Reply to: Ukuleles

[darmstadt]

[cojak]

You can get a tune out of a £20 Mahala. It takes 10 minutes to learn 2 or 3 chords and years to play 'properly', but with a bit of persistence and enthusiasm you'll be learning basic songs in an afternoon.

You can get a 'Ukulele for Dummies' enhanced e-book that will show you how to play*Ukulele for Dummies and one of the better websites for cheatsheets and the like*http://ukulelehunt.com/

(standard tuning on soprano, concert and tenor ukes are GCEA, Baritone tuning is DGBE)

(On me hols in Skye with crap Internet connection at the moment so sorry for the late reply d000hg )

[Archangel]

My ukulele is tuned to gcea which is classed as normal for a concert ukulele. Despite having absolutely no musical background I've managed to learn to play a few tunes which some people can recognise once I've told them what I'm trying to play! £80 will get you a decent uke, but change the strings for aguila ones, they are much better.

[stek]

This isn't going to factor in Steks daft question of the day tomorrow is it?

Ya khachu povyetsitsya, fonar', verovka, letsitsnya.....

[northernladuk]

Maybe, although she's managed to find seemingly the one school in the NE with a budget to throw around on non-essentials like music, PVA glue and pens.

If you can get one that isn't a waste of time for £20 it's a bit of a non-issue, my fear was it would be like a £20 guitar

LOL SWMBO brought home the YPO catalogue last year and the damn thing is nearly a foot thick.. It's chuffin mad all the stuff in it. I was like 'OMG buy this, buy that' until she told me how much her budget was I don't think it would have covered the postage to send the catalogue back!!!

[northernladuk]

I bought a Soviet seven string acoustic off Ebay actually, £60 and it's a work of art, made in Leningrad in 1960...

Has three nylon strings and four metal, tuned open G, Russian term is Syemistrunka, down to five strings now tho....

This isn't going to factor in Steks daft question of the day tomorrow is it?

[northernladuk]

Fnnarr fnnarr.

I fail so much.

[stek]

Maybe, although she's managed to find seemingly the one school in the NE with a budget to throw around on non-essentials like music, PVA glue and pens.

If you can get one that isn't a waste of time for £20 it's a bit of a non-issue, my fear was it would be like a £20 guitar

I bought a Soviet seven string acoustic off Ebay actually, £60 and it's a work of art, made in Leningrad in 1960...

Has three nylon strings and four metal, tuned open G, Russian term is Syemistrunka, down to five strings now tho....

[d000hg]

A local music shop provides bits and bobs to the school from time to time, does the school have any similar arragenemt? Might get a second hand one free or something.

Maybe, although she's managed to find seemingly the one school in the NE with a budget to throw around on non-essentials like music, PVA glue and pens.

If you can get one that isn't a waste of time for £20 it's a bit of a non-issue, my fear was it would be like a £20 guitar

[NotAllThere]

3/10 - Must try harder.

Fnnarr fnnarr.

[northernladuk]

She's not thinking to let the kids play them - they're only 4-5 years old. But for her to play, probably the kids would be clapping or other percussion; apparently teaching that at a young age is important for non music related development.

Ah my apologies, my other half does year 6 where they are taught to play. I would have though a ukelele would be a fun instrument for playing and for the kids as well. Would be a great party trick to pull ukelele out and strum a tune for your other half as well!

A local music shop provides bits and bobs to the school from time to time, does the school have any similar arragenemt? Might get a second hand one free or something.

[d000hg]

My other halfs school got a few in to try last year but they ended up getting broken and abused and weren't really much use as it does still take a bit of skill to get a tune out of them. They ditched them and went back to recorders and stuff you can bang I am afraid.

She's not thinking to let the kids play them - they're only 4-5 years old. But for her to play, probably the kids would be clapping or other percussion; apparently teaching that at a young age is important for non music related development.

[northernladuk]

So, it's a porn studio then?

3/10 - Must try harder.

[NotAllThere]

... went back to recorders and stuff you can bang I am afraid.

So, it's a porn studio then?

[northernladuk]

Mrs. D000hg is interested in getting one to do music with at school (reception children) but neither of us know anything about them. I play guitar so I imagine I could easily pick it up and teach her a few chords, but what should be getting? Only want something cheap and cheerful but someone told me/her there were different types, like how you can get tenor recorders and so on.

Any idiots' guide style tips would be nice - at our low-end do we just buy any old thing or are there still choices to make? And is it as easy to transfer guitar strumming to ukulele as I imagine?

My other halfs school got a few in to try last year but they ended up getting broken and abused and weren't really much use as it does still take a bit of skill to get a tune out of them. They ditched them and went back to recorders and stuff you can bang I am afraid.