Got A Ukulele - Review Of The Year 2013

Well it is that time of year again, and as in previous years it is time for a look back over a year in the life of Got A Ukulele.

In the last year there have been....

160 posts...
11 instrument reviews...
nearly 1.4 million page views over 765,000 visits...

And..

Interviews, festivals to attend and lots of get togethers with uke friends all over the UK. It's been a really fun year and I hope you have enjoyed reading. So below are some of my particular highlights!


JANUARY

The year kicked off as it meant to go on with a review of the Kala ASAC solid tenor uke, and I also looked back with a long term review of the Kanile'a K1 Tenor.

Something quite different followed (for a uke blog at any rate) with a look at the Greataswego Fat Boy kazoo, kindly supplied by Doc Kazoo himself. The beginners tips continued, this time looking at developing a light touch, and I was thrilled to bits to get Les and Tim from Chonkinfeckle to agree to an interview.

Chonkinfeckle

FEBRUARY

We kicked off the month with the launch of our bands new website. The N'Ukes then went on to a booming year!

The reviews then came quick and fast, looking at both a Riptide Electro and the Barnes and Mullins Calthorpe. One of my favourite videos of that time was Bad Habit by the wonderful Danielle Ate The Sandwich, but that is not meant to overshadow local youngsters The Muckers with their 80's medley!


MARCH

March saw The N'Ukes appear in an interview on BBC Radio Stoke, and I also had a look at the Southern Ukulele Store own brand concert uke - an instrument they kindly let me keep to be raffled later in the year for charity.

I was also blown away by this video by Les Hay Babies, and reviewed the rather pretty Ohana 5 String.

Closing March was another great uke vid by John Pak.

5 string Ohana 

APRIL

I was delighted to learn in April that uke pals The pUKEs had been approved with Arts Council funding to run workshops, and I took a look at the excellent Ukulele Exercises For Dummies by Brett McQueen.

One of the prettiest uke tunes I had come across was this one by Malcanisten, and one of my favourites was this by The pUKEs! And April ended with a review of the excellent Pono MTD, and the discovery of the quite wonderful Blue Dean Carcionne.


MAY

In May, my book The Complete What Ukulele Players Really Want To Know was shortlisted for an Indie book award, and the N'Ukes played their most enjoyable venue yet at the Cosey Club.

And at the end of the month I was delighted to receive a copy of the brilliant pUkes Fanzine!


JUNE

June saw us all introduced to that wonderful Get Clucky video by Will Grove-White, and soon after it was Festival time!

During June I attended the Ukulele Festival of Great Britain, and live blogged on each day from Cheltenham. Here is DAY1, DAY2, and DAY 3.

Ukulele Festival of Great Britain

JULY

This was holiday month and quite quiet, but we did host our annual ukulele get together, N'Ukefest, for the second year running. It was a huge success and thanks again to those who helped, donated or performed!


AUGUST

In August I started the first of my new series of beginner tips called 'RANTS' - these were posts aimed at dispelling bad advice you find online, and we started by looking at common Ukulele Myths.

Later on I presented my review of the quite wonderful Godin Multiuke, and came across this wonderful video by Gerald Ross.

Godin Multiuke

SEPTEMBER

September started with a look at the intriguing Moselele Bambookulele, an instrument that was given away as a prize later in the year... but was otherwise a quiet month as I was on holiday for most of it!


OCTOBER

Then, festival time again, this time the Grand Northern Ukulele Festival. I kicked things off with an interview with Festival Director Mary Agnes Krell, and followed that live blogging from Pontefract on both Day 1 and Day 2 of the festival. It really was a great event.

I discovered this sweet ukulele video by Lucy and La Mer, and Bob Archigan of La Bella asked me to look at his Uke-Pro strings. (highly recommended by the way!)

Phil Doleman and Mary Agnes Krell at the Grand Northern Ukulele Festival

NOVEMBER

A busy month!

November started with a look at the excellent Mr Otis Regrets CD by the Anything Goes Orchestra, together with another 'Rant', this time on bad ukulele advisors.

We also launched N'Ukefest 2014, and I found this great video by Friends Of Old Puppy.

I also reviewed the (awful) Mahalo Flying V, Interviewed the very lovely Sarah Maisel and launched an anniversary competition to mark the 4th year of Got A Ukulele.


DECEMBER

December started with a look at a new ukulele brand, the Noah Monkeypod Tenor, together with another 'Rant', this time on being paid to play ukulele gigs.

Thanks to Ohana Ukuleles, I was extremely lucky to get to look at some rare prototypes and understand their development process, and looked at the unusual Korala Explore plastic ukulele.

