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NattyBumppo posted:Are you sure you have it set for the right key? You should set it for the key of C. Maybe this tuner is just really cheap. I can't find anywhere to change the key settings. It's one of these: http://www.andysmusiconline.com/products/gp1-guitar-tuner.html edit: I kept tuning up until it sounded like the correct note and I ended up at E. I'm assuming I'm just in the wrong key or something. Is there any easy way to tune using this piece of crap electric tuner or do I need to get another one? Ehud fucked around with this message at 03:25 on Dec 5, 2007 |
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Dec 5, 2007 03:07
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Ehud posted:It says the G is in tune but it sounds really out of whack, like it's way too low (maybe a lower G?) and the string feels very loose. Cripes, did you pull a Seethe Glare too? Are you trying to turn a re-entrant G down to a bass G? When you look at your G string, does it look thicker or thinner than your C string? If it looks thinner, it needs to be tuned up to a re-entrant (high) G, as in just a step below your A string. Does that help? Your other problems sound a bit odd. Do you have a musician friend around who can look over your shoulder and see if you're doing something weird. Heck, if you want to YouTube your confusion and post it here we can take a squint.
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Dec 5, 2007 04:42
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Ehud posted:Maybe this tuner is just really cheap. I can't find anywhere to change the key settings. I don't see anything inherently wrong with the type of tuner you have. The tuner gives readouts for the entire scale, right? That is, as you're tuning it up it says Db.......D.......D#......E as you climb, right? Such a tuner should work fine on your uke. Oh, and is your G re-entrant or bass? What kind/brand of uke did you get?
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Dec 5, 2007 04:47
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I got my Kala 2 days ago, got it tuned up, and it sounds great! I have limited guitar experience, so now I'm just trying to commit some chords to memory. Then I'll probably do something stupid, like try to make Kenny Loggins' "Danger Zone" into a happy song.
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Dec 6, 2007 00:35
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I know nothing about instruments but I think this would be a neat instrument to learn to play, where to I start?
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Dec 6, 2007 04:53
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TLG James posted:I know nothing about instruments but I think this would be a neat instrument to learn to play, where to I start? 1) Get a uke. You don't want to go uber-uber cheap, as some stuff is just unplayable crap. Fortunately, even a decent starter uke is way more affordable than most instruments. Probably the best deal running currently is the Kala uke, which several of us have bought from musicguymic on eBay and gotten good deals on. Soprano ukes run about $59, tenor ukes run about $99. Both play the same, it's just a matter if you want a smaller body with a little less volume/tone, or more volume/tone but not as tiny/cute/agile. If you're on a real tight budget, Mic also has some Makalas that he tweaks in his shop, so they're about the quality of the usual internet $35 uke, but with better strings and properly tweaked to play in tune, and the lemons weeded out, which warrants the small markup in price. 2) Learn some chords, and then match them up to a song. You don't need to find specificially uke songs online, just find a uke chord chart, and then match that up any song you google up the chords for. It might help to print out the song and then draw a little picture of the finger positions for each chord above the verses. For example, if "House of the Rising Sun" starts out Em, G, A, you just look those chords up on any online uke chord chart, and apply those fingerings to the song. There's also a site linked a page or so back that will actually demonstrate the chords for Beatles songs as the song lyrics/chords are displayed in realtime, so that's a pretty cool learning resource. This thread is worth a read-through, lots of good info brought up.
