What’s new in the guitar world? Whether you’re looking for tips on fine-tuning your skills or choosing the best guitar, blogs have the information you crave. Some of the following guitar blogs even include interviews with top artists and hot new performers, providing insight and inspiring your own playing. Take a look! We’ve done the legwork so you don’t have to. Here are our top picks, plus a quick rundown of each. Entries are provided in alphabetical order for easy access. Enjoy!

Adam Rafferty

If you’re fascinated by fingerstyle guitar and want to pick up some tips, be sure to visit Adam Rafferty. This blog is written by the pro guitarist himself, in between performances. Introductory lessons are free, and if you like, you can take lessons from Adam. The blog covers specific techniques to help you improve your playing, and an accompanying podcast provides even more insight.

Classical Guitar

Learn classical guitar technique, view videos, and get performance tips. These are just a few of the treats you’ll find at Classical Guitar, a clean, crisp blog with plenty of interviews and editorials hidden among the repertoire guides and reviews. Whether your goal is to learn classical guitar or improve your performance, you’ll find inspiration and guidance here.

Dolphinstreet

One visit to Dolphinstreet, and you’ll be hooked. It’s an outstanding resource for anyone who wants to become a better player, and it comes complete with free online guitar lessons. The blog offers a strong focus on blues and rock, plus there’s a complete section covering slide guitar. While much of the content is free, there are also webcam guitar lessons so you can interact in person.

Dutchbopper’s Jazz Guitar Blog

Videos, guitar reviews, amp reviews, and plenty of inspiration can be found at Dutchbopper’s Jazz Guitar Blog. Covering a wide range of topics from bebop to blues, this insightful, award-winning guitar blog also includes licks and riffs to try on your own, plus entertaining stories and quite a bit of jazz guitar history.

Electric Herald

Want to build a guitar from a kit, or design your own guitar online and have it built to your specifications? Want to learn how to do basic lutherie work, like re-fretting your own guitar? These are just a few of the Electric Herald’s highlights. Brimming with helpful articles, news, and advice, it’s a must-read.

GuitarHippies

Quick video lessons, guitar maintenance tips, and insight into the best guitar apps are just a few of the great things you’ll find at GuitarHippies. There’s lots of guitar-centered entertainment here, too – you’ll find videos to inspire you and plenty of articles to grab your interest. Guitar reviews, accessory reviews, and interviews make this blog a well-rounded one. Check it out, and plan to take your playing to new heights.

Guitarz

With a vast library of archives dating all the way back to 2002, Guitarz is an outstanding resource for anyone who wants to improve their playing or learn more about guitars in general. You’ll find plenty of guitar reviews covering new and vintage instruments alike, plus reviews on accessories, books, and much more.

Guitar Adventures

Brand new to the guitar? If so, you’ll appreciate everything Guitar Adventures has to offer. From Guitar reviews designed to help you make an informed purchasing decision to a complete guide to beginning guitar, this blog has lots to offer. Guest posts cover topics ranging from how to tune a guitar to helpful tips for singing and playing guitar at the same time. If you want to become a better player, this is a great place to start.

Guitar Noise

Get free guitar tabs, enjoy hints and tips on playing beginner guitar, and find plenty of guitar songs to play. Guitar noise is also a fantastic source for guitar lessons. Posts cover a wide range of topics – whether you’re looking for ways to improve your guitar technique or if you’re in search of tips for buying a ukulele or adding another guitar to your collection, you’ll find them – and much more – here.

Guitar Trance

Looking for beginning guitar tutorials or more advanced guitar techniques? You’ll find plenty of inspiration at Guitar Trance, along with loads of helpful tips for choosing guitars and accessories. You’ll also find ukulele reviews and guides, a complete guide to metal guitars, and a guide to creating your own DIY guitar cabinet. These are just a few picks – this blog is a massive one with exciting resources for players of every level.

Guitar Vibe

Concert reviews, film reviews, and interviews are among the many offerings found at Guitar Vibe. This massive guitar blog got its start way back in 2005, and there’s tons of great content hidden in the archives. The blog offers special sections on games, gear, and books, all of course centered around the guitar.

I Heart Guitar Blog

Watch videos, learn about upcoming music tour and concert dates, and enjoy plenty of guitar and guitar accessory reviews along the way. I Heart Guitar Blog is dedicated to all things guitar, ranging from the newest bands to vintage vinyl. It’s a great place to make new discoveries, plus there’s a podcast to provide some entertainment for your downtime.

Jazz Advice

Want to build skills and knowledge while mastering the art of improv? If so, Jazz Advice is a resource not to be missed. There is a strong focus on building individual skills, plus there are insightful articles on theory. Some entries analyze master jazz guitar players to provide a deeper look at their methodology, all in hope of imparting new knowledge to readers. In case the wealth of free content isn’t quite enough, courses are available as well.

Justin Guitar

Looking for free guitar lessons to help you get started? If so, be sure to check out Justin Guitar, where you’ll find more than 1,000 lessons created over the course of about 15 years. All popular guitar styles are covered, and lessons are neatly categorized for beginners and intermediate players. Books and DVDs are available too, in case you like the methods you’re learning and want to do even more on your own. New content is added regularly, making this blog a favorite with thousands of regular visitors.

Lichty Guitars

You might have heard about Lichty Guitars, home of luthier Jay Lichty. Not only is this an incredible source for customized guitars and ukuleles, it’s also a great resource for those who want to take their knowledge to the next level. The blog focuses on custom guitar builds, sharing insight into the best woods for building guitars and much, much more. Even if you’re not in the market, you may want to look, if only to view these beautiful instruments and the incredible artistry that goes into each and every one.

Music Instruments Center

Music Instruments Center is a resourceful site focused on guitars and other musical instruments. On their site you can find the best music product reviews, guides, tips and tutorials. The site was founded in 2016 by Alex Frank inspired by the difficulty to find great and reliable instruments online. The website caters  customers all over the globe.

Six String Soul

How to repair a guitar amp? How to setup your electric guitar just right? These are just a couple of things you’ll learn when you visit Six String Soul. This blog does cover some of the finer points of guitar playing, but it is unique in that there is a strong focus on the guitars and guitar equipment. Interviews with gear builders and guitarists add even more interest, making each visit insightful as well as entertaining.

The Guitar Addict

This award-winning guitar blog has been around since 2008, and it’s jam-packed with excellent content just about everyone can appreciate. Offering everything from advice on guitars and accessories to tips on becoming the best player you can be, it’s updated on an almost daily basis so there’s never a shortage of new information to enjoy.

The Guitar Learner

Ready to learn guitar riffs? Want to know how to check a guitar for authenticity? Looking for tips on choosing the best amps? These are just a few useful things you’ll find when you visit The Guitar Learner. Winner of a Top 75 Guitar Blogs Award, it features entire sections on guitar wiring & pickups, amps, effects, and of course, guitars. Articles cover tips for new and more experienced players alike, making the blog a useful resource for just about every player.

The Guitar Teaching Blog

While most top guitar blogs are aimed at students and casual learners, The Guitar Teaching Blog is designed as a resource for guitar teachers. Whether you’re a full-time teacher or someone who offers lessons on a more casual, case-by-case basis, you’ll find this is a valuable resource. It comes complete with tips for creating lesson plans, building your guitar teaching business, and much more.

What does the ukulele sound remind you of? For some, it may be a soothing tune, and for others, it could be a reminder of a relaxing time well-spent at the beach. While it may seem like ukulele festivals only take place in the summer, the influence of the ukulele also reaches the fall and winter months.

Let’s take a look at some of the fall and winter ukulele festivals for 2017-2018 that you shouldn’t miss.

2017

 1. Liverpool International Ceilidh
Liverpool, Nova Scotia, Canada
Best Western Hotel and Astor Theatre
October 13 – 14, 2017

The Liverpool International Ceilidh is a two-day ukulele festival that features workshops, an open mic event and free jam sessions. On October 13, at the Best Western Hotel, the event will feature free performances by Strum and Sing Along featuring the South Shore Ukulele Players, Mike Diabo and the University of Maine at Machias Ukulele Club. Meanwhile, on October 14 at the historic Astor Theatre, the Liverpool International Ceilidh will feature performances by Ralph Shaw and The Chalmers Doane Trio.

2. Melbourne Ukulele Festival 2017
The Croxton Park Hotel and Tago Mago, Melbourne, Australia
October 14, 2017

Organized by the non-profit organization, Melbourne Ukulele Festival Inc., this year’s Melbourne Ukulele Festival is the seventh festival that brings together the world’s best ukulele acts. Dedicated to sharing the joy of the ukulele, the festival aims to cater to all ages whether artist, solo or a fan. The festival will happen simultaneously at two venues: The Croxton Park Hotel and Tago Mago. At the Croxton Park Hotel, afternoon shows will feature Yarra Ukes, The Brass Traps and Cat House, among others. Evening performances will feature artists such as the Melbourne Ukulele Collective, Ukulele Russ from Alaska and the Thin White Ukes. Meanwhile, afternoon shows at Tago Mago will include Kylie Brickhill, Laid Back and Blue and George O’Hara.

3. Strummin’ Man Uke Fest
Panama City, Florida, USA
October 13 – 15, 2017

The Strummin’ Man Uke Fest is a three-day festival that features ukulele artist concerts, workshops, vendors, and local and visitor ukulele groups. The festival is headlined by ukulele artists such as Craig Shee and Sarah Maisel, Lil’ Rev, Rachel Manke and Taimane. Apart from these, this year’s Strummin’ Man Uke Fest also features open mics, shop and food vendors and of course, to support the music in the community and education.

4. West Sound Ukulele Festival
Kitsap Conference Center, Bremerton, Washington, USA
October 21- 22, 2017

The West Sound Ukulele Festival is a two-day event in Bremerton, Washington, USA that celebrates the ukulele and the people who make music with it. The festival aims to encourage a sense of community among artists, participants, and the audience. To do this, the festival will feature beginning and skill-enhancing workshops, followed by a concert that will be held at the Admiral Theatre. Festival is super friendly for pregnant women.  It will include performances from the Del Rey trio, Aaron Crowell, Victoria Vox, Neal Chin and Milo Fultz. Meanwhile, a Music Marketplace that will feature all things ukulele will also take place at the Kitsap Conference Center.

5. Bulimba Uke Fest
Bulimba Golf Club, Queensland, Australia
October 22, 2017

The Hawaiian-themed Bulimba Uke Fest will feature workshops and a musical lineup that includes Mama Juju and the Jam Tarts, Aloha Baby, Willie Nelson’s Love Child, Vic Kena, Grace Miller, Stomp Ukulele Group-Maleny, Camp Hill School Ukulele Group, the BUMS uke groups: Freerange ChUkes, Flukey, The Cage and Gold Coast Hula Dance Group.

6. Berliner Ukulele Festival

ufaFabrik Internationales Kulturcentrum, Berlin, Germany
October 28 – 29, 2017

The Berliner Ukulele Festival is a two-day event that will feature workshops and performances from various artists. Attendees can look forward to playshops that will further enhance their knowledge on the ukulele. These playshops include Doo-Wop Til You Drop with Sarah Maisel which teaches the chord sequences for doo-wop, blues and pop; Shaping Your Sound with Craig Chee that will explore your own playing style including playing techniques; Cheri Picking with Tobias Elof which explores the ukulele technique heard in James Hills’ songs like “Ode to a Frozen Boot” and “Song for Cheri”; plus many more enriching classes to further one’s knowledge and ukulele playing style. Moreover, the festival will also feature performances by Sarah Maisel and Craig Chee, Tobias Elof, Ukulelezaza and Lucky Leles.

