Taropatch.net
Taropatch.net
Home | Profile | Register | Active Topics | Active Polls | Members | Search | FAQ | $upport
Username:
Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

HomeWhat is slack key?Hawai`i News HeadlinesTalk story at our message boardArtists, Clubs and more...
spacer.gif (45 bytes)

 All Forums
 General
 `Uke Talk
 Where have all the Ukesters Gone?
 New Topic  Reply to Topic
 Printer Friendly
Next Page
Author Previous Topic Topic Next Topic
Page: of 2

Kapila Kane
Ha`aha`a

USA
1051 Posts

Posted - 04/07/2015 :  1:01:50 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
I know the patch is evolving and activity here is not what it was in the "zeros" (00's).
But NO POSTS? Really?

I hear that at George Kahumoku's first couple of music camps it was called just Slack Key Music Camp.
but they changed that, presumably to give the spouses something to do. But of course, the numbers swelled, and now at camp there's more uke people than guitarists.

It's very cool to have both. I take both to camp when I can go.
plus a Kapila!
so c'mon, how about some dumb questions! I'll start: "say is that a mandolin?" or "do you use high G or low G?"-- actually that's not dumb, but has been covered and probably has about 10 pages in the archives.

But remember, polite day-to-day conversation usually begins with platitudes, ice-breakers, and questions that have been asked before.
For Hawaii, since Ice is rare, except shaved ice, let's use the expression "waves of conversation."
How's this:
Who built your uke (ukes)?
and/or
What's your dream uke?

Lawrence
Ha`aha`a

USA
1597 Posts

Posted - 04/07/2015 :  5:23:55 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote

OK - I'll bite, err... chew the ice, err... break the waves?

My dream Uke would be quite a bit larger than a baritone uke.
With about a 25.5 inch string length.
And it would have six steel strings.



P.S. I'll give you another call sometime before long...


Mahope Kākou...
...El Lorenzo de Ondas Sonoras

Edited by - Lawrence on 04/07/2015 5:26:14 PM
Go to Top of Page

ukrazy
Akahai

USA
69 Posts

Posted - 04/08/2015 :  06:35:47 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
I sort of jumped the Ukulele ship when I started slack key. Pretty dumb, as I have, at last count, 26 of them. Some wall hanger junk, but quite a few from the Hawaii K builders. Recently pulled out an older Baritone that needs plenty TLC. really happy with the way it looks now, and thrilled with the sound. So much so that last months trip to the BI, I took the Bari rather than my Taylor GS-Mini. I always thought Bari ukes in G tuning sounded floppy. I cranked this one up to A. Turns out that's better for my singing range. Watching the neck for upward bending. So far all is good.
Go to Top of Page

Fran Guidry
Ha`aha`a

USA
1573 Posts

Posted - 04/08/2015 :  08:24:23 AM  Show Profile  Visit Fran Guidry's Homepage  Reply with Quote
`Ukulele seem to have snuck into my house as well. Actually, the first one made a legitimate entrance, it belonged to my father-in-law. Then in the 80s my sweetheart, who often made business trips to Hawai`i, visited the Kamaka factory and bought a gorgeous little soprano in flamed koa, which I foolishly ignored for about 30 years.

When she finally twisted my arm and made me join her on one of her business trips, of course I fell in love with Hawai`i and slack key and then all of Hawaiian music and culture. I convinced her that we should visit every `ukulele builder and shop on O`ahu, not realizing that the uke building boom had taken off and there were builders around every corner! Even without completing our mission we added three custom instruments to the collection on that trip. Then there were my Ebay searches that turned up various "must haves" for a few years, like the Favilla baritone, the Martin tenor, and the Maccaferri Islander, oh my.

Maybe the biggest surprise came when we were sorting out old photos after my mom passed - we found a picture of my brother and I when we were about 5 and 7, passing an Islander back and forth one Christmas morning. Since about 9 million of these were sold http://www.ukesterbrown.com/maccaferri-and-his-islanders.html I'm guessing that they're featured in lots of Christmas morning photos.

Fran

E ho`okani pila kakou ma Kaleponi
Slack Key Guitar in California - www.kaleponi.com
Slack Key on YouTube
Homebrewed Music Blog
Go to Top of Page

Retro
Ahonui

USA
2368 Posts

Posted - 04/08/2015 :  2:01:29 PM  Show Profile  Visit Retro's Homepage  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Fran Guidry

Since about 9 million of these were sold http://www.ukesterbrown.com/maccaferri-and-his-islanders.html I'm guessing that they're featured in lots of Christmas morning photos.

Yep - I remember whanging around on one as a kid in Iowa; it was never in tune, so I never learned anything on it - but it made for a cooler "pretend guitar" than our badminton rackets.

I have three ukes:
1) Fluke tenor from the first year they came out; it was my "learner" uke & is still the one I use most often in outdoor gigs where the weather can be questionable.
2) 6-string tenor Mele; still my primary instrument for gigs, recordings, kanikapila, hula shows, etc. - shows plenty of signs of wear on its face, but I think of it as "character."
3) Tenor Risa uke-stick; my only one with electronics, so the one I use when I need something that plugs in. I bought a soprano at first, because it was such a bargain - a friend tried it & liked it, and bought a fancier mahogany tenor. But he prefers a sporano & i prefer tenow...so we swapped!
Go to Top of Page

Earl
`Olu`olu

USA
502 Posts

Posted - 04/09/2015 :  12:13:31 PM  Show Profile  Visit Earl's Homepage  Reply with Quote
My first intro to ukulele was with Kaliko Beamer at the 2005 or 2006 Aloha Music camp. My wife was taking the uke classes while I was studying slack-key with Keola, Mark Nelson, and Sonny Lim. She convinced me to sit in on one ukulele class, and I was hooked. Being a long time guitar player I quickly saw the parallels.

