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parotatch
Aloha
37 Posts |
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hikabe
Lokahi
USA
358 Posts |
 Posted - 07/30/2007 : 10:21:09 AM
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Very good article, but...
Rosen said. "It's easy to play and you can do anything with it. It's also a happy instrument. There are no sad songs on a ukulele."
If you can do anything with it, sad songs should'nt be any problem. I play sad songs on the uke all the time. Red House, My Guitar Gently Weeps, Wake Me Up When Sept Ends, Amazing Grace, The Wind Cries Mary, St. James Infirmary, Aloha Oe, etc. There are tons of sad songs for the uke.
The uke renaisance has been continuing since the 1960's. It's the newcomers to the uke world who are suddenly hailing a come-back of the uke. A surge of interest is currently driving everyone to the uke. But past attitudes persists, especially for the casual player and hobbyist who resign themselves to amateur level for lack of a good teacher or poor learning skills. For the hobbyist, the music is beyond their reach and assesorizing brings comfort. Strumming a few chords is enough to bring a smile. For more involved players, the uke world is wide open.
'Don't jus press, read something'
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Stay Tuned... |
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thumbstruck
Ahonui
USA
2165 Posts |
Posted - 07/31/2007 : 03:53:16 AM
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| I always tell people that the pizza of life is so large, we can't eat all the slices. Music is a slice. Many have family and work commitments. Some come late to music. Some had no music in their homes growing up. Not everyone wants the journey. Jack says that a musician has no choice except which tune to learn and play. |
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hapakid
Luna Ho`omalu
USA
1533 Posts |
Posted - 07/31/2007 : 05:36:12 AM
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Rosen said. "It's easy to play and you can do anything with it. It's also a happy instrument. There are no sad songs on a ukulele."
Steve Martin always joked that there are no sad songs played on the banjo. But of course there are. Nuff said.
Jesse Tinsley |
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Absolute
Lokahi
275 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2007 : 3:48:20 PM
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| I vaguely remember Tiny Tim heard on a radio station here now and then back in the early 1970s as a gag. No frequent ukulele on the radio in my neck of the woods then or now. Even LA's 15 minute ukulele talk show seems to be treated as an innovative idea. I suspect the ukulele will be one of those instruments that may never surface in the same way that the guitar and saxophone have reached out and grabbed audiences. The ukulele is strongly associated with a bygone era or Hawaiian music, and there aren't many radio stations with suitable formats. The popularity of folk music on the radio was killed off by rock's rise to dominance, and the ukulele works well in the folk (or Hawaiian) genre. The attitude of most instructors in many places in the continental United States is, why learn the ukulele? Wouldn't you rather learn to play a guitar? (Not a bad question to ask if you work for a music store selling only more expensive guitars, don't want to lose a customer and long term student, particularly if you only play the guitar yourself. I wonder how many people starting the guitar actually learn to play it versus the ukulele?) Like soccer in the U.S., it has a relatively small but devoted following outside Hawaii and parts of California. That isn't necessarily a bad thing. |
Edited by - Absolute on 08/08/2007 3:50:12 PM |
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Lawrence
Ha`aha`a
USA
1597 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2007 : 4:51:55 PM
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quote:
Rosen said. "It's easy to play and you can do anything with it. It's also a happy instrument. There are no sad songs on a ukulele."
Steve Martin always joked that there are no sad songs played on the banjo. But of course there are. Nuff said.
Yes- and I heard someone say that there are "no sad songs you can play on an Accordion."
(not including the Bandoneon variety)
But if you put an Accordion, a Banjo and an Ukulele together...
...you will get Ten Years to Life!
...and that is pretty sad!
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Mahope Kākou...
