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The ukulele club at the Council on Aging is growing a bit. We go for an hour at 10 a.m. The ukulele is an inexpensive musical instrument that is easy to play. If you’re buying your first instrument, I would recommend buying it from a local music shop.
I prefer musical instruments with four strings because I have only four fingers. I think it is an advantage over an instrument with six strings for a beginner. The nylon strings on the ukulele are softer than steel strings, which may make it a better beginner instrument.
The three sizes of ukuleles all sound the same. If this is your first one, it really doesn’t matter what size you get. The largest size that I like is the tenor.
The most popular size is the Soprano. This is the typical ukulele that you would see all over. They are very popular with kids and come in a lot of colors. I’m pretty sure that the Sopranos are the ones that a school would buy.
The ukulele is a very inexpensive and easy instrument to learn and I highly recommend that schools have regular music classes. Most people will play the ukulele in a group setting where they can sing and play the ukulele. There are several ukulele clubs in this region, which is very popular.
Our ukulele club meets once per week, which I think is a great advantage over those that meet once a month. They are great places to play music and social clubs. Meeting every week is a great idea. I want you to join our club at the Council on Aging.
The concert size ukulele sounds similar to the middle size. The strings are the same as four guitar strings, so you can play it the same way as if you were playing a guitar, but there is a difference in how you might play it.
There is a base ukulele with very thick rubber-like strings, but it has to be hooked up to an amplifier to get a real sound. Unless you want to haul around the Amp system, I don’t recommend it for ukulele clubs.
The uke has a lot more to offer than just playing music. Just like with a guitar, you can learn to play tunes, that’s music without words, and learn to play with a finger-picking style, which is great for solo performances, but not so much for a large group setting. Many players play in club settings and do finger-picking at home. It might be relaxing.
If you want to learn more about how to play the ukulele, you should check out the videos by James Hill and the ones by Avery Hill. I have played with both of them and they are great teachers. There’s a lot of free material for you to enjoy. You can progress at home by watching those two and playing with them. James Hill wrote a program for the Canadian school system. He knows how to teach the ukulele. There is a teacher based out of Portland, Oregon that teaches very well online.
We are at the Council on Aging on Thursdays at 10 a.m. If you don’t own a ukulele, we can give you one for free. If you don’t want to play, you can join us to sing. The social atmosphere is what determines it. I am hoping to see you there.
Matt Nowak is a member of the ukulele club at the Council on Aging.
Matt Nowak is a man.