Ukulele - 6 months later

Well, I guess my best excuse would be that I've been too busy with the Ukulele to post much on the blog. So, let us summarize the last six months:

Ukulele Collection:
Harmony Ukulele - soprano - circ 1950 - New Martin strings upon receipt. Keeps in tune and has a large sound.
Capital Ukulele - soprano - circ. 1960 - Still has the strings that were on it when I got it. Tuned to Low G. Plastic fret board. Was really filthy when I got it, cleaned up well. Really good sound.
Tenor ukulele - New - Lanikai with Aquila strings. - Currently the one I play the most, but I think that is about to change! (Future blog, say tomorrow!) nice mellow sound.
Banjolele. I have two, one unmarked and one a Liberty Bell. New Aquila strings on both with new tuners and new bridges, the old ones being gone. Typical banjo sound to them both! These are not what I would call complete, as there is a mis-match of the J-hooks, but they are all there.

I've worked on a variety of techniques and music over the last six months. I can move back and forth between chords without too much fumbling. There are a lot of different strum patterns that I've managed to learn and practice. With any luck, I'll get enough of a song together to post something on YouTube soon!

The Infectious Joy

On the 19th of September 2009, I stumbled upon a video. I'm not sure how I found it, but there it was, sharing laughter, fun and music through the tiny screen. Over the next two days I dug and searched, questioned and analyzed. There was a huge online presence and I absorbed it in huge chunks.

On the 1st of October, I ordered it. On October 5th, two separate packages arrived on my doorstep, the case and the tuner. On October 6th my first ukulele made its appearance.

Who am I kidding? Other then a couple of harmonicas, a recorder and a fife, I never had an instrument before. I had an abortive attempt at playing the coronet for a while, but my biggest impression was the ding in the bell from dropping it. And I did take some piano lessons for a while, a few months worth.

So what am I thinking? Well, let's find out as I embark on my Ukulele Adventure!