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Retro
Ahonui
USA
2368 Posts |
 Posted - 02/20/2006 : 1:31:36 PM
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I play with a musician who is notorious for breaking `ukulele strings, because he plays with a very hard and fast rhythm; it's just the way he learned, backyard playing style rather than lessons. He even breaks steel strings.
Someone recently suggested that he just needs to learn to play more gently, but I know there are a lot of "hard" players in the world. What recommendations would the learned contributors to TP have for him?
> Is there a particular brand of strings that are notoriously tougher than the rest?
> Does he need to change strings far more often?
> Does he really need to soften his style, after decades of playing?
Watchoo think?
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Mika ele
Ha`aha`a
USA
1493 Posts |
Posted - 02/20/2006 : 2:51:46 PM
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| Ask Jake Shimabukuro |
E nana, e ho'olohe. E pa'a ka waha, e hana ka lima. |
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Retro
Ahonui
USA
2368 Posts |
Posted - 02/21/2006 : 11:33:22 AM
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I suspect Jake would say: "change your strings every two weeks."
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Dogface
Aloha
USA
10 Posts |
Posted - 02/21/2006 : 1:32:11 PM
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What strings is he using? I like the high tension Aquila Strings.
G² |
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jenyang
Aloha
USA
3 Posts |
Posted - 02/21/2006 : 3:21:13 PM
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Jake gave the following tips a while ago on the now discontinued bulletin board in his official page:
"Change your strings at least once every 2 months."
"Practice playing really soft/quite and be very gentle with the strings. This will help you with your control and dynamics."
As for the string change, my understanding is that old strings lose the physical properties for optimal sound production. This is a sound quality issue, and should have little to with breaking the strings though. And yes Jake is capable of playing hard and loud, but his dynamics/range of volume is huge. I've watched him live for 7 times. The more I pay attention to his right hand, the more it appears that he plays softly more often than forcefully (especially when he plays solo). I think Jake said it in one of his DVDs too, it's about providing contrast and having total control.
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www.ukulelezoo.com |
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Dominator
Lokahi
USA
115 Posts |
Posted - 02/21/2006 : 4:02:56 PM
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Dogface said: "What strings is he using? I like the high tension Aquila Strings"
This is an extract from one of Jake's posts on the BBS that is no longer that Jenyang was referring to.
The name of the strings that I use on my tenor ukulele are...
D'Addario
Pro Arte EJ46 Hard Tension
1a-2e-3c-1g
The numbers refer to the string number in the EJ46 set. He uses the same first string gauge in the set for the G and A.
Hope this makes sense.
Dominator
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www.dominator.ukeland.com
www.myspace.com/dominatoruke
Practice makes Practice Perfect! |
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Julie H
Ha`aha`a
USA
1206 Posts |
Posted - 02/21/2006 : 8:53:48 PM
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Can't help but think that when you play more gently you also play more expressively. Hard slamming isn't necessarily good musicianship. I went to see Jake play shortly after I lost several friends, and frankly, I had to leave at half-time because it was just the wrong place for me to be. There was no relief from the hard and fast, frenetic style that he exhibits. (This from someone who played in a rock band in the sixties!)
At George Kahumoku's camp last June, one of the men was so brutal to his ukulele, it was practically worn through the wood. He played so hard he would continually snap strings, angrily rip them off, throw them down on the grass, where he left them and I had to pick them up after class. The rest of the class had trouble hearing the teacher. He had a scowl on his face all the day long. Later on in the week I got a chance to talk to him, and found out that he had been a symphony musician who had lost most of his hearing. AND he was very bitter about it. He calmed down a bit later in camp and I got to see the beautiful human being that he was.
I wonder what in your friend forces him to play as he does? There might be a multitude of reasons for the fury he exhibits. But I believe that the "backyard playing" style you refer to is much more nahenahe than you might think. It is really the gentle style the older generation was accustomed to. That backyard party included lots of food, drink, laughter, hula, singing and the moon through the palmtrees. Difficult to imaging people playing hard and fast under those circumstances.
