Fred, one of the easiest ways to learn is to hang out with your local ukulele group. Try NOT to become a strummer. You will just have to unlearn that habit. Try instead to fill in little slides or notes when the singers are not singing. Also learn 4 or 5 koholos (turn arounds) in your tuning. The ukulele group will love you for it, and you won't spend needless hours practicing by yourself, wondering when you will sound "good enough".
Thanks Konabob wife and I teach a Ukulele group at the senior center on mondays I either play my wessenborn 6 string or my asbury bass- to keep the tempo steady! We use to play in a uku band but there was way to much travel involved we play with another ukulele group in sun city on tuesdays also I played the wessenborn and ohua for a couple years and they were tuned open G same a my slack key guitar. I felt like I was getting pretty good. This new instrument has two necks with 8 strings each one tuned C6 and the other E9 and I'm feeling a lot of pressure like I don't know anything I'm also taking lessons but my progress seem so slow.
If you were ok in open G, the easiest thing to do would be to simply tune your guitar to G6th ( G-D-E-G-B-D ) that way, your top three strings will seem more familiar, and you can still get that Waikiki sound by including the E string.
My wife and I enjoy playing at a retirement home here in Kona. Very gratifying!
When we played with the single strings Uke group we were the opening band at a golf group as the came in to score and drink, it seemed as if they could have cared less if we were playing! very disapointing, when we play at senior groups we have there attenation and it's a rewarding exereance. When I use to play bluegrass I had a sign saying that ( I would play for beer and stop for money ) we have found that hawiian music is much more rewarding. I have to keep in this tuning for now becouse my 86 year young instructor is not sure of music in other tuning thanks.
Here's a mantra I got (and still get) from Alan Akaka, my kumu mele - "Play in da pukas"; that is, the steel should never (or rarely ever) play while someone is singing. You play your fills in the holes between phrases and at the end of lines. It ain't easy, folks.
As to bridge placement, Karl, you need to put it down by the bridge, leaving some room between the pickup nd the bridge so you can play muted notes by partially blocking the strings with your right palm just below the pickup.
playing lap steel
Posted - 02/07/2011 : 4:36:51 PM
When we played with the single strings Uke group we were the opening band at a golf group as the came in to score and drink, it seemed as if they could have cared less if we were playing! very disapointing, when we play at senior groups we have there attenation and it's a rewarding exereance. When I use to play bluegrass I had a sign saying that ( I would play for beer and stop for money ) we have found that hawiian music is much more rewarding. I have to keep in this tuning for now becouse my 86 year young instructor is not sure of music in other tuning thanks.