UkeTalk

[LazyRiver]

Just curious: I can speculate as well as anyone (I think) about what instruments go well in combo with the uke, but I'm wondering what people's specific experiences are. Also, the number of instruments involved could be a factor as well. For example, the video clips of the Vermont Ukulele Society show a string bass accompanying six or seven ukesters. Looks like a good idea, but one that probably wouldn't work if there were just one of each.

Obvious chamber combos (ie, one to one or thereabouts) might be uke plus recorder or harmonica or tin whistle or ocarina or percussion. What are your experiences?
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Lazy River Uke blog
www.lazyriveruke.blogspot.com

[Mattman]

Once played with a percussionist who played his
drumkit with brushes and soft mallets- worked very nicely.
Later we played again- I played uke, he played Vibraphone!
Uke & Vibraphone combo worked really well together.
The times I've played played in a group with electric guitar,
electric bass guitar & drums I needed to borrow a friend's uke
which had an under-saddle transducer and could be played through
an amp- the only way I could be heard in that group!
Two or three ukes strummed on the porch at sundown in the
summertime while enjoying a beer works well, too.
After hearing some of Howlin' Hobbit's recordings, I very much want to
jam with a tuba player- the extreme high-end/low-end contrast really
appeals to me.

Just some random thoughts on the subject...

Cheers,
-Mattman
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Ukulele makes me happy!

[LazyRiver]

I'm a big fan of the tuba. I have some recordings of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Alan Jaffee does a great job with tuba playing a walking bass. It's a loud instrument, of course, so either amplified or multiple ukes are needed.

Amplification is the great equalizer these days, though I confess to knowing next to nothing about it.
_________________
Lazy River Uke blog
www.lazyriveruke.blogspot.com

[Mattman]

I'd rather avoid amplification in most situations, myself.
I suppose they don't make a mute for the tuba, but I might
be wrong about that. Heck, I'd love to jam with a muted trombone,
too! Often the balance-of-volume problem can be worked-around
by the uke player playing loud and the other instrument(s) keeping
it soft, at least in jamming-at-home situations. In performance
amplification is more often a necessity. And forget about using a
microphone to pick-up your uke- if you play at all "expressively"
as I do, you're gonna knock into the mike making all kinds of noise!
Best to go with a transducer mounted in or on the uke.
Problematic though it sometimes may be, playing uke with other
instruments is a lot of fun.


All The Best,
-Mattman
_________________
Ukulele makes me happy!

[deek]

I have a nice acoustic bass guitar that blends very well with uke. It's a Tacoma CB10 (not their less-expensive Olympia line). It has nice projection but it is not overpowering in a purely acoustic setting. It's always a big hit when I play with other acoustic musicians. Add some light hand percussion and you have the makings of a nice jazz trio.
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Deek

[bassfiddlesteve]