Today is the Ukulele’s birthday. It’s the day that the Ravenscragg arrived from Madeira and landed in Honolulu. The story goes that, rejoicing to be off the ship after four weeks, the musicians amongst them began to play their music in celebration. They played a small guitar-like instrument that over the next few years evolved into what we now know as the ukulele.
It was a game changer for Hawaiian music and one of the sounds of Hawaii that we’re just familiar with. It became an iconic symbol of Hawaii in advertising and popular culture and has been adopted across the world, played by virtuosos and hobbyists alike.
The ukulele has been a game changer for the musical lives of many people, including myself. I’d grown up in a musical family and studied music at university, playing a number of instruments, including the guitar and singing but had let that fall by the wayside to some extent. I was having a family dinner with at my parents’ house and it came up that there was a ukulele in a cupboard upstairs. We brought it down and had a little play of it - my brother knew some chords already. It was a battered old thing but I saw something special in it and decided to buy a new one.
And the rest is history. It rekindled my love of performing, songwriting and embracing the challenge of learning new pieces on the instrument. It’s meant that I’ve met loads of interesting and lovely people, all who love the uke. I’ve played at festivals, lovely venues, begun to create an EP (release tbc), won a couple of songwriting competitions and spent countless joyful hours enjoying the cute little instrument.
So the Madeirans gave thanks for the end of a long journey. Today, I’m thankful for their journey and the musical journey that it set so many of us upon.
What’s your ukulele journey?
It was a game changer for Hawaiian music and one of the sounds of Hawaii that we’re just familiar with. It became an iconic symbol of Hawaii in advertising and popular culture and has been adopted across the world, played by virtuosos and hobbyists alike.
The ukulele has been a game changer for the musical lives of many people, including myself. I’d grown up in a musical family and studied music at university, playing a number of instruments, including the guitar and singing but had let that fall by the wayside to some extent. I was having a family dinner with at my parents’ house and it came up that there was a ukulele in a cupboard upstairs. We brought it down and had a little play of it - my brother knew some chords already. It was a battered old thing but I saw something special in it and decided to buy a new one.
And the rest is history. It rekindled my love of performing, songwriting and embracing the challenge of learning new pieces on the instrument. It’s meant that I’ve met loads of interesting and lovely people, all who love the uke. I’ve played at festivals, lovely venues, begun to create an EP (release tbc), won a couple of songwriting competitions and spent countless joyful hours enjoying the cute little instrument.
So the Madeirans gave thanks for the end of a long journey. Today, I’m thankful for their journey and the musical journey that it set so many of us upon.
What’s your ukulele journey?
RSS Feed
