That’s it! I’m burning my ukulele. I’m a pyro, as in “pyrography”: the freehanded art of decorating wood with burn marks. I’ve been a pyro for two years now. It started with me posting on Facebook ‘I’m burning my son’s guitar’, which resulted in replies asking what he had done to tick me off. My son moved out and left me his electric guitar to be creative with. So I stripped it down and burnt it. It came out looking so nice that I didn’t want to send it to him. So I burnt an uku to match. Unfortunately, it’s a cheap ukulele-kit you can put together. I chose maple leaves as the design because it represents Canada, it’s on our flag and we love our maple syrup eh. It’s home.
Step one is drawing and burning the outline. As you can see, even my little work table fell victim to my pyrography. I decided to continue the design over the edge, giving it a fuller view. I did have to clean the tip of the tool to keep it clean and give an even line. I continued the design to the back. It looks fuller in my opinion. The tool I had been using was just the wand, but I was just experimenting with it at the time. I found that just using the one tip felt easier to me. To shade and get the darker effects I moved my tool slower not stopping. For a better burn I have to continue cleaning the tip. I also discovered that if my burn was too dark I could use an emery board to sand it lighter. When I got to the open area, I just made smaller movements back and forth to create the wavy effects. I added a couple leaves to the head. I ordered a wooden fretboard since the kit had a plastic one. When it came in I decided to burn it too. I just couldn’t help it.
Once my ukulele was finally finished I added a leather cord to it as a strap, added small feathers to the tuners and named it Autumn. I didn’t use the strings from the kit but got better quality ones and used a lowG. My hubby made the stand for Autumn and it sits on a shelf in my living room beside my other soprano ukulele.
I got my inspiration from people like Dino Muradian, James Roberson and other artists that I found on Pinterest. Dino Muradian lives in Hawaii and actually is living his dream burning ukuleles for a ukulele company. Now that would be awesome to do. So if there’s any ukulele companies that would like me to burn for them I would be thrilled.
The number five. Trad Irish music. Twenty Twenty Vision. What do these all have in common, you may ask? How could such seemingly random things have any connection? If you look around hard enough, you’ll see the hidden connections, but you don’t have to look very hard to find this connection. It’s none other than the very talented and lovely Dave Thorpe. A man of many talents, one of which is bringing a smile to your face with his disarming charm and laid-back manner.
Born in 1960, he grew up listening to his father’s records, ranging from The Beatles, Slade, Simon & Garfunkel, to big bands like Glenn Miller. You can see his varied musical taste started early. As a child, he took classical piano and trumpet lessons, but found that they didn’t agree with him. He discovered his love of stringed instruments on the age of fifteen when he borrowed his sister’s guitar and taught himself how to play. Back in those days, there was no internet or YouTube, so he had to learn by looking at chord sheets and listening.
For most of the last 20 years, he mainly played guitar for Trad Irish sessions and gigs with some of the best Irish musicians such as Elmer McGowan (flute), Colette O’Leary (accordion), and Brendan Power (harmonica). He also recorded several albums (all available on Apple Music/Amazon/etc), the most recent being his first ukulele-based titled “Twenty Twenty Vision” back in June of 2021.
Since music was a passionate hobby, I asked him about his professions. To no one’s surprise, music played a big a part of that too! He’s been a classroom teacher for decades, working with children who had special social, emotional or behavioral needs. Many times he’d bring his guitar in and play music for the children, but it wasn’t music therapy per se, as he was really just a teacher who happened to be a musician. He didn’t say it in this way, but I think he was inspired by witnessing how music helped the children to earn a master’s degree in music therapy. He became a full-fledged Music Therapist in 2013, and helped countless people for nearly 10 years. He worked with cancer patients, people with autism, adults with dementia, and survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017.
One of his greatest projects as a music therapist was setting up the first dedicated music therapy service in a renal dialysis ward. This was an important project to him because he was a patient at the same dialysis ward back in 2004, before getting a kidney transplant in 2006. Knowing how difficult dialysis is, he wanted to go back into that setting and use his newfound skills to help. It was a very successful program, but unfortunately lost funding after three years. Since then, he became a dialysis patient once again, as his kidney transplant is now failing. He now finds himself in the same dialysis ward three times a week, six hours each time, sitting next to some of the same patients he played music for, waiting for news of another transplant.