December came to a close with a review of a trip to Chester to support Ooty And The Cloud in a charity uke event, and a final 'Rant' on those people who say 'you can't play that on a ukulele'.

Korala Explore

And aside from those highlights, there have been plenty of other tips, song sheets and videos shared, and I hope you agree that it has been an interesting year.

All that is left to be said now is, that I wish all my readers the VERY best for 2014. I fully intend to keep the blog running and have some great ideas in the pipeline. Your support means a lot so to anyone who has read or contributed - THANK YOU.

See you soon!


2011 Review Of The Year
2012 Review Of The Year

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Got A Ukulele - REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2012

Well it seems to have come around quickly, but time for another review of the year on Got A Ukulele.

It's been a great year, in which I have met some new ukulele friends, played many more instruments, and marked the third anniversary of this site.  2012 has seen over 600 posts and nearly 900,000 page views, beating the 2011 review by quite a margin!

So, let's move on to some of my personal highlights!


January

In early 2012 I gave you some new years Uke resolutions which still stand up today.  Amanda Palmer played uke at the Occupy Wall St demo, and the world was introduced to a humble recording on the New York subway which then went viral for Jessica Latshaw.


February

Feb saw the launch of my second ukulele book - More Of What Ukulele Players Really Want To Know, and I was also delighted that Jess Latshaw agreed to be interviewed on the site - a truly lovely person.

We ran a competition to win some of my books with superbly goofy entries, learned that Willie Nelson plays the uke and read my take on plastic ukuleles.


March

In March I visited the Casa Museo Del Timple on Lanzarote to see an early family member of the ukulele, and even brought one back to review.

Canarian Timple

I also launched my Chords eBook, and in a move to the surreal we learned that James Hill can play a ukulele with chopsticks...

Finally, I was delighted that friend and uke player Joey Paul agreed to do a guest post on the blog.


April

Metalheads were delighted to learn that Dave Grohl was partial to a bit of ukulele. Also in April I got my hands on a Fluke Firefly banjo ukulele and brought you my tips and advice on buying a used instrument.  I took a look at the Peterson Stroboclip (the worlds craziest priced clip on tuner), and I was also thrilled to learn that a song cover recorded by a ukulele friend had been picked up on by Amanda Palmer.


May

May kicked off with a review of the (excellent) Blue Lady Sings CD by my friend Tricity Vogue - highly recommended.

Joey Paul launched a single with proceeds going to the Fibroduck Foundation for Fibromyalgia sufferers, we took a look at the Brüko No 6 ukulele and I gave you my tips on choosing ukulele strings.


June

In early June I scared myself at the scale of the growing ukulele collection (!!) and we looked at which countries were the biggest ukulele fans. My Big Island solid Koa uke landed and I was delighted to get to interview Phil Doleman and Ian Emmerson of the Re-entrants. (Since the interview, they drew down the curtain on the Re-entrants, and are now performing as Phil Doleman and Ian Emmerson.)

The Re-entrants (picture credit Graham Whitmore)

I gave my thoughts on the suberb Flirting With Mermaids CD by Manitoba Hal, launched the omnibus edition of my books The Complete What Ukulele Players Really Want To Know and our local group, the N'Ukes were visited by Ken Middleton!


July

July seemed to be a month of reviews with me taking a look at Living Water Strings, the Risa Uke-Solid electric ukulele and the new Uke Leash guitar style strap.

Our band the N'Ukes set their sights further afield joining a busk - all for charity around the streets of Chester.

N'Ukes rocking Chester

August

August started with a review of the Islander MST-4 Tenor - part of the budget line of ukes by Kanile'a, together with me revisiting the Fluke for a long term update.

This month saw the sad loss of Neil Armstrong a lover of the ukulele too.

I took a look at one of the cheapest ukuleles I have ever come across, plus Lisa Hannigan (just because!)


September

September started with a look at the Martin T1K Tenor Ukulele - a fine fine instrument.

It was also an extremely busy month for our group, the N'Ukes, welcoming Richard G on his trip to the UK, playing a charity gig for Macmillan Cancer Care and then hosting the N'Ukefest weekender in Cheshire at which we were joined by so many ukulele players, including the fine guys from Chonkinfeckle.

Chonkinfeckle at the N'Ukefest

October

October allowed me to catch up with friend Ken Middleton and interview him for the site - a gentleman and wise sage on all things ukulele.

I also shared my thoughts on accompanying the ukulele and took an in depth look at the highly recommended Ohana SK-25 soprano.


November

Happy Birthday to me! November marked the third anniversary of Got A Ukulele and I was thrilled that Ohana Ukuleles helped by celebrate by very kindly offering one of their instruments as a competition prize.

