Tag: ukulele

Preferred Strings

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO1250
 “New Strings” Cedar Park, 2022

Today I put a new pair of strings on my beloved Kala pineapple ukulele. I replaced the fluorocarbon strings with Aquila Super-Nylgut strings. When I put the fluorocarbon strings on last year, I really liked them. They sounded brighter, crisper, and had longer sustain than the Nylgut strings, and I thought it was like night and day. I thought these are definitely the way to go. So I also put fluorocarbons on my concert ukulele.

But then I bought my second concert ukulele, which came with Super-Nylgut strings, and the sound has grown on me. It’s a more traditional ukulele sound vs. the fluorocarbons which sound more guitar-like to me. So I decided to put some on the pineapple so I could enjoy the traditional soprano ukulele sound with the old-school-sounding strings. I love them!

I still enjoy my fluorocarbon strings on the concert ukulele (with low-G), which produces a much fuller sound.

I guess you really need multiple ukuleles, right? 😀

Sunday Evening Ukulele

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO2500
 “Ukulele & Vino” Cedar Park, 2022

What a wonderful way to spend Sunday evening: sipping a glass of wine and practicing ukulele. ☺️

I’ve started in on a new song today. It’s a very simplified version of “海の見える街 / A Town with an Ocean View”. I figured I should learn something from one of my favorite movies!

My New Ukulele

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/2.8, 1/250 sec, ISO320
 “Kala Surf Swell” Cedar Park, 2022

While looking at ukuleles online, as I often do, I came across a really cool design. It’s a concert-sized ukulele from Kala, called the “Surf Swell” (Model: KA-SURF-SWELL) and it was basically a love-at-first-sight situation. 🥹❤️

I have another Kala concert ukulele, and they are both exactly the same shape. However, the Surf Swell is made of different material, and has different tuners and tuning knobs. It’s got a really retro vibe to it.

Another difference between my two concert ukuleles is that the old one has fluorocarbon strings for a more “modern” sound, but the new ukulele has the nylon strings for a classic ukulele sound. I love both!

But why do I need another ukulele? (I already have 3) Well, I have come to love the concert-size as my ukulele of choice, and the one I had was strung with a low-G. Therefore, I couldn’t play a couple of songs that require the standard G and access to the higher frets that a soprano-size cannot provide. So instead of having two soprano-sized ukuleles (one low-G and one high-G), I am going to go with two concert-sized ukuleles, and probably sell my soprano with the low-G, and keep the pineapple ukulele.

I hope you had a nice day! またね〜

Practicing Ukulele

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18mm, f/5, 1/70 sec, ISO3200
 “Practicing Ukulele” Cedar Park, 2022

I’m enjoying practicing a couple of new songs from my Studio Ghibli ukulele book: Princess Mononoke Theme and The Legend of Ashitaka. I figured the themes of the two stars of Mononoke Hime would be fun to learn. Plus I think they are really cool songs!

With my morning Twitch livestreams, I often will practice ukulele on my 10-minute breaks, and just this small bit of consistency has made a noticeable difference in my playing. It’s like a little bit of magic! Who knew practice would improve my ukulele playing? 😜

Low G for the Kala Concert Ukulele

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/3.2, 1/100 sec, ISO640
 “Low G” Cedar Park, 2022

I’ve started learning a new song on the ukulele which requires reaching the 13th fret, which my soprano ukuleles do not have. But that’s fine because I have a Kala concert ukulele which I am enjoying playing the most these days. However, the song arrangement works with a low-G (one octave lower than the standard G), so I had to buy a single string to change it. I’m all set now!

Of course, the only problem is what to do when I need that 13th fret for the song I know that requires a standard-G? Perhaps a new concert-sized ukulele? 😄

Anyways, the new song I am working on is “Loyal Brave True” from the movie Mulan. I think it’s a great song, and sounds nice on ukulele. The coolest part (and most fun to play) is when the word “loyal” is sung. I love it!