In his words, finding Ukelandia “was brilliant!” Before COVID hit, his life consisted of a lot of going out and performing at venues all around London. Playing Trad Irish music meant musicians sat around tables playing all sorts of instruments right next to each other, which was obviously out of the question with the advent of COVID. He hasn’t played with another musician live since February 2019 and misses it. Mostly, life is going to dialysis, maybe an outing or two and being at home playing ukulele.
We talked a bit about his some of his outings, and a recent favorite was being able to visit the Southern Ukulele Store and meeting Alex. If you don’t know, SUS is a wonderful uke store in England and Alex uploads many videos to YouTube. On the platform he is showing off the many incredible ukes they have, along with tutorials about strings, woods and many other topics related to our favorite instrument. Dave was given the VIP treatment, with no other customers in the store, and hundreds of ukes to play with! In the words of Dave himself, “it’s a two and a half hour drive, but it’s worth it!” As a result of his visit, he ended up two more ukes.
I paused slightly and smiled, because I realized that Dave was in that very familiar spot in his house we see in all of his videos… on his couch, with a painting on the wall behind him and a uke always within arm’s reach. It’s amazing that he only really picked up the ukulele a few years ago and now it’s his go-to instrument. Dave is on a wonderful musical journey which he shares with all of us with his video’s and articles in this magazine. I was honored to listen and share his story with us all.
Oh, and the number five? Dave lives just a few blocks from the old Wembley Stadium, so he’d get to hear concerts for free. Once, he got to hear the Bon Jovi concert for what seemed like five times.
Before we stopped, I told him that I like to end my interviews in the same way James Lipton of ‘Inside the Actor’s Studio’ ended his, with a questionnaire based upon one used by Bernard Pivot on his talk show. So without further ado, here are Dave Thorpe’s answers…
What is your favorite word? Syzygy. A word that describes the seeming chaos and order of the universe.
What is your least favorite word? Like. When used as a filler word or a pause. Or emojis!
What turns you on? Music. Song lyrics.
What turns you off? Our current Prime Minister
What sound or noise do you love? The C5 chord. It’s neither major nor minor because there’s no third.
What sound or noise do you hate? Foxes at night. Though he points out, as a music therapist, that any sound can be used in a positive way. Except those damn foxes.
What is your favorite curse word? Bollocks. It’s a very flexible word.
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? “I would’ve loved to do music at a high level.” Meaning, he would’ve loved to been a full-time musician.
What profession would you not like to do? Anything that’s a 9-5 desk job.
If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? “John Prine’s over there, and he’d like to talk to you about all of those covers you’ve done over the years.”
The 30-Day Uke Challenge by Bernadette Teaches Music is a great place to start.
Once you are comfortable with that, try the 30-Day Uke Song Challenge.
Additionally, make a list of some songs which you really love and are easy to play.
Have fun, be patient and be kind to yourself along the journey.
It’s normal to get blisters, aches and cramps in the beginning of your ukulele journey. Try playing slowly and gently. In time, the pain will diminish as your fingertips develop calluses and you develop muscle memory.
It takes a while for new strings to stretch and settle in. You need to re-tune your new uke every 5 minutes but keep playing and let it warm up to you. Also, try pulling the strings gently the first few times to help them stretch faster.
You can hold your ukulele in the right position without a strap. However, it does increase mobility of both your hands. The choice is completely yours – try both and decide what works best for you.
Solid wooden ukuleles can warp or crack under extreme dryness. Even laminate ukes can warp under radical temperature.
The ideal humidity level for your uke is 40-50%.
You need to get a humidifier if your ukulele is not
kept in an environment where the humidity level is around that range.
It’s the ability of your instrument to stay in tune, whether you are plucking open strings or fretting. You know the uke has bad intonation when it doesn’t sound right, regardless of tuning it.
Intonation related problems can be caused by the string quality, fret positioning, action at the nut or saddle or neck alignment. If your uke is not sounding right, the best approach is to have it checked by a luthier.ple Description
If your strings are wearing out (check the area where the strings come in contact with the frets) or you experience loss of tone, it’s time to get new strings.
Ukuleles traditionally are strung with high-G strings. In this case, the G string is tuned as G4 which is higher than C4 (the string right next to your Gstring).
The low-G will be one octave lower than the high-G string (G3 instead of G4). In this case, you will get a much deeper and fuller sound.
All chord shapes remain the same for both low and high-G strings.
The metronome is a great tool to help you maintain your timing throughout a performance.
Practicing with a metronome will also guide you to make smoother chord transitions and improve your speed.