 7. Tampa Bay Ukulele Getaway

St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
November 3 – 5, 2017

The Tampa Bay Ukulele Getaway is a three-day festival that will feature outstanding artists who will be conducting workshops, meet-and-greets and a 45-minute set on the festival’s Saturday event. Among them are Del Rey, considered to be one of the best ukulele teachers around; Fred Sokolow, a multi-string performer and author of a range of instructional books and DVDs for guitar, banjo, Dobro, mandolin, lap steel and ukulele; Aaron Keim, a teacher of ukulele techniques and YouTuber, whose instructional videos have gained a wide following; Kyle Biss and The Applebutter Express Band, a musical act whose work has been featured in “The Good Lie” that stars Reese Witherspoon; Mike Hind, an artist who actively tours with the Flea Bitten Dawgs and who’s landed a cover on UKE Magazine; and Ty Olopai, a freelance musician who teaches ukulele at Penny Lane Music in Fort Lauderdale.

8. UkeFest Virginia

Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen, Virginia, USA
November 4, 2017

The sixth annual UkeFest Virginia is a celebration of all things ukulele. The festival features workshops, concerts, a community stage, commemorative Jam Books and opportunities for enjoyment all around. This year, UkeFest Virginia’s special guest will be Lil Rev, a world-class entertainer who performs with the ukulele, harmonica, mandolin, guitar and banjo. He will also be joined by other artists such as The Aloha Boys, Danielle Ate the Sandwich, Skye Zentz, Frets Halligan and MIM.

9. Blue Mugs 5th Ukulele JAMboree

Barrington Tops National Park, New South Wales, Australia
November 10 – 12, 2017

Enjoy beautiful scenery together with relaxing ukulele sounds at the Blue Mugs 5th Ukulele JAMboree. This year’s event will be held in the foothills of the Barrington Tops World Heritage Area and the venue will be at the Riverwood Downs, a farm in which kangaroos and platypus reside. What’s unique about the event is that there are no main acts, but plenty of ukulele players from around the world who want to strum together. Those who want to share their talents with the general audience may do so as there will be a blackboard stage.

2018

10. Tropical Winter Ukulele Fest

Spa Hotel Vesileppis, Leppävirta, Finland
January 19 – 21, 2018

Enjoy a weekend of travel, adventure and music with the Tropical WInter Ukulele Fest. Set in Nordic scenery, the three-day festival features the best Finnish and international ukulele artists, workshops to develop playing skills and more. The lineup consists of international artists like Andy Eastwood, Phil Doleman, Opera-lele, Ukulelezaza and Elisabeth Pfeiffer, as well as Finnish artists such as Jarmo Julkenen and Savo Baroquke Orchestra and Klovni Elviira ja Mukulele.

11. Brown County Ukulele Festival 

Brown County Inn, Indiana, USA
January 26 – 28, 2018

The Brown County Ukulele Festival offers a fun and relaxing weekend of music and camaraderie. Festival goers can enjoy evening concerts, ukulele performances and an open mic, morning yoga with Heidi Kline and Shruti Nadis, various workshops depending on your skill level, and concerts in the evening.

The event will have special guests such as Barrett Hasselwood, Flea Bitten Dogs, Emi Sunshine and the Rain, Narciso Lobo and Lil’Rev.

12. 9th Annual Blue Mountains Ukulele Festival

Carrington Place, Katoomba, New South Wales, Australia
February 9 – 11, 2018
See festival poster here

The 9th annual Blue Mountain Ukulele Festival is a three-day event that delivers a range of activities for the ukulele enthusiast. On February 9, a dinner and show is scheduled, which is followed by free performances and workshops on February 10. On the last day of the festival, there’s free jam and strum to allow ukulele players to strum and collaborate with other attendees.

13. Ukulele Picnic in Hawaii

Kaka’ako Gateway Park, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
February 11, 2018

Founded by Japanese musician and ukulele pioneer in Japan, Kazuyuki Sekiguchi, the Ukulele Picnic in Hawaii is one of the most well-attended ukulele festivals in the world, attracting over 5,000 people. This year, the Ukulele Picnic in Hawaii will feature entertainment and ukulele-related exhibits will be put on display. Moreover, the event lineup will include famous musicians from Hawaii and Japan. While enjoying the music, guests can also indulge in some retail therapy at vendor booths and even have the opportunity to study professional ukulele playing techniques. Lawn mats are highly recommended as this outdoor music festival is best enjoyed with the whole family.

14. Palm Strings Ukulele Festival IV

Hilton Palm Springs, California, USA
February 22 – 24, 2018

The Palm Strings Ukulele Festival IV offers a bit of everything for everyone. The festival grounds is only two blocks away from the boutique downtown strip of Palm Springs and there’s plenty to keep attendees entertained. Guests can expect entertainment, shopping and workshops, as well as a pool and hot tub area with an outdoor bar and grill.

The year’s lineup includes Grammy Award winners Daniel Ho, Marcy Marxer and Cathy Fink, David Lindley, Matt Dahlberg, and more.

15. Waikoloa Ukulele Festival

Waikoloa Beach Marriott Paniolo Ballroom, Waikoloa Village, Hawaii, USA
March 3, 2018

Held annually every March, the Great Waikoloa Ukulele Festival is the celebration of Hawaii’s most favored instrument and music, the ukulele. Since its inception in 2011, the Great Waikoloa Ukulele Festival draws plenty of people from ukulele artists to enthusiasts from around the world. This year, guests can expect to hear music from ukulele masters, take part in giveaways, ukulele lessons and more.

This is a guest post by Daniel Arthur, a ukulele player and enthusiast. Check out his YouTube Channel and Facebook page.

The ukulele’s inexplicable ability to spread joy is certainly nothing new. The ukulele has over a hundred years history enjoyed varying levels of popularity. Yet in many ways it feels like the joy of ukulele has been kept a secret. During this recent ukulele revival there are ever increasing numbers of people who are discovering this joy and regard it as a revelation.

This was precisely how I experienced my own ukulele discovery six years ago. Music had always been a prominent factor in my life. I had played in bands and created solo projects with the guitar during my teens and early adulthood. Artistic expression has always been a cathartic way to overcome my social awkwardness and to gain self-esteem. During my mid-twenties I traveled with my guitar and played on streets and boulevards across Europe. It was during this period of travel that I met my wife and the ukulele came to us as a wedding gift. When I started playing the ukulele it was like falling in love all over again.

At first, he ukulele just sat there gathering dust. When I eventually picked it up and started to strum I was first taken by its sweet sound. Before long I was searching the internet for chords and tabs to a wide variety of songs. The first thing I wanted to learn was the theme music for The Super Mario Bros.

Just like being in love I soon found that I could not think about anything else. I discovered two incredible things. First was that there are a lot of ukulele players out there. Thanks to the internet I learnt how to play many songs and techniques. I also found out that are many groups of uke players using social media to share ideas, videos and discussions. When I first saw Jake Shimabukuro’s video “While my guitar gently weeps” and James Hill’s “Billie Jean” I realized that there is more to this instrument first meets the eye. This further fuelled my curiosity; I had to find out more.

Thanks to Al Wood’s site Ukulele hunt, I found out about ukulele festivals. I have always enjoyed a good music festival but nothing could have prepared me for the ukulele one. Not only was the musical quality of the main acts just superb, the chance to meet these ukulele heroes and even attend a workshop was truly an enriching experience. And addictive! I have since travelled to Finland, Czech, Sweden, Denmark and the UK to enjoy ukulele festivals and workshops. Each festival is a little different and unique in some way, but the attendees seem always to be enthused, jovial and willing to join in a strum-a-long or jam session. There is nothing better or engaging than feeling that level of enthusiasm that comes with people’s passion. The ukulele scene has risen in the last ten years from a quirky ragtag group of enthusiasts to and thriving scene that looks poised for world domination.

The second thing that I discovered is directed inward, towards myself. Since opening my mind and my heart to the ukulele I have find so many qualities about myself that I hadn’t really seen before. My musical ability has improved with practise, yet there is more. I feel that I have become more patient and tolerant with myself and others. When I play at an open-mic or jam session I find that I am willing to listen to others. Musicians are generally very helpful and supportive with each other regardless of musical ability. An open-mic or a casual jam session is an arena for learning as much as it is a place for performing. However, one must be willing to listen to benefit. In my experience ukulele people are willing to play and jam together, perhaps more so than with other instruments because the ukulele is accessible and welcoming. The ukulele levels the playing field as there seems to be little pretention regarding skill with the focus being having fun. The ukulele is first and foremost a fun and social instrument which evident in the number of ukulele clubs appearing all over the world.

Whenever I am having a stressful day I play the ukulele and it is the best remedy. There must be some science behind this but my theory is that music is a healing force. My mind is sharper, I remember things better and learn new things quicker. My self-esteem has never been higher and I believe that the ukulele has been a vehicle for this happiness.

It is now my mission to share this happiness. Today I am teaching the ukulele and playing in Oslo Ukuleleorkester as well as working on my solo ukulele projects. I continue to play on the streets and it is always fun to see and feel how passers-by responded to ukulele. When I see someone smile, sing along or even dance during these street performances I know that I have made a connection and have spread some happiness in what might otherwise be a mad world.

This is a guest post by Jonathan Dale, of Jupiter Ukulele, who builds his own ukuleles from local wood found in Eastern Pennsylvania.

Wood. Most stringed musical instruments, including ukuleles, are made out of wood. (There are the plastic ukuleles, and the carbon-fiber ones, but we’ll leave those aside.) Wood, being a wonderful product of nature comes in an almost infinite variety with an almost infinite variety of characteristics. Couple this variability in the basic material with all of the design and construction choices that one can make when building a musical instrument and the possibilities are endless.

Wood and its Purpose

Wood in an instrument serves two purposes, with two different sets of characteristics. First and foremost is how the wood reacts to, changes, and hopeful enhances the energy of a plucked string so that the energy in that plucked string is converted into sound energy. This is the source of the endless debate about which type of wood ‘sounds better’.

Then there is the secondary purpose of being pleasing to the eye. How a piece of wood looks may not be central to making music, but it is important to the happiness of the player of the instrument. If every time one opens the case one gets to take out a beautiful sculptural object, (which a ukulele can certainly be) a player will be that much more inspired to play and practice. Does curly koa sound better than straight grained koa, I don’t think so but that curly stuff sure looks good!

Top, Back and Side Wood

When building a stringed instrument like a ukulele one generally differentiates between the top wood, which responds directly to the vibration of the strings, and the wood used on the back and sides which (depending on your thinking) may amplify the top vibrations, or may isolate the energy of the top vibrations to just the top. For this discussion we will focus on the back and side wood, since that is where most of the ‘looks’ come from.

There is lots of debate, but from reading I have done, and my own personal experience, the choice of back and side wood may have a 15% effect on the overall sound. From the guitar world there is much reverence paid to things like Brazilian rosewood as being the cream of the wood crop. This in spite of other experiments that used alternate woods, and in a blind test listeners could not pick out Brazilian. (Still, it looks lovely.) Then there is the problem of overharvesting of the tropical rosewoods, illegal logging in the rain-forest, CITES listing which effects import/export or taking an instrument across international borders (like to Canada), etc. (However, the vast majority of the tropical harvesting does not go into instrument production.)

Local Wood

I live in Eastern Pennsylvania, in the Appalachian region. The Appalachian region is hardwood central to the US with all sorts of species, growing in all sorts of environments. I decided that I did not want to build instruments with wood that came from some tropical forest, who knows where and who knows how. Certainly there must be great instrument woods available locally. (Also, I’ll admit it, I’m frugal and local wood can be had for much less up-front monetary expenditure.) These days a lot of the back and side woods I use started with me and a chainsaw. I have not directly taken down any trees, but keep my eyes out and take advantage of trees that have been taken down for other reasons and some wood comes from a local sawmill, sawing locally harvested trees. Some examples of what I am using:

Sycamore Wood

When putting in a new bridge near my house, they took down a big old sycamore tree (Platanus occidentalis). I went and cut a number of big billets, that I later re-sawed into ukulele wood. Sycamore, being related to the maples, make a great sounding instrument, and when sawn just right has a spectacular grain pattern. One of the advantages of harvesting my own sycamore is that I can cut it ‘just so’ to reveal the grain pattern. Get off even a few degrees on the angle that the wood is cut and the pattern disappears. I have a stack of wood that you just can not buy.

