Ukulele Orchestra Of Great Britain - Flat Foot Floogie

Ok, so this old uke vid has done the rounds on more than one occasion, but I was reminded of it again recently - figured it needed revisiting. A VERY early Ukulele Orchestra Of Great Britain from way back when in 1989!

Filmed at a Ukulele Society Of Great Britain meet at Digswell, it features early UOGB members such as Jo Brindley, Andy Astle and uke luthier Marshall Stapleton, but also current members George Hinchcliffe and Kitty Lux too.  I think it's an absolute delight and a nice look back at the early beginnings of this much loved group.

Enjoy. (and you thought the current popularity of the uke is a recent thing??)



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A Ukulele Handbook For Beginners by Aaron and Nicole Keim - REVIEW

I do like 'nice' things. You know, where somebody has gone that extra mile on presentation of something. That's what immediately came to mind when I opened the new ukulele guidebook by Aaron Keim - 'A Ukulele Handbook For Beginners'.

Aaron is one of those performers quietly but widely admired in ukulele circles. Quietly seems apt as Aaron performs with his wife Nicole as an act called 'The Quiet American' playing 'old time American folk music for modern times'. I'm not sure if he took the name from the Graham Greene novel (but I certainly hope so!).... Anyway, get back on track Barry.

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Tobias Elof - Moon River

Amongst all the YouTube noise, it's always so nice to come across a new video that blows you away.  Say hello to Tobias Elof

I say 'blows you away' - this is not aggressive or overly energetic - it's just beautifully played. I first saw Tobias perform on stage at the Ukulele Festival Of Great Britain as part of Elof and Wamberg and was a total highlight of the festival.

Sure, this is an advert for aNueNue - but give the guy credit where credit is due. He plays wonderfully. Oh, and speaking to him at Cheltenham, I realised he is also one of the nicest, most humble players I have met.

And, yes, I also 'covet' his dreads too...

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Once Again on Ukulele Strumming Patterns.

It has actually been a while since I ranted on this blog on this subject, but it seems that people still get me wrong on this subject. So, what do I really think about the whole 'strumming pattern' discussion? Does this happen with other musical instruments?

First off, if you are of the view that, 'that Baz from Got A Ukulele HATES strumming patterns', then, frankly you are dead wrong. And if I may say so, what a bizarre suggestion. You see, I use strumming patterns all the time - everyone does if they strum. Whatever you are playing you are strumming something of a pattern. It might be rigid and simple, it might be more freeform and abstract. You may just be making it up. Whichever, it is still a pattern of some sorts. So not a rant really, more a clarification.

If you are learning I totally support the concept of teachers recommending people work on basic patterns in order for them to start to understand how basic patterns can suit different styles of music and then can apply them to anything they play (Swing, Bossanova, Country, whatever). This is GOOD practice and will only help you as you develop your playing style.

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Alic Soprano Ukulele - REVIEW

Straight up with another review of a very affordable uke, and perhaps a viewpoint that may put the cat amongst the pigeons (again!). Say hello to the Alic Soprano ukulele.

Remind you of anything? You know, when I first saw these I immediately thought 'Flea' - what with the moulded plastic back, wooden neck and plastic fingerboard and all. But somewhat surprisingly found that there are people who totally disagree with that.  Hmmm. Maybe, maybe not, but if you agree this is not the first uke I have seen to borrow ideas from the Flea concept. Some say its just the same concept as the Applause Ovation system of bowl backed ukes, but I think the plastic fingerboard is really the giveaway here - the Ovations don't have those. Either way, its lazy to me.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER - I am NOT saying that Alic have deliberately set out to copy to the Flea directly. I am saying that the concept is very similar and seems to me to be lazy in its inception...read on...

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Snake Oil in the Ukulele World

Coming to the uke some years ago from a guitar background, there is something I have noticed of late as this current boom in ukulele buying shows no signs of slowing. Where an instrument has a big buyers market, so the mythical ideas and gadgetry start to follow. Is Snake Oil on the rise in the uke world?

So aside from the myths that continue to perpetuate the uke world ( and I have exposed a few before on this blog - see here ) it seems that the wonder treatments are also on the rise.

At the simplest level, strings seem to have been a hot topic on social media (and this site) of late, but I am really starting to lose patience with the endless debates as to 'which string is best'. In the simplest terms strings come in three types of material, either nylon, synthetic gut  (or nylgut) solely made by the Aquila company or Fluorocarbon. Whilst traditionalists may occasionally still state they like nylon, by far the most strings are sold in the latter two categories. But let us look at fluorocarbon as a material. It is an increasingly well known fact that there are not factories set up around the world to make fluorocarbon ukulele strings - it just would not be cost effective. As such the suggestion is that they are actually sourced from fishing line makers, mainly in Japan, who make miles of the stuff already. It figures, and I believe that Worth have admitted that they source their string materials from Seaguar fishing line makers. Waverly Street ukes ship theirs with the same fishing lines.  (Note - i am not saying any old cheap fishing line will work here, we are talking about high quality fluorocarbon)

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New Aquila 'Lava' Ukulele Strings Test

For some time now I felt a bit guilty about my views on Aquila. You see, I really have never got on well with their standard Nylgut strings on this musical instrument. I just never liked the tone or feel, but still, recognised what a great company they are. I was therefore very interested to see their new launch of a brand new product, only very recently available in uke stores. Their 'Lava' brand of new Nylguts.

Aquila Lava Ukulele Strings

Before we take a look, some housekeeping that will be old news to regular readers of my stuff. I don't recommend particular strings to others for one simple reason - they are a totally personal choice. The only person who's opinion on strings matters is the player who is playing them. It's simple really - we all have different ukes (mostly) but more importantly we have different playing styles, ears and musical tastes. What I like may not be what you like, and what you like may not suit me. BUT THAT IS COOL. As such, this is not a 'review' as such, but just an opportunity to tell you about this new string formula. What I say about older Aquilas or indeed these new ones should not be taken as the gospel!

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Adjusting Ukulele Setup and the Impact on Intonation

A few people asked for me to expand on the topic of ukulele setup, so thought I would put it down in a video.

All about adjusting the setup of the ukulele to improve playability and tuning accuracy. Don't be afraid to adjust things - they are designed to be adjusted!



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Stagg US10 Soprano Ukulele - REVIEW

People who read this blog regularly will know I have a common rant about the flood of cheap musical instruments on the market. It seems to be an endless tide, perpetuated by low prices on the likes of Amazon. People also (wrongly) claim I only review high end instruments, so I got hold of this model recently, from Amazon - the Stagg US10 Soprano. Their number one best selling ukulele! All yours for a shade over £20.

Now, to correct those who think I have a downer on every cheap instrument. I don't. I regularly recommend models that do it well, like the Octopus Soprano as an example. What I DO have a downer on is the regularly falling standards of quality control at this low end price. People will regularly respond to my warnings by saying things like 'But I have a Mahalo and its just fine'. I am sure they do, and I am pleased. I am not saying every single example is badly made, but what I AM saying is the chances of getting a badly made one are far higher these days than I think is acceptable. I could rant again that I see no sense in paying less than the cost of a basic lesson for a musical instrument, but people will still do it - lured by the likes of Amazon and their low prices. My advice is just that there ARE better alternatives and places to buy that will narrow those chances of getting a dud if you go carefully.

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