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Haha! That is pretty close! It would be cool to do a jam together! Once summer roles around and I finish with UW for the quarter, we should definately jam!
I would love to get some Lord Huron on here. They have several songs that are pretty popular right like “the night we met” and “ends of the earth”.
Yes – I have acoustic ukes and learning to to record good quality audio with them would be super helpful!
Different strings complement different Ukes. I have fluorocarbon on my mahogany Ohana SK-30M.
I LOVE this uke with these strings, but when I first got the Ohana, I was really shocked by the sound which wasn’t what I had imagined. The Aquila strings gave it a twang that was so unsettlingly, comically banjo-ish and WAAAY to bright for me. It was very different from my other super mellow mahogany ukuleles – like drinking a glass of milk and then deciding to drink the most tart lemonade different. I was worried to say the least…
But as time went on and I kept playing it, I came to kind of crave that crispy, twangy sound. I also changed the Aquila strings to Fluorocarbon strings, which made a HUGE difference in sound quality and mellowed it out. Yes, Aquila are awesome, but it’s amazing how different strings make the instrument sound, plus fluorocarbon are a little thinner then Aquila.
Drawback: they don’t last as long or hold their tune as well (IN MY OPINION), but I love them on my LN soprano. Funny thing is, I don’t like them on my mellow concert. They just sound flat and dull compared to the Aquila on that uke. However, I do love the big G fluorocarbon on my tenor, since its a little thinner and nicer on the fingers. It also isn’t wound and doesn’t make that SKREH noise as you drag your fingers over the strings.
These are my Ukuleles!
From left to right in the picture-
Makala soprano MK-S: about $50 for uke, gig bag, starter DVD, and tuner on Amazon. No setup. I think it has a cheap mahogany laminate top. Great uke for a beginner that wants something portable. Bad uke for someone that plays A LOT. Very durable, light, and holds tune once you break strings in (as long as they are good Strings).Kala tenor KA-T: around $170 (+taxes) for uke from Dusty Strings in Seattle. Setup. Mahogany laminate body and back, rosewood fretboard. Very loud. Great upgrade from the soprano (it’s a step up). Warm sound and frets are bigger so it’s easier to practice on. Low G.
Kala concert KA-SMHC: around $270 (+taxes) for uke from Dusty Strings. Setup. Solid mahogany body with tortoiseshell trim and satin finish. Rosewood fretboard. Next step up brand-wise from the other Kala’s. This is my favorite size to play. Very warm sounding and soothing. Opens with time.
Ohana long-neck soprano SK-30M: around $170 for uke from Mim’s Ukes (online). Setup. All solid body mahogany with matte finish and white trim. Rosewood fretboard. Extended concert length fretboard with soprano body. Different brand with a different sound. Very punchy and loud for a soprano made of mahogany. The perfect marriage of a banjo and a soprano uke. SUPER LIGHT. It’s very portable. I use a really big soprano case from Dusty Strings to carry it. Opens with time.
I’m hoping to eventually get an amp and pick ups so I can get more volume. Any recommendations?
Howdy! Usually when I get stuck I just keep going really reeeaaaaly slow until it’s completely smooth – then I speed up in very small amounts, focusing on keeping everything super smooth. I also specifically practice any trouble section until I feel comfortable with it (literally, I’ll run through a single section a few dozen times until I don’t have to think about looking at my fingers or transitioning to different parts of the song).
It’s a really slow way of doing it, but I’ve found this works best for me. Another thing I do to “speed up” practicing is to mute all the strings using my strum hand and practice chord transitions and finger movements, while I watch TV or talk to people. That way, I always get to play!
Hope that helps a little! Good luck!