Tag: ukulele

Goodies from Japan and Ghibli Songbook for Ukulele

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/125 sec, ISO1250
 “Goodies from Japan” Cedar Park, 2019

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Today’s photos is of the omiyage that Mariko brought for me from her visit to her hometown of Osaka. It’s a bit of a mix this time, with a wash-cloth that I’ve been mentioning for a few months now, the big bottle of shochu that we’ll enjoy together, and the unexpected darumas (very cool style!).

But the pièce de résistance has to be the ukulele songbook of Ghibli tunes. It’s awesome! The first part of the book is finger-style solos, and the second part is chords and lyrics. I can’t sing, so you might think the second part is not useful, but to the contrary, having the chords right there will be great for referencing when I practice the finger-style versions. And speaking of the finger-style versions, they are the right level for me. The arrangement is not too simple and not too complex. However, I think there will be room to embellish a bit which is why the chords in the second half of the book will be useful. The songbook also includes a CD for reference. I’ve already started on ひこうき雲, which is the heart-breaking (lyrics) 1973 song from Arai Yumi and used as the ending song in The Wind Rises. It’s kind of perfect for the movie. 😭

またね～

New Strings for the Pineapple Ukulele

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/40 sec, ISO6400
 “New Strings” Cedar Park, 2019

Tonight I replaced the strings that came with my Kala Pineapple Ukulele with some Aquila New Nylgut strings. The original strings were supposedly the “Super Nylgut”, but who knows? So I decided to go ahead and try the other strings. They sound great, but I honestly don’t know if they make that much of a difference. They do seem a little firmer, louder, but squeaky. I think the squeak will go away after they pick up some oils from my fingers, but I do like the overall sound. And knowing that they are, in fact, Aquila strings make me feel good too.

I hope you had a good day!

またね～

Ukulele Watercolor

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"Ukulele Watercolor" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/125 sec, ISO1250
 “Ukulele Watercolor” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Tonight I did a little watercolor of my pineapple ukulele. And by little, I mean A5 size. You see, since I switched to the A5-sized binder, I’ve been waiting for the special Carl 20-hole punch to arrive so that I can add any kind of paper to the binder without using tape or glue. I am excited to be able to add watercolor paper at A5 size, or actually any size A5 or smaller.

So tonight I created this on a hand-cut piece of watercolor paper, then used the new hole-punch, and added it to the binder. I think it is going to work out nicely!

I hope you had a nice day!

またね～

"Watercolor Set" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/125 sec, ISO5000
 “Watercolor Set” Cedar Park, 2018
"Art Binder" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/125 sec, ISO1600
 “Art Binder” Cedar Park, 2018

Ukulele Blues

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"Morning Ukulele" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.5, 1/150 sec, ISO200
 “Morning Ukulele” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

I’ve been practicing ukulele quite a bit lately, but my fretting wrist hurts a lot. I think it’s a combination of two things. First, my wrist when I play ukulele is at an awkward angle and thus causing unnecessary strain on my muscles and other connective bits (tendons?). Secondly, the watchband that I switched to a couple of months ago may have been too tight and restricted movement. It’s odd, but because the watchband is so comfortable I don’t realize that I’ve been wearing it too tightly.

But I really need to work on holding the ukulele in the correct position, with wrist straight and bending my fingertips more. When I use this technique, there’s no pain, but once I go back to bending my wrist a lot, I can feel it hurting.

Anyways, I’ve been learning City of Stars from LA LA LAND, and also Sleepwalk by Santo and Johnny. They are both really fun! And I’ve been recording my practices on my phone, but the quality is pretty bad… both my playing and the video. But it’s a fun experience.

I hope you had a nice Sunday!

またね～