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Got a uke for my B-day

DURPDURP Posts: 2,180
edited December 2012 in Musicians and Gearheads
So my parents got me a Uke for my birthday. It's pretty cool the guys at the shop i buy from flipped the strings (I'm a lefty player) and it's pretty awesome.

Anyway does anyone have any tips? I found a chord chart online but was wondering if anyone had any tips. I'm not wanting to take it serious just a good instrument to play and take a break from the guitar every once in awhile.

Thanks
My butt itches!
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • love-boat-captainlove-boat-captain Posts: 476
    Nice one dude! The uke is cool. Plus it's easy, especially of you are a guitarist.

    My advise is get a good relaxed strumming hand action going, you can create a lot of character in your playing from the strumming. Also learn some chords, and be creative, you be surprised how you can fool around and discover chords etc.

    Learn Sleeping By Myself, it's easy and has a good strumming pattern to follow.
    My other advise is don't be afraid to finger pick.

    Oh and get a PJ sticker on it
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  • amethgr8amethgr8 Posts: 766
    I got one for christmas and have playing it since. not 100% everyday, but here n there. just to hear the songs eddie plays.

    tough to play like eddie though. but I still hear the songs in there, hubby said I'm getting better.

    EV uke stuff came, talked to bro in idle conversation how inclined I'd be to try and hear those songs from me. here comes the uke just after christmas.

    th uke songbook doesn't have the strumming, so I'm making due with my naive musical ear. lots of public domain songs. martin website has like 4 songs for download for free.

    I can play satelite, the 1st page to you're true. I work on more than you know (for the strong feeling) I have also love on the rocks by n. diamond and yellow ledbetter (ridiculous) but if I don't try I don't know.

    amy
    Amy The Great #74594
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  • supadupasupadupa Posts: 377
    I have a uke, and I've been teaching myself to play the past few months. I immediately got a uke app on my iPhone, which is helpful for tuning and learning chords. I have all the basic chords down, and I search online for songs when I want to learn them. I don't do anything fancy yet, but I've taught myself a ton of great 4-6 chord songs.

    Tonight I learned State of Love and Trust. That's super-fun and pretty simple on a uke.
  • PJinILPJinIL Posts: 433
    I've been trying to learn as well, and find I pick up confidence and comfort when playing with someone else. Online videos and stuff are great, but when you have a person there, helping you along and encouraging you, the information is more immediate. It's like the difference between texting or having a real-time conversation.

    I found formal lessons were good to get me going, but playing with a friend let the learning meander a bit more, and a lot cheaper :)
    It's amazing what you hear when you take time to listen.
  • DURPDURP Posts: 2,180
    Cool thanks everyone. I somehow sprained my wrist so I can not play for a week or two which sucks ass. I want to learn without you. My "sister" (she's actually been my friend for like 20 yrs) is getting married in 2014 so I want to learn without and her daughter will sing.

    I know what you mean I don't mind learning songs from the internet but when i first started playing guitar i got more out of actual lessons then just off the internet. It's been a few years since my last lesson so i should go back for a few more just to keep up and learn new stuff. Funny/cool story my instructor told me about a professer at Boston College i think who does personal lessons and he looked at his book and it was Eric Clapton he thought just a name coincidence then when he went to the are there he was Clapton. So lessons are always good no matter what skill level.

    Thanks for all the info guys helpful. I have been just having fun with it. I found a uke chord chart and it has helped. It seems easy which may be because of playing guitar first but no matter what it's fun to play :D
    My butt itches!
  • djklambakedjklambake Posts: 2,522
    Uke's got balls!

    Kinda wanna get one myself...
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  • amethgr8amethgr8 Posts: 766
    still playing and now with christmas approaching, it's been almost a year.

    I have small calasus on my fingers, sometimes they fade if I don't play for a few weeks. Moving onto Longing to Belong and I can't remember the other in eddie's book. making it to the 2nd page of you're true.

    blue bayou.

    without you is playing 3rd fret and higher and I think it's tough.

    amy
    Amy The Great #74594
    New Orleans LA 7/4/95 reschedule 9/17/95
    Chicago IL 1998, 10/9/00, 06/18/03, 05/16/06, 05/17/06
    08/23/09, 08/24/09, Lolla 08/05/07
    Champaign IL 4/23/03
    Grand Rapids MI VFC 10/03/04
    Grand Rapids MI 19May06
    Noblesville IN 05/07/10 Cleveland OH 05/09/10
    PJ 20 2011
    Baltimore MD, Charlottesville VA, Seattle WA 2013
    St. Louis MO, Milwaukee WI 2014
    Tampa FL, Chicago IL, Lexington KY 2016
    Missoula MT 2018
  • BurtonBurton Posts: 6
    Keep it close, that's my tip,

    where do you normally sit the most?, at the TV, Computer?
    keep it within arms reach, So during an ad break or while a web page is loading you just grab it and fiddle

    Don't store it away so its kind of an effort, you have to decide to go play it, bugger that.
    make a little stand and keep it right next to where you most often are

    At $30 each (for a cheap one) i keep 1 in the car 1 in the shed and 1 next to my computer
    (strangely theirs not one in the music room.. hmmm)
  • pandorapandora Posts: 21,855
    :D oh! fun!

    Happy Birthday!
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