The metronome is a great tool to help you maintain your timing throughout a performance.
Practicing with a metronome will also guide you to make smoother chord transitions and improve your speed.
If you are asking whether you should get the uke that you have been eyeing, then the answer is always a yes!
On a more serious note, the type of wood, the action, smoothness of the fretboard, the uke’s weight and size can impact the sound quality and playability.
So yes, an upgrade can help you get the sound you desire.
Nevertheless, the first thing to sound betteris to practice enough to get better at playing your instrument.
NOPE!
The ukulele is a 4-string instrument with the standard tuning of GCEA, whereas the guitar has 6 strings tuned as EADGBE. They also sound very different from each other.
There is no one set way to determine a strumming pattern, but here’s what I do:
Listen to the song multiple times to really get it in my head, determine its rhythm and groove, look out for percussions and how the groove is shaped by heavier or lighter strums and finally try to replicate that groove.
Both can be helpful. A wider nut means greater space between the strings, so less chance of muting a string unintentionally.
The scale length invariably impacts on the nature of the sound produced - pitch, volume and tone. The choice of scale length should be dependent on the type of sound you want to make. Check out our past editions of ‘Buyers Guide’ if you wish to know more.
This is an overall check at the build, intonation and playability of an ukulele.
It’s when luthiers fix any wood defects, neck alignment, action, fret defects or
anything that might need some tweaking to ensure a buzz-free, comfortable and in-tune playing experience.
It’s the Ukulele Acquisition Syndrome.
Fear not, here’s a formula you can use:
No. of Ukes Required = N+1
(where N is the no. of ukes currently owned)
On a serious note, ask yourself the question, “Is it more worthwhile buying a lot
of cheaper ukes or holding back a bit and spending all that money on a very good one?”
The basic rhythm of the song should be the thing that dictates the strumming pattern. If you listen to a song, sing along and tap your foot to it. Think about when you are tapping.
That’s a pointer to how you strum it. If you can tap your foot to it, you can feel
the beat of the song. If you can feel it, you can play it!
The must-have while starting out is a tuner. Also, a strap will help alleviate
some of the stress of holding a uke in place. Other accessories to consider,
based on your preference, are capos, gig bags, uke stands, picks, cleaning
cloth and humidifiers.
It is best to keep the cleaning ritual simple.
Just wipe it with a microfiber cleaning cloth. You can very slightly dampen the cloth with water, but make sure to rinse off any dampness with a dry cloth afterwards. This bit is highly debated, but for a gloss-finish uke you can use a small amount of guitar polish on the body. However, experts say it’s best to not use such products on the fretboard.
It’s wise to choose a trustworthy brand and dealer. You MUST check user-reviews of the ukulele, the dealer and the deal itself.
In addition, get a clear idea on the return policy before making the purchase. ‘Got A Ukulele’ has detailed, unbiased reviews of many popular ukes, so it’s worth checking those out.
Metronome is a device that generates a steady beat per minute (BPM). It’s a great tool to develop your sense of rhythm and maintaining the desired rhythm throughout a song. You can set the BMP on your metronome as per requirement and play in time with the tick-tock sound it generates. It’s also a life saver when you want to work on increasing your strumming or fingerpicking speed.
Ah! We’ve all been there! First, hold your chord position and check which string is buzzing. Wiggle your fretting fingers around to see if you are unconsciously muting a string. Also, try fretting closer to the fret wire to get clearer sound e.g. for playing a C chord, your finger should be placed just above the 3rd fret. If the problem persists, check if your uke’s neck is warped, the frets are uneven or the string action is too low. In these cases, it is best to have the uke fixed by a luthier.
Uke sizes are correlated to the sound it produces rather than playability. Personally, for a newbie (child or adult), I’d recommend a concert. It’s medium in size and has all 18 frets with good fret width to get started on strumming or fingerpicking. To know more, please read Dave Thorpe’s article, “Size Matters” on our magazine’s 1st issue. You can also check out the YouTube video by Uke Like The Pros named “Ukulele Sizes and What is Best For You” to get further insights.
It is when the saddle has notches to minutely adjust the string length and get accurate intonation. Intonation of a stringed instrument depends on precise measurements and there are multiple factors in play besides the compensated saddle. Manufacturers may decide to focus on other features more to ensure desired intonation. A straight saddle will not go wrong if it is positioned correctly, however, a compensated saddle is more likely to be closer to perfection.
