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kwokkie posted:I think the chords are C G Am F. Strumming pattern D-DU-UD- or D-DU-UDU. Good luck and have fun! Awesome- thanks!
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Apr 17, 2014 18:45
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:tl;dr: to learn to play your Japanese alphabet song, just watch any of the dozens of YouTube tutorials of Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours" and just do the same thing at a slightly different rhythm. Whoa- thanks for the detailed info. I'll send this over to my sister right now- cheers!
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Apr 17, 2014 18:49
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Pocket Billiards posted:vi-IV-I-V comes up everywhere. Especially in the key of G. i.e. bridge of 'Aeroplane Over the Sea', 'Upward Over the Mountain' by Iron and Wine, 'If I Were A Boy' by Beyonce (flattened a semitone). Good to know- thanks!
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Apr 17, 2014 18:50
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Anybody know anything about the Kala Ukadelic line of Soprano Ukuleles? http://www.kalabrand.com/Models/Makala/Ukadelic/UkadelicDetailsPage.html I really dig the look of that USA/'Murica model uke, but I have not heard anything about the playability, quality, etc. of this line.
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Apr 29, 2014 15:46
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I guess no one has a ukadelic... On an separate note, for ukes with a wooden fretboard, is there anything I should be putting on the fretboard to maintain the wood (like an oil, cream, or other product?).
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May 2, 2014 17:08
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Earlier in the thread I was recommended std fretboard oil as my uke had been sitting in a warehouse for some time and the board was quite dry. I applied it once about 6 months ago and everything's been fine for me, hth
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May 8, 2014 04:35
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laertes22 posted:Anybody know anything about the Kala Ukadelic line of Soprano Ukuleles? I bought one for my daughter...the whole family got a ukulele because of this thread. I got a Hulala, most of the kids got Dolphins, the wife got a Makala. Also someone gave us a free Kala Kiwi. No one likes the Ukedelic. It is a bit older model, the leopard print. It just sounds bad. Everyone agrees that my little 85 dollar Hulala sounds the best and just feels right. The Kiwi is pretty popular too, it doesn't sound as nice, but it looks awesome. (My wife runs a day care, so these things get played with a lot) This is the Hulala, I love it so much, even if all I do with it is play Adventure Time for the kids. http://www.elderly.com/new_instruments/items/HULALA-2.htm
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May 9, 2014 12:03
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The Dregs posted:I bought one for my daughter...the whole family got a ukulele because of this thread. I got a Hulala, most of the kids got Dolphins, the wife got a Makala. Also someone gave us a free Kala Kiwi. Thanks! This was my fear. I have 2 Pono tenors, so I wasn't looking for a cheap beginner uke, I just really like the look of the USA model ukadelic. If just screams 'Murica so hard, I was hoping it sounded and played well. However the consensus seems to that it does not. Also thanks to the goo. Who recommend fretboard oil. Just ordered some for my ukes and banjos.
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May 9, 2014 13:40
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Apparently one of the perks of living in San Jose is that the local ukulele store's owners are tight with Herb Ohta Jr., so I get to attend his workshop this evening for only $45. He will supposedly be teaching us how to play Maluhia from his "Pure Ukulele" album (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2By_0PrTfqU) and some other general techniques. I'm just excited to go noodle around with other uke people for 90 minutes, everything else is just a bonus as far as I am concerned 
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May 28, 2014 19:48
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furushotakeru posted:Apparently one of the perks of living in San Jose is that the local ukulele store's owners are tight with Herb Ohta Jr., so I get to attend his workshop this evening for only $45. He will supposedly be teaching us how to play Maluhia from his "Pure Ukulele" album (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2By_0PrTfqU) and some other general techniques. I'm just excited to go noodle around with other uke people for 90 minutes, everything else is just a bonus as far as I am concerned that's my town too! Play uke with me I'm so ukeless =(
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May 28, 2014 20:06
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Hi everyone, I was wondering if you could give me some feedback on a potential ukulele purchase. I'm pretty new to ukes so please bear with me if you can! Right now I just own a Soprano Kala, and something about the sound just isn't sitting right with me. There's a lot of "buzzing" and the tone just doesn't sound super great to me, so I've been considering purchasing a higher quality ukulele. Right now I am considering between the Pono Mango Soprano and the Mahogonay Soprano. I really like the sound and look of this mango soprano a lot, but I've read that mango wood can sometimes be inconsistent. If anyone has any experience with mango ukes or Pono in general I would love to hear your advice! Also, I live in the balmy state of Minnesota, so if anyone has any tips for caring for ukuleles in cold weather environments I would appreciate that too!
