Strum Your Way to a Sunny Day: It's Easy to Learn the Ukulele

Strum Your Way to a Sunny Day: It’s Easy to Learn the Ukulele

So you have run out of videos to watch, books to read, friends to text and new recipes to cook. May I suggest discovering the ukulele? Learning how to play this simple stringed instrument may make the corona lockdown all seem worthwhile.

Al Sacharov

May 2, 2020

ukulele

So you have run out of videos to watch, books to read, friends to text and new recipes to cook. May I suggest discovering the ukulele?

Learning how to play this simple stringed instrument may make the corona lockdown all seem worthwhile. You can actually learn the necessary chords and play your first song within 30 minutes. Yep, I’m not kidding. What makes the uke so easy to learn is that it has only four strings, which neatly correspond to your four fingers. No complicated bending or stretching is necessary. YouTube is full of tutorials to get you started and then expand your repertoire from simple campfire songs to blues, jazz and classical pieces. Anybody doubting its range need only listen to the current master Jake Shimabakura perform Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

The most common ukes to choose from are soprano, concert,tenor and baritone. They refer to the respective sizes, with the soprano coming most to mind since it shows up in old movies and Hawaiian travel posters. If you have slender fingers, the soprano frets are ideal. The remaining ukes have larger frets to accommodate thicker fingers. Personally I have a baritone ukulele since it best fits my finger size and voice. It resembles a small guitar.

After getting familiar with the tones and pitches that each uke style produces, it is possible to order a uke online. But for a first model, I suggest visiting a music store such as Acoustic Music, 857 East 400 South. They have a large selection and a knowledgeable staff to assist new players. A uke that sounds great and will provide years of happiness can be had for less than $100. When it finally opens, it is also possible to check out a ukulele from the Salt Lake Public Library. But beware – once you get hooked on the instrument you will always have your eye open for the next bright shiny thing.

A uke player creates more than just music. One becomes an ambassador of peace. The small size makes it more convenient than a guitar to take on trips.I took a tenor with me to Spain and had a drunken international chorus singing YMCA while flailing the arm gestures. Outside of a barroom, kids also love the uke since it is something they can play.

So enough reading already. You got the idea. Acquire your ukulele and start playing. It will bring a touch of Hawaii to a cooped up apartment.

Fun Guide, Healthy Utah

Al Sacharov

Al Sacharov, seasoned journalist, worked as an English writing teacher in New York after working at three newspapers including the Pittsburgh Press. Al has published four books and written plays. Wandering into the Utah Stories office in 2012, he asked, “How can I help?” Al began writing and has been editing for Utah Stories since then, including for a time from Peru. He is currently writing a memoir, “Gringito: My Life in Peru.”

Education

Utah Farm Animal Rescue: Sixteen Years of Saving Abused Animals

For sixteen years, a small ranch in West Jordan has given abused farm animals a place to recover and start over. Horses, alpacas, goats, and countless others arrive in rough shape, but with steady care they regain trust and health. What began as one man’s effort to stop animals from being put down has grown into a rescue that also helps people who need a purpose or a place to feel connected.
Fun Guide

Cold Case Ice Cream: Utah-Made Mystery

Cold Case Ice Cream is delivering more than dessert. With high-butterfat, inclusion-packed flavors and a built-in mystery game inside every six-pack, the Utah-born company is gaining national attention and gearing up for major production growth.
Fun Guide

The Real Jurassic Park? Moab, Utah Is America’s Dinosaur Land

Moab, Utah offers one of the most remarkable windows into prehistoric life, with landscapes that still carry the footprints, fossils, and stories of ancient giants. At Moab Giants, visitors step into a world where dinosaurs once ruled, exploring life-sized replicas, interactive exhibits, and the science that brings their history to life.
Members Only

Chronic Disease in America: Treating Too Late, Prescribing Too Much

Every January, Americans reflect on the year behind them and draft a familiar list of resolutions. Eat better. Lose weight. Exercise more. Reduce stress. These intentions recur not because people lack discipline, but because the underlying health conditions driving them persist.

Despite unprecedented medical spending and pharmaceutical access, the United States remains chronically unhealthy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 76 percent of US adults live with at least one chronic condition, and over 51 percent live with two or more. The most prevalent conditions are well documented. Heart disease remains the leading cause of death, accounting for 680,981 deaths in 2023, while obesity affects more than 40 percent of US adults. Diabetes impacts 38.4 million Americans, and nearly half of adults have hypertension, a major contributor to stroke, kidney failure, and heart disease.

Treatment typically begins once disease is clinically apparent, and often relies on pharmaceuticals. Over time, this approach can lead to polypharmacy, the use of five or more medications. Patients with chronic illness frequently average two to four comorbidities, each managed independently, increasing the likelihood that side effects from one medication require another.

To access this post, you must purchase Utah Stories (Digital + Print) or 3 month free trial (Digital).