I have cut some black walnut (Juglans nigra) from left-overs of a logging operation and have bought a chunk from the local sawmill. A black walnut body and redwood top (see my blog for more on the redwood, recycled from of water-tank planks) makes a superb sounding instrument.

South Florida Wood – The Casuarina

My latest ‘discovery’ is a wood that was planted all over South Florida, and it is now considered an invasive species. In Florida, it is known as “Australian Pine” though it is not a pine. I know it as Casuarina (Casuarina equisetifolia). It is harder and heavier than the rosewood, (comparable to ebony), sinks in water even when dry, rings when you tap it and it looks great to boot. I cut some from trees taken down as part of restoring a natural area (cutting out the invasive trees) and that were blown down in a hurricane. Casuarina takes a wonderful polish, makes great body and side wood as well as fingerboards. One is using wood from an invasive species so there is no cutting of rainforest trees to get a hard heavy lovely wood, though you have to do it yourself, there is no commercial harvesting of
Casuarina.

Other Local Goodies

Then there are many other local goodies; dogwood & dogwood burls, black locust, curly maple (both red maple and sugar maple), curly ash, old spruce trees, etc. As a small builder I have the opportunity to individually source and cut particular pieces of wood, to maximize the potential of each piece of wood both acoustically and aesthetically. A production shop or factory does not have this ability, but rather has to rely on consistently available and more uniform materials that can be processed with a minimum of labor. I have the luxury of being surrounded by wood, and I keep my chainsaw sharpened because who knows when one will be driving past that next great thing!

Ukuleles and backpacking adventures, what could be more inviting? My name is Ben and I travel with my blog Ukulele Road Trips, sharing and singing about the world. This past year, I decided to get my backpack and my ukuleles #GoingNorth. The idea was to pick the coldest places possible and to bring the sunshine of the ukes there.

It all started with the invitation from the Québec ukulele festival to come and perform, and this invitation transformed itself into a whole frozen trip of happy melodies, passing through Toronto, Québec (French-speaking Canada) and Iceland!

One particular video sums up the spirit of the adventure, a song of course filmed outdoors, where it was so cold, it was impossible to play without huge gloves. Hence this composition, on the frosty banks of Rimouski, Québec, Canada:

As you can see, there’s no weather that creates joy. We sort of have to grab smiles by the scruff of the neck wherever we are. Even when #GoingNorth through storms and snow.

The new songs from the adventure are being shared on ukuleleroadtrips.com. There are also additional posts about the local culture and podcasts recorded with young (or young at heart) locals. So, many angles to discover new cultures from.

In many ways, the present trip and the whole idea of the blog is really a testimony to the qualities of the tiny stringed instrument we all enjoy: the ukulele. For all its players, and for myself through Eastern Europe in 2015 and in the snow of Québec lately, it has uplifting qualities. Qualities that bring a smile to all that cross our path when we travel with one and the people I kept in touch with.

And so I’ll leave you with the “theme-song” of the trip, that addresses all about the ongoing trip, “Going North”!

This is a guest post written by Ben, who shares his wonderful ukulele adventures on his blog www.UkuleleRoadTrips.com.
Follow him for more details: 
Ukulele Road Trips on Facebook
Ukulele Road Trips on Youtube

This is a guest post by Pete Howlett, who builds and sells his one ukuleles in his workshop in Gwynedd, UK. 

With 23 years making ukulele I think I am beginning to finally refine for my brand the three essentials for a good ukulele (in order) volume, tone and sustain. Greater minds than mine might have a different set of criteria or have these three in a different hierarchy; however I have most often witnessed that these, in this order are how people assess a ukulele.

So you may ask, “How have you achieved this so confidently?”

This week I number up my 860th ukulele. There is no substitute for repetition when you are refining a craft. For any single craftsman the opportunity to try again is another chance to improve. I’m still at it! I have been away from the workshop for a few days and this have given me headspace to think about tweaking my bracing for the umpteenth time. Sitting in a hotel room preparing this blog, I can’t wait to get into the workshop and try this out on the next instrument in the hope I might improve the tone more.

Having an open mind and constantly researching is another essential work-habit. I had resisted the side port for years just thinking it was a gimmick until I
tried it 10 months ago. Now it is on every instrument except my Martin Simpson model or unless otherwise declined by the client. And it’s true! It
really does improve the player experience and improve that all important volume constraint caused by the size of the instrument. I’m so sold on the idea
that I now make a tool for sale that enables you to add a side port in 2 minutes.

Sustain is all about literally and actually walking to the edge. It’s about that balancing act between brace placement, thickness and profile coupled with the
elasticity and deflection of the top achieved by careful thicknessing. I am not a fan of ‘tap-tone’ tuning. I really do not think it has relevance for me. However,
David Hurd’s theories on deflection certainly resonate with me and I am by 10ths of a millimeter, getting to a final thickness coefficient with each of the top
woods I use.

Now all this looks like I am some AR nerd that has a ‘recipe book’ of all the changes and nuances in my work. Not a bit of it; nothing is written down, not even measurements! Invited to write a blog I have translated the things in my head that constantly whirr round, into a coherent form that will help you understand the continuing mastery of my craft. According to Katsushika Hokusai who at 75 said, “I think I am beginning to get this right…”, I have a long way to go.

We had the opportunity to interview Katie DeNure,  a talented and certified ukulele, guitar and voice teacher in the state of Wisconsin. DeNure operates the successful “One Music School” YouTube channel,  full of engaging educational videos for any ukulele enthusiast.

What is your musical background?
I can’t remember a time where I wasn’t surrounded by music. As a little girl, I was constantly singing. Once I started to learn how to play the piano, I felt a drive to learn as many instruments as I possibly could (flute, guitar, ukulele, penny whistles). When I was 17, I became very ill and I completely lost my voice, and that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. My speech pathologist assigned me classical voice training as part of my rehabilitation, and the new voice that emerged from that painful time was stronger than I could’ve ever imagined.

What/who inspired you to teach ukulele/guitar/voice classes?
I earned my teaching degree in 2007, and taught Bilingual Language Arts for many years. I was very humbled by the fact that people kept asking me if I would teach their children how to play the guitar/ukulele and sing, but I disqualified myself at first because I didn’t have a music degree. Eventually, I started teaching music lessons on the side, and the demand became so great that I left my teaching job and now teach music lessons exclusively.

What do you love most about teaching?
I love empowering and encouraging someone else to be able to do something that they thought they could never do. As teachers, we know that we are not just teaching people how to read music or play their favorite songs. We know that we are really teaching patience, gratitude, and perseverance. I’m so grateful to be able to do what I do, and I hope that my students use their gifts to encourage others.

Where do you see yourself in ten years from now?
In ten years from now, I hope to be coaching other teachers and entrepreneurs. I want to equip them with the logistical tools that they need in order set up and improve their business so that they can pass on their passion and love for arts to their students. I also hope to be singing and playing along side my daughter. She’s only 18 months old right now, so it would be thrilling to hear her sing and harmonize with her.

What tips or advice can you give beginner ukulele players?
Try to “stay in your lane”. It’s very easy to look at someone else’s greatness and only see your own shortcomings. Try not to look on either side of you because everyone was not designed to run the same race at the same pace. Focus on progress and not perfection. If you are better than you were yesterday, celebrate that growth, and keep moving forward. Do the best you can with what you have, and don’t give up.

Visit One Music School for ukulele, guitar and voice lessons.
Read more about the top ukulele tutorial YouTube Channels.

The Reno Ukulele Festival, which will celebrate its tenth anniversary in May 2018, has grown into the largest Uke Fest in the western United States. But hot on its heels is Play Uke’s other event, the Palm ‘Strings’ Ukulele Festival, which is held in the sunny climes of Palm Springs, CA while most of the rest of the country is in the dead of winter. Because of the draw of the desert and the lure of poolside (or in-pool) uke’ing in February, attendance in Palm Springs could surpass Reno in the next year or two.

The lineups for 2018 are massive. Festival producer Douglas Reynolds says that he has so many performers that typically headline festivals booked for Reno’s Tenth Anniversary that he had to draw names out of a hat to determine the order of billing. Multiple styles of music will be represented in both performance and workshop settings. The core group instructing workshops and performing at both festivals includes six time Grammy Winner Daniel Ho, Master Teacher Peter Luongo of Langley Ukulele Ensemble and The Mighty Uke fame, and multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire Abe Lagrimas, Jr.

Joining those three in Palm Springs will be another Grammy Award winning duo, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, Seattle’s Matt Dahlberg, Heidi Swedberg, flamenco wizard Daniel Ward, and multi-string wizard and prolific music instruction book author Fred Sokolow. Joining in Reno’s tenth anniversary fun will be several couples: Sarah Maisel & Craig Chee, Victoria Vox & Jack Maher, Victor & Penny (aka Erin McGrane & Jeff Freling), Aaron & Nicole Keim, and Jim & Liz Beloff. Jazz virtuoso Michael Power rounds out the current roster, but Douglas says to watch out for late additions and surprise visits at both festivals.

For more info and reservations visit the festivals’ website!

Looking for a ukulele? As this beautiful, portable instrument has gained popularity in recent years, available options have multiplied. Music stores and online marketplaces are full of lovely ukes, most with an appealing, classic vibe. But what if you’re looking for something completely unique, like a hand painted ukulele? Despite the availability of beautiful commercial designs, it can be tough to find appealing, personalized options. In fact, the search for a custom painted ukulele might take you hours, days, or even weeks. Knowing just how valuable time is, we’ve curated this A to Z list of some of the best, most unique ukuleles available online. Happy strumming!

Cedar And Sycamore

Cedar and Sycamore offers a unique approach to the fine art of ukulele making; instead of starting from the ground up, shop owner Hannah Price selects good-quality pre-built ukuleles and decorates them by hand. A visit to her shop reveals stunning artwork and eye-catching designs to please a variety of tastes. Whimsical floral designs, classic Hawaiian hibiscus flowers, beautiful birds, animals, fish, and even whales adorn each unique painted ukulele. Vibrant images and exquisite colors combine with talented artistry, making Cedar and Sycamore ukuleles truly enviable. Hannah Price is based in the United Kingdom, and happily welcomes the opportunity to create custom designs by request. Her ukuleles ship worldwide.

Chameleon Spirit

Looking for something rare and Hawaiian-inspired? Chameleon Spirit may have just the thing. Shop owner Brianna Mercier is a talented artist with an eye for fine details. Her colorful ukulele designs pay homage to the ocean as well as to famous artist Hokusai, who is best-known for his woodcut image titled “The Wave.”

Chameleon Spirit is based in California, with exclusive designs on pre-built ukuleles available on Etsy.

Coral Flamingo

Whimsical delights abound at Coral Flamingo, where you’ll find a wide array of decorated ukuleles with stunningly beautiful artwork as well as some fantastically silly characters meant to make you smile. Ocean-inspired waves, silly dogs, and fanciful cats with funny little faces are just a few of the designs to discover at this appealing online shop. Whether you’d like something glitzy and glamorous or if you prefer a customized ukulele design made-to-order, you’ll find it at Coral Flamingo. Shop owner Tamanna is based in Australia, and offers worldwide shipping.

Fanner Guitar Works

If you’re in the market for a custom electric ukulele with a unique appearance, then consider giving Fanner Guitar Works a look. Shop owner Brian Fanner doesn’t just build beautiful guitars, he also offers an amazing assortment of electric ukuleles in a variety of colors and finishes, and his catalogue has been expanding since he first began adding ukes to his lineup in 2014. Original shapes, unique finishes, and robust features make Fanner Guitar Works ukuleles exceptional.  Brian Fanner is based in South Africa and ships his custom electric ukuleles all over the world. Interested parties can contact him to request specific designs and features.  

