Ukulele GURU Workshops

03/12/2023

What a few exhausting days I had. On Thursday I picked up my new project which was supposed to be a 16' caravan. On the way home my poor little Honda crv nearly had a heart attack. So I get home & measure it 21'.

Now maths isn't my strong point but I do know that 21' is bigger than 16'. It was also overloaded with about half a ton of caravan and camping accessories. But I do like it, it is a good size with a ton of potential (it's quite nice inside)

So what is my next move sell it and buy a smaller one? So I pondered this over a largely restless Fri night then it hit me (as it does) buy a bigger car. So that's what I did on Saturday, I bought a 2008 4x4 Nissen Navara (cheap) it's great mechanically but it has a fairly newish if ordinary paint job.

Job done but I'm stuffed!

24/01/2023

Nice uke

FAMOUS PEOPLE THAT PLAYED THE UKE
#57
I don't know her name, but she could be famous LOL

29/07/2018

FAMOUS PEOPLE THAT PLAYED THE UKE
#92
Johnny Marr

29/07/2018

FAMOUS PEOPLE THAT PLAYED THE UKE
#91
Joe Cocker

27/07/2018

FAMOUS PEOPLE THAT PLAYED THE UKE
#89
Akihito-Emperor of Japan

24/07/2018

FAMOUS PEOPLE THAT PLAYED THE UKE
#88
Dave Pegg (Fairport Jethro Tull)

24/07/2018

FAMOUS PEOPLE THAT PLAYED THE UKE
#87
Taylor Swift

22/07/2018

THE MOST INTERESTING UKULELE IN THE WORLD
From Dick Boaks post

I'm pleased and honored to announce the September 25th, 2018 publication and release of the book, co-authored by Larry Bartram and myself, entitled "A Stowaway Ukulele Revealed – Richard Konter & The Byrd Polar Expeditions." This incredible project started when Larry visited the Martin factory to have his guitar repaired. He wandered into the museum and immediately noticed a ukulele covered with autographs, including the large signature of his former glacial geology professor, Laurence Gould. The display placard informed him that the instrument once belonged to Richard W. Konter who had been to the North Pole on Richard Byrd and Floyd Bennett's famous 1926 flight. Larry asked for me at the front desk and our incredible 5-year collaborative investigation of the story behind the autographs and the ukulele began.

The Konter ukulele is signed by President Calvin Coolidge, along with the Vice President, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Navy – Theodore Roosevelt Jr., Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, Thomas Edison, financier Vincent Astor, Roald Amundsen, the entire crew of Byrd Expedition, New York Mayor Jimmie Walker, Marie (the Queen of Romania) and in total more than 150 signatures representing the dignitaries of the day and most all of the individuals directly or indirectly associated with the expedition.

The instrument is arguably the most valuable and most traveled ukulele on the planet, with stories that touch upon so many remarkable tangents. Our extensive research included visits to the Byrd, Konter and National archives, interviews with people who knew Konter, spectral and X-ray imaging and exceedingly careful examination of the signatures, photographs, geographic locations, and biographies of all of the signers. A STOWAWAY UKULELE REVEALED is a spellbinding read that blends history, biography, music, adventure, polar exploration, courage, romance, and more.

Concurrent with the introduction of the book, C. F. Martin & Co. has issued a Special Edition replica of the Konter ukulele, based entirely on the priceless original instrument that is part of the Martin Museum collection. The fully playable replica features painstakingly rendered and laser-etched signatures (digitally executed by Dick Boak) on all of the surfaces of the instrument. The Konter Ukulele may be ordered from authorized Martin dealers and distributors worldwide. More info is available at:
https://www.martinguitar.com/guitars/ukulele/konter-uke/

The beautifully designed book is a publication of Hal Leonard and will be widely available at your favorite local or online bookseller.

A STOWAWAY UKULELE REVEALED
Richard Konter & the Byrd Polar Expeditions
by Larry Bartram with Dick Boak
ISBN: 9781495099489; $27.99; 304 Pages
Hal Leonard Books Hardcover; September 25, 2018
https://www.halleonardbooks.com/

22/07/2018

Here are some of the interesting facts about ukulele:
The pic is Neil Armstrong

1. The ukulele was patented in Hawaii in 1917. Although ukuleles are most commonly associated with Hawaii, it was not until 1879 that the first ukulele was brought over from Portugal. One of the Portuguese immigrants on the ship Ravenscrag, Joao Fernandez, started playing his four-string Portuguese instrument known as a braghuina. Local residents were so captivated with the instrument that they adopted it as their own.

2. Locals at Hawaii renamed braghuina as ukulele which in Hawaiian means “jumping flea.” This name reflected the way the islanders thought the fingers jumped around the fretboard when it was played. Within 10 years of its introduction, the ukulele became the most popular instrument in Hawaii.

3. Developed from a four-string Madeiran instrument and built from Hawaiian koa wood, this musical instrument was popular among the Hawaiian royalty in the late 19th century.

4. Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on moon, loved to play the ukulele. In fact, after returning back from moon he spent several weeks in quarantine as others feared he may have picked up strange bacteria while in space but he actually spent much of this time in quarantine strumming his ukulele.

5. Jason Mraz’s 2008 single “I’m Yours” is the best-selling ukulele song of all time. After spending 76 weeks on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, it broke a record for the number of consecutive weeks spent on the chart. It is also the tenth best-selling digital download of all time in the United States with over six million downloads sold. This may have been the reason for the resurgence of the uke.