After so many years of being the laughing stock of the music industry, the Ukulele is back in style and it is more popular than ever! This miraculous rejuvenation has come about thanks to “Youtube” videos, movie soundtracks and popular artists playing this pint sized wanna-be guitar.

One of the biggest Ukulele ambassadors of recent times would have to be the Hawaiian born native, Jake Shimabukuro. I had the absolute honour of witnessing Jake perform at the Byron Bay Bluesfest last year and it was nothing short of jaw dropping! He attributes his current commercial success solely to Youtube, without this viral medium he would’ve never have been discovered. At last count his cover version of George Harrison’s “While my guitar gently weeps” has had 2,520,430 views worldwide! Jake lists Eddie Van Halen, George Harrison, Yngwie Malmsteen, Bruce Lee and Carlos Santana as his major musical influences, fortunately Tiny Tim failed to make the list.

Jake can’t take all the credit for the Ukulele’s recent revival, there are many more artists and personalities touting the wonders of this four-stringed beauty. Warren Buffet is not only America’s richest man, he is also a heavily devoted Ukulele player. Popular musician Jack Johnson regularly has a Ukulele at the helm for both live and studio duties. Another great ambassador is the Youtube sub-channel, Uketoob. This channel is solely dedicated to all things Ukulele and a great resource for Ukulele related video clips.

I personally love the Ukulele, mainly because it was the very first instrument I was able to play that sounded half decent! I started out by learning the chords to songs like “Little Brown Jug” and “Oh Susanna”. It was immensely enjoyable at the time and to this day it still brings back fond memories of my childhood. The Ukulele was my very first step into the wonderful world of music, and at that time I never dreamed that music would eventually become my profession! Moving from the Ukulele to the guitar was a very natural progression, the biggest difference was really just the two extra strings. Many of the Ukuklele chord shapes are very similar the standard guitar chords.

In my job as a guitar player, guitar teacher & guitar salesman, I am often asked what the ideal age is for a child to begin learning the guitar. In my professional experience I would highly recommend that all children seven years and under begin with the Ukulele. After at least two years of regular Ukulele practice they should be at a suitable age and skill level to handle the guitar. Stepping from the Ukulele to a 1/2 or 3/4 size guitar would be the best option, as a full-size instrument will be far too large and awkward for a small child to hold.

The bottom line is this…the Ukulele is not a toy! It is a serious instrument with which you can hone both your practical and theoretical music skills. I am forever grateful to Youtube and Jake for bringing back some credibility to this long lost musical treasure. For all you naysayers out there, do us a favour and check out some of Youtube’s more popular Ukulele video clips and maybe you will also see the light!!!

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