I'm really happy to be a Kala Brand Ukulele Dealer here in OZ, simple because I think they offer an astounding 'bang for your dollar'. They have an instrument for a beginner and an instrument for professionals playing gigs and recording.
I find Kala Brand ukuleles play and sound great straight outta the box, and that makes my life as a retailer so much easier.
Our Setups of ukuleles go faster and our customers are happy they are getting a quality instrument, not a toy. It's a Win-Win.
Since Mike Upton started Kala Brand in 2005 the quality of their instruments has been setting the industry standard.
Such is the demand for Kala Brand ukulele that it's hard to keep up. Luckily Shipments of ukulele arrive in Australia regularly and the Importer is also located in our hometown of Adelaide South Australia. So if I don't have a particular model (and there are 100's) on my shelves then I can order it in ASAP.
CLICK HERE to check out the huge range of Kala ukuleles.
Practise Ukulele to relax and take the Zen approach to Learning Ukulele during COVID19 Lockdown.
"I’ve taken up the
ukulele. You can’t come out the other end of this period without
having developed at least one new skill." Tom Gleisner
Don't get your self in knots learning ukulele. In these times of stress take time to ENJOY the learning of ukulele.
We live in an age of hustle bustle and hyper-productivity;
now with the COVD19 lockdown and isolation maybe it is your time to embrace
learning for learning's sake.
Society is giving you time and permission to stay home on
the couch, but rather than binge on Netflix and TV put that time to good
use.Pick up that little box of joy that
is a ukulele, indulge in the Zen of some mind to muscle connection and learn a
skill that’s great for your mental health as well as your cognitive brain
health.
Listening to music is well known to alter our moods, lift
our spirits and call forth memories and help lay down new memories.But it is immensely pleasurable to make music
with your own mind and hands; to take an inanimate object and make it sing is
akin to magic.
Zen and the art of ukulele. I am a fan of approaching practise as if one was to meditate
on the physical act of making music. Practise is by definition a repetitive
process, but if you get into “the zone’ it can take on a Zen like quality that
has wonderful benefits for your mental and physical well-being.Feel the strings under your fingers, listen
to the sounds you make, feel the vibration of the body of your ukulele, lose
yourself in the rhythm of the repetitive task.
The creative process is essential to our mental health.In learning to make music on this little box
of joy you can find a space inside where you can allow yourself to emerge.You can calm yourselves in the repetitive
nature of developing the mind muscle connection.
Learning to coax music out of your ukulele is learning for
its own sake, ukulele is most defiantly not a competitive sport.Learning Ukulele Skills is unlike learning
work skills.Ukulele doesn't have to
have an achievement-based focus, or a competitive capitalistic outcome to be
valuable.
Music is a science-backed way to boost mental health during
stressful times.
Many psychological
music therapy studies have shown that taking part in a fun activity helps
improve your mood and allows you to function better on a day-to-day basis.Ukulele will give you a positive boost in
cognitive stimulation, mental health, and enjoyment.
Approach your lockdown ukulele as a fun hobby, be kind on
yourself and it will become your mental health haven.A little bit of joyous fun time from the uncertainty
of life right now. Expressing your
artistic musical self has positive impacts on your mental health and wellbeing
during times of stress.
Need a ukulele, want lessons, need some advice, we are here to help you on your ukulele adventure. CLICK HERE Ukulele Trading Co Australia
Giving
yourself permission to be a beginner ukulele player is liberating.
You
don’t have to be the best uke player, just enjoy being a better uke player than
you were yesterday. Enjoy the journey of becoming better.
TIP - If you change your mindset, your stress levels will be lower and learning will be faster. It is a physiological and psychological fact.
Stress
inhibits learning.
Learning the ukulele is about getting your fingers and brain talking, brain, and fingers
linked by neurons. The more stressed about making mistakes you are,
the slower your brain and fingers will connect.
Why Stress inhibits learning? Well,
stress causes cortisol to be released into your body, and cortisol inhibits
neuron growth and cortisol also inhibit muscle growth.
You never stop being a beginner at something new. Every time I come across a new ukulele chord or new ukulele technique I am a
uke beginner again. I don't know how to do it today, but if I play it
daily I realize that eventually, I will know it. Learning to play ukulele
isn't like a school with year classes, a school with exams to be passed or
failed.
Don't
Box yourself in.
Unfortunately,
somehow we box ourselves into groups e.g. Beginner ukulele or Intermediate
Ukulele or good or bad players, etc. Our perceptions limit us, too often
people beat themselves up about what they cannot do, and never seem to enjoy
what they can do.
Change your mindset - Maximize your 'cans' and Minimize your 'cannots'.