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Dec 6, 2007 05:50
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musicguymic both the Kala - 15S and the Kala KA-S. Are the differences just in appearance? Which should I go for? http://cgi.ebay.com/Brand-New-Kala-KA-15S-Mahogany-Soprano-Ukulele_W0QQitemZ250195116361QQihZ015QQcategoryZ16224QQcmdZViewItem or http://cgi.ebay.com/Brand-New-Kala-KA-S-Mahogany-Soprano-Ukulele-Lowest_W0QQitemZ250195099040QQihZ015QQcategoryZ16224QQcmdZViewItem
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Dec 6, 2007 08:04
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I've always wanted to pick up an instrument but never got around to it.. Now that I have a month of absolutely nothing to do, I'm thinking about picking this up as a fun hobby. However, I have no musical knowledge so I'll be a complete beginner... Is this something I can learn by myself through web resources? How long should it take me to be able to play a few songs? thanks
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Dec 6, 2007 08:14
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barney posted:I've always wanted to pick up an instrument but never got around to it.. All this and more has been answered in this very thread. But if you're just looking for the short answers: 1. Yes, you can. 2. That depends. Days to weeks. Not long though.
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Dec 6, 2007 11:33
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I already play the uke, so I know how awesome they can be, but all of the uke-talk in this thread has encouraged me to share the love! I just bought a Kala uke for my friend who's stationed at Guantanamo. Hopefully it'll help him to pass the time there and cheer himself up every once in a while.
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Dec 6, 2007 13:01
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Benzoyl Peroxide posted:All this and more has been answered in this very thread. But if you're just looking for the short answers: All right, thanks. I looked at the some of the links to chords and found them confusing at first, so I was wondering. Also, does anyone have any experience with ukuleles made by Cascade? Here's the link to the specific ukulele
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Dec 6, 2007 14:55
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barney posted:All right, thanks. I looked at the some of the links to chords and found them confusing at first, so I was wondering. No idea on the Cascade, but I posted asking about it on UkuleleCosmos. It's in the General section if you want to go scope the thread out. I'm initially wary of good deals from mega-stores, but I'm open to possibilities. Hang loose for a few days until we can get more info on that critter. Chords might be a little confusing if you're not used to the concept. The chord diagrams are simply showing where your fingers go for each chord. If it's throwing you, it might be good to check some YouTube tutorials to see someone actually forming and strumming the chords. Try searching as "ukulele lesson" or "ukulele tutorial". Any noob ukegoons found a YT tutorial that's especially cool? This is a tiny, tiny bit harder than pure n00b, but kinda neat. 12 Bar Blues Uke Tutorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVNNT2wfMgg
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Dec 6, 2007 16:24
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Would you advise a guitar player just looking to mess around with something fun a baritone uke? It would seem to be the easiest transition as a guitar player probably has a few songs that can be played on it, or at the very least they know the notes along the strings rather than having to relearn and then transcribe songs... I think that's what I'll get, because most of sweep picking riffs I know are just on the bottom 4 strings.
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Dec 6, 2007 18:44
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:Any noob ukegoons found a YT tutorial that's especially cool? The Roy Sakuma DVD seems pretty good from what I hear. I'll tell you if it's any good when it gets here (and my Uke does too.)
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Dec 6, 2007 19:29
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I was just about to post a similar topic to this. I've been trying to learn how to play the bluegrass banjo for a year now but I've been having a hard time with it. I've never played a string instrument before that. Is there a different instrument that I could learn that would help me segway into the banjo? I was going to take a guitar class but I didnt think it would help me out that much because the chords are a lot different.
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Dec 6, 2007 19:45
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AtomicManiac posted:Would you advise a guitar player just looking to mess around with something fun a baritone uke? It would seem to be the easiest transition as a guitar player probably has a few songs that can be played on it, or at the very least they know the notes along the strings rather than having to relearn and then transcribe songs... Yes. It doesn't sound as uke-y as the other sizes but if you just want to gently caress around on the cheap, sure. Just go to a music shop (if you can) and play around. You might really like the sound of one of the smaller ones (they do sound more 'fun') and surprise yourself by buying one, but then you might also just loving love the baritone. I do, for sure. It all comes down to how wide your fingers are and what sounds you like. It would be great if I could play the soprano properly but alas... shovel fingers. Edit Fermata posted:The Roy Sakuma DVD seems pretty good from what I hear. I'll tell you if it's any good when it gets here (and my Uke does too.) But is it on YouTube..? 
