UkeLounge

Ukulele iPhone Case

2012-03-19T20:29:00.000-07:00

Check out this Ukulele iPhone case!

This case was made with leather, it has a hand stitched finish, and a laser ingraved design. It also has a back pocket!

You can find this case at the bRainbowshop.

-Lauren

What is a Kalimba?

2012-03-19T20:11:00.001-07:00

The Kalimba, is an African thumb piano.

Traditionally, the Kalimba is made up of a wooden board with varying numbers of tines secured to it. The tines are longest in the middle of the instrument, and shorter towards the edges. You can tune the tines by pulling them out to lengthen them, or pushing them in to shorten them.

The Kalimba is usually held in both hands, with both thumbs plucking the tines.

There are many different types of thumb pianos. Some are large, and played with thumbs and fingers. The thumb piano belongs to the bar percussion family (lamellophones).

Here is Carol of The Bells on an Alto Kalimba:

-Lauren

Aquila Strings Review

2012-02-29T10:52:00.000-08:00

Hello!

I own a soprano Makala Dolphin uke, and I love it. What I didn't love, though, were the strings it came with. So, after about a month of owning it, I decided to buy some Aquila strings for it. I didn't like the original strings because they tended to have a buzzing noise to them and weren't as... cheerful sounding as I would have liked.
But why did I choose Aquila?
Firstly, I had read a few reviews that recommended Aquila strings for their great sound and life span. The feedback for them were positive, and people said that the strings brought life to any ukulele you bought them for.
Secondly, when I read about what they were made from, I was, I admit, intrigued. They're made from nylgut. "Nylgut has a specific density and acoustical qualities nearly identical to that of gut, and is the first truly successful synthetic version of the natural product. Other strong points of Nylgut are its elevated resistance to wear under tension-greater than that of gut- but even more important is its extraordinary immunity to changes of climate, considerably better than that of Nylon and thereby ensuring a superior stability of tuning under normal conditions." <- http://www.aquilausa.com/uke_strings.html
So yeah, I was sold. I bought them off of Amazon for a decent price and got them in the mail four days later. Once I got them on the ukulele it took about two days for the strings to stretch and keep their tune. Once I could play it without re-tuning the strings every other minute I absolutely LOVED them. They sound great; clear and a lot louder then the Nylon strings my uke came with. They don't buzz like the Nylon, they feel better against my fingers, the sound resonates great, and I even like the look of them better.

Here's what they looked like when I got them on my ukulele:

Remember when (and if) you buy these strings, make sure you check the size. If you have a soprano like me, you'll want to get the soprano Aquila strings. If you have a tenor or a concert, you'll want to get the strings for those sizes. I really like these strings, and if you get them, I sincerely hope you enjoy them!

-Ashley

Free Ukulele Tab Somwhere Over the Rainbow

2012-02-29T09:44:00.002-08:00

Intro:   C  G Em Am D G
G         B
xxxxxxxxx xxxx xxx xxxxxxx
C      G
Way xx high
C         G           Em
There's x land xxxx I xxxxx xx
Am         D   G
Once xx a xxxxxxx


G          B
xxxxxxxxx xxxx the xxxxxxx
C         G
Skies xxx blue
C       G               Em      Am
And xxx dreams xxxx you xxxx to xxxxx
       D       G
xxxxxx do xxxx true


G
Some xxx xxxx xxxx xxxx x xxxx
    C                                Em
And xxxx xx xxxxx xxx xxxxxx xxx far xxxxxx xx
      G
xxxxx troubles xxxx xxxx xxxxxxxxxx
 C
Away xxxxx xxx xxxxxxx xxxx
       Em           Am   D
xxxxxx where xxxxxx find xx


G         B
xxxxxxxxx xxxx xxx xxxxxxx
C         G
Bluebirds xxx
C         G        Em
Birds xxx xxxx the xxxxxxx
Am          D          G
Why xxxx, oh xxx xxxxx I


G
Some xxx xxxx xxxx xxxx x xxxx
    C                               Em
And xxxx xx xxxxx xxx xxxxxx xxx far xxxxxx xx
      G                          
xxxxx troubles xxxx xxxx xxxxxxxxxx
 C
Away xxxxx xxx xxxxxxx xxxx
       Em           Am   D
xxxxxx where xxxxxx find xx

G          B
xxxxxxxxx xxxx the xxxxxxx
C         G
Bluebirds xxx
C         G        Em
Birds xxx xxxx the xxxxxxx
Am           D         G
Why xxxx, oh xxx can't x

  G
If xxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxxxxx xxx
  C
Beyond xxx xxxxxxx
Am      D        G
Why, xx why xxxxx I

Free Ukulele Tab Sanctus Real: Lead Me

2012-02-28T12:08:00.001-08:00

Lead me:

Intro: C, Am

Verses...

C Am

I xxxx xxxxxx x xxx xx xxxxxxxx xxxx

Almost xxxxxxx

In xxxxxxx xxxxxx x xxx xx xxxxxxxx xxxx

Always xxxxxx

But xx xxx xxxxxx, x xxx xxxx xxx xxxxx

(end with C)

Bridge:

Am F

S- xxxxx, xxxx xx xxxxxx

C G

T- xx xxxxxxxxx x xx xxxxx xx xx

Am F

Oh, xxxxxx, xxxx xx xxx xxx

To xxxx xx

xxxxx xxx xxxx xx

How to Get a Better Tone Out of Your Ukulele

2012-02-28T08:40:00.001-08:00

In this post I'll share a few tips on how to get a nice tone on your Ukulele.

