Ukuleles

Lately, I've noticed a lot more people playing ukuleles. Every time I go to the music shop, there seems to be more ukuleles on the wall, some of them with price tags of over $300. Martin now carries 6 different uke models, the most expensive being this one at $5449 (the cheapest still being a hefty $469). Ive even noticed more people posting covers of songs done on ukulele, including this cute little fella whose already got over 5 million views.



Part of this increase in the amount of people playing ukes is probably the simplicity (not to take away from this kid, hes good!). The line between toy and instrument can be fairly small sometimes. My ukulele is made by a company called Mahalo that outsources from China, and it cost me 30 bucks. It can barely hold a tune and the frets aren't properly aligned, making it impossible to play with other musicians and it generally just sounds crappy. But for some reason, I find myself playing it alone more than I play my guitar lately!

Part of the reason I love my uke so much is because I had a friend in Fine Arts do some artwork with sharpies on it. It's Japanese themed, and looks really cool. Unfortunately, it isn't complete, and I don't think I have the artistic capabilities of finishing it on my own. Here's some pictures:


You can see where it isn't completly finished. Here, theres a small flower almost done, and the beginning of a seahorse.


A dragon wraps around the entire bottom of the uke, with its head on the front with the panda.


Front is the only part completly done.


The koi is really close to being finished, all thats left is colouring in the bulk of it.



Unfortunately, the camera wasn't the greatest and I don't know much about photography, so the pictures don't do the artwork justice. I'm sure you get the jist of it though.

I think it'd be a cool project to paint a bunch of these Mahalo ukuleles for a hobby. Maybe after I take Fundamentals of Drawing next year, my art skills will be good enough to try it out. Happy Holidays!