A 6-string uke can be played using the same chord shapes as a traditional uke. It will have an additional C and A string, so it will be GCCEAA. They will sound same as a 4-string uke, but fuller. A guitar is strung as EADGBE and so the chord shapes are different.
A baritone uke is tuned just like the first 4 strings of a guitar – DGBE. A guitarlele is basically a standard guitar with a capo on the 5th fret. So, it’s tuned as ADGCEA.
If you like to contribute or see your ads in our magazine, get in contact with us…
Here are our contributors so far:
Ukelandia Etsy-Store
You searched for: Ukelandia! Discover the unique items that Ukelandia creates. At Etsy, we pride ourselves on our global community of sellers. Each Etsy seller helps contribute to a global marketplace of creative goods. By supporting Ukelandia, you’re supporting a small business, and, in turn, Etsy!
K-Stand/Home
These K-Stands fit most Ukuleles and Ukulele Gig Bags from Soprano Ukuleles, Concert Ukuleles, Tenor Ukuleles, to Baritone Ukuleles. The Patented thin flat design allows the K-Stand to fit neatly inside a Gig Bag for easy storage and travel and instantly transforms into a sturdy support. Included with every K-Stand is a soft pouch to protect your instrument’s finish while the K-Stand is in the case.
Tinman Ukulele Strings
The Tin Man’s exclusive and finest Ukulele Strings. Formulated with genuine Stardust and Fluorocarbon to make your instrument resonate to the moon.
Bernadette from the YouTube Channel Bernadette Teaches Music
Do you ever spend time alone? I don’t mean the type of “alone” where you’re on your phone browsing through social media or listening to music, a podcast, or WhatsApp voice messages.
The type of alone time I’m referring to is the kind that allows you to hear the sound of your own thoughts.
This alone time is what brought you and I here today. I was taking my morning walk when all of a sudden I heard the word “magazine” in my head and my whole body tingled with excitement.
Alone time is what brought you and I here today
A few days later I was leading a live ukulele lesson on YouTube when Chiara, a member of our community, asked if I had any secrets. She asked this because it is common knowledge in our community that I can’t keep a secret.
I shared with the people watching the livestream that I wanted to start a magazine but had no idea how to do it. While discussing the idea there, we all decided that we would work together on the magazine.
The name “Ukelandia” came from my friend, Maria. Sometime in 2018 Maria created a group chat that was made up of ukulele players that had somehow connected through my channel community.
Maria and I at the Berlin Ukulele Festival in 2019
I liked the name “Ukelandia” and asked Maria if I could use it to create a Facebook group. Maria agreed and the rest is history.
This magazine was not made by me. The Ukelandia community came together to bring you this magazine.
The Ukelandia community came together to bring you this magazine
People from different ages and places came together to design our magazine, create our logo, write and edit articles, setup the website, organize meetings, gather stories, and more.
We have created this magazine for you. We hope that you enjoy our stories, learn from our educational segments, try our DIYs, and even join in and help us create future issues of the magazine.
These are the people, who work on the magazine for you (starring in alphabetical order):
Abhay is a writer of poems/songs at Ukelandia under the pen-name “Papillon.” He has been writing scientific articles for 15 years and he took to creative writing only recently. When not writing, Abhay likes to spend time gardening, birdwatching, traveling, and taking photographs. His favorite activity is Fall leafpeeping,and when in Colorado taking in the great outdoors. His favorite ukulele is his Leolani RS. Leolani in Hawaiian language means “Heavenly Voice” and he says his uke sounds just like that!
Amanda and Bethany are long-distance pals from opposing corners of the United States. They bonded on Instagram over a shared love of all of the joys that the ukulele has to offer. They teamed up to create Ukulele After Dark, a quirky series focused on sharing their joy for the ukulele with others and teaching the tips, tricks, and tools to keep the spark alive in your ukulele playing.
Andżela is the masterpiece of the expression “Jack of all trades and Master of none.” Actually, mastering her life would already be a great achievement! She has been an ONG volunteer, a videogames tester, an e-commerce tester, a photographer and a writer, to name a few. She has lived in mutiple countries doing various jobs. She has backpacked trying to find herself and the meaning of life. She says she’s still on the path, and it’s already a joy to know that she’s not alone. She hopes that the whole Ukelandia community will meet together one day and the day it happens, you can safely bet that she’s going to cook pasta for everyone!
