Ukulele: Strings of Happiness

Music, an art form whose medium is sound, is a part of our life in which we can express different kinds of feelings. If we talk about music, we soon find ourselves talk-ing about musical instruments. Many instruments produce beautiful harmony. Violin, guitar, cello, harp, etc. are common string instruments found in orchestras. Nowadays, we even see ukuleles inside concert halls and outdoors. Ukulele is called the “Hawaiian’s happy instrument,” and was brought there by Portuguese immigrants. This instrument is easily played by everyone, and makes a contribution to both players and society.

The instrument was creatively modified from the older Machete de Braga. Machete was brought to Hawaii by Portu-guese immigrants in 1879. It was introduced and played pub-licly for the first time by Joao Fernandez in Hawaii. His perfor-mance surprised and delighted the dockside natives. Moreo-ver, after King David Kealakekua became a ukulele player, the instrument was immediately accepted in the royal family. After that, ukulele rapidly became popular among the natives and became a National Hawaiian instru-ment.

In the early 1900’s ukulele mass production was started in Ha-waii, and spread to the whole world. There are some reasons why uku-lele became a worldwide instrument. One reason is infectious songs like “Somewhere over the Rainbow”, “I’m Yours”, and “Hey, Soul Sis-ter.” Likewise some famous celebrities such as George Harrison, George Clooney, Taylor Swift, and Steven Tyler promote the ukulele to the world. Jake Shimabukuro can make one ukulele sound like an or-chestra. The ukulele orchestra of Great Britain group brings the ukulele from the beach to the concert hall. Another reason ukulele stays popu-lar is that it is affordable, portable, versatile, and easy to learn.

Here is how to learn basic ukulele skills. First, learn how to hold ukulele in the correct and comfortable way. In a sitting position, let the body of the ukulele rest on one leg, let the ukulele neck float in the air, and rest your strumming arm on top of the ukulele. When you are stand-ing, hold it loosely against your chest and keep it there with your strumming arm. By regularly practicing the standing position, you will be learn to play ukulele well even while walking around. Second, check the tune of ukulele. The open strings of the ukulele are as follows: G: the 4th string (most to the left on the fret board), followed by C, E, and A. Next, learn the basic chords, such majors and minors, then go on to learn other chords. Good resources are UkuChords and Chord Library. Fourth, learn how to strum correctly. Make your strumming hand into a loose first, hold the ukulele in front of the center of your chest and slant the neck up-ward to the left (If you are right handed). Then, start with simple up-and-down strumming with the index finger of your right hand, fingernail side down, and use your wrist, not your whole arm. Strum downward by hitting the strings with your nail, then strum upward with the fleshy tip of your finger. After that, you can add some slapping, palm muting, and other strumming patterns. Fifth, try changing between chords while strumming. Start out strumming slowly, so that you can’t possibly make a mistake. Then, start with slow and easy songs that have easy chords and not too many of them. Gradually speed up and try more diffi-cult songs. Next, record yourself playing and listen to it, so that you can know what mistakes which you made, and how you can improve. Finally, play along and listen to ukulele players. Now, you can confident-ly bring along your ukulele and jam with your friends. If you can’t find a ukulele playing friend, just start your computer, go online, and watch ukulele videos where you can play along.

Playing ukulele is not limited to expressing yourself, im-pressing friends, or just having fun but it elevates both your brain and your society. Neuroscientist Sarah Wilson says that when we listen to music, fireworks go off in our brains. Howev-er, when we actually play a musical instrument, the fireworks become a full-blown celebration. So playing ukulele and other instruments is a “workout” for your whole brain which increas-es the volume and activity in the brain’s corpus callosum, the bridge between the two hemispheres, allowing messages to get across the brain faster and through more diverse routes. This “brain workout” also has an impact on your memory systems, and enhances memory functions. Creating, storing and retrieving memories more quick-ly and efficiently. Besides that, playing ukulele also inspires communi-ties. Jam ukulele groups are everywhere such as hospitals, schools, boardrooms and senior’s homes, where they facilitate healing, connec-tion and empathy of others. Ukulele also brings together diverse commu-nities to promote a life of peace like the New Zealand “Ukulele and Peace Academy” Israel’s “Ukuleles for Peace.” The latter facilitates daily contact between Jews and Arabs and builds friendship and trust.

Playing a ukulele, which used to be known as just a Hawaiian instrument, is easy and brings big benefits to yourself and your community. So, now it is time for you to buy and study your ukulele and spread a happy melody to your surroundings.