It’s a good job no one pays any attention to a word I say. If they did, they’d realise how often I contradict myself. I change my mind more often than I change my underpants (i.e. about once a week).
I’ve stated a few times that it’s easier for a beginner to play the ukulele rather than the guitar. But is it easier to learn the ukulele than the guitar? I thought I might run with the hypothesis that on this subject, and many others, I’m talking a whole load of fanny-rot.
It’s easier to learn the guitar than the ukulele because…
1) It’s easier to tune: The shorter scale length of the ukulele makes it decidedly tricky to get in tune. A slight tweak of tuner can send it wildly out of tune. Add to that the fact that strings take a couple of weeks to bed down and you’ve got a big problem. If even professional musicians like Amanda Palmer and Stephin Merritt can’t get their ukuleles in tune, what chance has a beginner got?
2) It’s possible to find a teacher: Google results for “guitar teacher” = 316,000. Google results for “ukulele teacher” = 1,480. The best way to learn a new instrument is sitting face to face with someone who is already an expert. It’s much easier to find those people with the guitar.
3) It’s easier to make it sound OK: Guitars naturally have a big sound which is generous to less careful playing. It takes a bit more experience to tease a good sound out of a ukulele. It’s all to easy to smother all the tone out of the poor thing.
4) You don’t have to worry about holding it: Sometimes ukeing standing up is a little like playing whilst juggling a sack of potatoes. And using a strap feels like giving in.
5) They don’t have friction tuners: The friction tuners on beginner level ukuleles are universally awful. I wonder how many people have given up on the ukulele because they couldn’t get the tuners to stick and didn’t realise you could tighten them.
6) It’s easier to find tabs and lessons online: There’s a whole lot more than there used to be. But the uke stuff still doesn’t come close to the amount (and, dare I say, quality) of guitar stuff.
7) You can buy a decent guitar in a shop: Imagine that. Walking into a shop and being able to try a wide range of instruments of playable quality and decide which one you like best. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a shop with more than one ukulele for sale. And I’ve never been in one with more than zero good ukuleles for sale.
8) No one cares what strumming pattern you use on the guitar: In my many years on the dark side, I don’t ever remember anyone discussing any strumming patterns.
9) The strings are in the right order: What the hell kind of sense does re-entrant tuning make anyway?
10) It’s physically possible to play and E chord on the guitar.
Agree? Disagree? Let us know in the comments.
(And, no, this isn’t an April Fools joke).
#1: Pure piffle. Tuning any stringed instrument takes practice. If practice scares you, you need to take up some other hobby. I suggest philately since the post office nearly world-wide is doomed and those little sticky bits of paper are going to soar in value.
#2: Bits of truth in there but lots of good players of both guitar and ukulele never had the benefit of a teacher.
#3: Rubbish. You can sound wretched on either instrument. Believe me on that one, I’ve spent a lot of time at open mikes. Ouch!
#4: Further piffle and for about the same reason as #1. Practice, kids!
#5: A lot of truth in that one.
#6: Since great swathes of the tunes that ukers are playing are from songs posted by guitar players I don’t see a lot of difference here. And the quality level is spotty throughout.
#7: All too true.
#8: Not only true but a major source of LOL for me.
#9: Many early instruments were in re-entrant tuning, including early iterations of guitars. The close voicing one gets with only four strings and tuned that way makes for some easy fingerings for some pretty fancy stuff.
And the E chord? Hmmm… seems somewhere I said something about practice.
There. I took you at your word that this wasn’t an April Fool’s prank. So if it actually is one, all that above pedantry serves you right. :-)