Gargoyle Pastures

Want a painted ukulele decorated with your favorite Pokémon, or prefer one with a vibrant sunset scene?

Gargoyle Pastures happily delivers custom painted ukuleles in an endless array of colors, designs, and motifs. Shop owner Chris Scarlett is a talented young artist working out of Virginia.

Gargoyle Pastures takes orders for painted ukuleles, and offers shipping worldwide.

Handmade by Alyssa

A custom ukulele from Handmade by Alyssa is a delight for the eyes. Breathtaking mountain scenes, serene sunsets, and vintage-inspired wildflowers are just some of the designs you’ll see when you visit. Shop owner Alyssa welcomes custom orders, and offers a stunning array of colorful ukuleles ready-made and painted to order.

Handmade by Alyssa offers a complete menu of options for custom orders, and is open to conversations about handmade ukulele designs. Based in Ohio, this talented artist ships her work worldwide.

Imaginesia

On the lookout for a colorful ukulele? Imaginesia may just take your breath away. Stunning, vibrant designs in a wide variety of motifs ranging from Jim Morrison of The Doors to classic Beatles imagery adorn these unique instruments. Abstract painted ukulele designs are available too; in fact, your own creativity can come into play if you’d like it to. Imaginesia shop owner Valène Jouvet gets high marks from customers, and ships to custom ukulele clients worldwide. Prepare to be amazed!

Jenlo262

Fine artist Jennifer Lommers offers a huge array of handpainted objects, including custom ukulele designs to make the heart sing. Jenlo262 specializes in adorable birds, exquisite poppies, whimsical bicycles, and fantastic coffee-inspired pieces as well as amazing animal art. Jennifer Lommers is based in Corvallis Oregon, and may be contacted via Etsy or Facebook for custom painted ukulele designs. Artwork is available for worldwide shipping as well as at live shows throughout the Western United States.

Juicebox Arts

Want a hand-painted ukulele, perhaps with some ocean-inspired artwork or whimsical cartoon cats?

Juicebox Arts happily delivers. Exquisite beauty and funky designs coexist harmoniously in this fantastic shop, which offers quite a few items worth looking at.

Juicebox Arts shop owner Carlymanders is based in the Netherlands and offers shipping to customers all over the planet.

Kelaska Custom Ukes

If you’re a fan of ukulele music, you might already be familiar with Kelaska, who offers popular ukuele covers on her YouTube chanel each week. Kelaska Custom Ukes offers instruments painted with vibrant colors and completely unique visual appeal. Whether you’d like a floral painted ukulele or one with a gorgeous galaxy-inspired design, you can place an order with Kelaska Custom Ukes. Shop owner Kelli Wright is based in Connecticut, and offers her designs to customers all over the world.

L is for Lucky Creations

Vibrant colors, compelling designs, and hand-painted renditions of original and famous artworks make ukuleles from L is for Lucky Creations favorites with those who purchase them. Not only does shop owner Lauren Conklin offer a wide array of decorated ukuleles and other instruments ready-made, she takes requests for specific, personalized designs that get rave reviews. L is for Lucky Creations is based in Nashville, Tennessee, and offers shipping to destinations all over the world.

Lupine Art

You’ll find a wide array of options when you search Lupine Art for colorful ukulele designs.

Shop owner Imaania Satwilkar works out of the United Kingdom, and offers a variety of options including whimsical animal motifs and delicate, colorful abstract designs.

Lupine Art offers worldwide shipping.

 

Nymphaea Nerd

Sparkling mosaics, stunning colors, and peaceful ocean-inspired designs are just some of the offerings found at Nymphaea Nerd.

Shop owner Megan Hansen offers unique ukulele designs and takes orders for custom ukuleles, and then ships them to clients worldwide. Famous public domain artwork is available as well as original designs, making Nymphaea Nerd an excellent place to search for the painted ukulele of your dreams.

Famous public domain artwork is available as well as original designs, making Nymphaea Nerd an excellent place to search for the painted ukulele of your dreams.

Tsunami Originals

Where to find a unique ukulele? Tsunami Originals may hold the answer.

Based in California, shop owner Soulnami Soulshifter paints vibrant, colorful designs and ships to custom ukulele shoppers all over the world. Visit  Tsunami Originals for a peek at current offerings.

Calling artists and designers! Do you offer unique ukulele designs, and would you like to add your name to this list?
Ukulele enthusiasts want to see what you have to offer!
We invite you to contact us to learn more.

Grace VanderWaal returned yesterday to America’s Got Talent‘s stage to give a breathtaking performance with her new single “Moonlight“, released in June 2017.

VanderWaal won the 11th season of AGT with her original song “You Don’t Know My Name”, taking home a $1 million dollar prize.  From the initial audition stage, she captivated the audience’s hearts with her amazing voice, and her natural ukulele talent.

VanderWall and AGT both tweeted about the event, which went viral during the screening of the show.

VanderWaal will be going on tour this October.

Brittni Paiva is one of the most talented Ukulele players in the US today. Paiva is a multi award winning ukulele instrumentalist from Hilo, Hawaii. She began her journey with piano lessons at the age of four and later fell in love with the Ukulele. From pop, alternative, to dance music, Paiva is constantly reinventing herself through the Ukulele. I had the honor to interview Paiva via email.

Please introduce yourself to our ukulele community
My name is Brittni, I am born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, and I’ve been playing the ukulele for 18 years. I have five solo albums in release and am currently working on my sixth.

What is your musical background?
When I was 4 years old, I began taking classical piano lessons. I was trained under the Suzuki method, which focuses a lot on ear training. I continued piano lessons until I was 11 years old, when I picked up the ukulele.

Can you tell us about the title you selected for your album, Tell U What?
When my producer and I were writing the first track on the album, we realized that the song had a sort of spunk to it, like a little bit of attitude. As we were playing around with words, “Tell U What” came up and it just kind of stuck. I was really happy with how the song came out so I decided to name the whole album after it, haha.

What do you love most about playing the ukulele?
One of the things I love most about playing the ukulele is that no matter where you are in the world, as soon as you bring it out and begin playing it, it makes everyone smile.

What are your plans for the future, do you have any new albums or tours in the works?
Yes! I’m currently taking a short break from touring to work on my 6th solo album. I’m venturing off into new musical territory with this project so I’m very excited to release it!

What tips or advice can you give beginner ukulele players?
Never give up! There may be some songs or techniques that seem impossible to learn, but the key is to take it slow, section by section at a time, and you’ll get it down no problem!

Brittni Paiva – official website 

Jim D’Ville is a music educator and facilitator who is on a mission to get ukulele players off the paper and playing music by ear. For nearly a decade Jim has taught his Play Ukulele By Ear workshops to thousands of players in the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. He has taught and performed at major ukulele events including the Scotland Ukulele Festival, Ashokan Ukulele Festival, Melbourne Ukulele Festival, the West Coast Ukulele Retreat and many others.

Jim is the author of the Play Ukulele By Ear DVD series and hosts the popular Play Ukulele By Ear website. Jim is a Contributing Editor to Ukulele Magazine and is sponsored by Kala Brand Music and the Deering Banjo Company.

You can listen to one of D’Ville’s 26 Basic Ukulele Lessons series here:

The Early Days

One of the household names among ukulele wielders and enthusiasts hails from Honolulu, Hawaii, Jake Shimabukuro is well-known for his rapid and complex finger work on the ukulele, combining elements of different music styles including rock, jazz, bluegrass, and folk. With the help of the power of the internet, Shimabukuro gained worldwide recognition in 2006 when a video of him performing The Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” was uploaded on YouTube without his knowledge went viral.

The ukulele landed on Shimabukuro’s hands for the first time when he was four years old. His mother played the instrument and taught him how to strum strings and play a few chords. His fascination never went away and only grew as he got older. While learning other instruments, Shimabukuro confessed that none of them spoke to him like the ukulele did and it was the instrument that made him realize he wanted to be a musician.

I was always very passionate about it. But when I was a kid there was no such thing as a touring solo ukulele player, so I always understood that it would be more of a hobby. I never even dreamed of doing what I’m doing today. Luckily it evolved into that. I feel very fortunate that I get to travel, perform and just play my ukulele everywhere. Yeah, since the time I was a kid, it’s always been my passion, but I never imagined that I’d be able to just do it all the time. This is really a dream come true.

Because the ukulele was Hawaii’s signature instrument, being able to play it wasn’t special, but young Jake’s passion for the instrument pushed him to do greater things with the ukulele. While listening to other styles of music like jazz and rock, Shimabukuro incorporated those styles on the humble four strings and two octaves of the ukulele.

When I was in high school, I would pull electric guitar riffs and quote classical pieces and things like that. And I remember people just kind of looking at me and saying, ‘Wow, I didn’t think you could do that with the ukulele.’ That’s kind of when the light bulb went off… My freshman year in high school is when I really started to get experimental. And that’s when I kind of took a little different direction and strayed away a little bit from the traditional Hawaiian music. I mean, that will always be my first love, but I really wanted to see what else was possible out there. I wanted to extend the boundaries of what ukulele music was.

Pure Heart & Colon Bands

Shimabukuro first garnered attention in his Hawaiian hometown in 1998 as a member of Pure Heart, a musical trio with him on the ukulele, Lopaka Colon on percussion, and Jon Yamasato on guitars and vocals. Pure Heart later released their first eponymous album and bagged four Na Hoku Hanohano Awards (Hoku Awards), a premier music award in Hawaii which is the state’s equivalent of the Grammy’s. The same album also appeared in Honolulu Magazine’s Top 50 Hawaiian Albums of all time.

One year passed and Pure Heart was able to gain another Hoku Award for their second album, but the year also saw the departure of Jon Yamasato. Shimabukuro and Lopaka formed a new band and enlisted the help of bassist Andrew McLellan and guitarist/vocalist Guy Cruz. The new band Colon is named in memoriam of Lopaka’s father Augie Colon who was a famous percussionist. The band released one album in 2000 titled “The Groove Machine” which won a Hoku Award the following year.

Solo Career

In 2002, the band Colon met its end and Shimabukuro decided to pursue a solo career. With his popularity reaching the shores of Japan, Shimabukuro became the first Hawaiian artist to sign a recording contract with Epic Records International which is a subsidiary of Sony Music Japan International. Later he began to tour Japan nationwide, which he still does to this day, and released numerous albums locally, including songs which received extensive airplay on local radio stations. Shimabukuro became a beloved musician in Japan and eventually got a 120-page biographical photo-book in his honor.

Because of the limited local reach of his music, Shimabukuro created Hitchhike Records in order for his music to reach Hawaii and other parts of the world. He began to promote his music in the United States. His 2005 album “Dragon” landed in the fifth spot in Billboard’s Top World Music Albums of that year.

Worldwide recognition

Shimabukuro’s viral rendition of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” led him to receive various love letters from established artists requesting to collaborate with him. Artists like Jimmy Buffet, Ziggy Marley, Bette Midler, and Cyndi Lauper caught his attention. Shimabukuro eventually toured with Jimmy Buffet in 2005, 2006, and 2007, and became a featured artist in Jimmy Buffet’s albums and videos. In 2009, he accompanied fellow Hawaii-born multi-award winning artist Bette Midler in a three-song set including their own rendition of The Beatles’ “In My Life.” The two then had a chance to meet Queen Elizabeth and shake her hand.

In 2012, a one-hour biographical documentary on Shimabukuro titled “Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings” was released and won an award in Ashland Independent Film Festival and Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. The biopic was later on aired repeatedly on PBS. Shimabukuro was also able to perform in various television talk shows including Late Night With Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Today Show, and BBC Breakfast.

Which Ukulele does Shimabukuro use?

