All blog posts
339 posts
Kala vs Kala
Tamás GállI am going to squeeze one last post out of these two wonderful Kala tenor ukuleles. In the previous entries I tried to describe and explain the most important features of Kala's two masterpieces, and naturally I played them a little in the videos as well. The best way to compare their sounds is to p…
Read more
Christmas + Downloads — Reloaded
Tamás GállChristmas is slowly approaching, which is good news for us ukulele players in several ways. For me, the most joyful moment is when I get to perform Mennyből az angyal, Kiskarácsony, nagykarácsony or Silent Night for the family for the fifty-seventh time (because naturally they occasionally need prac…
Read more
Four Strings, Five Years
Tamás GállDear Ukulele Players! Please allow me a little nostalgia in this year's final blog post, because exactly five years ago, on 30 December 2010, the Hungaria Ukulele Blog was launched. Happy fifth birthday! :) :) Five years may not be long enough for truly monumental nostalgia, but it is still a milest…
Read more
The Four-Neck Ukulele
Tamás GállHow many times have we been playing something on a soprano ukulele and thought, wow, this would sound great on a baritone? At least twice, surely. :) But we have probably often entertained the thought of trying another size, or wished it were possible to have several different sizes of ukulele withi…
Read more
The baritone ukulele I.
Tamás GállThe baritone ukulele has probably been the most neglected ukulele category on the blog so far. I can finally fill that gap because I recently had yet another birthday (I stopped counting some time ago), when my family surprised me with a wonderful, custom-made ukulele. A baritone, no less. I had tri…
Read more
Chord progressions
Tamás GállBeginners and advanced players alike often ask the same question: what should I practise, and where do I go from here? More experienced players may find it easier to come up with ideas, but beginners who are still discovering the mysteries of chords can easily get stuck. I found a very useful little…
Read more
Odds and Evens
Tamás GállIn an earlier post (All the Way, Boys!) I already wrote enthusiastically about how completely the films of Bud Spencer and Terence Hill captivated me as a child. Only recently did I realise that, alongside the obvious jokes, their films are full of subtle absurdities that viewers may or may not noti…
Read more
Odds and Evens – How to play it
Tamás GállNot long ago I devoted a longer post to the theme song from the film Odds and Evens. This one will be shorter, because I explain everything in the video. So if you would like to learn how to play Brotherly Love in the way shown in the previous post, practise patiently and persistently; I will try to…
Read more
The baritone ukulele II.
Tamás GállI warmly recommend the first postabout the baritone ukulele. If you have not read it, it may be worth starting there. Now I will continue the thoughts begun in that post, share a few more details about this wonderful instrument, and I have also made a ten-minute video. The instrument's specification…
Read more
The 8,000-forint Chinese ukulele
Tamás GállA few months ago an interesting email arrived in my ukulele inbox. It was written by none other than mrgergoke, who runs an extremely interesting blog called the “RendeljKínait Blog”. The message surprised me because that blog normally deals with electronic gadgets. Yet this particular email was abo…
Read more
Ukulele Christmas
Tamás GállI received a kind request from Ben, who devotes his life to playing the ukulele and travelling . He has just made a Christmas ukulele album and asked me to write my opinion of it. I was happy to oblige. He sent me the album as a Christmas present, I listened to it, and I can say nothing but good thi…
Read more
I'm Into Something Good
Tamás GállIt has been a very long time since I made a “play-the-chords-along-with-me” video, but I have now recorded several songs. The first one I would like to show you is the old Herman's Hermits hit, accompanied by ukulele – or, more precisely, banjolele. This is excellent practice for beginners who are w…
Read more