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Dec 7, 2007 00:20
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I was just talking about getting a ukulele and I saw this thread. Clearly this is a divine sign from above.
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Dec 7, 2007 01:04
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Well I've got a Soprano Lanikai! I've just been messing around a bit, already know a couple of chords, hooray. I have a few guitar tabs lying around and was wondering, if a song calls for a chord on the guitar, would I play the same one on a uke or is there some sort of conversion chart? I'm loving my uke already though. It's perfect for my small fingers. Thanks for giving me another way to waste time!
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Dec 7, 2007 02:09
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Corsair Canard posted:Well I've got a Soprano Lanikai! I've just been messing around a bit, already know a couple of chords, hooray. The chord will be the same, the fingering will be different. Or vice-versa. You can either play the guitar tab, and note that you'll be playing in a key a fourth higher (i.e. if you follow the guitar tabs and it's key of G, you'll actually be playing in C), or else you can look up the equivalent uke chords, so that you're playing a G on the uke, though the fingering will be different. It's way less complicated that it sounds. If you're not playing along with anyone else, it doesn't really matter if your key is transposed, so just follow the fingerings as shown. AtomicManiac posted:ould you advise a guitar player just looking to mess around with something fun a baritone uke? It would seem to be the easiest transition as a guitar player probably has a few songs that can be played on it, or at the very least they know the notes along the strings rather than having to relearn and then transcribe songs... Same thing: if you're okay being transposed, get one of the smaller ukes. If the notion of being transposed bugs the heck out of you, get a baritone. I'd vote to get a soprano or tenor uke and just pretend that it's tuned DGBE, and that it's the rest of the world that's transposed. The smaller uke would provide the greatest contrast with your current gear. quote:I'm loving my uke already though. It's perfect for my small fingers. Thanks for giving me another way to waste time! "Waste time"? Compared to what? If you had been planning to feed starving orphans or study for the LSATs or something, maybe it's a waste of time. Compared to what most goons do (play WoW, :schlick: to net porn, post in GBS) actually picking up a physical object and doing something is certainly a step in the right direction. Plus you can find other folks who can play instruments, or even can drum on an empty cigar box, and you've got a little combo going. TapTheForwardAssist fucked around with this message at 06:10 on Dec 7, 2007 |
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Dec 7, 2007 05:24
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Playing music is never a waste of time, FYI.
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Dec 7, 2007 05:52
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Benzoyl Peroxide posted:But is it on YouTube..? Missed that part. 
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Dec 7, 2007 06:33
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I sent my loved ones a link to musicguymic's ebay store and said get me a concert size for Christmas. Exciting! I looked around at various music stores online, Old Town School of Folk Music store in Chicago, and other eBay sellers and his deals are definitely the best considering setup and extras he throws in. TTFA are YOU in fact musicguymic? Sound like a lot of goons are taking your advice and going with him.