Shimabukuro’s trusty instrument is a custom made tenor Kamaka. The body is made of curly koa, the fingerboard and bridge are made out of ebony, the binding is from rosewood, and the inlays are from mother of pearl and abalone. Shimabukuro uses d’Addario J71 for his strings.

Shimabukuro on Tour

A husband and a father of two, Jake Shimabukuro is currently busy with his 2017 Japan and United States tour. He is also a very active community servant speaking in conventions like TEDx and traveling to different schools to talk to students about the importance of chasing after one’s passion and living a positive life. He usually begins his talks by saying, “I truly believe that the ukulele is the instrument of peace because I truly believe that if everyone played the ukulele, this world would be a better place.”

To be updated with Jake Shimabukuro’s tour dates and to learn more about him, you can check his official website and his official YouTube channel.

This week we recommend Elise Ecklund’s great ukulele tutorial for the famous “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee & Justin Bieber. Ecklund gives a thorough overview on how to play the song, including chords and ukulele strumming patterns. Check out Ecklund’s YouTube channel for additional tutorials.

Hooray! We have a new section on our site. Each week we will publish an outstanding ukulele video.

This week we recommend listening to the talented Hannah Emerson, singer-songwriter and actor from Dallas, Texas, playing her Ukulele cover for Miley Cyrus’ “Malibu”. Emerson mentions that she got engaged in Malibu, so it has an extra meaning to her. Enjoy!

Before Howie Mandel pushed the “golden buzzer” for Grace VanderWaal to advance straight to the America’s Got Talent  live performance rounds after singing her original song I Don’t Know My Name he said, “You’re original that people not knowing your name is so right and so wrong because I think the world is gonna know your name.” With over 63 million views on her audition video in YouTube and close to a million YouTube subscribers, the world certainly did.

AGT Audition:

Grace VanderWaal’s First Ukulele

Today, if you ask somebody if they know Grace, three things are likely to be associated with her: her blonde bangs, AGT, and her memorable ukulele playing. But did you know that she actually saved up the money she got for her 11th birthday to buy her first uke? In an interview with her by David Sikorski of The Daily Beast after her infamous golden buzzer performance, she revealed that she got interested in playing the uke after being introduced by her sister to Twenty One Pilots. After learning to play the ukulele, she started performing in open-mic events near her home.

AGT Journey

For Grace, her AGT journey has been a great confidence booster. Before it, her friends didn’t even know she could sing, let alone she could write incredible songs. But Simon Cowell branded her as the next Taylor Swift, she managed to get an amazing standing ovation streak in all of her performances in AGT and she was adored by the live and home audiences. Having captivated the masses’ hearts with her quavering soulful voice, her relatable and insightful songwriting, and her masterful playing of the ukulele, she was hailed the winner of America’s Got Talent 2016. Aside from headlining her own show in Vegas, she also took home a million dollars. Being the 12-year old kid she was back then, her simple wish was to get a tree-house! And also donate some of her winnings to music charities.

Tree-house Video:

The VanderWaal Family

Grace and her family live in Suffern, New York. Her mom and dad are Tina and David VanderWaal respectively. She has an older brother, Jakob; and an older sister, Olivia, whom she considers her best friend. Her song Beautiful Thing which she performed during the quarterfinals of AGT was written for her sister. Later last year, she also brought home a new pug puppy she named Franky, short for Frankenstein. The internet has fallen in love with Franky and his irresistible photos posted on Grace’s Instagram account.

Style and Songwriting

In a video made by TeenVogue, Grace shared that people usually say she sounds like Sia, Halsey, or Melanie Martinez, which I personally agree with. She has the Sia-hoarseness in her voice, the raw and folk sound of Halsey, and Melanie Martinez’ playful style. A combination that marks her vocal style. Most of Grace’s songs, as she revealed in an interview with USA Today, are products of imagining what would it be like if she were a movie or book character and wrote a song. At a young age she explores emotions by trying to connect, understand and empathize with fictional characters. With so much sass, she continued, “I’m twelve, that is not my past experiences,” referring to the love songs she has written.

USA Today Interview:

The Next Taylor Swift?

Well she might be. At the age of 13, her songwriting is comparable with Taylor’s in terms of relatability and catchiness. And she’s charming and loved by the younger (and older) audiences. After all, Taylor Swift’s biggest market when she was starting out were teenage girls. This might be a big of a compliment, coming from Simon Cowell, but Grace VanderWaal is her own superstar in the making.

Awards and Nominations

VanderWaal has been listed by Billboard magazine in its 21 Under 21 List of Music’s Hottest Young Star. She was also nominated for the Best Female Artist category at the International Acoustic Music Awards in 2017, the youngest finalist in the awards’ history. And for this year, she was recognized as the Best New Artist in the 2017 Radio Disney Music Award.

Oh Nevermind It’s Just Grace

Her AGT experience made her more confident to post videos of her singing covers of her favorite songs. She has over 960 thousand subscribers on YouTube. Some of her lesser known original songs are uploaded in her channel Oh Never mind it’s just me / Grace VanderWaal. If you want to bless your ears with Grace’s awesomeness, go check her channel out.

Previous EP and A Taste of The Album to Come

After her AGT win, she signed a record deal with Columbia Records and got to work with producer Greg Wells for her Perfectly Imperfect EP. The EP contained studio versions of the songs she performed during the AGT 2016.

Perfectly Imperfect Playlist:

Her new single, Moonlight, dropped on YouTube, iTunes and Spotify yesterday. Slightly deviating from her usual acoustic and calm but soulful formula, this song climaxes to an energetic chorus with beats that will make you dance; going perfectly to her reminiscing lyrics We were dancing in the moonlight. Little Grace VanderWaal has been experimenting new sounds inside the recording studio. Here is a taste of her upcoming debut album she is planning on releasing by September this year.

Moonlight:

The world better watch out. Grace VanderWaal is bound to dominate pop music with her ukulele!

Ukuleles, like every instrument, need to be cared for. Assuming they don’t, is a mistake. Just because they are small, does not mean less effort should be invested for upkeep. From the oil on your fingers to the heat of the sun, the notorious air humidity, and accidents that may arise, your ukulele is prone to hazards you could not imagine.

If you want your uke’s life prolonged, whether it is laminated or made from solid wood, make sure to follow these ukulele care and maintenance tips.

1. Maintain a proper grip when playing

The main concern here is the prevention of dropping your ukulele. Several damages may happen to your uke when you drop it: irreparable scratches and dents, neck and body breakage, tuning problems, bridge or saddle detachment and other grave scenarios you will not be happy about. This is why we advise treating your ukulele with the best care possible – dropping it is one of the worst things that can happen.

2. Be mindful and subtle when using picks and capos

When you are using a pick, make sure that it does not directly touch your uke’s body, specially when strumming a little harder, for that may cause ugly scratches. On the other hand, improper placement and removal of a capo, can cause neck dents. When placing a capo (especially those without rubber coatings), widen its clamp enough to prevent rough contact with the neck. When removing a capo, be sure it is fully unclamped before pulling it off.

3. Say no to having a dirty, claggy uke

Ukuleles are prone to grease buildup from natural dirt and the oil from your hands. The result is a sticky instrument that is unpleasant to play. To prevent this from happening, make cleaning your uke after every playing sessions a habit.

For the body, thoroughly wipe it with a microfiber cleaning cloth to remove dirt and dust before storing it. When removing built-up grime or dried oil and sweat, clean it with a slightly damp cleaning cloth and make sure to remove all smudgy marks on your uke’s body. Dry it with another clean cloth after. If your uke is painted or has a shiny finish, you can use polish products to keep its gloss.  

The fingerboard is slightly harder to clean. If you can get your hands on a super fine grade wire wool, the better, but a microfiber cleaning cloth would suffice. Very carefully rub the fingerboard with the cleaning cloth to remove dirt and oil. You can also slip the cloth underneath the strings to clean the board meticulously.

Ukulele strings do not deteriorate as fast as guitar steel strings. However,they pick up oils from your hands. Make it a habit to wipe them after playing to remove the picked up oils. Doing so will prevent dirt from sticking to your strings.

4. Be mindful of where you store your uke

Never leave your uke by a fireplace, heater, oven, radiator, in a car or in a place with direct sunlight. The heat can crisp you uke’s wood and make it brittle and prone to cracking and breaking. Avoid placing your uke (even in its case or bag) in a place where it might drop. Keep your uke away from places where it might get wet from spilled liquids.  

5. Watch out for restringing red flags

The truth is, there is no one rule stating when or how frequent you should change your strings. It is really up to you. But there are red flags to watch out for signaling the need for a new set of strings.

From time to time, run your fingers across the strings in search for nicks or grooves cut into them. These notches or cuts are caused by the pressure from the frets or the natural stretching of the strings. These can affect your uke’s tuning and intonation and is a sign of imminent breaking.

Brand new strings tend to go out of tune often because of they are still stretching. This problem gets solved when they are finally stretched to their prime. If you find your seasoned strings constantly out of tune, you might consider restringing.

Lastly, if your uke started producing dull, ugly sounds, it might be time for you to restring.

6. Humidity is tricky

This last tip is for solid wood ukulele users. Humidity is simply the amount of water vapor in the air. The wood used in ukuleles, although processed and cured, still absorbs and bleeds moisture. After all, wood is an organic material. Too high and too low humidity can both harm your ukulele. Keeping the right amount of moisture in your ukulele’s wood in relation to the humidity is a dire requirement to keep it in its top condition.

Your ukulele should be stored in a place with 40% – 60% relative humidity. When there is too much humidity in the air, the wood tends to swell, the tuning pegs and frets corrode quickly, glued joints get undone, the neck might bend and in extreme cases, the bridge and braces loosen. Heightened fret action and neck bending are the usual signs of swelling in ukuleles. When there is too little humidity in the air on the other hand, the wood gets dry. This leads to the shrinking of top and back of the uke, loosening the braces and causing fret buzzing due to the lowered fret action. When wood is deprived of moisture, it easily cracks and breaks.

Your job is to “control the weather” wherever your instrument is stored. Keep a hygrometer in your storing room to monitor the humidity level and take suitable actions to keep the ideal 45%-60% humidity. You can choose from an analog or digital model, and some cases come with one built in. To control room humidity you can use the following:

• Air-conditioning – Together with their cooling function, air conditioners also dehumidify the air. Having an AC will protect your uke during hot and humid summer months.

• Dehumidifiers – Dehumidifiers do what their name suggests. They reduce the level of humidity in the air but unlike air conditioners they do not come with cooling capabilities. They are also cheaper than ACs.

• Portable room humidifiers – A portable humidifier can increase the humidity level in the room where you keep your ukulele. Good models cost around $100 and they are usually light and user-friendly.

• Case humidifier – Case humidifiers can control the environment inside your ukulele’s case. To stay informed of the humidity in your cases, there are digital hygrometers like Humiditrak that lets you monitor humidity levels in your phone or computer.

• Invest in a hard-shell case – If you travel for shows or gigs, it is smart to buy a hard-shell case latch that locks to protect your uke from possible accidents. Keeping your uke locked in a hard-shell case is the safest way to travel with your instrument whether on a plane, bus, train or even just your own car.

Just like any other instruments, ukuleles, despite their size, require a considerable amount of upkeep and maintenance. If you want to keep your ukulele in its best condition and rid yourself of possible repair costs, you should start taking good care of your aloha-buddy.

If you are a ukulele enthusiast, as with any other skills, you need to start learning somewhere, right? We have listed 11 useful tips that will keep your learning momentum going.

Credit: musicgroupies.com

1. Find the right Ukulele

Whether you want to initially start with a cheap model to decide if playing the uke is the right thing for you, or you have already put your mind to being good at it and you opted to go with a higher-end model, you need to do some research on what makes a quality ukulele. Our ultimate ukulele buying guide can help you with your ukulele search.

