The Good, the Bad and the Ukulele

[barrydidit]

My daughter will be starting year 3 in September (7 years old). At her school this means musical instruments are introduced. I'd been led to believe this would involve brass, but it seems not to be a rule and she has set her sights on a uke which she spotted in a shop window.

Reading the various threads i see here that

You can get a tune out of a £20 Mahala

Or is that a Mahalo?

Either way, there's tons on Ebay like here or here

And i've found advice from a non CUK source here. I don't want to spend money unnecessarily any more than i would want her discouraged by having a poor quality instrument. So my question is, given the threads on CUK are geared towards adult learners, is there anything specifically unsuitable for kids in the world of the uke, or is a standard 20 quid soprano Mahalo going to do the trick for her?

TIA

[cojak]

My daughter will be starting year 3 in September (7 years old). At her school this means musical instruments are introduced. I'd been led to believe this would involve brass, but it seems not to be a rule and she has set her sights on a uke which she spotted in a shop window.

Reading the various threads i see here that



Or is that a Mahalo?

Either way, there's tons on Ebay like here or here

And i've found advice from a non CUK source here. I don't want to spend money unnecessarily any more than i would want her discouraged by having a poor quality instrument. So my question is, given the threads on CUK are geared towards adult learners, is there anything specifically unsuitable for kids in the world of the uke, or is a standard 20 quid soprano Mahalo going to do the trick for her?

TIA

That's the one (I don't own one but I've played a few).

I bought my niece a pink one along with the Steven Sproat book for children (which is actually better than the adult beginners book). http://www.amazon.co.uk/Starting-Uku.../dp/1847720498

Buy it - it will either be played constantly or sit in the wardrobe, not a big outlay either way.

[cojak]

Oh, but do buy her a tuner as well. Part of the pain of listening to a beginner is not having it tuned properly.

[xoggoth]

Oh, but do buy her a tuner as well. Part of the pain of listening to a beginner is not having it tuned properly

Attempting (yet again) to master the guitar and found out yesterday you can get a good tuner app on mobile phones.

PS Got my old Hofner out of the attic and took it to get some minor repairs, found out it's worth at least 600 quid. Wahee!

[eek]

Attempting (yet again) to master the guitar and found out yesterday you can get a good tuner app on mobile phones.

Yep my daughter is adding the Guitar to her list of instruments and was recommended pitchlab...

[cojak]

Attempting (yet again) to master the guitar and found out yesterday you can get a good tuner app on mobile phones.

Yep I use that a lot, but a tuner that you can fix to the neck of your uke/guitar is quicker and more accurate (you can't have too much background noise with the app).

[stek]

Tuning electronically is bad, best to start tuning by ear from day one, you won't regret it, helps impart a feeling for tonality and intervals.

[barrydidit]

Thanks guys.

The expense isn't so much the issue as getting it right from the start! Good tuning tips too, i'm not musical so that's gonna help

[cojak]

Tuning electronically is bad, best to start tuning by ear from day one, you won't regret it, helps impart a feeling for tonality and intervals.

Yes, I do that as well but I'd never get concert pitch unless I had an electronic C to start me off (I'm not blessed with perfect pitch, sadly).

[mudskipper]

Thanks guys.

The expense isn't so much the issue as getting it right from the start! Good tuning tips too, i'm not musical so that's gonna help

Get two, and learn with her.