offers colorful carbon fiber composite ukuleles. You get the uke, color - match case, spare string set, strap and free shipping, all for under $100. The best thing about this uke, since it ’ s not wood, is that it can stand the heat of the desert, cold, and water. It ’ s the perfect “ camping ” ukulele for around the campfire. You will also need a sturdy music stand. Check out the stands offered on walmart.com. You can order ukuleles and accessories online, but if you have a local music store think about supporting them. They ’ ll help you select the best ukulele and continue to offer service.
So you want to be a rock star! If you played a musical instrument as a child, you may fondly recall how you performed for family and friends and maybe even on your school stage. You might have continued your music journey as an adult. Then there are those who unfavorably recall the hours of practice, lessons with a demanding teacher, lugging an instrument to performances and eventually quitting music. No matter what your music experience was, you still got benefits. It ’ s a fact that playing an instrument makes you smarter, relieves stress, builds confidence, improves your memory and time management skills, your patience, and your social life. There are some instruments that take years to master even the most basic songs. It can take two years before a music student can play holiday songs to a recognizable level. But don ’ t be discouraged because there is one instrument that an- yone can pick up and in under three hours play two songs. It ’ s the ukulele and you can join The Ukulele Crew at ORPS next season. This year was trying for a group that has over 70 strummers on the email list, but saw only eight return to the resort for this season. We carried on, playing new music and working on new techniques. We even entertained throughout the resort for National Ukulele Day on February 2. So if you ’ re still ready for a fun and educational journey, here are some buying tips and how you can start now to get ready for next season. BUYING YOUR UKULELE AND ACCESSORIES There are three primary ukulele sizes: soprano, concert and tenor which are all tuned the same way: G - C - E - A. This is known as standard tuning. The shared tuning of these three sizes means that if you learn to play on a soprano ukulele, you will also be able to play a concert or tenor. If you begin on a cheap uke, you won't sound as good, which can be disheartening. Here are some manufacturers offering quality instruments at affordable prices. One recognized brand for beginners is Kala. The body of their beginner model ukulele is entirely crafted out of mahogany. Even the back and sides are connected using the same slab of mahogany. The concert ukulele offers more fret space for beginners to navigate the finger- board easily. Kala ’ s ukulele starter kit includes the ukulele, a black gig bag, strap, cleaning cloth, set of strings, and a tuner. Another top choice is the Cordoba brand which is great for aspiring beginners. It ’ s quality with a mahogany top and rosewood fingerboard. The only downside is that no accessories are included. You ’ ll have to pay extra for the bag, strap and tuner. Enya Music (enya - music.com)
IT ’ S TIME FOR SOME LESSONS Now that you bought your uke, go to these websites for FREE lessons and FREE printable music. These beginner friendly sites will have you strumming in no time. Uku- lele is played with chords. You do not need to learn fin- ger picking. Learn these basic chords and you ’ ll be able to play a variety of songs. C, F, Am, G7, D7 (Hawaiian style) G, A, A7, D. You ’ ll eventually learn more chords. • www.ukulele101.com. Cynthia Lin has helped thou- sands of people around the world discover the joy of ukulele. All her amazing lessons are on YouTube and you can instantly play along. • www.doctor uke.com. Check out Dr. Uke ’ s Waiting Room for free music and audios for each song. He ’ s got all the songs you sang as a kid. • www.ozbcoz.com. This is Jim ’ s Ukulele Songbook. Here you will find almost 3,000 songs with ukulele chord charts. • bytownukulele.ca. The Bytown Ukulele Group from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada offers a 1200+ song library, videos and help tips. • scorpexuke.com. Richard G ’ s Ukulele Songbook has a collection of over 1,300 songs from the 60’ s, 70’ s, 80’ s and 90’ s. More are added all the time. LET ’ S PLAY! It ’ s important to practice at least 15 - 30 minutes a day, several times a week. It ’ s not unusual for a beginner to eventually spend many enjoyable hours practicing. By next season you will be ready to join The Ukulele Crew at ORPS. If you are ready to be a rock star contact Marilyn Sabens, marilyn.sabens@gmail.com for information and our songbook.
ORACLE
12
MARCH 2021
Made with FlippingBook Learn more on our blog