2. Invest on mastering the basics

First off, spend time learning about the Ukulele parts and how to tune it. Form a habit of tuning it before playing. You need to practice on holding your ukulele properly. This is important to make it comfortable for you to play the uke and to produce finer sounds. When sitting, you can use one of your legs to hold the uke’s weight and when standing you can let the body of your uke rest on your chest or belly while strumming. Let your strumming hand rest on the top of the uke’s body to play with more ease. Learn and memorize the most basic chord shapes. Doing so will increase your chord repository. This will be very useful when trying to learn new songs.

3. Your fingernails matter!

You fingernails contribute to the sound your Ukulele can make. Keep your fretting hands’ fingernails neat and short to allow clean fretting for a more distinctive sound. Letting your strumming fingernails grow a little can help produce a great sound. For picking and strumming, you might want to grow your nails on the thumb, first, middle and ring fingers.

4. Start with a simple song

Starting off, you might get overwhelmed with the plethora of songs you can learn to play with the uke. You might want to learn one of your favorite songs which is likely to have a complicated chord in it or a trickier time signature. Practicing with a complicated song isn’t gonna help. As a beginner, your focus should be improving your familiarity of moving from a chord to another, keeping steady, on-beat strumming, and producing great sound. You can enhance all this by starting with easy ukulele songs that use 3-4 basic chords in their progression.

5. Practice and repetition are key

Practice can feel repetitive and tedious. And that might be a good sign! If it feels easy, you are starting to get better. Repetition is often linked to effective learning. Malcolm Gladwell wrote about reaching success in his book Outliers, where he coined the 10,000 hours rule. Successful artists and athletes he said, have an accumulated 10,000 hours of practice before they become very great at what they do. This, we can easily say, is also true with getting better at playing the uke. With persistent practice, you can surely be great at playing the uke.

6. Manage expectations

Before playing the uke, it is important you set your expectations high. Chances are you are going to play badly at first. But by setting realistic expectations, you can manage your frustrations and avoid getting your spirits crushed.

7. Slowly crank it up a notch

Effective practice can improve your uke playing. From time to time assess where you are and decide if it’s time to crank it up a notch. If you feel your normal uke routine is getting easier and easier, it might be time to learn some trickier songs.

8. Record yourself

To pinpoint what areas of your playing need improvement you can record yourself.

9. Listen to (or watch) other Ukulele players

Listening or watching other ukulelists play, can give you an idea on how to improve your playing. You can consider this as a chance for you to learn other techniques that you can incorporate into your own style. There are many online resources you can learn from. Artists like Kimo Hussey offer uke lessons online.

10. Learn music theory

If you feel like getting serious on your uke playing, it will be really helpful to learn about music theory. Music theory is the language of music. Forming enough foundation in music theory can make you a better musician. By learning the building blocks of music, you can experiment more with your ukulele playing. And if by chance you wanted to start composing songs with your uke, music theory will be your best friend. See our list of recommended sites for learning ukulele online.

11. Have fun!

Last, but not least, do not put too much pressure on yourself. Playing the uke should be a fun experience. The very sound of it is meant to make people dance with joy. Go have fun, play, and make people happy with your newfound smile-inducing skill.

Top 10 Sites For Online Ukulele Lessons For Beginners

Let’s put that summer energy to good use! Ukulele Music Info presents the 2017 summer ukulele festivals and camps you can take part in.

JUNE

Ukulele Festival of Great Britain
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK
June 16-18

Aiming to have its eight “uke-tastic” year this 2017, the Ukulele Festival of Great Britain is one of the biggest ukulele festivals in the world. A three-day ukulele-action-packed celebration featuring the talents of Abe Lagrimas Jr., Ooks of Hazard, Ukulele Uff Trio, Kyas, Strumpdiddlyumptious, Poor Boys of Worcester, Katy Vernon, and Cue; with ukulele workshops for all levels, auctions, and raffle draws.

Kamloops Summer Ukulele Festival
Sorrento, British Columbia, CA
June 16-18

The Kamloops Summer Ukulele Festival is a whole weekend filled with ukulele fun and learning. This year’s venue is the Sorrento Centre which has a view of the beautiful Shuswap Lake. Instructors and performers include Manitoba Hal, Jim D’Ville, Tina Hebner, Jane Jelbart & Mark Jackson.

HUGE 2017
Haworth, Yorkshire, UK
June 17-18

Be sure your ukes are in good shape for this year’s Haworth Ukulele Group Extravaganza, it is going to be a wild ukulele festival. Expect plenty of mass uke strumming, tombola and raffle, HUGE Ale, and an awesome evening of entertainment. On Saturday, June 17th there will be a flash mob, an afternoon of ukulele groups playing sets including songs from musicals and loads of chances to join in and play. The festival mission is to not go any longer than 20 minutes without picking up a uke and playing songs from the 2017 songbook. In the evening there will be a concert by No Fluke. On Sunday there will be a Ukulele Steam Train Special from Haworth station on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway as well as a small flea market for folks to shop at. This year’s theme is Songs From the Musicals, wouldn’t it be great to hear I Dreamed a Dream played and sang with a ukulele?

Ukestock Festival
Leermens, Groningen, Netherlands
June 23-24

Described as a “small festival for a small instrument”, this is a weekend of workshops and concerts with the ukulele as the centerpiece. The artists performing at the very first Ukestock Festival are De Habachos, Professor Peter, The Kokosnackers, and Bad Mouth Orchestra.

6th Original Utah Uke Fest Concert
Highland, Utah, USA
June 24

The 6th Utah Uke Fest invites you to bring your ukulele and your friends for a whole day of free workshops, open mic picnic, ukulele jams and a free concert featuring The Naked Waiters, Cathy Cash, West Side Pride and UFO HUM.

SHNUGFEST
Dover, New Hampshire
June 24

An initiative of the Southern New Hampshire Ukulele Group, the SHNUGFEST is gathering for “ukesters” of all levels to have fun and enjoy the summer weather to the tune of their beloved ukuleles. For this year, the Upper Valley Uke Group, Andrea Shirbik, The Flukes, So. ME Strumers, SNHUG, Bob’s Your Uncle and the Concord Group are performing.

5th MUFF

Mandorah, Northern Territories, Australia
June 24-25

Savor the summer heat, this is two days of ukuleles, country, and folk by the beach. The Mandorah Ukulele and Folk Festival is a free two-day uke fest by the Wagait Beach organised by the Cox Country Club Inc. This is a weekend of good music, summer shirts, and leis. Performing artists are Ben Hur Helwend, Ali Mills, Mirrabooka, Tracy Bunn, Ben Evolent and Johnny McIntyre.

Midwest Uke & Harmonica Camp
Olivet, MI, USA
June 23-25

Last year’s Midwest Uke & Harmonica Camp received many favorable reviews. Praised for its well-organized flow, effective instructors and enriching classes, the camp is bound to continue what it has started with this roster of artists/instructors; Sarah Masiel, Craig Chee, Gerald Ross, Lil Rev, Jim Beloff, Rachel Manke, Stuart Fuchs, Cathy Fink, Steven Espaniola, Ben Hassenger, Marcy Marxer, Gerald Ross, Andy Wilson, Frank Youngman and Sandy Weltman.

JULY

Geraldine Ukefest 2017
Geraldine, South Canterbury, New Zealand
July 6-9

A little bit of Hawaii is coming to New Zealand! This year’s Geraldine Ukefest features Hawaii’s very own award-winning ukulele virtuoso Bryan Tolentino and Halehaku Seabury. These amazing ukulelist and 100+ more performances from different talented artist will make of you wanna dance and sing to the tune of their ukuleles’ “aloha-ness.”

Rocky Mountain Uke Fest
Durango, Colorado, USA
July 7-9

Rocky Mountain Uke Fest brings Kevin Carroll, Jack-n-Jel, and Devin Scott as instructors and performers for this year 3-day long ukulele camp.

Summer Strum 2017
Wirral, United Kingdom
July 7-9

Beat the heat of the summer and dance with the frolic sound of the ukulele at this year’s Summer Strum, hosted by the Wirral Ukulele Orchestra. Get entertained by the Wild Pear, Ian Campbell, Kiki Fox, Two of Us, El D’uke and many more. The Splintered Ukes are giving a free concert on Friday July 7th and Trellebelle Ukulele Orchestra are travelling all the way from Sweden to play at the event! 

Box Ukulele Festival
Box, Wiltshire, UK
July 8, 2017

Box Ukulele Festival is newly organized music event by The Queen’s Head that aims to showcase the variety of music genres one can play with a ukulele. Don’t mess with its size. Pop, punk, rock, indie, jazz, you just name it, you can play with the ukulele. Headlining for its first year will be The Mighty Lemon, and with them is their rock, punk and pop repertoire of songs.

Rye Ukulele Festival
Rye, East Sussex, UK
July 8

Prep your hippy outfits for this year’s Rye Ukulele Festival’s theme is a celebration of the 50th year of The Beatles’ 1967 Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club album. All you need for this uke fest is love and a ukulele! The 3rd Rye Ukulele Festival featuring ukulele bands from across the South East will take place on Saturday 8th July, from 11 am at The Cinque Ports Arms, Rye. It will include food, drinks, Ukulele stalls and more. The entry is free, and families (and ukes!) are welcome.

Uke-U-6
Bend, Oregon, USA
July 14-16

Come and be part of the Uke-U-6 ‘ohana and celebrate the spirit of aloha in this three days of friendship, ukulele music, and education. The performing artists include Andy Andrews, Neal Chin, Jim D’Ville, Danielle Ate The Sandwich, Arden Fujiwara, Denise Hinz and Patty Sage, Cinda Johnson, Aaron and Nicole Kim of the Quiet American, Lil’ Rev, Casey MacGill, Kalae Miles, Mark Ransom, and Carl Ventis.

Nanaimo Ukulele Festival
Nanaimo, BC, Canada
July 15-16

This year’s “great little festival” features two intermediate workshops lead by James Hill and two beginner workshops lead by Nanaimo’s very own Rob Wilkinson. James Hill and Anne Janelle will be adding to the fun with their ukulele-meets-the-cello performance.

47th Annual Oahu Ukulele Festival
Waikiki, Oahu
July 16, 2017

Who wouldn’t love to take part in Hawaii’s summer Ukulele Festival at Kapiolani Park Bandstand? It’s the largest annual summer tradition spreading the aloha spirit in the Aloha State itself after all. The festival is known for the performance of a ukulele orchestra composing of 800 kids. Now that’s too much ukulele at the same time!

Fifth Czech Ukulele Festival
Unetice, Czech Republic
July 28-30

Continuing its tradition of being the a mobile ukulele festival, this year’s Czech Ukulele Festival will begin with a ukulele train ride to exhibit the beauty of the spa town of Poděbrady. Then, the next two days will take place in the picturesque village of Únětice on the Prague outskirts, in a functioning brewery. The music for the festival’s main events will range from the Hawaiian classics of Aldrine Guerrero and Kimo Hussey to rhythm ‘n´ blues from Dead Man´s Uke and many more.

Third Annual CascoBay UkeFest
Portland, ME, USA
July 29, 2017

For the third time since 2014, the CascoBay UkeFest is yet again gearing up to give ukesters of all ages a day entertainment, learning, and good ukulele music at St. Luke’s Cathedral in the beautiful seaside city of Portland Maine. In addition to local ukulele groups performing, with the audience joining in on strum and sing-along songs; also the talented Stuart Fuchs will be performing and leading two ukulele workshops.

AUGUST

Utah Ukulele Festival
Logan, Utah, USA
August 5

Utah’s one and only all FREE and completely outdoor ukulele festival is taking place on Aug. 5 in Logan, Utah. The Utah Ukulele Festival offers free workshops/lessons for all ages, vendors/concessions, and wonderful entertainment all day long. Headlining this year’s event is multi-Na Hoku Hanohano nominees and father-son due, Mele’uhane who hail from the Big Island of Hawaii. Bring your camp chairs/blanket, your family and friends, and come soak up some sun while listening to the beautiful sounds of the ukulele.