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Jun 11, 2014 15:13
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23 Flavors posted:Hi everyone, I was wondering if you could give me some feedback on a potential ukulele purchase. I'm pretty new to ukes so please bear with me if you can! I have 2 Pono tenors: mahogany and acacia. They are both awesome, play great and sound great. I don't have experience with mango, but I'd rec mahogany. Buy it from somewhere that will do setup-that's my only caveat.
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Jun 11, 2014 16:03
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Thanks for the advice! I can't seem to find any consistent opinions on mango wood, and from the looks of it the sound seems to very a lot depending on the quality of wood. The one I was looking at seems to be a fairly straight grain, which I think gives it a better sound but I guess it's probably not worth taking the risk. I've mostly been looking at sopranos, but it seems like a lot of people suggest going up to at least a concert size. Do you have any opinions on the best size for a uke? I think a tenor would be too large, since I really want mine to retain that typical uke sound, but it seems to me that a lot more people are playing concerts than soprano.
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Jun 13, 2014 19:07
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23 Flavors posted:Thanks for the advice! I can't seem to find any consistent opinions on mango wood, and from the looks of it the sound seems to very a lot depending on the quality of wood. The one I was looking at seems to be a fairly straight grain, which I think gives it a better sound but I guess it's probably not worth taking the risk. I've mostly been looking at sopranos, but it seems like a lot of people suggest going up to at least a concert size. Do you have any opinions on the best size for a uke? I think a tenor would be too large, since I really want mine to retain that typical uke sound, but it seems to me that a lot more people are playing concerts than soprano. You really have to get your hands on a few and try them out. What size you prefer is based on how the frets feels to you, and only you know that.
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Jun 13, 2014 19:25
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Hi ukulele thread! I'm looking to invest in a ukulele and I really like the sound of this one. I have never played a stringed instrument or tuned one. I saw some ukuleles had guitar styled geared tuners and I wondered if I should go with something more entry level? Would the concert ukulele be way above my skill level?
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Jul 4, 2014 02:51
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That Ohana is probably a great instrument, but that's a lot to spend on something you have no idea about. The beginner Makala ukes are really great! Lanikai are also great and really available in the continental US as far as I know. Go to your local music shop and try to hold some, you'll get a feel for the brand differences, sound, as well as the sizes.
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Jul 4, 2014 03:02
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Geared vs. peg tuning is mostly a matter of personal taste. Hand size is also a factor; if you have large hands, you'll probably feel better with a larger (concert or tenor) ukulele and you might find that geared tuners get in the way. Like onecooldana said, you should go to a music shop and try a few models before you commit.
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Jul 4, 2014 03:25
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Looking for advice on a beginner/novice tenor Uke. I've been playing for 2-3 weeks now and I'm getting pretty into it. In spite of me never showing any kind of talent with, or much interest in, musical instruments before, my sister and brother-in-law gave me a cheap piece of poo poo ukulele from Lidl a couple of years ago for Christmas. It sat collecting dust on my shelf, until couple of weeks ago I decided to get it in tune and have a go on it. I read reviews of the model online that said it was actually pretty serviceable as a beginner instrument if you replaced the stock strings, so I restringed it with Aquilas and I've been playing at least half an hour pretty much every night ever since and loving it. This is about the most I've got into an instrument basically ever, so I'd quite like to upgrade to a better model. I figure that if I spend a bit more on the hobby I'm more likely to stick with it. I'm pretty tall and long-fingered so I have trouble with the small size of the neck and frets on the soprano I'm using currently, and having done some research on youtube and this thread I've decided I'd quite like to get a tenor. I'm looking at spending around £70-£80, and at the moment I'm looking at either a Kala KA-T or a Lanikai LU-21T - is there much of a difference between the two? The ST-1 seems to be slightly more expensive in the UK, but from what I'm reading online it doesn't sound like there's much to choose from between them. Does anyone have an opinion? And are there any other models/brands I should be considering?