My two cents... Julie |
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RJS
Ha`aha`a
1635 Posts |
Posted - 02/21/2006 : 9:48:31 PM
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| I don't play uke, but this topic caught my interest 'cause I'm trying to help a guy learn to play guitar nahenahe. (BTW, this isn't about the original guy of this topic, 'cause I don't pretend to guess what goes on in people. It's more a response to Julie.) This guy is a really wonderful guy but when he picks up his guitar, well, Springsteen sounds nahenahe in comparison. Last time I just had him listen to me play very soft and sweet for 5 minutes(yeah, I can do that at rare times,) and tears just rolled out of him. When he tried to play soft his muscles froze up. With his permission, and 20 or so minutes of therapy and we got to his fear of playing soft. (For those who don't know, I am a licensed Psychologist.)That thing about the guy at George's camp reminded me of this man. |
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Retro
Ahonui
USA
2368 Posts |
Posted - 03/10/2006 : 12:39:02 PM
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| Update --- after being gently chided by the builders ---and now, repairers --- of two of the ukes he regularly plays (I won't say the luthiers, but they are respected and familiar names), he's making a real effort to learn a more gentle style of playing, even doing a bit less strumming and more fingerpicking. |
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John Kavanagh
Aloha
Canada
1 Posts |
Posted - 03/26/2006 : 10:13:22 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Retro
> Is there a particular brand of strings that are notoriously tougher than the rest?
> Does he need to change strings far more often?
> Does he really need to soften his style, after decades of playing?
A little, probably, and probably.
In my experience, Aquila strings sound good but don't hold up to rough treatment, especially at high tension. Fluorocarbon (like Worths) are much tougher. If you use a standard tuning/tension and change strings fairly often, nylon is probably still best - it's cheaper and slightly stronger, especially at high tension. Changing strings is like changing the cat box - do it when you start looking forward to having done it. |
http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/439/music.php |
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hikabe
Lokahi
USA
358 Posts |
Posted - 03/26/2006 : 1:06:14 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Retro
I play with a musician who is notorious for breaking `ukulele strings, because he plays with a very hard and fast rhythm; it's just the way he learned, backyard playing style rather than lessons. He even breaks steel strings.
Someone recently suggested that he just needs to learn to play more gently, but I know there are a lot of "hard" players in the world. What recommendations would the learned contributors to TP have for him?
> Is there a particular brand of strings that are notoriously tougher than the rest?
> Does he need to change strings far more often?
> Does he really need to soften his style, after decades of playing?
Watchoo think?
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Stay Tuned... |
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hikabe
Lokahi
USA
358 Posts |
Posted - 03/26/2006 : 1:08:44 PM
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| String the uke one octave lower |
Stay Tuned... |
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sirqitous
Aloha
USA
25 Posts |
Posted - 03/28/2006 : 08:23:54 AM
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Wow, it's interesting hearing this.
I hardly EVER change strings! My low-G strings, 'cuz they're wound, usually unravel eventually along the 1st fret, where the wear and tear is heavy, so I replace them. But the others (either my ukes with Aquilas or with the newer Worths) not only don't break or wear out, but don't seem to lose luster to the sound either, even after a couple years!
As a life-long violinist/violist, I've always been a little weird that way I guess, not changing strings as often as others. To me, the weirdness of the new strings, and the adjustment period required to get rid of the squeakiness and let the intonation settle in, more than made up for the advantages of the newness. And I'm kinda lazy I guess; I don't like to work with the instruments...I like to make the music only! Once I changed into really good new strings in time for a recording session, and I can hear the subtle squeaks on those strings every time I listen to that recording, forever! Auwe.
As far as playing hard, the beauty of 'ukulele is that you can get a lightness of wrist action in the strumming. Less is more, especially if you're strumming kind of fast, you get an economy of motion to just dance lightly on 'em. If the action is set up OK with the bridge, etc., and quality strings on, and you don't have sharp nails or rings on, should not break strings ordinarily, methinks.
Aloha,
Alika |
http://myspace.com/sirqitous
http://youtube.com/sirqitous |
Edited by - sirqitous on 03/28/2006 08:26:55 AM |
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