Parbulele
Parbold, Lancashire, UK
August 4-6

Parbold’s Ukulele Festival “promises to be an unforgettable occasion in a truly beautiful location.” Look forward to a whole weekend of ukulele workshops for kids and adult alike, series of open mics and entertaining performances for UK’s best ukulele artists. The headline acts will include Ad Cooke, Michael Adcock, Chonkinfeckle, Ukulele Uff Trio and more! 

Uke-A-Bay
Colwyn Bay, Wales, UK
August 11-13

Woteva, Fagin’s Boys, Michael Adcock and Gaudy Orde are coming to bring rays of sunshine with their ukuleles to the biggest and brightest ukulele festival in Northern Wales.

New Jersey Uke Fest
Whippany and Morristown, NJ, USA
August 25-27

The Folk Project has again organized a whole weekend of fun ukulele workshops, performances, spontaneous jams, open mics, and vendors. Bringing in their ukulele prowess for the 2017 NJ Uke Fest are Kimo Hussey, Rachel Manke, Danielle Ate the Sandwich The Curt Sheller Jazz Trio and The Lords of Liechtenstein. 

Vienna Ukulele Night
Vienna, Austria
August 26

Der ukulelenprediger, eidaxl combo, puschkawü, the bad mouse orchestra and more are coming to the Local bar in Vienna for an exciting ukulele event. 

Garfest
Garstang, Lancashire, UK
August 26

A new addition to the Garstang Music and Arts Festival, GarFest is a day of full of unforgettable ukulele fun. A perfect activity for the kids this summer.

Ukulele Hooley by the Sea
Dun Laoghaire, Ireland
August 26-27

Dig those summer shirts out, practice your dance moves and tune your precious ukulele for two days of ukulele fun and frolics by the sea.

SEPTEMBER

Uking Under the Tuscan Sun
Sovicille, Sienna, Italy
September 9-16

A complete Tuscan Ukulele retreat in an idyllic Tuscan villa with a view of the Senese Mountains with workshops from renowned experts Peter Moss and Francesco Albertazzi.

Ukus in Fabula, the entertaining trio from Rome, will also be joining at the villa for a house concert, jam and morning workshop. Wine tastings, cooking classes, a Tuscan spa visit and excursions to Siena, San Gimignano, Monteriggioni, Castellina in Chianti and more are on the itinerary. Daily workshops and jams are planned. Also, the festival offers private chef-catered meals at a century old Italian villa.

Alabama Uke Fest
Lake Guntersville, Alabama, USA
September 9

The Alabama Uke Fest is a nice way to spend a Saturday with the family. The itinerary includes uke lessons, group strummings, open mics and performances.

Tune in Dunes VII
Lincoln, Oregon
September 15-17

James Hill & Anne Janelle, Steven Espaniola, Aaron and Nicole Keim, Jim D’Ville, Andy Andrews, Bryan Holley, and Hood River Trio are bringing joy and entertainment for this year’s Tune in Dunes VII.

Dock Street Uke Camp
Shelburne, Nova Scotia, Canada
September 15-17

Held in conjunction with the Whirlygig and Weathervane Festival, The Dock Street Uke Camp aims to provide a unique ukulele learning experience near the port of the beautiful Shelburne City.

OUC.5 Ohio Ukulele Campout
Loudonville, Ohio
September 22-24

Last year’s Ohio Ukulele Campout ended with an exuberant summer strumming. The ultimate ukulele camping experience is coming back this year at the Mohican Adventures Campground.

The Central Coast Uke Festival
Central Coast, NSW, Australia
September 23-24, 2017

Two days of ukulele bonding, dancing, market stalls, food stalls and rides for the kids, and performances at The Entrance Memorial Park.

Port Townsend Uke Fest 2017
Port Townsend, Washington
September 27 – October 1

Port Townsend Uke Fest is a 4-day limited uke fest and workshop to be held at Fort Worden State Park. Workshops include different style choices such as jazz, blues, swing, Hawaiian, pop, novelty, and jug band ukulele.

SPRUKE Brisbane Ukulele Festival
South Brisbane, Australia
September 29 – October 1, 2017

The SPRUKE is an initiative of the Brisbane Ukulele Musicians Society Inc. that brings together people for the love of the ukulele. The finalized list of artists to perform during the SPRUKE includes Kyas Ryo, Ukulele Russ, Tyrone and Lesley and The Pockets.

Royal City Uke Fest
Dublin Street United Church, Guelph, Ontario
September 30, 2017

The very first Royal City Uke Fest is set to give you dynamic uke workshops, fun group strums and a performance from James Hill and Anne Janelle.

2017 Los Angeles International Ukulele Festival
Torrance, California, USA
September 30, 2017

The 2017 Los Angeles International Ukulele Festival is a celebration of the 4-stringed bundle of sunshine that has been making people smile, and sing and dance happily for over 100 years. This is a festival for everybody; whether you are an experienced ukulelist, a newbie, an occasional strummer or just a curious spectator.

2017 Albuquerque Ukekopeli Festival
Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
September 29 – October 1

Play the uke with Albuquerque ukesters! You can be part of a live studio audience at the Friday night concert starring Ralph Shaw from England, Dani Joy from California, Mark Baker from Arizona and Gracie Terzian from New York. The next days will be filled with ukulele jams and workshops for all skill levels. What a great way to end the summer!

Hi Folks, Ryan Choi is one of the most innovative and talented Ukulele players in the US today. We were lucky enough to get the opportunity to catch up with Ryan to hear more about his journey playing the Uke and about his plans for the future.

Please introduce yourself to our community

My name is Ryan Choi. I live in Honolulu, Hawai’i, where I was born and raised. I compose and record music. I released three albums in 2016, Three Dancers (Accretions), Whenmill (Off), and Company / Arbors (Der Schöne Hjuler-Memorial-Fond), the first two of which featured original pieces for the baritone ukulele, an instrument that my name is now bound up with, somewhat to my chagrin, since I see myself principally as a composer and an arranger, as someone who makes recordings. My interests in music—and sound—extend beyond any one instrument.
One day my discography may or may not reflect this. I hope that it does.

What is your musical background?

A blend of the formal and the self-experimental, more the latter. I didn’t take up the ukulele until a relatively late age. Before this, I was trained in western classical music on the double bass and spent many years studying scores at the piano, reading books on theory, thinking about music and improvising, trying on mask after musical mask—I was very much in hiding during this time; then, in my early twenties, I quit music for a number of years; I never earned a music degree. My musical perspective is predicated on this peripatetic sort of background. The analogue to consider is comparing the outlook of a person who spent their childhood living in one place to that of another who grew up moving around—each would have a unique sense of what “home” is.

Can you tell us about the title you selected for your second release, Whenmill?

A windmill mills wind, a whenmill mills time.

-What do you love most about playing the ukulele?

Odi et amo: what I love lives at amicable odds with what I loathe. As a minority instrument, the ukulele is quaintly mistreated, its practitioners lightheartedly imposed upon to address its “exoticness” with questions that wouldn’t be asked of a guitarist or a pianist; one is all too frequently taken gently by the hand, sat in a box, made to be a spokesman for a whole that doesn’t exist in reality as primly as it does in the questioner’s mind. My experience of being a player of a so-called minority instrument is, at different times, mired in self-questioning political tension, willed contentment, and slavish pugnacity—it’s quite fascinating, and maddening. I marshal the phrase “minority instrument” with the utmost intent; the standard discourse in music parallels nontrivially the standard discourse in matters of culture and ethnicity, and not only in the ways in which rank and merit are meted out—both are expressions of the same preponderant pattern, one of many naturally occurring (like geological formations), current in our collective reason.

What kinds of plans do you have for the future?, Any new albums or tours in the works?

No tours and no plans to. I have a few things now in post-production that are coming out this year and I’m already preoccupied with the releases that will follow—some of it ukulele, some of it not—and I’m very fortunate to be so, because I’m not always so busy, and I never assume that my music won’t up and leave me again, as it has in the past; yet, even when I am in the depths of one of these miserable fallow periods—not at all touching or looking at my instruments—I still secretly shoulder the assumption that afflatus will come knocking again, even though I know this is a baseless fiction that I use to console myself in the face of sheer future uncertainty: the death of a piece (so key to its being) remains for this author a harbinger of short-lived relief and longer- lasting unease.

What tips and advice do you have for beginners?

I’m hesitant to give tips. It puts me in the position of teacher to an imaginary student when I have no credentials as such, and there are so many different types of ukulele players in the world—some of whom need little to no steering and others that require extensive intervention—that to give general advice is a rather hapless exercise in diminution. Advice is most effective, and least harmful, when tailored to a specific person after one has gained some personal familiarity with the advice-seeker. With this caveat, I’ll share four things (which only happen to come readily to mind at the moment): one, don’t spend too much time listening to other ukulele players; two, don’t waste time practicing, better to spend the time engaged in the real thing; three, there are times when you must look outside of music for the solution, even if it’s only to find that there is no outside; and four, be vigilant of all confectioners of advice.

Official website:
http://www.ryanckchoi.com

So we love cats and we love Ukuleles so why not have the best of both worlds. So we went out and did a whole lot of research to find the funniest Uke cat videos on YouTube and the results are well, pretty hilarious. Some of the videos here were featured in major news outlets such as the Huffington Post. According to Feline Culture We’re not the only nut jobs that love both cats and ukuleles. Further digging did show other wonderful online resources such as http://www.coolcatukes.com and catster.com. Do you have a Ukulele-cat encounter worth sharing? Let us know all about it in the comment section and we’ll add right away to our top ten PURRFECT list.

1. 1. The Ukulele Cat

1. 1. Damn cat!!

1. 1. The Ukulele Cat

1. 1. Cat playing the ukulele

1. 1. Cat Likes Ukulele

1. 1. ttention Starved Cat Interupts Girl’s Ukulele Song

1. 1. Nerdy Love Song with Added Kitten Bonus!

1. 1. Cute Cats singing Happy Birthday (with Ukulele)!

1. 1. Ukulele Cat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4MkIN24q9k

1. 1. Cats hate ukulele

Tyler Joseph is the lead singer of the duo band Twenty One Pilots (TOP), which he formed together with his friend Josh Dun the drummer. With their fourth album Blurryface they achieved the breakthrough and in just two years they became well known throughout as well as outside USA. Tyler is a talented musician who started playing piano during his late childhood but couldn’t get into music school. That did not stop him from pursuing a music career, so he started writing his own songs and together with few of his friends started a local band. Their early gigs were not very successful and soon his mates backed out, so he recruited Josh Dun and together they started performing on bigger stages. Tyler’s music is comprised of various styles combining in unique ways, creating a mix of rap, indie and ballads. His songs are sometimes influenced by his Christianity and full of meaningful lyrics, which bring out emotions especially in the acoustic versions with piano and ukulele. Here is a selection of Tyler Joseph’s best 10 ukulele songs:

1. Stressed out: Stressed out is one of the biggest hits by Twenty One Pilots. The ukulele version is in many ways better than original, because it brings out the emotions and pain of the lyrics. It’s main theme is the struggle of growing up and becoming more and more frustrated as compared to innocent childhood.

2. Car Radio: An acoustic version of this song was delivered by Tyler Joseph and his ukulele, along with the soft beat of drummer Josh Dunn. This song is filled up with a depressing vibe and a helpless feeling of being lost without a radio in the car because someone stole it.

3. Isle of Flightless Birds: Listening to Tyler Joseph’s live performance of this song using ukulele and drums can motivate anyone who is wasting their potential to start thinking about their lives. It is dedicated to all who grew wings but haven’t yet learned to fly (“Flightless Birds”).