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Jul 4, 2014 12:05
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No idea about the Lanikai, but my wife likes her Kala MK-T.
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Jul 4, 2014 12:25
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Owlkill posted:I've decided I'd quite like to get a tenor. I'm looking at spending around £70-£80, and at the moment I'm looking at either a Kala KA-T or a Lanikai LU-21T - is there much of a difference between the two? The ST-1 seems to be slightly more expensive in the UK, but from what I'm reading online it doesn't sound like there's much to choose from between them. Does anyone have an opinion? And are there any other models/brands I should be considering? Back when I started this thread (7 years ago), I would've said Kala is slightly better, but in the past few years either Lanikai has smoothed out their QC or whatnot, because I find the two to be pretty equivalent these days. If you get the chance to try the two in person you might have a slight preference in terms of very minor differences between them, or slight cosmetic differences in the finish used, but even if you're buying blind online you should be equally fine with either. Not sure if "settup" is as common in the UK as the US, but buying from a shop that explicitly states "We check all the ukes we get from the wholesaler, put on good-quality strings, make any small adjustments to bridge and nut, discard any lemons, etc", it is well worth going with that shop even if it costs £10 more for the same item. Vice a shop that just prys open the big crate from China and chucks each uke into a shipping box. The extra bit of attention makes an inexpensive uke a lot better. And once you've played a better uke for a while, if you're a handy guy you can probably do some tweaks on your lovely Lidl and make it play much better, gift it to a friend or keep it as a knockaround.
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Jul 4, 2014 16:18
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Just be aware that "good quality strings" is almost universally code for Aquila, and you might or might not agree. I personally don't care for Aquila strings because I find them to be clunky and too thick, but tons of other players love them. I like fluorocarbon strings better because I find them to have a brighter and more lively sound, but again that is a matter of personal preference. You'll need to try them out for yourself and see what you like. Right now I am testing a set of D'Addario titanium strings (just the model name, not literally made from titanium) and I find them to be a bit louder than other strings I've used. Overall I like them. Before his I was using a set of Worth stings, and before that a set of PHD strings. These were all fine and I didn't notice a whole lot of difference between them. The one thing you can count on though is that Aquila strings or whichever ones the seller puts on will be vastly better than whatever comes on a low end uke.
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Jul 4, 2014 18:26
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RebBrownies posted:Hi ukulele thread! I'm looking to invest in a ukulele and I really like the sound of this one. I have never played a stringed instrument or tuned one. I saw some ukuleles had guitar styled geared tuners and I wondered if I should go with something more entry level? Would the concert ukulele be way above my skill level? "Concert" is just a description of the size, not of quality. Soprano, Concert, and Tenor are all tuned/fingered/chorded exactly the same, just each larger size has a more resonant body and longer neck. Using the same fingerings on a Baritone ukulele will come out just fine but half an octave lower. Unless you have pretty big hands, Concert-size should suit you fine and be a good mid-ground. Guitar-style tuners vs. friction-style tuners are largely just a logistical/aesthetic difference. While Ohana is great, unless you get a chance to actually play one in person and decide you just love it, I'd get a good quality but less pricey one as a starter. Both Kala and Lanikai make Concert ukuleles in "pineapple" body shape for around $100. Again, be sure to buy one from a seller who explicitly says they do proper QC and settup of the instrument at their own shop before shipping, not just a drop-seller. Not to speak for Reb, but they'd asked in the "Weird instruments" thread about starting out on strings, having some interest in medieval instruments. I suggested bouzouki if they wanted something larger/louder/darker and while not quite historical vaguely based on medieval citole and renaissance cittern. Or if they're inclined to lute music but don't have the time/money/inclination to get big into lute, it's a really valid option to start on ukulele with the intent of after a few months starting in on basic fingerstyle uke. There are a bunch of good books of tablature out these days arranging lute and Baroque guitar music for the ukulele, and played by serious musicians rather than just a novelty. A uke nearly literally is a small Baroque guitar, so not at all farfetched. The work of Spanish baroque composer Gaspar Sanz is somehow really popular on uke: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKFQUC1Wo7k And Elizabethan English lute composer John Dowland: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1yCEgShut8
