OOPS! – Part 2

Ah, I see we're breaking out the inOpportune cOntent rePlacement proceSs. You dun goofed! Again.

I know, but maybe it was a self-sabotage and I just secretly wanted to talk about another of my hobbies.

So, you play the ukulele?

Yes.

I'm sorry.

Wow! That was rude.

You're right. I'm actually sorry now. So do you do anything insufferable like pronounce it "oo-koo-lay-lay?"

You mean . . . the way it's pronounced in the Hawaiian language?

Yeah.

No, I pronounce it "yooka-lay-lee." Anyway, the local Parks Department offers ukulele lessons for ages 12+ at the Senior Center for a pretty reasonable price and I thought it would be a fun thing to learn.  I mostly just play chords to accompany myself singing, and I like to think I've become reasonably okay at that. I'm not particularly good at picking out a melody, so I've got some room to grow there.

Cool. What sort of instrument do you play?

It's a Kala KA-ZCT-T Tenor.

So, what's the difference between a normal ukulele and a tenor?

There are actually several sizes of ukulele, but the soprano, concert, and tenor are all tuned to the same pitches, but have different body sizes. The tenor's a little more mellow, the soprano's a little sweeter, and the concert is a happy medium. There's also a baritone which is tuned like the four highest strings on a guitar.

Okay, well, do you have anything else to say about it?

Nah, check back here next week for one of our normal Thursday features.

Will do.

Links:

Here's a fun video of someone singing the Night Queen's Aria from The Magic Flute while accompanying herself on the ukulele.

And here's a fun video of a marmot singing the Night Queen's Aria, with a little help from an opera singer.