So, you’ve seen Mike Haysom’s article in Issue 27 of UKE Magazine, read through and want to test your knowledge?
Mike has prepared a quiz for you, so you can use the techniques for identifying notes in the article to complete the questions and see how you fare. Try and complete it without looking the notes up on a fretboard diagram!
A video to accompany the Technique Zone, Solo Patterns feature inside UKE Magazine Issue 27, available here: https://worldofukes.co.uk/uke-magazine-shop/uke-magazine-issue-27-september-2001
A run through of the Pachelbel Canon Variations piece inside issue 27 of UKE Magazine, available here: https://worldofukes.co.uk/uke-magazine-shop/uke-magazine-issue-27-september-2001
A playthrough of Choan Gálvez’s piece, Reid’s Waltz, as featured in Issue 27 of UKE Magazine.
To be in with a chance of winning a Fender Montecito tenor ukulele, complete the quiz below by 1 November, 2021.
You need to match the pictures to the brand of ukulele shown. Because it’s quite tricky, if you get one wrong you’ll still be entered into the random draw.
The brands are Ohana, Islander, Snail, Kala, Flight and Millar. Simply complete the form below and put the number on the image next to each brand.
Use the numbers above next to the brands below to enter.
In UKE Magazine Issue 26, you can win a prize of a Lanikai MA-5T tenor ukulele by completing the survey below by 1 August, when one winner will be drawn from the entrants.
The questionnaire comes from ukulele artist Matthew Quilliam, who will anonymously use responses in academic research he is conducting. Matthew is carrying out research into the current tastes and issues that exist within the surge of the ukulele’s popularity and establishing a time line of events. Your input would be really helpful for him in his studies.
In UKE Magazine Issue 26, you can win a bundle of books that were reviewed in the mag by answering the question below by 1 August 2021.
The books in the bundle are Ukulele Advanced (Daniele Vacca), A Flea, Or Not A Flea (Roland Prakken) and Anthropoda, by Tony Mizen. E-mail addresses are only used to contact the winner.
Which of the authors featured in UKE Magazine Issue 26’s Book Reviews wrote the popular work, From Lute to Uke?
A play-through of the piece, Tenderness, from Choan Gálvez’s book, 50 Miniature Studies for Ukulele - one of the tabs in UKE Magazine Issue 26, available here - https://worldofukes.co.uk/uke-magazine-shop/uke-magazine-issue-26-june-2021
To assist with catering at this event, it would be very helpful if you could complete the form below.
If you don’t have any dietary requirements / allergies - please still complete the form. One form for everyone on your booking is fine - you can detail different people’s requirements on one form (e.g. 1 x vegetarian, 1 x none)
If there’s a ukulele showing as available on my website - it’s in stock and ready to order. But, with so many models, and often sporadic supply from manufacturers, there are times when certain models are out of stock.
You can complete the form below and I will get back to you, first with any information on timescales, and then again when the ukulele is available to order again.
Of course, if you change your mind, there’s no obligation to go ahead with a purchase, but it will put you in the picture when the uke you’re looking at is available to order again.
Here is the video to accompany the Technique Zone article in Issue 25, on picking patterns.
You can watch the accompanying video for Issue 25’s article about when to change your ukulele strings, below.
Voting now closed - no further votes can be counted, thank you.
In issue 25 there are a fantastic ten prizes on offer in our competition. To enter, you need to vote in the UKE Magazine Awards with the form below. Entries need to be in by 1 May, 2020.
Please note, only votes from UKE Magazine Readers will be counted. Your name and email address is required to enter, and only those who read the magazine will be entered - any other votes will be discarded.
Your email address won’t be used for anything else other than that verification. The awards are just for a bit of interest and fun, to look at some of our favourite performers and gear, and reflect back on events we’ve enjoyed in the past. As only readers can vote - please don’t share this voting form as it is intended for readers only.
Those nominated (by readers) are listed below.
In issue 25 of UKE Magazine, there’s an arrangement of Hard Times Come Again No More, for Low G ukulele, by Tobias Elof. To help when you give this a go, here’s a video of Tobias playing the tune.
Tobias regularly releases more arrangements, and can offer advice on your own playing, at his patreon site - Tobias Elof Patreon
The Phil Doleman signature soprano ukulele from Millar arrives in December 2020.
I have the prototype here, which I am going to sell and use all the funds received for a charitable donation to Unicef UK. I will take on the shipping cost, anywhere in the world. I’ll be asking for bids using the form below. You just need to let me know how much you’d be prepared to pay for it (it’s regular price is £329, but there’s no reserve price).
I’ll contact the winning bidder on Tuesday 22 December to arrange for payment (if that person has changed their mind, I’ll go to the second highest bidder etc.)
You can read about this uke and see a demo here - Phil Doleman PD-210MN by Millar.
From Issue 24, here’s a play through of the excerpt from Bach’s Cello Suite No.1 Prelude
To be in with a chance of winning a Tangelwood electro concert ukulele, complete this form with your answers to our short survey on the future of UKE Magazine. Entries need to be completed by 1 February 2021, and your e-mail is required only for notification if you win, nothing else.
