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339 posts
Summer Ukulele Course II — report
Tamás GállI held Ukulele Course II on 20 June. It was intended for players who were no longer complete beginners and already had the basic ukulele skills. The goal of Course II was to expand those foundations and, with some insight into music theory, help the chords start to “make sense”. On 20 June 2021 — ju…
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Summer Ukulele Course I — report
Tamás GállDuring the long months of lockdown I received a great many messages from people saying they wanted to attend the next ukulele course. As soon as restrictions began to be lifted, I immediately started organising new courses, and to my great delight enough beginner ukulele players signed up relatively…
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Kai KT-90
Tamás GállI had never had the opportunity to try a maple ukulele before, so I was particularly excited to pick up the tenor-size Kai KT-90. The instrument is beautiful, just as it looks in the photos. The maple grain is a pleasure to look at and, naturally, every KT-90 has its own unique pattern. One distinct…
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Baton Rouge UV11-C-SCR
Tamás GállA few weeks ago I tried an entry-level, concert-size Baton Rouge ukulele made from mahogany. On Baton Rouge's more recent models, special emphasis is often placed on coloring the headstock, and that is also visible on this instrument: The binding is particularly attractive and highlights the outline…
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Ukulele courses in June 2021
Tamás GállUPDATE: both courses have reached the minimum number of participants, so both will definitely go ahead! Dear (Future) Ukulele Players! Since last August's course I have received a great many emails asking when the next course would be held. Because of the restrictions, naturally we could neither org…
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Lanikai ZR-T
Tamás GállI recently had the chance to try a seriously impressive Lanikai: a beautiful tenor-size ukulele made of ziricote. The workmanship is excellent in every detail and the finish is immaculate. Even running your hand along the neck is a pleasure: the wood feels silky and the fret ends are perfectly round…
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The Beatles — Here Comes the Sun
Tamás GállI would like to teach you the intro to a wonderful Beatles song. Here Comes the Sun was released on the Abbey Road album in 1969, so it belongs to the Beatles' later period. And, for anyone who may not know, this one is unusually not a Lennon–McCartney composition: it was written by George Harrison,…
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Interview with Abe Lagrimas Jr.
Tamás GállOpen the English version. / For the English version please click here. I first saw Abe in a YouTube video ten years ago, and I could hardly believe my eyes — or, more importantly, my ears — that such sensational jazz could come out of a ukulele. I remember thinking, “This guy is amazing.” Until a fe…
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Flight DUC-525
Tamás GállI recently had the chance to try a very attractive concert-size ukulele, the Flight DUC-525. The natural colour of the wood is beautiful, and I think the combination of spruce and zebrawood looks excellent. Its top is solid spruce, which gives this ukulele a wonderfully clear, crystalline tone. It c…
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Baton Rouge UV71-T-SAB
Tamás GállI am always excited to pick up a type of ukulele that I rarely have the chance to compare with other examples. More precisely, I do own a resonator ukulele that I genuinely love for its distinctive sound, but I encounter other resonator ukuleles only once in a blue moon. So I was very happy to get t…
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Ben E. King — Stand By Me
Tamás GállI would like to teach you the introduction to a beautiful song. I think everyone knows this wonderful old composition from 1961, associated with Ben E. King. There are said to be around 400 officially released cover versions, including recordings by John Lennon and Tracy Chapman. In case the song do…
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Lanikai MA-CEC
Tamás GállNot long ago I tried theLanikai MA-C , a ukulele made from laminated mahogany. This blog post and video are about the MA-C's electro-acoustic sibling. It differs from the acoustic version through its built-in electronics and cutaway body shape: Although this is also an entry-level ukulele, I can say…
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