A beginner playing on an instrument should make a choice, at least, to stick to it for the rest of his life. There’s no doubt many of the world’s best ukulele players enjoy spending their time exploring the many styles of ukulele. But to truly master that instrument, many beginners need to spend countless hours learning to play. As much as they want to play, most of them can’t.
What do I play?
Many beginners play the instrument with a mouthpiece. It’s a simple design, but it does cause issues with wind noise. As one of the hardest-to-acquire ukuleles, the Jazzmaster UIII (in its more upright-and-flexible position), can also be tricky. This instrument has a more comfortable-to-play mouthpiece and a much wider sound range than the upright. For most ukulele styles, this mouthpiece is the way to go for sure.
Some people play with a bass case. Some people play with a bow and a fretless pickup—that’s all for now. For everyone else, there’s the classic guitar player’s dilemma: Do I play with a guitar, or do I play on the ukulele? My personal answer to this question is, “I’ll probably play the guitar.” This has worked well for many, and if you have any reservations, I highly recommend that you experiment with the instrument with both a guitar and ukulele first.
As great as the guitar is, it’s just not as good for beginners. As with everything, learning how to play it is easier said than done. It’s best to stick with the ukulele first, just to begin with, and get some actual practice in.
Why am I playing guitar?
When I was young, it was quite common to come to America and get a guitar for Christmas. Most of the time, there were some great American guitarists—like my father. And, for a kid who had just learned how to play an instrument, it was exciting to be a member of a band for the first time. And for an American kid who had never been in a band before, such opportunities are quite rare.
In the UK, the guitar is often the instrument most admired by British kids. There aren’t the same kinds of American “classical” concerts—just a little less classical. It also helps that there are no British teachers teaching
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