The sound of a ukulele often conjures up the image of sandy beaches and a tropical holiday, probably due to the instrument’s links with Hawaii.
The name ukulele comes from the Hawaiian word for “flea”. It features heavily in Hawaiian music and one of the most famous ukulele players was Hawaiian musician Israel Kamakawiwo’ole. A favoured material for ukuleles is koa wood, which is a type of acacia commonly found in Hawaii. A little closer to home, however, is Overton’s own ukulele teacher, Paul, who chatted with CommunityAd about his favoured instrument of choice.
How long have you been playing the ukulele for, and when did you start teaching it?
I’ve probably been playing the uke for about five years, teaching for about three of those.
Why should someone take up the ukulele?
This is a really fun instrument. With very little practice you can start playing simple chords and tunes very quickly. It is really portable and looks great. A key feature is that you can get a really quite good quality instrument for what is not really a lot of money. These instruments also hold quite a lot of their value when sold second hand as well. So you can invest a modest amount and get an instrument that isn’t going to hold you back. Or you can invest a little more, say around £100, and get a professional piece of kit that will sound great and really help your playing and learning.
Is it easier to learn and play than the guitar?
Yes – for the vast majority of people it is. There are fewer strings and this makes learning and playing chords a lot easier. For those new to learning a fretted/stringed instrument, the ukulele offers the chance to be able to play stuff really quite quickly. There are a lot of transferable skills that can be developed. Timing with the picking and strumming of chords and tunes, for example. Dexterity with the fingers. As well as the general development of understanding songs and tunes and finding a style of music to play that suits.
For smaller people, the ukulele offers an introduction to instruments and music that is more rounded than learning the recorder. There’s more that can be done on a ukulele, more to learn that will transfer to other instruments. And it’s somewhat less terrible on listening ears.