We
maximize our stress over what we cannot do, we increase the release of cortisol
and we inhibit our neuron and muscle growth.
Excellence
in playing music on your ukulele is what happens when you play over and
over again. Through consistency, your “best” will inevitably
evolve. Your Brain and your fingers will form better neurological
connections in small daily increments.
Embrace
failure - Minimise stress - Learn faster
Becoming
a musician is not about being without faults or failure, but how you learn
and keep going anyway, and that way of learning leaves a positive impact
on you, and on the world around you.
Success
is about perception.
If you celebrate the small wins, the small micro
improvements you make daily, then that is a success! Don’t
let your perception of success be some far off distant notion of perfection.
Enjoy what you can do today, and enjoy knowing that tomorrow you will be
better.
Learning To Play Ukulele Tips. Practise the ukulele like it is Playtime, not hard work.
If you approach your practise time on your ukulele with the mindset that 'this is hard work' then it will be hard work.
Take a lesson from the children. Observe children with a new game on an iPad. They just go for it, they dive in, at first they suck, then they get better.
They approach the task as play, not work. Learning through play is a term used in educational psychology to describe how a child can learn to make sense of the world around them. Through play, children can develop motor and cognitive skills required to engage in new tasks and experiences.
So pick up your Ukulele often and just have fun, just play!
Sure you will hit some bum notes, play a bit out of time, so what, no biggie.
Make some mistakes, but don't stress on them, play your ukulele and then play some more. Enjoy the process of getting better on your Ukulele. Approach your ukulele practise time as playtime, as fun time.
Cheers CC Now go Practise Uke err I meant go have fun.
Strings are numbered 1 to 6;
From the A string to the G string.
From your feet to your head,
Just like the floors of a building 1st floor to 6th floor.
The G and the E Strings are single strings.
The C Strings is a double course of 2 different strings (Tuned and Octave apart).
The A strings is a double course of 2 different strings (Tuned in Unison).
We recommend Worth Brand Premium Ukulele Strings
Lower Tension - Easy Playing - Great Tone - Happy Fingers and Ears
Available in Clear for a Bright Bell like tone or Brown for a fuller Big Bass Jazz and Rock tone
Fitting your strings – What goes Where.
The Guide below shows what gauge goes where, each string envelope has the size and number on it. Start with the G string and find the envelope with the 0.0224 (6) string in it, put it on your uke. Find the C String envelope with the 0.0205 (5), fit you your uke, then find the envelope marked 0.0319 (4) and fit that, etc etc etc.
Thus all the strings get put on your uke like 6 floors of a building, start at the top with the (6) G string and work your way down though the sizes till the last A string 0.0185 (1) is fitted.
G String 0.0224 (6)
C Strings 0.0205 (5) High C, tuned 1 octave above the regular C
C String 0.0319 (4) Regular C String, it’s the middle C note of a piano.
E String 0.0260 (3)
A Strings 0.0291 (2) Regular A tuning 440 Hertz
A String 0.0185 (1) Regular A tuning 440 Hertz
How do you tune a six-string ukulele?
Standard tuning for ukulele is GCEA, whereas a six-string ukulele is tuned in GCCEAA.
The G is tuned the same as a regular 4 string ukulele.
The two Cs are tuned an octave apart, the thicker string is Regular C tuning and the thinner string is 1 octave above.
The E is tuned the same as a regular 4 string ukulele.
Whilst the two As are in unison, or same Pitch, the standard ukes 440 HERTZ.
One Man - One Ukulele - One Destiny! To create a Rock Comedy Show to end all Rock Shows.
The Alaskan Madman of Ukulele is back for Adelaide Fringe Festival 2019.
Like Rocky Balboa in Rocky (I,II,II,IV,V,VI,VII) the kid will keep on punching above his weight.
Ukulele Russ creates his One Man Frontier Band on the fly with Looping pedals, Ukulele, Keyboard, Bass Ukulele and Beat-boxing.
Supported By Adelaide's own fabulous "Step In Time"
BRING YOUR UKULELES and play in the All-In Numbers.
Monday Night 14th session will be INSIDE in the Front Bar of the REZZ under the Chilly Chilly Air-conditioning ... You may have noticed it is all of a sudden SUMMER. It will be back on the Deck when the weather returns to slightly less than "Hot As Hell" mode. Ukulele Lesson and Jam Monday evenings 7pm - 9pm. Friday Mornings 10:30am -12 noon. The Rezz Hotel Newton, 20 Hamilton Tce, Newton, South Australia (off Gorge Road) Everyone welcome and I always bring loaner Ukes so bring a friend. Cheers CC
I generally recommend giving your ukulele a present of some new strings for its birthday every year.
