Category: Jam Session
Ok so one thing I used to do, before the daughter came along, and have begun to do again was to play music while the wife relaxed. If I am playing my Native American flute or recorders, though, I usually do that from another room while she is lying down.
So recently I discovered the tenor ukulele: kind of a deep, coconut warm sound and was attracted to it, so I bought a Oscar Schmidt one from Amazon. In a former life I was an adequate fretless bass player and did take one term of classical guitar. I know the uke's strings are tuned differently, but would gladly take any tips and advice. Sadly, lots of the chords online are shown using pictures, not the typical terms like e string second position with the middle finger or what have you.
I know obviously people who are blind have figured this out: Showe on here has one and has a Youtube where she plays some.
Anyway any tips or web sites that are good at indicating actual fingering would really help. I think it will be nice to have it and learn it so I can sit at the foot of the bed and play while she has her feet up after those long difficult days of working with the kids of teenage moms.
Granted, not the aspirations most of you have on here, but I'm up for any tips / web sites / basics you all can provide.
I think it's really nice that you play relaxing music for your wife. Now, I have to say this...and I'm sure I'm not the only one, but I had some pretty funny thoughts when I read your subject line about bedroom instruments. LOL
Looking back, I can see that. Guess I was thinking in context this being jam session and my aspirations not being that grand here. Meanwhile I have the day off and so pulled out my low C bamboo side-blown flute and am trying to play it, it's got a mellow deep tone when I don't completely suck at it but it's different and lower than my Native American flute.
Anyway back to the Uke. Be glad for any tips even if what I can get is general like how to do your basic major and minor bar chord stuff like that. I wish I wasn't such a stupid uber snooty fool back in the 80s when everything had to be all fancy - I used to laugh at these instruments but they're really nice especially when people who do not suck play them lol.
So the reason I got the tenor ukulele was the deeper, warmer, more mellow tone. But they ship with the high instead of the low g string, so I had to look around to get this. Here's what I get having a day off lol at least I had time.
So I went to JustStrings.com and under Ukulele strings, found my manufacturer of choice, Aquila, which are said to have a nice warm sound and so bought a wound string for the low G.
I bought several since they claim these will break. The advantages of a wound string is better projection from my days playing bass, aka you'd use flats for a dull thud tone and wounds for a somewhat brighter tone, and half wounds for that piano-esque sound. Anyway gods and gargoyles it's been years since I did any of this, and that was before the Internet when sure, you didn't pay shipping, but your opportunities for research as a blind person were nil to moot and somewhere over the nul set.
I've watched a few vids on how to string these, but I'm guessing I'll just have to unstring the factory strings and put on the nice Aquelas I got, but do it slow so I can see how, since what they have is you wrap it at the tail section, rather than the stop knut for bass strings. The material for the Aquela strings sure sounds interesting. It's called nylgut (a polymorph of nylon and gut) and it is said to sound warmer.
The way they describe the care you have to give stringing these sounds a lot like when you string flats, sort of gently easing them over the nut when winding, and letting them set overnight after you apply the first tension.
Lol then it will be time to learn how to play them.
Ok I am glad I checked Bard. Their music selections are typically lacking unless what you want is Victorian repertoire, but they have an audio book on how to play the Ukulele. I also did download a ten minute Braille guide with I believe some chord charts, well I put it in the wish list. Anyway I can't be happier! All the videos on Youtube leave a lot of description out for some pretty important parts. I'd been reading the Ukulele undergrounds sites on my days off here, but this sounds like it will really be a great find. Now to dust off that big beast of a NLS player lol but I'm not waiting for the iPhone player to be out before I start on this one. Hell I'm excited to check this out while I'm waiting for the Ukulele and strings to arrive.
Anyway it's by Bob Brown and all you need to do on the Bard site is go under Music Section then search for Ukulele. There was one for the baritone also, and some other book that sounded like a kid book but anyway this is really sounding good. I've heard of his guitar books, and this one does state for the visually impaired, so assuming we're talking some really good descriptions here.
I couldn't be happier: I've always struggled with music to get the kinds of charts and things my sighted counterparts had. They never had a bass repertoire back in the day, when I played fretless. Anyway this is good stuff, I suppose once I learn it I could get any of their stuff with guitar chords and learn a bunch of stuff that way. This will be fun!
Get with Ray aka ha akane or whatever his user name is. He plays the Ukulele and actually produces music using it. I have some of his material and its really great
Ah great suggestion thanks.
Like Becky, I just had to laugh, but the topic was in this board, so.... Smile.
Leo, will you marry me?
Hi Leo. I'm glad you've got yourself a nice euk. I'm slightly confused as to what you mean about the g string though? The standard tuning for the ukulele is a higher G followed by C E A.
I imagine you've already found a few chords to be going on with, but if not here are a couple to start you off.
The simplest is to fret the third on the bottom string, (the A string) That alone will give you a c major chord. as you are familiar with guitar you know the d major shape I imagine. If you play that using the bottom three strings, in exactly the same positions as on guitar, you will get a g major chord. and to complete your R.E.M/Status quo album, you only need one more chord. The f. Second fret top string, and first fret on the third string.
I'm not much of a ukulele player, but I know a little more if you have any further questions.
Enjoy.
Thanks for the help.
Yes, the tuning is as you describe except on tenor ukes you can buy a wound string that is tuned an octave lower than your typical g string on the uke. It's what a lot of the Hawaiian players use and it gives a bit of depth or bass.
Thanks for the description on the chords.
Ok I'll take you up on your question:
The reviews said to replace the strings as soon as I get this uke. So I bought the Aquilas which are made of Nylgut and the low wound string for the low g.
Now I've strung several other instruments but never had to tie a knot behind the bridge. Or if I did, I don't remember now. Sad but true, it's been a couple decades by now, though I am looking to change that. Anyway I've read several sets of instructions online though many have a lot of visual references.
So, any pitfalls you can help me avoid will be most appreciated. I've planned to just loosen the tension on the existing ones, and see how they got it on, in particular this bridge setup where they say some have a tie rod and some not, and try and just follow the same patterns for putting on the new set.
So I have not yet played it till she fell asleep but she does love it, even if all I am doing is finger picking exercises and scales. But barre chords are tough and I'm seriously working on that.
Can't wait to get to the point of being able to do chord and melody lines at the same times. There's tons of neat uke stuff on Youtube. Lol it's all I do anymore after work and chores and things.
And now I'm graduating to a guitalele when it gets here, the same tuning configuration with two more top strings, low d and low a. Sort of like a guitar with a capo on the fifth fret.