4. Ride: While playing for a small group of fans, Tyler Joseph played a new remix of the song Ride, using only the ukulele and his voice. The simple melody and fast flowing lyrics have the power to captivate and make you sway while wishing the song would never end.

5. Lane Boy: This song talks about the common problems many talented musical artists face nowadays. The somewhat aggressive lyrics and cracking voice of Tyler are perfectly matched by the sharp strings sounds of the ukulele in the acoustic version.

6. Polarize: One more song off the Blurryface album is named Polarize. Tyler and his ukulele are once again captivating in the live session, giving the impression of a person crying for help, not knowing the right from wrong and how to face his fears.

7. Holding onto you: Tyler’s dialogue with God in the fast rapping style accompanied by sound of ukulele is an overwhelming experience. This song is full of hidden meanings and complex feelings, so every listener can interpret it differently.

8. House of Gold: This lovely song with a playful melody and a funky rhythm can’t keep any listener unaffected. Tyler’s voice is soothing and clean, making it a perfect song to listen while travelling in a car.

9. We don’t believe what’s on TV: A satirical song about finding your own way and open mindedness with a slow dreamy beat of uke.

10 Tear in my heart: The opening line of this song is good enough to understand the meaning of broken heart and why it is important to let it tear. The acoustic version by Tyler Joseph meets all the standards of the talent and creativity needed to fall in love with its simplicity and meaningful message.

11. Addict with a pen

The pair that is twenty-one pilot’s Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun gave a large applause for their strong live sets and a different mix of piano-driven pop and lyrical uplift. No unpopular people to the way, twenty-one pilots has created an emotional national following through their strong live performances at countless news shows and tours.

12. Heathens

Extracted from the No. 1 Suicide Squad soundtrack, “Heathens” has blurred beats and evolved into yet different huge song for Tyler. It was ranked at No. 2 on the Hot 100, Adult Top 40 and Mainstream Top 40 while winning Hot Rock Songs

13. Doubt

Doubt is an album song from the lead 10 set Blurry face that is added up easily by the title. The song is filled with doubt with an attractive rhythm with lyrics like “Don’t forget about me album carrying it through the first half.

14. Friend, Please

Twenty one pilots individual aired out their individual-titled appearance album in 2009. The list was more moving and photographic tonally and “Friend, Please” is evocative of the previous work by Muse.

15. Screen

In 2013, twenty one pilots aired out their third studio album Vessel, the first on a bigger list. “Screen” is distinct in a view that it is thepairs changing tone fused with a Jason Mraz-like song.

There are lots of Ukulele lovers out there and you are likely one of them. If you are, then you might like to know what Ukulele events will be happening around you. Well, we are going to give you a list of the top ten Ukulele events in 2017 that would be happening in the US and we hope you make out time for any of them you might like.

• • Ukulele-Festival of Northern California

Date: scheduled to take place on Sunday, April 30, 2017
Time: The exact time for this event is from 9 am to 5 pm that same day
Location: The event is going to be taking place at the Chabot College-Campus performing Arts centre, 25555 Hesperian Blvd., Hayward, CA 94545

The Ukulele-festival of Northern California is said to be the longest-running Ukulele festival on the mainland; and has been attended by Ukulele lovers from neighboring countries such as Canada, as well as locals in the United States. Information regarding the price and performers for the event can be got by reaching the organizers via ukulelefestivalnorcal@gmail.com.

• • Midwest Uke Camp

Date: The Midwest Uke Camp is an exciting event that is scheduled to hold from June 23-25
Time: Camp begins at noon Friday June 24 at 1:45, ends at 2:00 pm on Sunday June 26
Location: Olivet College Campus in Olivet, Michigan

As it is a teaching event, classes are usually organized for the participants. The instructors in these classes are usually famous Ukulele players and that is what makes the program fun.
The Midwest Uke Camp usually picks top teaching artists from North America in order that the campers with rich and diverse experience of having to learn many styles and techniques. The full list of the instructors of the instructors for this event is yet to be released. Other relevant information related to this event can be found at www.midwestukecamp.com.

• • Uke U-6

Date:-This year`s event will be held between July 14 and July 16
Time:-TBD
Location:-The venue for this Ukulele event is the Cascade academy, 19860, Tumalo-Reservoir Road, Bend OR 97701.

The 2017 Uke U-6 is one of the top Ukulele events that many are already looking forward to.
This year`s event is going to feature some of the most successful Ukulele musicians and instructors. Some of the performers that are expected at the event include Andy Andrews, Casey McGill, Cinda Johnson and a host of others. More information on this event can be obtained from www.ukeu.info

• • The Los Angeles International Ukulele Festival

Date:-The event has been slated for the 30th of September
Time:-8:00-18:00
Location:-The venue is the Torrance Cultural Arts-Center located at 3330 Civic Center, Dr. Torrance, CA 90503.

Another major Ukulele event that is to hold this year is the Los Angeles Ukulele Festival. The event has been held every two years for over hundred years.
It is a festival that is meant for both professional players and amateurs alike. Novices are also welcome as spectators at the event. In addition, there will be performances by top notch Ukulele players and lots of workshops for participants. Further information on this event can be found at www.kalakoa.com

• • Las Cruces UkeFest

Date:-The Las Cruces UkeFest Ukulele has been scheduled to take place from May 19 to May 21 this year.
Time:-TBD
Location:New Mexico Farm and Ranch heritage museum.

The event is hosted yearly by Las Cruces Ukes, a non-profit organization that was formed by several Ukulele lovers in 2013.
Since the club was established, over 60 performances have been given and its popularity has continued to increase. The event boasts several high quality instructors such as Maker Baker and Jim D`Ville. For more details concerning this year`s workshop, visit www.lascrucesukes.blogspot.com

• • Uke Fest

Date:-This year`s event is scheduled to hold between 26 and 29th of May.
Time:-TBD
Location:-Ashokan Music & Dance Camps
PO Box 49, Saugerties, NY 12477

Uke fest is a yearly event that is organized by Ashokan music and dance camp. The festival is opened to the general public and tickets are included in the camp tuition. This event is being held for the fifth time since its inception.
It is essentially retreating that is made for Ukulele players of any skill level. It promises to be fun. The event is going to include concerts jam sessions, and great foods. Some of the stars that would be featured on the Saturday night concert include James Hill & Anne Janelle. To find out more concerning this concert visit www.ashokan.org

• • Jim and Liz Beloff in Concert

Date:-he concert has been slated to hold on Friday, February 24
Time:-TBD
Location:– Congregational church 1009 Main St., Branford, CT.

This particular Ukulele Concert is actually a fundraising concert in which the artists Liz and Belof would perform. T at First The concert is to be a fundraiser for the annual Alice Collins Memorial scholarship. The general ticket price for the public is $15. For more information, you can reach the organizers on 203-488-3088.

• • Ukulele Festival Hawaii

Date:-The event has been scheduled to hold on Sunday, July 26
Time:– 10.30 am to 5 pm
Location:–

This year 2017 marks the 47th anniversary of the famous Ukulele festival Hawaii. The most interesting thing about this concert is that admissions are going to be free. The exact venue for the concert is at the Kapiolani Park Bandstand in Waikiki. It is one of the largest Ukulele events in the world. For more information visit www.ukulelefestivalhawaii.org

• • Palm-Strings Ukulele Festival III.

Date:– Scheduled to hold from the 23rd of February to the 25th.
Time:– Starts 13:00 Fabruary 23rd, end 20:00 on February 25th.
Location:-Palm Strings

It is an expanded Ukulele festival that would attract a wide array of ukulele players in the country. The show will begin on the 23rd with plenty of unique workshops that can hardly be matched anywhere else. There is also going to be a poolside and a kickoff party depending on the weather that day. In the hot summer month fleas might be an issue so make sure you have your ultrasonic pest repeller close by.
In addition, there is going to be a Saturday night performance by notable Ukulele players such as Victoria Vox and friends. Other stars like James Hill & Anne Janelle would also perform at the event. For more information follow this link: www.ukulele.cafe/palmstrings17

• • The Utah Ukulele festival

Date:– This year’s Ukulele festival has been scheduled to hold on August 5th.
Time:– 10am-9pm.
Location:-Willow Park 450 W 700s in Logan, Utah

For further information on this event please visit www.utahukefest.com

The fourth album by essence was produced in a grassroots way, her first album funded solely on the support of her fans on Kickstarter. ?A Dog Named Moo? is a collection of heartfelt songs as a gift of love for her son Rhys, who has been enjoying these lighthearted, humorous tunes his mom?s been singing to him since he was born.

?I never set out to make a kid?s record,? essence explains. ?It was the furthest thing from my mind but when I had my son Rhys ? I needed to find creative ways to engage him in everyday events like taking baths, getting dressed, or wearing a seat belt. For awhile I was making up little ditties and then one day it dawned on me that these were real songs that other kids would enjoy too. At first I was horrified because I wanted to make rock ?n? roll music, but what I realized is that I am a songwriter who writes about life and becoming a mom has been the most profound experience ? it has changed me forever. I find great satisfaction in capturing the joy I was experiencing with my son in songs. Then everything became a song!?

essence proved that making a popular album does not require a record label or a huge outlay of her own money. Through Kickstarter she reached out to her community asking if they would help fund her project. With the support of her friends and fans she was able to raise twenty thousand dollars allowing this project to be realized. Most songs were co-written by Jeffrey Pease with illustrations by Alex Conn. The banjo, ukulele, guitars, upright bass and drums were played by instrumental extraordinaire and producer, Daniel Berkman. essence credits her management consultant Dick Wingate (Bruce Springsteen, Aimee Mann, Elvis Costello) and her ultimate inspiration, her son.

About essence: Billboard Magazine describes essence as ?a singer, who, like Madonna, isn?t afraid to take musical chances.? A sixth generation San Francisco native, her parents were quintessential flower children from Haight-Ashbury, hence her name spelled with a lowercase e. She traveled extensively, lived in Africa and Europe and went to 14 schools before fifth grade. Upon graduating from college, essence signed to a division of MCA Records. In 1998, she won The National Lilith Fair Talent Search (5,000 entries). essence was then signed to RCA records for three years and worked with producer Bill Bottrell (Michael Jackson, Sheryl Crow). With producer Garth May, she completed her critically acclaimed ?Mariposa? record. Subsequently she signed with Or Music (Los Lonely Boys, Matisyahu) out of Manhattan. essence produced ?Feels Like The Future? independently in 2009 which lead to winning the grand prize for the Great American Song Contest (15,000 entries), and second place in the International Song Writing Contest (2010). The title track was prominently featured on ?Access Hollywood,? and several songs played live and recorded on the nationally syndicated ?Art of the Song? (240 NPR affiliated stations).

essence has opened for Jason Mraz, Shawn Colvin, Tom Petty, Sarah McLachlan, Natalie Merchant, Chrissie Hynde, Steve Miller, Linda Perry and the Indigo Girls. essence?s voice and style has been compared to Jewel, Alanis Morrisette, Tori Amos and Imogen Heap. Her key inspirations are Patty Griffin, Emmylou Harris, Joni Mitchell and Willie Nelson. More information about essence can be found at http://www.essencemusic.com

Celebs who play the ukulele? These videos include celebs playing the uke from around the world who are contributing to the popularity surge that’s happening in the ukulele world. We did some research to bring you the top 10 celeb uke players of all time. So without further ado here are our top 10:

• Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson – Ukulele – What A Wonderful World

• Adam Sandler – Grow Old With You (Ukulele Cover)

• William H. Macy singing and playing uke on Oprah

• Marilyn Monroe – Runnin’ Wild

• Jack Johnson on Ukulele “Never Fade”

• Liam Stone plays Elvis Presley Medley at Austin Ukulele Society

• Blue Hawaii – Elvis Presley – Can’t Help Falling In Love

• Blue Red and Grey – Pete Townshend

• Taylor Swift – Fearless on the Ukulele

• Ryan Gosling- Blue Valentine Ukulele Dance Scene