# Ukulele anyone?



## HarryHawk (Jun 24, 2021)

I've played guitar for quite a while and have always enjoyed it.  About a year ago Is started to play a ukulele.  I've come to realize what a great instrument the ukulele is.

It is a relatively inexpensive instrument that is easy to learn.  It is fun to play alone or with others, it just seems to make happy music.  It's nice because it is portable and easy to take along.

One of the primary reasons I started playing a ukulele is that I always hoped my wife would start playing an instrument so I'd have someone else with whom to play music.  My wife wasn't interested in playing guitar, I thought ukulele may be more appealing to her.  I'm happy to say I was right.  She quickly learned to play some songs and enjoyed being able to make music.

My wife and I have found that playing ukulele can be a very social.  There are a number of groups of people who enjoy playing together both in person (less frequently during covid) and virtually.  It is a great way to meet folks.

I've also been reading about the health benefits of playing an instrument and just creating music in general.  Playing music activates several areas of the brain, it is thought to be a good mental exercise.

Anyone else out there strumming away?


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## Furryanimal (Jun 24, 2021)

No...but I would love to see this lot


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## Chris P Bacon (Jun 24, 2021)

I bought a ukulele about a year ago, hoping to learn to play. My grandfather played and I always enjoyed the sound. Anyway, I tried, for a while, to learn from online videos and apps but without success. So my uke has been sitting most of the time since. I tried finding someone local to teach me but I had no luck until recently. I found that through my local parks and rec center that I will be able to begin lessons in the fall. Oh boy, I can hardly wait! And the ukulele orchestra, I only recently discovered them as well but they are awesome! How nice it was to find these posts!


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## HarryHawk (Jun 24, 2021)

Chris P Bacon said:


> I bought a ukulele about a year ago, hoping to learn to play. My grandfather played and I always enjoyed the sound. Anyway, I tried, for a while, to learn from online videos and apps but without success. So my uke has been sitting most of the time since. I tried finding someone local to teach me but I had no luck until recently. I found that through my local parks and rec center that I will be able to begin lessons in the fall. Oh boy, I can hardly wait! And the ukulele orchestra, I only recently discovered them as well but they are awesome! How nice it was to find these posts!


Chris,  You just need to find the right teacher, whether it be in person or online.  Once you find someone who teaches in a way that you relate to, you will be playing songs after your first lesson.  Once you learn two or three simple chords, you can play hundreds of songs.


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## Chris P Bacon (Jun 24, 2021)

HarryHawk said:


> Chris,  You just need to find the right teacher, whether it be in person or online.  Once you find someone who teaches in a way that you relate to, you will be playing songs after your first lesson.  Once you learn two or three simple chords, you can play hundreds of songs.


I don’t doubt it a bit. Thanks for the encouragement!


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## win231 (Jun 24, 2021)

The first time I heard Paul McCartney play a Ukulele:


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## Pappy (Jun 24, 2021)

Yes, I’ve played the uke, off and on, for 45-50 years. I still have the uke I bought from Sears back in the 60s although it’s in pretty rough shape. I bought a new one a couple years ago but it won’t stay in tune. Need to start playing again because I always enjoyed it. Maybe it’s time for a new one..Hey honey…..


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## HarryHawk (Jun 24, 2021)

Pappy said:


> Yes, I’ve played the uke, off and on, for 45-50 years. I still have the uke I bought from Sears back in the 60s although it’s in pretty rough shape. I bought a new one a couple years ago but it won’t stay in tune. Need to start playing again because I always enjoyed it. Maybe it’s time for a new one..Hey honey…..


It takes a while for the nylon strings to get stretched,  maybe give your current one another try.  Of course I would never discourage anyone from buying a new instrument.

Have fun,


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## Aunt Marg (Jun 24, 2021)

I haven't played a ukulele since I was a young child, but this guy instantly came to mind!


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## Meanderer (Dec 1, 2022)

How Much Is That Ukulele In The Window? Parody of How Much Is That Doggie In The Window?


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## JessieJim (Dec 13, 2022)

I can't play, but my dream is to learn to play


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## Farrah Nuff (Dec 13, 2022)

JessieJim said:


> I can't play, but my dream is to learn to play


Mine too and today's not over just yet!


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## Meanderer (Dec 14, 2022)




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## Meanderer (Dec 14, 2022)




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## HarryHawk (Dec 15, 2022)

JessieJim said:


> I can't play, but my dream is to learn to play


It is easy to learn, I'm talking 15 minutes to be playing your first song.  For the longest time I tried to convince my wife to try to play guitar.  No go.  I finally convinced her to give ukulele a try.  She loves it.  All you need to learn are three easy chords to get started, you will be able to play hundreds of songs with those three chords.  Over time you will pick up a few more chords as you need them to play whatever song you may like.  There is excellent instruction available on-line for free.

Give it a try.


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## Meanderer (Dec 15, 2022)




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## Been There (Dec 17, 2022)

When I was in the military and in Hawaii, one of my men bought me a cheap Ukulele. I was talking about the music we were listening to the day before and I mentioned how relaxing the Ukulele sounded and I guessed that was why the Ukulele showed up on my desk.

I thanked the men at breakfast for the Ukulele and asked who was going to teach me how to play it. Later in the afternoon, a Lt. came to my office and said he was going to show me 2 chords that could be played to most songs, if I just played it with the tempo. I tried playing it with a song on the radio and it was ok. I still have that Ukulele, but where, I will have to look for it.


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