Bernadette is a mommy, wife and YouTuber living in Imperial Valley, California. Bernadette started her music education YouTube channel while living and working abroad in Okinawa, Japan.
Chiara is a 24-year-old ukulele player from Belgium who has been playing the instrument for about 2.5 years now. She also supports Bernadette and the Uke Family through social media by supporting everyone who needs help. She’s a dedicated and fierce Moderator for Bernadette on YouTube, Instagram, and Telegram.
Dave Thorpe has had a long musical career as a teacher, performer, writer, recording artist, and qualified senior music therapist for the Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy Charity. Based in London, the very best Wembley Stadium, Dave was a huge fan of tenor ukes – particularly aNueNues and Kamakas.
Drishya is a ukulele player from India and has been playing for over 1.5 years now. She learned from Bernadette Teaches Music on YouTube and loves being a part of the ukulele community.
Jennifer loves creating and building, she spends most of her time with family. Her hobbies include building furniture, decorating and design, painting, gardening, board games and of course the ukulele. She has played the ukulele for 12 years on and off and was saved from boredom by Bernadette’s Ukulele Lockdown.
Madeleine is a mother of two, a grandmother, and a recently retired professional who has dabbled in the arts most of her life. She has done lampworking, stained glass art, painting, design, and now her latest passion is the “Ukulele”.
Mati 🦄 (Matilde) is a lawyer from Argentina who loves music and landscapes. She likes to travel a lot, but in the pandemic time she couldn’t do that so, she decided to learn the uke. The music, Bernadette and the Ukelele Lockdown Season 2020 changed and saved her life forever. Now she has more music and more friends, thanks to the uke!
Michal (22) is a student of Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience from Poland, who recently started working in recruitment. Outside of his studies, he’s passionate about music, people, travel and hiking. Although he usually listens to heavy (not exactly ukulele-friendly) music, he’s always been drawn to instruments and wanted to find a hobby that would help him fight stress and one he could enjoy whenever he feels overwhelmed. His ukulele journey began kind of on an impulse, only about 6 months ago, but so far it seems like the perfect fit. Next order of business – buying a second uke!
Monica is an artist who lives in Canada. She writes, draws, paints, does pyrography and wood sculpting and loves to carve antlers. She listens to crime podcasts while working except when playing her ukuleles.
Nadia is a specialized clinical chemistry analyst from the Netherlands. Started playing ukulele in November 2020 and now helps editing articles for the magazine.
Peewee is a part-time dentist, full-time daydreamer. Loves to get her hands dirty making stuff from scratch. Always cooking up new ideas and seeking new adventures. She enjoys playing the uke as should all right thinking people and she claims she always wears pants!
Peg was a wife to a wonderful man since 47 years, and a Mom to two exceptional ladies. She was a retired educator (who really retires?) and just a kid at heart! She started learning the ukulele on January 6, 2021 cause she says one never really stops learning throughout life!
Peter lives in Holland and recently became a doctor. So he told all his friends not to eat apples everyday, because that keeps doctors away and he likes his friends. He took his own doctor’s advice to find relaxation in playing the ukulele. But almost a year and a lot of videos later he still needs to learn his first song. That didn’t stop him from helping with coordinating and creating a magazine all about the ukulele.
Phyllis was born into a musical family in the northern part of South Carolina, USA. The first instrument she owned was a tobacco Harmony guitar that her Mom ordered from Sears and Roebuck! Phyllis is a retired high school computer teacher and IT administrator. She is involved in 3 vocal groups – church choir, Renaissance (mixed quartet), and ‘We Three’ (vocals, guitar, and uke). ‘We Three’ have a CD out called “Christmas Blessings”.
Saiyara is a music lover from Bangladesh. She has been playing the uke for 3+ years now and enjoys trying out different chord melodies. She is a proud bird mom too! Professionally, she is a business analyst, so most of the time when she is not playing the uke, her life is dominated by rows and columns.
Shelly lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, with her patient husband, Rick, and their handsome cat, Tenuto. She’s a recently retired choir teacher who is grateful to Bernadette for sharing the joy of ukuleles and her special Ukelandia brand of ukulele love with her and with the world.
Stefan lives in Nothern Germany right between the Northern and the Baltic Sea. He grabbed the Uke in the beginning of 2020, found Bernadetes Lockdown Livestreams in that same year and the rest is history. Besides the Ukulele (especially the Tenor Uke’s), he likes board games and is a great Star Wars “Nerd”.
