My Bushman Ukulele
Many, many years ago, about 14 or so, YouTube recommended a video of a cute blonde playing the ukulele and having a lot of fun with her friends. I completely blame my ukulele addiction on Julia Nunes. That video triggered something in my creative side and I was off to find myself an ukulele and learn how to play. Julia had won the first Bushman ukulele contest and I watched the excitement in her unboxing video. And then I saw a couple of the members of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain were playing Bushman ukuleles. Within a few months I had seen both Julia and the UOGB live in concert. And set my heart on getting my own Bushman ukulele. I entered the Bushman contest, hoping to win a gift certificate toward one of these beauties. And did okay with my original song, I Learned to Play…
UKEtopia! Adventures in the Ukulele World
There are many, myself included, that put a great deal of the credit on Jim and Liz Beloff for the current wave of ukulele popularity in the United States and the rest of the world. Chances are pretty high that if you play ukulele you have a number of Jumpin’ Jim’s song books in your collection. Many uke clubs use the big yellow The Daily Ukulele for their jam sessions. Regulars at ukulele festivals and workshops all over the world; Jim and Liz add a touch of familiarity and family to the gathering. Their welcoming personalities are a big part of their success! Flea Market Music has been teasing a new Beloff book for several months. I was tempted to pre-order on Amazon, but The Magic Fluke Company sent out a message a few weeks back that they had autographed copies available, so I sent my order off to Phyllis and…
Photographing Your Ukulele for Identification
I get lots of requests from readers that would like me to tell them how old their Martin ukulele is and what style it is. I love getting these requests! Most of the senders think to include a picture or two, but they are often not very helpful in allowing me to answer their questions. So I thought I would provide some examples of what information and what types of photos can help with identification. The first piece of information is going to be the overall length of the ukulele and/or the length between the saddle and the nut. For those unfamiliar with the instruments, the saddle and nut are the two ‘bars’, usually ebony, that the strings go over at each end of their run. For an ukulele you are going to get 13 inches, 15 inches or 17 inches. There are larger ones as well, but these are…
Midwest Uke Camp 2018 – Workshops
One of the big draws of Midwest Uke Camp is the opportunity to learn from some of the best instructors available! The organizers spend a lot of time lining up top talent and then trying to fit it all into a coherent schedule. And Ben Hassenger and company do a great job. Everyone has to choose eight workshops from a selection of over 60! When selecting workshops, I consider a number of factors. I usually start with the track aimed at my playing level, looking down the list of classes. Typically, I will eliminate any class I’ve already taken, but you’ll see below where I actually repeated myself! The other big consideration is to try and take a course from as many different instructors as I can. Not only does it expose me to new instruction, but helps me learn effective teaching techniques to use in both my ukulele workshops…
Midwest Uke & Harmonica Camp 2018 – Overview
The 3rd Midwest Uke & Harmonica Camp (MUC) has entered the history books. And it was as epic as the previous two years and getting larger! So let me start with the general and move to the specific items to share with you. I’ll share my workshop and instructor info in a separate post. Attendance has grown, there were 100 more people than there were at the first camp, getting close to 200! Which means more people to jam with, more folks to share with and more opportunities to learn! Olivet College is simply beautiful this time of year! The campus is green and lush and there are well kept beds full of flowers and perennials. The classrooms and most areas are air conditioned to help with comfort. Workshops are diverse and full of choices! This year featured six ukulele tracks, Beginner, Confident Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced Intermediate were joined…
Guest Post on UkuleleMusicInfo
I wrote a guest post on Elderly Instruments for Ukulele Music Info, which you can read here: Michigan, the Great Uke State – Elderly Instrument, Mighty Uke Day and More!