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Dec 7, 2007 14:55
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Eponymous posted:I sent my loved ones a link to musicguymic's ebay store and said get me a concert size for Christmas. Exciting! Nope. If I knew of an equally good or better online dealer for <$100 ukes, I'd be mentioning it here. If anyone knows of a cheaper Kala dealer, by all means post. If anyone knows of a good dealer who does proper settup on Mahalo/Hilo/Makala, etc. definitely post it here. On the online uke forums, Kala is pretty much the prefered brand in the <$100 category, which is why I initially bought one. Mic is pretty much the largest online Kala dealer, thus has good prices. Check out the online uke forums, and he's is the main source for folks buying Kalas. An alternate dealer is Rob Deel (ukulele4u), who beats Mic on a few prices and seems to have a good rep on UC. They appear to be heavily competing with each other currently, so depending on the week one undercuts the other on various items. I'd make some joke about trying to get a cut from Mic, but the guy moves about 30 ukes per day just from eBay listings, probably another 15-20 a day from his online store. Even if 100 goons buy ukes in Nov/Dec, and 2/3 of those buy from Mic, I don't think he'd notice any fluctuations in his sales. quote:I was just about to post a similar topic to this. I've been trying to learn how to play the bluegrass banjo for a year now but I've been having a hard time with it. I've never played a string instrument before that. Banjo is a bit trickier than guitar/uke/mando because banjo has some very distinctive right-hand work. On the bright side, banjo left-hand work is really easy. Playing guitar or uke certainly wouldn't hurt your banjo playing, but it wouldn't automatically make it easy. Though the chord formations are different for those instruments, the overall left-hand concept is similar. However, the right hand picking-patterns are very different. I'd been playing mandolin/uke/guitar/dulcimer for years, and tried to pick up some banjo, utterly failed. Years later I had a slow summer and picked up banjo again. I spent two weeks doing the wrong technique because I misunderstood the Pete Seeger instruction book, then suddenly I realized my mistake, fixed it, and could play dozens of songs that day. That's why you might want to really consider taking a few lessons on bluegrass banjo. Granted, I was teaching myself frailing/clawhammer, which is completely different from bluegrass/Scruggs, but the point remains that banjo is a tricky instrument to teach yourself without someone to watch and advise you at least a little. For guitar and uke, I don't see a ton of point in lessons. If you're massively, totally noob it wouldn't hurt to have a guitar-playing friend sit down with you and offer some pointers, but I think we have noobs on this thread that have been puzzling out uke just fine on their own. Pretty similar for mandolin, though there it helps a little to get some pointers on the various (very different) ways you can play a mando: strum (often lame), chop chords (very cool), and melody work. TapTheForwardAssist fucked around with this message at 15:56 on Dec 7, 2007 |
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Dec 7, 2007 15:22
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My Ukulele just came in the mail and after a couple minutes tunning it (with this: http://www.get-tuned.com/ukulele_tuner.php) it sounds pretty good. Now the wait for the stuff I ordered from Flea Market Music. Thanks, once again, for the thread Tap!
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Dec 7, 2007 21:05
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Is there anything I can do to improve intonation? I got a Bushman Jenny over the summer, and while it sounds pretty decent, the intonation isn't the best in the world. Most noticeably, barring a chord such as a C sounds like crap when a D or G sound fine. I'm guessing the only thing I could do would be adjust something with the nut?
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Dec 7, 2007 21:19
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Okay, I manned up and recorded something on the uke. I've been learning to play for over a year now, although I slacked off and didn't play for over half that time, and I've just now picked it up again over the past month or two. (Ending fumbled!) I could use a better uke, I think. I'm playing on a soprano Lanikai, and I'm starting to doubt that the intonation is all it could be. But whatever- playing it makes me happy. 
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Dec 7, 2007 23:18
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Satchmo posted:Is there anything I can do to improve intonation? I got a Bushman Jenny over the summer, and while it sounds pretty decent, the intonation isn't the best in the world. Most noticeably, barring a chord such as a C sounds like crap when a D or G sound fine. I'm guessing the only thing I could do would be adjust something with the nut? Assuming that the frets are inherently in there proper places (and the Bushman is generally a good brand, so they should be), your intonation issues may be caused by some issues with nut or saddle height. Almost all my settup experience is with Appalachian dulcimer, so I'd hate to lead you wrong by guessing at it. I'd advise you go to UkuleleCosmos and clearly describe your intonation issues. Is your octave harmonic even with your octave fret? If you happen to have a fully chromatic tuner (that tells precisely how sharp/flat you are from the proper pitch), that would be helpful but not essential for diagnosing your issues. Check with UC, and they can probably explain some basic diagnostic checks to zero in on your problem. That's a little discouraging, since I was vaguely considering upgrading to either an Ohana or a Bushman (both a solid-mahogany ukes of decent offshore manufacture in the $200-300ish range). Not sure whether I'm ready to bite the bullet and spend $400 on a used Kamaka or such.
