By Jim D’Ville I could hear the last hurrah of boisterous summer strumming wafting through the forested hilltops of north central Ohio. Yes, it’s once again time for the annual Ohio Ukulele Campout! Now in its fourth year, the OUC…
The string section of an orchestra usually includes dozens of violins, violas, cellos, and double basses. For one night in November, the Michigan Philharmonic Orchestra will add a ukulele for a special concerto. “Jumpin’” Jim Beloff will be performing his piece Uke…
Beyond how an instrument feels, sounds, or calls to you, there are some often overlooked features to consider for both “off-the-rack” and custom-built ukuleles.
Jake Shimabukuro Nashville Sessions (JS Records) Of course, like everyone else Jake Shimabukuro has relied on acoustic tones and high-fidelity recordings for prior studio albums, like the orchestral accompaniment of 2012’s Grand Ukulele or the sparse solo ukulele work on 2007’s…
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From the Winter 2016 issue of Ukulele | BY ADAM PERLMUTTER I didn’t necessarily want to like “Chocolate Banana Pie,” by the young Japanese uke master Ryo Natoyama. But as I prepared it in notation, I grew fonder of this…
The ambitious goal of this workshop is getting students ready to perform at a uke festival
By Craig Chee The 2nd annual Los Angeles International Ukulele Festival was a fun-filled celebration of the ukulele, held at the Torrance Cultural Arts Center, in Torrance, California, September 24. There were many more events this year including uke workshops,…
From the Fall 2014 issue of Ukulele | BY MARCY MARXER A visionary player on the ukulele, guitar, tenor banjo, and lap-steel guitar, the vaudeville performer Roy Smeck certainly earned his nickname “Wizard of the Strings.” Born in Reading, Pennsylvania…
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"King" Bennie Nawahi was a true crossover artist on ukulele and other instruments, long before anyone thought of that label.
There’s a long tradition of upcycling old cigar boxes into musical instruments. Over the decades, many homegrown builders have taken to making ukuleles, guitars, or just about anything else for strings with these lovely leftovers. While this is mostly been…