November also saw me rebrand my books, take a look at the Puka PHC Concert ukulele and the rather woeful Eleuke Peanut.


December

With Christmas approaching the ukulele songs page had it's fair share of Christmas tunes added - just the thing for the festive season!

The world lost the great Dave Brubeck, and I took a look at the excellent Kiwaya KS5 Soprano.  The N'Ukes took to amping up to rock their last gig and I shared my views on ukulele straps. Lastly, with the year nearly over, it was time to look ahead to 2013, and I have started to build the new Ukulele Festival Calendar for the coming year.



So - quite a year, and one that I have thoroughly enjoyed. There will be much more to come on Got A Ukulele with more reviews, articles and interviews already in the pipeline.

Thank you so much for all your support and kind messages. The site takes a bit of work, and I do hope you like it!

All that remains is for me to wish you a happy, prosperous, healthy and ukulele filled 2013.


Baz

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2012 Ukulele Resolutions

So here we are in another year. I know that a good number of you may well have had your first ever ukulele in the 2011 Christmas.  Some of you may have had a second with a wish to try to progress more seriously in the year ahead.  So here are my thoughts.

Now lets get one thing out of the way - this is not going to be a list of the obvious resolutions you may hear elsewhere - you know the sort of thing - "learn chords XYZ, learn ten songs, learn some scales, practice every week", that kind of thing. If you seriously want to progress with the uke, those really should be a given, and you can find on this blog, Chord charts, beginner songs and tips on practice. No, these are a few other options that I think you could possibly consider as resolutions for the New Year



1. Play with other people

In my opinion, this is without a doubt one of the best ways to progress and expand horizons on the uke. Playing with others builds confidence, creates new ideas, and generally just helps you progress quicker.  Grab a friend with a uke, grab a friend without a uke and ask them to buy one, whatever, just grab somebody. Then sit down and start playing together alongside your normal practice.  Even better, try point 2 below.


2 Join a club

Wow - it staggers me how many ukulele clubs and societies there must be out there, and this, whilst a big list, probably only scratches the surface.  If you have the opportunity to visit a local club regularly I would strongly advise it. Meet with like minded players, both beginners and experienced alike, and share ideas and play together. This will give your playing a HUGE boost

3. Develop your styles

You have a whole year ahead of you, and there is no need to rush, but if you are an absolute beginner, you will soon find yourself in a rut of playing up down basic strumming. Experiment - work on some rhythm with your strumming, or try working on some slow finger picking of your instrument.  Whatever you choose, don't be rigid in your learning, don't rely on strum patterns as the be all and end all - learn your instrument, and learn to understand what it can do. There is no right and wrong within certain limits, and you need to work to make your instrument become one with you.  Experiment!

4. Make a video

I have seen so many ukulele players online who have drummed up the courage to record their tracks and put them on YouTube for others to comment on.  The ukulele community is a great friendly place, and in the vast majority of cases I have seen nothing but constructive support for those who are prepared to share their playing in public. It's less scary than playing to an audience, but can reap better rewards in terms of feedback. I've seen players I know through this site go on from YouTube to playing live for money and getting record deals. I'd strongly recommend the Ukulele Underground site forum and checking the videos section for examples of what people are posting. Sure you will see some advanced stuff, but that community welcomes absolute beginner videos also.

5. Try some other ukes

Sorry about this one, but if your ukulele bug bites, you WILL be buying another before long. It is what is commonly known in ukulele player circles as UAS (Ukulele Acquisition Syndrome) and you may already have it.  I know budgets are tight for many, but don't be afraid to try a new ukulele size alongside the one you have. If that isn't possible, experiment with alternate tunings for your instrument, and in particular if you have larger sized uke, consider playing with the LOW G tuning as opposed to the more common re-entrant style


But most of all (and this isn't an idea or a resolution) just have fun.  The ukulele is a happy, social instrument. Take it everywhere with it, learn it, explore it, but have fun.

Here's to your ukulele 2012, and I hope to see a whole bunch of you in twelve months time having developed hugely. The world is your oyster!

Baz

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Got A Ukulele - REVIEW OF THE YEAR 2011

Phew! What a year for Got A Ukulele - the blog has reached new heights this year with some really exciting features, and is now getting over 21,000 page views a week. As such, I thought I'd do a review of the year 2011!

Firstly, some stats  for the year 2011

370 posts
127 Blogger subscribers
Over 630,000 page views


And now, the highlights!



JANUARY

January saw the start of the "Ukuleles in the movies" series, highlighting some key movies that features the ukulele.  Alongside continuing the Beginners Tips section, January saw the launch of the Got A Ukulele T-Shirt, and, of course, my ebook What Ukulele Players Really Want To Know which went top 10 in the US Kindle Music book chart, and number one in the UK!