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Dec 8, 2007 01:25
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Oh, hey, a big-rear end uke thread. Checking in as part of the crew, I suppose.
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Dec 8, 2007 06:46
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Also keep in mind that nylons string are very stretchy. If you play right behind a fret and press hard then you can make a perfectly-functional uke sound out of tune.
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Dec 8, 2007 07:08
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Alright this thread sold me. My only decision now is: tenor or baritone? The baritone appeals to me as I have zero experience with guitar and so don't mind the lack of distinction; cuteness/portability isn't a huge factor, either. I won't lie though, all I wanna do is play some Beirut songs. I am looking at the kalas sold by musicmicguy on ebay, namely this one http://cgi.ebay.com/Brand-New-Kala-...1QQcmdZViewItem Is the baritone a good idea for my first uke? Would I be better served by a tenor? Somebody please give me some encouraging words so I can pull the trigger. edit: oh god there is an electric tenor for 10 bucks more Poodlebear fucked around with this message at 09:50 on Dec 8, 2007 |
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Dec 8, 2007 08:37
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Anton posted:Alright this thread sold me. I went forth to find out what kind of uke they play in Beirut. Took a while, as every site just called it "a ukulele", and the one pic appeared to be two of them playing different sizes (believe one tenor and one bari). Finally I found this on the EZFolk forums: ben claytor posted:I've been interested in bushman ukuleles ever since Zach Condon from the band beirut told me that's what he uses (Jenny tenor, venetian cut, friction pegs). He also told me to buy my lanakai [Lanikai] tenor, that it's a good starting uke. I immediately ordered that uke, no questions asked. There you have it. I'd say a tenor uke is a good bet in the first place, as it sounds more "uke-like" than a bari, get has a nice big body and plenty of neck to work with. I take it you were looking at the Lanikai electro-acoustic? I've not played a Kala and a Lanikai side by side, but I tried out a Lanikai baritone at a shop in MD yesterday, and it seemed a pretty similar product. I bought Kala for my tenor after reading through various Lanikai vs Kala threads on UC, but not sure if there's a tremendous difference. Oh, if anyone is looking for a pure electric, the bidding is still pretty low on this Bugsgear solid-body (nylon strung) electric on eBay. There's also a used Applause/Ovation acoustic-electric going for a good price, and the Jupiter Creek solid-body (steel string) electrics going for under $200. TapTheForwardAssist fucked around with this message at 17:25 on Dec 8, 2007 |
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Dec 8, 2007 17:22
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I just recorded a few more little snippets of things I've been playing around with. Still rough, because I have poo poo to do today, but there you go. This is just a few bars of a little fingerpicking thing I've been playing with. It'll probably be an actual song eventually. This is a ragtime-y thing I came up with. I'm 99% sure I'm ripping of Scott Joplin for at least part of this, but at least I'm stealing from good sources. This is a little thing I came up with in Panama just to dick around with. Sounds sort of Spanish, I guess. I'm actually about to head off and check out some stores in Sacramento to see if they have a new uke I like. I've been spending enough time with mine that I think it's worth it to upgrade, and I'm reluctant to buy a more expensive (>$100) instrument online without playing it first. I'm also going to be looking for a new guitar, so I may be coming home with an armload today. 
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Dec 8, 2007 21:54
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Checking in to say that I ordered one of Mic's Kala ukes. My goofy little Oscar Schmidt concert uke is fine, but it sounds like this will be better for a sub-$100 instrument. Also, the Schmidt is concert size, and I've got a Hilo tenor, but I don't have a 'proper' soprano uke. It's about time I got a new instrument-- can't wait to get it!
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Dec 9, 2007 02:51
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mofolotopo, those tunes are great, well played. I went ahead and got one of mic's kala tenors. Thanks for this thread OP.
