November 2020

What’s in Your Ukulele Case?

BY HEIDI SWEDBERG | PHOTOS BY STEWART DEAN Besides the ukulele, what do you keep zipped away in your case? Your talismans and tools might say more about you than you realize. Attendees and staff at Ashokan Center’s 2018 Uke…

ukulele and typewriter typing The Literary Ukulele

The Literary Ukulele: Rudyard Kipling, Jack London, Agatha Christie, Sinclair Lewis and Others Write About the Uke

While there are no references to the ukulele in Shakespeare or Keats, its recurring role in novels, stories, and poetry is almost as old as the instrument itself.

James Hill’s Uketropolis Raises the Stakes for Online Learning

BY JIM D’VILLE | FROM THE WINTER 2020 ISSUE OF UKULELE Canadian ukulele master James Hill has spent the last year building a community called Uketropolis. You won’t find it in a gazetteer, maybe tucked in before Uruguay and Uzbekistan.…

A Guide to Ukulele Picks and Why You May Want One

Some people swear by them, some people will never use one. For those who are in between, here's a guide to ukulele picks and why you might want to use one.

Uke Makers: Oceana Ukuleles are Crafted with the Spirit (and Materials) of Two Continents

BY AARON KEIM | FROM THE WINTER 2020 ISSUE OF UKULELE One of the best features of the modern ukulele movement is that people are taking back the act of making music. Instead of music being mostly a commercial item…

Beyond Starters: Ukuleles Under $200

There are a few things to consider in this quest, including material, size, tone, and features. Here’s a list of ukuleles under $200 to help narrow your search.

Sylvie Simmons Bounces Back from Injury with a Brilliant Second Album

BY BLAIR JACKSON | FROM THE WINTER 2020 ISSUE OF UKULELE The Sylvie Simmons story is irresistible. A Brit who has spent close to a quarter-century living on the West Coast of the U.S. (at two different times), she established…