Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18mm, f/5, 1/70 sec, ISO3200 “Practicing Ukulele” Cedar Park, 2022
I’m enjoying practicing a couple of new songs from my Studio Ghibli ukulele book: Princess Mononoke Theme and The Legend of Ashitaka. I figured the themes of the two stars of Mononoke Hime would be fun to learn. Plus I think they are really cool songs!
With my morning Twitch livestreams, I often will practice ukulele on my 10-minute breaks, and just this small bit of consistency has made a noticeable difference in my playing. It’s like a little bit of magic! Who knew practice would improve my ukulele playing? 😜
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/3.2, 1/100 sec, ISO640 “Low G” Cedar Park, 2022
I’ve started learning a new song on the ukulele which requires reaching the 13th fret, which my soprano ukuleles do not have. But that’s fine because I have a Kala concert ukulele which I am enjoying playing the most these days. However, the song arrangement works with a low-G (one octave lower than the standard G), so I had to buy a single string to change it. I’m all set now!
Of course, the only problem is what to do when I need that 13th fret for the song I know that requires a standard-G? Perhaps a new concert-sized ukulele? 😄
Anyways, the new song I am working on is “Loyal Brave True” from the movie Mulan. I think it’s a great song, and sounds nice on ukulele. The coolest part (and most fun to play) is when the word “loyal” is sung. I love it!
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/100 sec, ISO2000 “Martin Ukulele Strings” Cedar Park, 2021
I got some new strings for my concert ukulele and they sound fabulous! I don’t have a very discerning ear, but I can tell that these Martin M600 fluorocarbon strings are a bit brighter than the Aquila strings that came with the ukulele originally. For only about US$6, it doesn’t cost much to give new strings a try, so why not? And these are sort of clear which makes my ukulele collection a little more varied. Fun fun fun!
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/60 sec, ISO500 “Ukulele Morning” Cedar Park, 2021
I’ve been playing my ukuleles a lot lately and have learned a new song: ひこうき雲. This song is by Yumi Arai and was recently featured in the Studio Ghibli film The Wind Rises. It’s a sad and beautiful song.
So now that I have memorized it, I can concentrate on playing it cleanly, which is very difficult for me. But that applies to all the songs I’ve learned! 😂
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/11, 5 sec, ISO400 “Soprano and Concert Sizes” Cedar Park, 2020
My new Kala KA-C Concert Ukulele arrived, and I couldn’t be more satisfied with it! I knew that the mahogany wood and cream binding would be the same as my Kala pineapple ukulele (which I love), but I was not expecting the metal tuning knobs to feel so nice, and the sealed gears were completely unexpected. Also, the new ukulele comes with a peg to attach a strap… a welcome surprise! I attached a fabric ribbon that I had saved from some packaging and it matches the cream-colored binding perfectly.
Like other Kala ukuleles, this one comes with Aquila Super-Nylgut strings which are good quality so I will not have to replace them. It’s fun to go through the new ukulele tuning process which can take several days as the new strings stretch out. I noticed that Kala included a note in the box to explain that it could take a few week or so to hold tune… I’m sure many ukulele beginners aren’t aware of this and might think they got a poor-quality ukulele, which isn’t the case. I bet this little note prevents many potential bad reviews or calls to customer service. 😀
Anyways, the ukulele sounds wonderful. The longer neck and more widely-spaced frets force me to stretch my fingers a bit more. With my small hands, it’s more challenging to play the concert size vs soprano size, but when I switch back to the smaller ukulele, it’s a lot easier! I suppose it’s like when baseball batters put the donut weight on their bats while warming up in the on-deck circle. When they go up to bat without the donut, the bat must feel super-light.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/25 sec, ISO800 “Soprano and Concert Sizes” Cedar Park, 2020
I knew the soprano size fits me much better, but I wanted the concert size so I could play the notes higher up on the fretboard that the the soprano ukulele’s smaller fretboard cannot provide. The sound that the concert-size ukulele is supposed to be louder and fuller, and I’m sure that’s the case, but honestly my ears can’t tell that drastic a difference between that and the smaller ukulele.
Overall, I’m very pleased with the Kala KA-C Concert Ukulele. It’s certainly an upgrade over my old Hilo brand concert ukulele, and a great addition to my ukulele collection, which is now dominated by the three Kala ukuleles.
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO1600 “Kala Concert Ukulele” Cedar Park, 2020
Here’s a bonus photo of the cats enjoying the shape of the ukulele box:
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.8, 1/40 sec, ISO3200 “In the Boxes” Cedar Park, 2020
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