The questions in this survey are posed to find out what the best model is for the magazine going forward. I like the printed version and I like that subscriptions aren’t recurring - but as you look at other magazines, they mostly operate different models. So, I want to check that what I am doing is still relevant, or whether things could change to help the long term sustainability of the publication. Thanks for your thoughts!
Now that UKE Magazine has been dispatched, you’ll find that issue’s competition entry form and the play through of the Bach piece here very soon.
I’m delighted to be dealing directly with Maestro in Singapore, to bring a range of their ukuleles into the UK. Maestro Guitars are a prime example of how companies in the Far East are pushing to ever greater quality standards and innovation to produce some of the finest ukuleles - and often at a price point that compares very favourably with those made in the West.
A fairly young company, the vision for their instruments comes from their Master luthier, Hozen, who has continually innovated and upgraded his facility in Singapore to keep their ukes at the forefront of modern design. He has studied under renowned makers to get the best basis to make wonderful ukes. And they really are fantastic!
My initial selection of Maestro Ukuleles comes from their Island Series, all solid wood instruments with side soundports and a variety of wood combinations and exciting decorative touches. A couple of these are previous favourites, which I’ve had in before, but now I’m dealing directly with the company I can bring these in more rapidly, and keep the price competitive (and when I say competitive, they’re not cheap, but still represent great value and another great option at the high end of the ukulele spectrum).
The ukuleles I got in in the first batch, include five tenor ukuleles with a wider, 37mm nut, and a concert. They are as follows:
A uke I’ve had before is the UT-CO solid cedar and cocobolo tenor, which was the first one that switched me to to how impressive these instruments from Maestro could be. I’ve always been a fan of cedar for its even balance - but with Maestro’s five strut fan bracing, and that broad upper bout, it seems to have more bite than an average cedar uke, with a greater punch at the treble end and more of a bass response.
Another instrument to make a welcome return is the stunning Maestro UT-PA all solid padauk tenor ukulele - which looks utterly striking, but also possesses a fine tone, with a gorgeous chime and complex harmonics. I’ve not seen this wood used a great deal, outside of decorative touches, but it’s certainly loud and sweet, with a lovely long sustain.
High grade acacia can be absolutely stunning to look at, and that’s certainly the case with the Maestro UT-KO tenor ukulele. However, acacia can also sometimes be a little subdued for certain styles of play, almost a bit of a introvert tonewood. This uke though seems to get the best of both worlds, with strong trebles that punch through in the mix, while keeping that subtle trace of warmth you’ll hear with other all solid acacia models.
This solid spruce and Madagascan rosewood instrument is the Maestro UT-MR tenor ukulele. This is a very common pairing in the guitar world, and it works so well - with brightness from the German spruce top, backed up with a strong bass response from the solid rosewood. The result is a great balance made up of these two extremes - that lends itself to strong melodies and chiming chords in equal measure.
I’m sure to expand my range of Maestro ukuleles in the future, but from my initial batch, the final tenor is the UT-SR ukulele with cutaway. This contrasts from the UT-CO in having a slightly more gentle tone, balanced across the sound range, without any one aspect coming to the fore. This almost sounds like a negative, but that’s not the case - it is smooth and rich and really impressive.
My initial order did include a concert, the Maestro UC-MR ukulele. All of the tenors have a wider nut (37mm), but their concerts have a 35mm nut, an average width which I play myself, but perhaps bucking the trend a little these days, when people either do prefer, or at least think they’d prefer, a wider neck! This solid spruce and rosewood concert is a pocket rocket, with as much sustain as I can remember with a concert sized uke, and a lovely, powerful and melodic tone it is too.
I am really impressed with this range of Maestro ukes. I like the fact they are distinctly Asian in design. Some of the decorative features really fit with the region they’re from. But I like that. I like that these handmade instruments reflect the culture they are made in. And they are a great option for those who want something different and new, that not everyone else has, but that still represent excellent value at the elite level of instrument.
I’ve been working with musician, teacher and all-round good guy Phil Doleman recently, to produce a signature series soprano ukulele. We’ve both been impressed with the work of small Tawainese company Millar Ukulele, and they’ve been working to Phil’s specification to make a new all solid mahogany soprano, which will be available exclusively through World of Ukes.
You can read the specification and see close up images of this model here.
Phil Doleman signature series soprano by Millar
As I write, the first prototypes are ready and on the way to the UK for Phil and I to try. We’ll hope to bring this new ukulele out early in 2021. The numbers available will be limited, so if you’d like to hear when they arrive in the UK, you can complete your details below. As news emerges, and demo videos are made, I’ll keep you updated. (If you complete your details, they’ll only be used for updates on the Phil Doleman signature ukulele)
A first look at the Phil Doleman Signature soprano ukulele from Millar - coming in early 2021, exclusively from World of Ukes.