Tip #1: Make sure the back side of your Uke is not pressed against your body while you play, because it will smother the sound. Hold it a few inches away. This will allow for the wood to vibrate and create more sound.

Tip #2: Find your Ukulele's sweet spot. This will be where your sound is warmest. It's usually located where the finger board connects with the body.

Tip #3: When you strum, hold your hand in a fist with your pointer finger extended to strum. This ensures that no extra fingers will bump or rub strings, and make unwanted muted or buzzing noises.

Happy Ukulele-ing!

-Lauren

Handmade Ukulele Case

2012-02-25T08:21:00.000-08:00

Check out this Ukulele case:

If you are anything like me, you love the beach. Warm sand between your toes, colorful flowers, the sound of crashing waves, and bright sun rays kissing your skin.

I can't live anywhere near a beach, but I do own a Hawaiian instrument: the Ukulele. Everytime I hear it playing it reminds me of a day in the sun.

This wooden case made by Walter Alexander, is covered in a collage of postcards, matchboxes, and drink coasters from Hawaii. I love it because it gives that warm Hawaiian feel.

Check out Walter's Etsy Shop!

-Lauren

Ukulele Tuning

2012-02-25T07:39:00.001-08:00

Having trouble tuning your soprano Ukulele? Try this video:

The Epiphone Les Paul Acoustic/Electric Ukulele

2012-02-24T09:53:00.001-08:00

Hello!

So during one of my searches for amazing new instruments to show you guys, I stumbled upon a beauty. I can honestly say that the musician inside of me squealed a little when I saw it.

Sweet, right? But it's not just the appearance that's hot. It's tuning ability features 14:1 geared machine heads. So, unlike traditional "friction" tuners, this uke's tuners have fine-tuning capability and will not slip. It comes with premium black nylon strings and has a pickguard that not only looks cool, but also protects the flame maple top. It's Rosewood fingerboard features a concert length 15" scale and 21 nickel/silver frets with a 16" fingerboard radius. It's equipped with a high-quality, piezo film pickup located under the saddle. The body is accurately captured and routed to it's durable all-metal, rim-mounted 1/4" output jack.
But I haven't even gotten to the exciting part yet: It's an acoustic/electric ukulele, so how does it sound? Well, here you go:

Can you see why I love it so much?

-Ashley

Lunch Box Ukulele

2012-02-21T09:08:00.000-08:00

UkeLounge would like to introduce a treasure we stumbled uppon: Tate Chmielewski's Metal Lunch Box Ukulele.

While reading through Tate's description of his odd Uke, I couldn't help but wonder how a vintage lunch box would sound as an instrument. But to my surprise, the lunch box sounded great as a Ukulele! It has a warm, bring your heart to a sandy Hawaiian beach, sound.

This particular Uke deserves a listen to. Check it out here:
http://www.sterainstruments.com/sounds/LunchBoxUkulele.mp3

For all you Ukulele collectors, players, or anyone looking for a unique instrument, I would say this Metal Lunch Box Ukulele is a must have!

Tate Chmielewski's Etsy Shop has quite the assortment of instruments: from a gourd Banjo, ammo box Electric Guitar, to a two string Guitar made with a Mountian Goat skull!

Please feel free to ask questions or comment on any of our posts.

-Lauren

Makala vs Mahalo

2012-02-16T11:32:00.000-08:00

In this post I'd like to introduce you to the Makala Ukulele.

When I decided to learn the Ukulele I didn't have any money saved to buy the instrument, but I was determined.

I did hours of research, trying to find the lowest priced Uke possible.

I decided on a Mahalo Ukulele with prices ranging from $20-$30. Cheap.

I listened to several people play the Mahalo on YouTube, and honestly the Uke sounded terrible. Wouldn't hold tune, and sounded like a toy.

I listened to the Mahalo one last time before purchasing it, when I stumbled upon a video of the Mahalo being compared with a Makala Ukulele. Hearing the Makala being played changed my mind completely! This Uke was around the same price as the Mahalo, but sounded great!

Within 20 minutes I was the proud owner of a Makala Ukulele. It is sunburst purple, and has a wooden dolphin bridge. Just my style.

I was very pleased with the Ukulele. It holds tune perfectly and has a decent sound. It was just the right Uke to learn on.

The Makala is available in multiple colors. You can usually find it online, with a case, for around $35.

For anyone who wants to learn this instrument, but doesn't have much to spend, I highly recommend the Makala Ukulele.

Please feel free to ask questions or comment on any of our posts.

-Lauren

Gravikord

2012-02-14T18:29:00.000-08:00

The gravikord... As you can see it has a very unique look to it, and the sound is just fantastic. It's an electric double harp, and was invented and patented by Robert Grawi in 1986. It's modeled after the 21 string West African kora. It is made of welded stainless steel tubing, with 24 nylon strings but with no resonating guard or skin. The bridge is a synthetic material made very differently from the kora and its range in pitch is greater. As you can tell from the video, the playing technique is very similar to that of the kora, though the hands are in a more natural position to the strings.

Please feel free to ask questions or comment on any of our posts.

-Ashley

Kora

2012-02-14T18:21:00.000-08:00

A kora is built from a large calabash cut in half, is covered with cow skin to make a resonator, and has a notched bridge. It does not fit well into any single category of western instruments and would have to be described as a "double bridge harp lute." The player uses only the thumb and index finger of both hands to pluck the strings in polyrhythmic patterns (using the remaining fingers to secure the instrument by holding the hand posts on either side of the strings).

Here's the video:

Check out its newer form, the gravikord!