My Ukulele Fascination

I've been wanting to learn how to play the ukulele for some time now. The ukulele caught my attention a few years ago when I heard the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain play its version of "MacArthur Park." They also have a version of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit." Very interesting, really.



With my interest piqued, I researched on other ukulele artists and I discovered the so-called Jimi Hendrix of the Ukulele, Jake Shimabukuro. Jake is best known for his version of The Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." Conincidentally, this rock ballad was written by George Harrison who was himself a fan of the ukulele.



Nice!

If you're up for some ukulele music then you might want to check out Jake's album Gently Weeps and his DVD Play Loud Ukulele. Of course, I'd also recommend the Ukulele Orchestra's Secret of Life. And in case you decide to move on from simply listening to actually playing the ukulele then perhaps the instructional book Fretboard Roadmaps - Ukulele: The Essential Patterns That All the Pros Know and Use can help you.

I haven't done any real research on the best ukulele's to buy but the Oscar Schmidt OU2 Concert Ukulele may just do the trick if you're just starting out.

Punk fans out there might like this Clash tune performed on the ukulele. Oi!