We also saw  my Reviews section moving into things other than instruments, with my review of the Volcapo ukulele capo.

And, who can forget, the moment THAT Jake Shimabukuro video went viral?


FEBRUARY

In February we started with Ukulele cartoons and more Ukulele heroes, together with launching my second Got A Ukulele competition to win a Volcapo.

My buddy Rae Carter, who has since gone on to get a recording deal played his first live gigs.

I also hit upon something obvious on my song page and started featuring some Nursery Rhymes.  These are great for absolute beginners to play, and went on to be one of the most popular song pages on the site.


MARCH

March was the month I first started doing Interviews on the site, talking to these great people:

The very lovely folks at UkeJam in Guildford, UK, who went on to play the Guilfest acoustic stage and perform as support act to Hayseed Dixie.

UkeyLove in London

And, Matthew Gunning from the Balham Ukulele Society.

March also saw the first leaked tracks from the forthcoming Eddie Vedder CD to consist of Ukulele Songs


APRIL

April, and I am introduced for the first time proper to the completed work of UK Ukulele Luthier, Darryl Cursley. Simply Stunning was the headline for the initial post, and how right that is.

More details circulated about the Vedder Ukulele CD, I review the fabulous Bosko and Honey Ukulele Safari CD (who generously donated their profits to the Japan Earthquake Appeal), and my Ukulele handbook goes into print!


MAY

More song sheets and beginner tips, and a great competition to win a ukulele strap.  To enter, I asked for your three favourite songs to play on the ukulele.  I then collated all of the entries into a Master List - talk about inspiration - something for everyone on that list.


JUNE

A quieter month, but I still managed to review the long awaited Eddie Vedder - Ukulele Songs CD, which was really rather good.

My ebook managed to get published on the iTunes store and I published a really enjoyable interview with Uke perfomer Tricity Vogue.


JULY

July started with an interview with the absolute king of ukulele blogs, Alastair Wood, of Ukulele Hunt.

My book marked it's six month anniversary too!

July saw the sad loss of Amy Winehouse, and I will not forget playing a slow version of Valerie with our friends at our regular uke jam on the night we heard the news.


AUGUST

This month saw a mad flurry of Ukulele Reviews being added, including

Kanile'a K-1 Tenor
Kauai KUC-70b Concert
Koaloha Pikake Soprano

I was also delighted to complete what has been my most enjoyable interview - talking to Darryl Cursley of Cursley Ukuleles about his building technique and what makes him tick - a lovely bloke.


SEPTEMBER

A real flurry of news in September.  I review the Pono MHC Pro Classic concert ukulele, my uke book goes to Number one!, UkeJam support Hayseed Dixie (yes, that Hayseed Dixie!) and Rae Carter gets his recording deal!


OCTOBER

Lorraine Bow returns from a Hawaiian holiday and shares a superb video showing us around the Kanile'a Factory.  I post my own take on the upswing in ukulele popularity and Got A Ukulele starts a regular Ukulele News roundup.


NOVEMBER

In November I go a bit crazy with videos of Amanda Palmer playing uke (its a thing I have, forgive me...) She releases her Ukulele Anthem (and divides opinions) but also performs this number which I adore.

I also review an unassuming little hyper-cheap ukulele from the Lidl supermarket chain, and it goes on to be one of the most popular pages on the whole of Got A Ukulele...

With my uke collection bulging, I thought it about time to do a full ukulele sound comparison video - this took a lot of planning with many thanks to my daughter passing me the instruments in order!


DECEMBER

The run in to Christmas, and by the looks of the blog hits on Christmas day (almost double what they normally are) I'd say that a fair few new ukulele players existed on Christmas morning! With this in mind I prepared some tips for those getting their first ukulele.

My uke book went half price for the month of December and again topped the bestseller charts.  James Hill puts an excellent track and video out and I was thrilled to see that my buddy Rae Carter got his ukulele EP out in time for Christmas.

And then here we are on New Years Eve, at which point the gorgeous Zooey Deschanel asks us what we are doing.



It's been a really fun year, and I hope I have been able to help some of you beginners along the path of becoming lifelong ukulele players.  I've made some new friends, watched people develop and rise in popularity and I've learned a lot too.

The support and encouragement I have had from readers is greatly appreciated and my thanks go out to those that have contributed, commented, emailed, or just read the blog. All that remains is for me to wish you the happiest of New Years, and here's to more ukulele fun in 2012!

All the best!

Baz

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Nice new Zooey Deschanel ukulele vid- Happy New Year

I'll get in a day early, as its nice to watch a Zooey Deschanel video that features the ukulele (not to miss out Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

What are you doing New Years Eve?

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