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Jul 4, 2014 21:06
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Hey guys, so lately I've been plucking away on a friend's ukelele and, as a pretty pro drummer and someone with decent knowledge of theory, it turns out I'm not half bad at this thing! I'm interested in picking one up because I know I can get pretty sick at it, kinda feels like "easy mode" guitar with its own character. So a friend told me he has a second-hand uke I can get from him for $100. From what he tells me, it's an acoustic/electric tenor kala. Here are the pictures he sent me:   Based on the little research I've done, a Kala tenor sounds appealimg, especially because I am pretty serious when it comes to music and I'd definitely enjoy the fuller sound/extra frets. Based on these pictures though, I can't tell if this model is a concert or a tenor, though I have no reason to believe the seller is lying or misinformed. My question is, this is a good deal for a flat 100? I'm hoping it might be possible to ID the specific model based on this pic but honestly, I'm seeing a couple of different electric Kala tenors online that all match the pic, and they all vary in price range. Depending on which specific model, I'm either getting a decent deal or being sold a used instrument for the price of a new one. What do you all think? At least it's Kala so (as per this thread), it's unlikely I'll end up with a crappy instrument regardless of price.
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Jul 8, 2014 16:57
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The sticker inside the soundhole should have the full model. Kalas really range so it's hard to say if that's a fair price for it. Also, you haven't checked for signs of wear, which would really bring the price down.
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Jul 8, 2014 17:01
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Well, someone is planning on getting it for me as a gift so I don't know if I'm going to get a chance to play with it before I get it. At least I think I can have the seller tell me the model and make so thanks for that tip. Provided I do go scope it out, what should I look out for in terms for wear and other indicators of quality (aside from the model)?
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Jul 8, 2014 17:10
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KingSlime posted:Well, someone is planning on getting it for me as a gift so I don't know if I'm going to get a chance to play with it before I get it. At least I think I can have the seller tell me the model and make so thanks for that tip. general fret wear is good to check out, just look at the fretboard. Also, this is a bigger problems for guitars but the necks can get bent under prolonged string tension, so check that as well. You can just give all the components a once-over to make sure. Honestly it sounds like a pretty good deal, so I think you'll be happy. onecooldana fucked around with this message at 21:28 on Jul 8, 2014 |
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Jul 8, 2014 17:22
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Sounds good, thanks for the tips! Last question, does an acoustic/electric compromise the sound in any way when played unplugged or not really?
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Jul 8, 2014 21:23
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KingSlime posted:Sounds good, thanks for the tips! Last question, does an acoustic/electric compromise the sound in any way when played unplugged or not really? Not at all, it should sound great!
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Jul 8, 2014 21:24
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Accoustic/electric kala checking in. Mines a thin body tenor, but it sounds like a regular uke unplugged, as I play it almost exclusively unplugged.
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Jul 8, 2014 21:30
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KingSlime posted:Hey guys, so lately I've been plucking away on a friend's ukelele and, as a pretty pro drummer and someone with decent knowledge of theory, it turns out I'm not half bad at this thing! I'm interested in picking one up because I know I can get pretty sick at it, kinda feels like "easy mode" guitar with its own character. I think I had that exact model, and I loved it. I bought a Bushman and sold the Kala, and now I kinda wish I'd kept the Kala instead. The Bushman is great, but I actually liked the sound of the Kala better.
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Jul 8, 2014 22:19
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I have two Kala tenor models, a KA-TEM (a laminate model; basically the KA-T with fancier grain) and a KA-STG (real solid spruce too and gloss finish) and they're good starter ukes. I use the KA-TEM as my beater/always-out uke because laminates aren't picky about humidity compared to solid instruments. It gets a lot of play, really. I will say that starter ukes being laminate wood makes nice-sounding strings harder to find. It's actually one situation where the Aquilas that come with it are a solid choice. As for the price, $100 is slightly high for a used KA-TE, IMO, but I may be biased by the Kala ukes that I see on my local craigslist lately.
