CAN YOU UKULELE?

Thames Star, Volume LX, Issue 16960, 6 December 1926, Page 7

CAN YOU UKULELE?

MUSIC LEARNED INj’ A WEEK

Two travellers in sunny Hawaii about fifty years ago reported that

professional musicians there- are distinguished by a yellow or orange wreath worn round tho neck. This is called a “lei,” meaning “friendship”

whilst the sweet and mellow instrument they play, shaped like a small guitar and about 20in. lon, is a ukulele

(pronounced u-kul-lay-lay). “Five years ago,” said a leading importer of these instruments, "the number of 'ukuleles in Britain could ba counted on the fingers. To-day the number runs into millions, and twice .as many are being sold as six months ago.” ( The word ukulele means "bouncing

flea.” It was suggested by the way the Hawaiians play their national instrument with a skipping movement of the fingers across the strings. Jenuino Hawaiian models are made of “koa” wood and have four catgut and silk strings, ■ usually tuned to the notes A, D, F sharp and B. Kamiki is the best known native maker, and in Britain these genuine ukuleles are worth £3 to £7/10/- each.

Most of the ukuleles sold are imported from 'Germany, and Spain. Good models of this class can be purchased from 25/- to 42/-, but cheaper instruments, for the learner, are obtainable from 7/6 upwards. ' “You can learn to play a ukulele ■properly in a week!” said the importer. “It is used chiefly for vamping to songs, and most popular music nowadays shows the ukulele accompaniment over the melody notes of the music.

“Billy Merson, Lupino Lane, the Dolly Sisters, Jack Hylton and his famous band, and many others have assisted to make the ukulele popular. The Prince of Wales plays an instrument similar to a ukulele and took it with him on his recent tour.

“Many students of the London hospital' are clever players of the ukulele. It is said that a small party of them were standing in Regent Street not long ago at two o’clock in tre morning enjoying a ‘ragged’ concerted item. A passing policeman merely smiled. “Ukulele music is not written on the usual five lines. Instead, tiny liagrams consisting of half a dozen or so small squares are shown at the places where the ukulele should play. In these squares are several dots which indicate to the player where to press the strings to give the correct notes. This novel departure makes the instrument extremely easy to learn and play. “Enterprising publishers are now proproducing books of music for the ukulele alone. Some of the most popular pieces of the day have been written expressly for this instrument. An enthusiastic ukulele player came into the shop a few weeks ago and asked whether we could supply the music of ►rone of Beethoven’s sonatas adapted to

the ukulele! i “The ukulele’s spell of popularity has given a new lease of life to the banjo, which, twenty years ago, was the most popular instrument of the day. Then it gradually dropped out of favour, but Is now coming back again, although it has a formidable rival in a recent innovation called the ukulele banjo, which is as easy to play as a ukulele but gives the characteristic banjo tone. These instruments, which are chiefly British made, cost from 25/- upwards.”