The Aquila strings fitted to most ukuleles are pretty hard wearing and once a year is generally enough, but if you play for a few hours every day you may want to do a restring more often.
How To Test Your Strings For Wear
To test your strings simply run your finger on the underside of the strings, if you feel duvets/indentations where the strings pass over the frets then you may want to change strings.
Those wear spots cause the string to oscillate unevenly and even though your tuner may say the string is "In Tune" they just sound funny and a bit off. Plus those wear spots are weakness points and they will break there.
If you want to replace your Aquila Strings we stock a whole range of them, or you may want a SOFTER EASIER PLAYING string then try out the Japanese Worth Ukulele Strings
A wound Low G string has a nylon multi-thread chore and an outer wrap of Nylon/Silver thread. The Wound Low g strings are known to wear out much fatsre than the none wound strings, it is "The Nature of the Beast" The outer wrap wears out over the freats and exposes the inner core. You string wont oscillate properly, its will sound and feel hottible and is a string break waiting to happen. I always suggest that if you use a Low G set then purchase some Single Low G Strings as spares.
YES YOU CAN CHANGE JUST ONE STRING, despite what some people say. You don't need to change out the CEA strings if its just your low g that has worn out.
A Concert and Soprano ukulele made in the Vintage Martin Style, but without the $3,000 US Dollar price-tags. No they are not USA made, nor are they Vintage, in fact they are brand spankin modern made Chinese instruments. But the premium woods and styling cues are bang on point and the price for such quality is amazing.
New to The Ohana Vintage Line is the much anticipated Ohana 39 series. Having been introduced at Winter NAMM’17, the SK-39 & CK-39 are modelled after the original Martin 3M ukuleles.
SK-39 & CK-39
The anticipated -39 series finally made its way to the public earlier last month. Inspired by the early Martin 3 ukuleles (known as 3M), these NEW ukuleles are instant vintage classics looks and sound.
The Design The -39s feature premium solid Mahogany, with a multi black and white rosette and purfling along the top and back of the body as well as down the middle of the fretboard. Pearloid double dot inlays adorn frets # 5, 7 & 10, solidifying the classic aesthetic while simultaneously serving as a visual cue for ease of play.
The -39s also feature a Maple pendalogue (the contrasting triangle maple inlay on the lower bout), complemented by Maple binding which further unifies the look and feel of these ukuleles.
Designed with the discerning ukulele player in mind, these all-solid instruments are the perfect addition to any collection!
DEMO
Friend of Ohana, Rachel Manke, talks about what makes the 39 series unique as she compares and test runs SK-39 & CK-39 in the video below!
SK-39 SOPRANO
The SK-39 soprano is styled after the classic Martin 3M ukuleles from the 1920s and is part of the Ohana 39 series, part of the Vintage Line.
DESCRIPTION
The new Ohana SK-39 features premium solid Mahogany, with multi black and white purfling and Maple binding. Its all-solid construction provides this soprano with a very bright and balanced sound, producing really good sustain and resonance.
BODY
Top: Premium Solid Mahogany with Maple
Back: Premium Solid Mahogany
Sides: Premium Solid Mahogany
Sound-hole: Rosette in black/ white
Binding: Maple with multi black/ white purfling
Finish: Vintage satin
Body Length: 9-1/2"
NECK
Neck: Mahogany
Fretboard: Black/ white purfling strip on center; Pearloid Double Dot Inlay on Frets # 3, 5, 7, 10 & 12
Frets: 12 frets to body; Total 17 frets
Finish: Vintage
Nut: Bone
Scale Length: 13-3/4"
GEAR
Headstock: Mahogany
Tuners: Gotoh friction
Strings: Aquila
Saddle: Bone
Total Length: 21“
CK-39 Concert DESCRIPTION
The new Ohana CK-39, like its soprano counterpart, features premium solid Mahogany, with multi black and white purfling and Maple binding. Its all-solid construction provides this concert with a very bright and balanced sound. BODY
Top: Premium Solid Mahogany with Maple
Back: Premium Solid Mahogany
Sides: Premium Solid Mahogany
Sound-hole: Rosette in black/ white
Binding: Maple with multi black/ white purfling
Finish: Vintage satin
Body Length: 11"
NECK
Neck: Mahogany
Fretboard: Black/ white purfling strip on center; Pearloid Double Dot Inlay on Frets # 3, 5, 7, 10 & 12
Finish: Vintage
Nut: Bone
Scale Length: 15"
GEAR
Headstock: Mahogany
Tuners: Gotoh friction
Strings: Aquila
Saddle: Bone
Total Length: 24“