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Jul 9, 2014 03:41
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Hey all, so I just ordered a Kala KA-15S from Austin Bazaar. Never played ukelele before so I hope this will be good! Anyways, I read on the internet that if I buy from certain places, I'm going to have to set up the ukulele. Is Austin Bazaar such a place? Do I need intense poo poo like hammers and nails and files to set up the uke?
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Jul 9, 2014 05:32
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Akarshi posted:Hey all, so I just ordered a Kala KA-15S from Austin Bazaar. Never played ukelele before so I hope this will be good! Based on my experience buying a toy accordion from them, Austin Bazaar's online sales don't involve more than a very basic level of quality control. Unless an online seller explicitly says they do setup and repairs, it's safe to assume that they don't. Barring some catastrophic manufacturing defect, setting up an uke is easy, but time-consuming for a beginner. After watching a handful of YouTube videos and reading a couple of blog posts on the subject, I felt confident enough to setup my off-brand cheapie using a nail file and a box cutter. That worked out for me, but if I'd spent $60 on a Kala, I probably would have taken it to a professional instead.
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Jul 9, 2014 07:01
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Just got a tenor uke from Duane Noble. It is the tits.  I'm having him make one in 5-A Koa with lower bout bevel and custom inlay as a wedding gift for my friend. Their wedding date will be stamped into the heelcap. IT SOUNDS INCREDIBLE.
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Jul 10, 2014 03:17
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So I finally picked up the Kala and yep, it was a KA-TE model. The seller threw in a case for an extra $20 so all in all, it was $120 for everything. These seem to run around $160 new so I don't think it was a terrible deal. Thankfully, kid who sold it to me is a serious musician with a ton of gear and the ukelele is basically in pristine condition, so I definitely feel good about the purchase. It sounds pretty great, too! Some quick questions: The batteries inside the tuner were dying so I went out and bought another pair of 3v batteries. Unfortunately, I must not have paid enough attention because the ones I bought seem slimmer and fit pretty loosely in the slot. Weirdly enough, the instrument still powers with the loose batteries so I got to check out how it sounds amped. Is there any risk to having slimmer, loose batteries in there or am I okay to keep on using them? Also, any way to ID strings? I'd like to know what it has right now, though I should probably still go out and buy my own strings. I know people have mentioned Aquila strings, or something like that. I suppose those are a safe bet?
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Jul 10, 2014 16:46
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KingSlime posted:Also, any way to ID strings? I'd like to know what it has right now, though I should probably still go out and buy my own strings. I know people have mentioned Aquila strings, or something like that. I suppose those are a safe bet? If they're white, they're probably Aquila.
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Jul 11, 2014 10:41
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Thanks for all the tips re. my earlier question. Just ordered myself a Kala KA-T from omegamusic.co.uk - they do setup plus switch out the factory strings for Aquilas all for £77 and seem to have pretty high levels of customer satisfaction. Can't wait to start playing it.
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Jul 12, 2014 13:27
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Can someone recommend me strings other than Aquila for my Outdoor Uke Soprano? I love the Aquilas on my Makala but they don't sound good on the already hollow noise of the outdoor uke, so I'd like to try something else.
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Jul 21, 2014 02:39
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Faltion posted:Can someone recommend me strings other than Aquila for my Outdoor Uke Soprano? I love the Aquilas on my Makala but they don't sound good on the already hollow noise of the outdoor uke, so I'd like to try something else. You might like the D'addario Titanium strings, assuming you don't mind fluorocarbon strings. furushotakeru fucked around with this message at 15:39 on Jul 25, 2014 |
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Jul 25, 2014 15:36
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I'm finding I like flouro over nylon/nylgut, but for the most part my local stores only carry the basic Aquila and black nylond D'addario strings. Did manage to snag the last set of Martin baritone flouros a few weeks ago to replace the awesome but really old Living Waters I have on it. Will report back, as I've heard the Martins are some of the better Bari strings.
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Jul 25, 2014 16:56
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