...El Lorenzo de Ondas Sonoras |
Edited by - Lawrence on 08/08/2007 4:54:30 PM |
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da_joka
Lokahi
361 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2007 : 7:48:18 PM
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| wow, ukulele craze in brittain?!?!?! I wonder if they'll end up teaching ukulele in elementary school to all their students like they do in HI? |
If can, can. If no can, no can. |
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Momi
Lokahi
402 Posts |
Posted - 08/09/2007 : 06:28:05 AM
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| `Ukulele instruction in elementary schools in Langley, British Columbia has lead to its increasing popularity there, evidenced by a group of students coming to Kalama, and the career of one of its most prominent `ukulele sons, James Hill. Peter Luongo leads the Langley `Ukulele Ensemble (not the same group coming to Kalama, apparently, but popular nonetheless). Chalmers Doane (not Johnson) is widely credited as being the father of Canadian `ukulele playing. The `ukulele is the official instrument of one of my favorite Canadian Broadcasting System radio shows, the Vinyl Cafe, because its host, Stuart McLean, plays it. Other small pockets of `ukulele enthusiasts include the Seattle `Ukulele Players Association (SUPA), the Puget Sound Strummers, UKE (Unique Kinds of Entertainers) and the Portland `Ukulele Association (PUA). There is an `ukulele club at Kimball Elementary in Seattle, but its instructor is retiring. |
Edited by - Momi on 08/10/2007 5:14:55 PM |
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Absolute
Lokahi
275 Posts |
Posted - 08/09/2007 : 07:38:21 AM
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| The Pacific Nortwest is one of those major pockets of ukulele enthusiasts. Vancouver's ukulele club used to provide a nice set of Christmas tabs as a download from its web site (words with chords before the associated words) that I felt were the best I could find in the Christmas tab genre on the internet. They may have taken them down due to copyright concerns. (I particularly liked their Hawaii oriented version of "Jingle Bells".) |
Thank you. |
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sandman
Lokahi
USA
181 Posts |
Posted - 08/09/2007 : 09:54:46 AM
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Momi and all, I saw the Langley group last July as I was making my annual pilgrimage to Reyn Spooner's. They were on center stage at the Ala Moana Shopping Center and the standing room only (of course ) crowd was hugely appreciative. Great enthusiasm all over the place. The group put on a fine show.
Sandy |
Leap into the boundless and make it your home.
Zhuang-zi |
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Absolute
Lokahi
275 Posts |
Posted - 08/10/2007 : 03:05:13 AM
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| The Vancouver Ukulele Circle page link I posted under another header includes a link to the Langley group's web site, also a link to a fellow's web page with a set of nice, short tabs for ukulele. (There's a Japanese piece ("Cherry Blossom"), the opening from the Nutcracker suite, some Irish pieces, some Christmas and Classical tabs, and some "rags" that I wish I could perform more proficiently.) You might have to modify some of the tabs a bit where you have to fret on the "E" string and pluck an open "A" string, because when I do that, the "A" string hits my finger. |
Thank you. |
Edited by - Absolute on 08/10/2007 03:06:27 AM |
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Mika ele
Ha`aha`a
USA
1493 Posts |
Posted - 08/10/2007 : 07:50:57 AM
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| I have talked with several ukulele luthiers on Oahu. They all seem to say the same thing. They sell more ukuleles to Japan than anywhere else, including Hawai'i. Many of the current artists keep bread on the table by making at least an annual "ukulele tour" through Japan. There, the craze is inspired by Hawaiian music. |
E nana, e ho'olohe. E pa'a ka waha, e hana ka lima. |
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Hula Rider
Lokahi
USA
215 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2007 : 11:30:56 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Mika ele
I have talked with several ukulele luthiers on Oahu. They all seem to say the same thing. They sell more ukuleles to Japan than anywhere else, including Hawai'i. Many of the current artists keep bread on the table by making at least an annual "ukulele tour" through Japan. There, the craze is inspired by Hawaiian music.
A group of us went to Japan last month for the Yokohama Hawai`i Festival - what a fabulous experience! HUGE mahalos to the Hawai`i Tourism Authority and to the County of Hawai`i for sending us, and more HUGE mahalos to our hosts in Japan! I thought someone had waved a magic wand and turned us into Rock Stars! |
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wcerto
Ahonui
USA
5052 Posts |
Posted - 08/29/2007 : 04:37:39 AM
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One of our Taro Patch `ohana, Hideki Hattori, is a member of a group that played at the Yokohama festival.
Tehir group is called Tamashiro Market. They have a couple of songs posted on You Tube. They truly love traditional Hawaiian music and performed in a tribute concert to Gabby Pahinui. They are great musicians and all around kind and generous folks. |
Me ke aloha
Malama pono,
Wanda |
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