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Dec 9, 2007 03:43
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Mike Toole posted:Checking in to say that I ordered one of Mic's Kala ukes. My goofy little Oscar Schmidt concert uke is fine, but it sounds like this will be better for a sub-$100 instrument. Also, the Schmidt is concert size, and I've got a Hilo tenor, but I don't have a 'proper' soprano uke. It's about time I got a new instrument-- can't wait to get it! Sounds like you'll be in a good position to compare three brands side-by-side. Definitely come post back here once you get a chance to compare them all together.
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Dec 9, 2007 03:48
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Thanks Anton! I came back from spending half the day uke and guitar shopping empty-handed. It's drat hard to find a good ukulele selection in stores around here. Even guitar center only had like 5 ukes. Skip's was all right, but none of theirs really appealed to me. I played some really nice guitars, but none I liked as well for the money as a Taylor I played at Tweed Hut the other day. Probably going to go down and get that soon.
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Dec 9, 2007 04:05
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Ah
slow crow fucked around with this message at 12:41 on Oct 12, 2013 |
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Dec 9, 2007 04:54
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aunaturale posted:However, I love how easy the chords seem to stay in memory. Maybe it just seems less intimidating but I remember pretty much all the chords for Something and I looked at them once. It took a gently caress load of time to memorize all the basic guitar chords. Yep, uke chords are easier. Plus it's easier to make barre chords that you can slide up and down the neck. For example, C = 0003 D= 2225 E= 4447 quote:One thing I didn't get is if people normally play all the strings at once for every chord? All of the chord charts I find don't really mark played v. unplayed open strings. But without trying to work it out and having no ear for it, I'll just guess that not all of the open strigns can fit into the notes for all the chords? On most chord charts, they mark an "X" on the string if it's not played. However, there are very few uke chord variants with an "X", so some charts might not even include them. Do note that you don't need to strum all the way across a chord; you can also finger-pick a pattern continually with your right and just keep chaning chords with your left. quote:Also the cheap Makala sold on ebay? Is it a big step up in palyability? I'd be willing to ask for one as a present if it actually played sort of like a real isntrument as opposed to a toy, because these thigns seem very cool The Makala is pretty much the same as Mahalo/Hilo/etc. The only difference is if the seller has tweaked action/intonation. If the action/intonation on yours is okay, then it's basically just as good. So the actual tuner was visibly unwinding? Normally I'd just guess that the new string was stretching, but if you're actually noting your peg spinning, maybe the tuner is just cheap. Did you try tightening the screw on the back of the tuner (if it has one)? Some tuners are tension-adjustable. If you were to take a step up, it'd either be to a Kala ($60-100), or further up to an Ohana or Bushman (both are solid Mahogany). I believe Elderly Instruments (https://www.elderly.com) and a few other sellers have long-neck Ohana sopranos for $125 or so.
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Dec 9, 2007 05:08
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Anyone have experience with the Lanikai CK-TEQ tenor a/e? They're cheaper on musiciansfriend than Ebay, and it looks like it's just about exactly what I want.
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Dec 9, 2007 05:10
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mofolotopo posted:Anyone have experience with the Lanikai CK-TEQ tenor a/e? They're cheaper on musiciansfriend than Ebay, and it looks like it's just about exactly what I want. Is the priority to have it sound good amped, unplugged, or the best compromise of both? For an affordable electric that sounds good amped (that sounds just okay unplugged) a lot of folks like the Appaluse for $149 or so. If you want something that's an upgrade from your Kala acoustically, you'd probably want to get an Ohana or Bushmas (solid mahogany). Given your wife's skills, you should be able to install a pickup later if you like. It's a pricey proposition to have someone else do it, so unless you're planning to do it yourself, it's probably cheaper to buy one pre-installed. Here's a good UC thread on the subject: http://www.ukulelecosmos.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4818&highlight=ckteq http://www.ukulelecosmos.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1886&highlight=electroacoustic
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Dec 9, 2007 05:35
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