In the two years that I’ve been playing the ukulele, there is one thing that I know for certain: the ukulele is just a happy instrument.
Before I even purchased my ukulele, I had read reviews that stated this same thing. When you pick up a ukulele, you just can’t help but get a little happier. And when you play, it’s nearly impossible not to smile.
I was very skeptical. Then I got my ukulele.
From the first time tuning it to playing Christmas songs at the recent Very Merry Ukulele programs at the Library, I have found more joy from playing the ukulele than I could have imagined. Simply strumming, I immediately relax. And when I’m playing a song, I forget that I can’t sing and just sing all the louder for it.
My favorite songs to play include “Stand by Me,” by Ben E. King “Let it Be,” by the Beatles and “I’m Yours,” by Jason Mraz. I also just really love messing around and usually end up playing random chords in the Island Strum (down, down, up, up, down, up).
Looking to get started with Ukulele? Check out these resources:
- Cynthia Lin: http://cynthialin.com/ukulele & http://youtube.com/cynthialinmusic for lessons, chord charts, and videos
- UkuChords: https://ukuchords.com/ for chord charts for popular songs and chord diagrams
- Center Stage Ukulele Academy: http://csukuleleacademy.com/ for ukulele lessons online
-Liz Strauss, Teen/Outreach Services Manager
Recommendations for the ukulele brand? I’m interested. Lessons at the library?:)
I like my Donner ukulele a lot. I’m also impressed with the Kala ukulele starter sets we got for the Library. I’d like to get a Luna ukulele at some point because they are so very, very pretty. You just want to avoid the really cheap ukuleles (like $20), as these tend to be more “toys.” I recommend spending around $50. There are some nice starter sets out there that you can get for around that price, and they’ll come with tuners, bags, and booklets to get you started. If you don’t know if you’ll like it, this is a great way to start. We will probably do more ukulele programs at the library in the future. Make sure you check out our newsletter, Footnotes, when they come out. Thanks for the interest! – Liz