What is it about the little ukulele that enchants us so? Maybe it’s because it’s so easy to learn. Maybe it’s the sweet silly sound. Maybe it’s the myth (not true) that you can’t play the blues on the uke. I credit a lot of the charm to my fellow players who, it seems, are consistently kind, funny, welcoming, and bring their general good cheer every single time we get together. It’s almost cultish, the way this four stringed modest little instrument, once placed in your hands, will change your life.
Take the case of our friend Swanee here. Swanee dropped in six months back because he’d heard about SUPA and wanted to check it out. The don of ukulele, the guy who sets you up with the first one for free, Uncle Rod, put a spare uke in Swanee’s hands. Swanee”s never looked back – and he’s enlisting his own family members in the Cult of the Four Stringed Angel.
Yesterday, on the anniversary of his six months of playing with SUPA, Swanee took the mic and played a delightful rendition of “When you wish upon a star” – fancy chord transitions and all. He was great, actually. A little nervous, but check it out – six months he’s been playing, that’s all, and there he is, up in front of the room, playing and singing like he’s never been without a ukulele. He admits to owning multiple ukes now – making me feel not so bad about my collection – and he’s got a fancy one on order. Why not?
Okay, okay, maybe this all seems really silly to you non-uke players. But it’s enchanting to spend the afternoon playing old songs, singing – sometimes off key, making hokey jokes, visiting with folks who I’d never meet in my lefty techno-urban enclave, and seeing guys like Swanee pick up the uke and play like they’ve been at it all their lives. Now that I’m starting to face east, I realize how much I’m going to miss these afternoons over the winter while I’m in Austria.