After that I got involved / led a group in Anchorage for a couple of years while we lived there. Upon relocating to Boise we looked around for a group but did not find one. Now I have been running a ukulele group for seven years. We have 12-15 people at our jams every two weeks and perform on the "off" weeks at a Memory Care Center.
www.boiseukulelegroup.com


Edited by - Earl on 04/09/2015 12:15:17 PM
Go to Top of Page

ukrazy
Akahai

USA
69 Posts

Posted - 04/09/2015 :  12:50:41 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Earl, That (BUG) website is nice. Looks like a good, active group. Your trips right around the corner. Have a great time. My wife is one week into a 6 week Hawaii work assignment. She's already escaping Waikiki by bus, every chance she gets.
Go to Top of Page

Earl
`Olu`olu

USA
502 Posts

Posted - 04/10/2015 :  06:02:48 AM  Show Profile  Visit Earl's Homepage  Reply with Quote
Thanks, ukrazy. We have fun, which the main thing. I am working like crazy this week (and today) to clear my desk off before we leave Sunday am. By nightfall, we'll be on Oahu. Let the fun begin!
Go to Top of Page

Lawrence
Ha`aha`a

USA
1597 Posts

Posted - 04/10/2015 :  06:40:35 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote


It happens that, besides the several large six-course steel-string ukes that I have, I did buy one of these recently:



I kinda learned to play "Himine Tatarahapa" but it is hard to keep up the required strumming speed!


Mahope Kākou...
...El Lorenzo de Ondas Sonoras
Go to Top of Page

Allen M Cary
Lokahi

USA
158 Posts

Posted - 04/12/2015 :  06:13:48 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
I have been playing slack key guitar for years, and about 8 years ago I started building guitars--steel string acoustics. About 3 Christmases ago, my brother in law gave me a book about building ukes. I said what the heck, and got some Koa from LMI and made a sweet little tenor, which I had no idea how to play. Tuned it with low-G because as a guitar player, high-G is just wrong. I found a Uke club and started to actually learn the chords and strums; great fun!
I have now built 7 of the little fellas. I use the process to work out things that I haven't tried on guitar construction yet. I hand carved my first neck on a Uke, resawed my own bindings, and I have some rosewood on my bench to resaw into backs and sides.
Aloha
Allen
Go to Top of Page

gtomatt
Aloha

USA
1 Posts

Posted - 04/21/2015 :  07:39:09 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Currently playing three - 1960's Kamaka pineapple soprano, 2011 Kamaka HF-2 concert, and 2014 Martin T1K. Started playing around 2005 when I took my Dad to Oahu (he always wanted to go). Bought the HF-2 later at Hilo Guitars on a visit to the Big Island. Almost bought a Kamoa tenor on Kauai in 2014, but turned off by shop/owner in Kapaa. Note - if you are in Kauai, be sure to see Doug & Sandy McMaster!! Great show that they put on.

Seacoast NH
Go to Top of Page

cmdrpiffle
`Olu`olu

USA
553 Posts

Posted - 05/03/2015 :  01:01:58 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Going strong! Putting in lot's of hours on my uke. Island Ukueleles out of Kauai.

Lawrence...you still go to Bocci's for Uke Nights? I saw you there a few times about ten years ago, then I quit for a few years...been back recently. It's good!

my Poodle is smarter than your honor student
Go to Top of Page

SJWMusic
Aloha

Canada
35 Posts

Posted - 05/04/2015 :  12:19:12 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
I have a Mahalo 12-fret soprano uke. I love it! By chance, is there any way someone could explain this? My uke has frets that stick out. I got a humidifier for it but it's one of those ones you put in the case. The frets are a tiny bit better but not by very much. The guy said at my store that the frets were dry. Any help is greatly appreciated! Me ke aloha pumehana from Canada!

Kaleolani
Go to Top of Page

SJWMusic
Aloha

Canada
35 Posts

Posted - 05/04/2015 :  12:21:36 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
I should also point out that the instructions for the humidifier say to only resupply it with water every two weeks.
Go to Top of Page

Fran Guidry
Ha`aha`a

USA
1573 Posts

Posted - 05/04/2015 :  3:07:37 PM  Show Profile  Visit Fran Guidry's Homepage  Reply with Quote
Unfortunately you may find that the best solution is to have a luthier trim the fret ends. It's not uncommon for fingerboards to shrink laterally and expose a bit of fret, and usually the new dimension is basically permanent. If you have some kind of warranty from the seller I would try to persuade them to do the touch up.

Fran

E ho`okani pila kakou ma Kaleponi
Slack Key Guitar in California - www.kaleponi.com
Slack Key on YouTube
Homebrewed Music Blog
Go to Top of Page

SJWMusic
Aloha

Canada
35 Posts

Posted - 05/04/2015 :  5:04:00 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Well, this ukulele is actually new. My birthday was in July but because the tuners were loose on that one I ended up getting a new one in November.
Also, this isn't as big of a problem to me as I have some spares, but I am wondering if I should change the strings on it. It's been six months and I still have those other strings on it. I was told though that they sound great. Should I change them anyway?

Kaleolani
Go to Top of Page
Page: of 2 Previous Topic Topic Next Topic  
Next Page
 New Topic  Reply to Topic
 Printer Friendly
Jump To:
Taropatch.net © 2002 - 2014 Taropatch.net Go To Top Of Page
This page was generated in 0.06 seconds. Snitz Forums 2000