Barry, a well-built 'uke is EVERY BIT as nice as any OTHER well-built instrument, and just as difficult to build. It frequently does not get any respect because it is smaller in size and has a limited range, but don't let that fool you. And please stop trotting out Tiny Tim as an example of what the 'ukulele sounds like. He did more to damage the reputation of the instrument than anyone who every picked it up!! The best thing about the 'uke is that it makes music accessible to many people precisely because it is less intimidating than other instruments!

Mario gave some references to (the unbelievably talented) Jake Shimabukuro.

I would encourage others to check out the playing of well know 'uke players to get an idea of just how versatile this instrument is:

"John King" who was a very accomplished classical guitar teacher, and played mostly classical music on the soprano 'uke. Check out his rendition of Washington Post March

"James Hill", a very well-known and accomplished Canadian musician, playing clawhammer 'uke

Greg Hawkes Trio (keyboardist from the Cars) playing Eleanor Rigby

Lyle Ritz (well-known session bass player), who put Jazz 'ukulele on the map, playing Pick a Lily

Langley (B.C.) Ukulele Orchestra (a high-school music program that brings music to 100's of children through the 'ukulele) playing Flight of the Bumblebee

and last (at least for this post), but certainly not least:

Jon Prown playing Jorma Kaukonen's (Jefferson Airplane) Embryonic Journey

Neal Carey wrote:Chris, that little tiny cigar box is more of a novelty. 'Ukulele sizes have been standardized for quite some time (Soprano ~13", Concert ~15", Tenor 17", Baritone 19").

Well, I have built more sopranos than baby ukes (that one is half of a duelling pair, as someone once described them). And one concert (though that was a 3-tin can resonator or "Trican").

A well-built uke is indeed a proper musical instrument. Building well is something I'm still working towards but from time-to-time mine turn out OK.

One thing I particularly like about the ukulele is that the tradition is very loose, so that experiments are not automatically frowned upon. For example, one of my builds which turned out OK was an imagining of what a 1920s English builder would have made after seeing one of the early Hawaiian ukes. I used English yew throughout, which is as close to Koa as I can get with any wood which grows here.



No uke player has ever recoiled from it as not being a "proper" uke; rather, they all want to try it out to hear how it sounds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9b3_1CcXtY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xd87d5q ... index=34rj
One of my favorite ukulele players/singers. Nice bounce on the "bouncing flea".

[quote="Neal Carey"][quote] And please stop trotting out Tiny Tim as an example of what the 'ukulele sounds like. He did more to damage the reputation of the instrument than anyone who every picked it up!! /quote]

Yes, but unfortunately, that is what most ordinary folk know about the Uke. Anyway, I apologized in advance.

Barry Guest wrote:Yes, but unfortunately, that is what most ordinary folk know about the Uke.

I know, I know. I remember watching him (and Miss Vickie) on the talk shows when I was a kid. It was just awful. And yet, the 'ukulele is more popular than it has ever been in the previous waves of popularity. The great thing now is the wide choice of high-quality instruments available.

Chris Reed wrote:One thing I particularly like about the ukulele is that the tradition is very loose, so that experiments are not automatically frowned upon.

Couldn't agree more. I like your example. It seems familiar. I remember a post about a Yew 'ukulele. There is almost no combination of woods you cannot use, although there are still plenty of traditionalists who believe it has to be made from all Koa or all Mahogany or its just not a 'uke. There certainly is room for all kinds of opinions, it is what makes our little world go 'round.