18 April 2022
- Cases & Gigbags • protect that ukulele from nicks and dings.
- Instrument Cables • a good instrument cable really does make a difference.
- Capos • open position chord in other keys.
- Electronic Tuners • Electronic tuners come in two varieties: LED and Strobe..
- Effects Pedals
- Recording Your Ukulele
- Music Notation & Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) Software
- Direct Boxes
- Pre Amps & Pickups
- Acoustic Amplifiers - These are amplifiers specifically optimize for acoustic instruments
These great cartoons and illustrations that are used throughout the site are by Ron Lieshman and available at ToonClipart.com
- Under the Boardwalk —Nina Koocher Films tells a joyful, lyrical, and sometimes poignant story about the biggest ukulele club in the world and the little instrument that makes its hum.
There are a few ukulele specific documentaries available. The most recent is The Mighty Uke from director Tony Coleman of Tiny Goat Films Ltd.
Here are links to a few others:
- Rock That Uke • ROCK THAT UKE is a quirky philosophical cinematic love poem that examines the near mystical allure of the ukulele and the recent wave of alternative and experimental musicians who have taken up the four-stringed underdog of the music world to incorporate it not just into their raucous and irreverent original compositions, but into a counter cultural/post-punk ethos.
- To You Sweetheart, Aloha (PBS documentary about Bill Tapia, Produced by Walking Iris Films)—www.billtapia.com/store.php , Trailer: youtube.com
Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings
Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings is a compelling portrait of an inspiring and inventive musician whose virtuoso skills on the ukulele have transformed all previous notions of the instrument’s potential. Through intimate conversations with Shimabukuro (she-ma-BOO-koo-row), Life on Four Strings reveals the cultural and personal influences that have shaped the man and the musician. On the road from Los Angeles to New York to Japan, the film captures the solitary life on tour: the exhilaration of performance, the wonder of newfound fame, the loneliness of separation from home and family.
Ukulele Themes Movies and Documentaries
Here is a listings of movies from the Ukulele Underground forum:
- Strummers Documentary • Anne O'Neal Films
- Under the Boardwalk: A Ukulele Love Story • Nina Koocher Films —Under the Boardwalk: A Ukulele Love Story tells a joyful, lyrical, and sometimes poignant story about the biggest ukulele club in the world and the little instrument that makes its hum.
- Heart Strings: The Story of the Kamaka 'Ukulele
- ♭ (Vancouver Ukulele Circle Mini Documentary)—vimeo.com/23290994
- The KoAloha Ukulele Story • DVD available directly from KoAloha
- Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings
MIGHTY UKE is a documentary about the 21st Century revival of the ukulele worldwide. MIGHTY UKE travels the world to discover why so many people of different nations, cultures, ages and musical tastes are turning to the ukulele to express themselves, connect with the past, and with each other. From the Redwoods of California through the gritty streets of New York, from swinging London through Tokyo’s highrise canyons to Hawaii, ukers tell the story of the people’s instrument: The Mighty Uke.
The story of Kamaka Ukuleles. Over 100 years, the longest and lone ukulele builder of the original Hawaiin ukulele builders. Of the early Hawaiian manufacturers who were crafting instruments at the start of the 20th century, only one, Kamaka Hawaii, remains in business today. For theirs is a story about age-old values — hard work, fortitude, honesty, and creativity, but through a distinctly Hawaiian point of view — rooted in such concepts as aloha (unconditional love), malama (to serve and care for), and pono (doing what’s right).
Rock That Uke is a funky, curiously philosophical cinematic love poem that examines the near mystical allure of the four-stringed underdog of the musical world and the recent surge of alternative and experimental musicians on the American mainland who have taken up the instrument and incorporated the ukulele not just into their raucous and irreverent original compositions, but into a counter cultural/post-punk ethos.
Anne Davis O'Neal is the Producer/Director of The 'Ukulele Documentary Trilogy. She produces and directs long form documentaries and multi-episode documentary series celebrating the importance of arts education and involvement with the arts at all stages of our lives.
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