So, remember when i was talking about trying to get a ukulele?

Well, it seems word got around fast that i was a "professional" ukulele player. Which is not entirely true. It is true that I play in a band that features a ukulele--one that my brother plays--one which sometimes gets a little bit of pocket money for gigs, but that doesn't mean i'm suddenly a ukulele wizard. Nor a professional. It's not exactly my profession.

Regardless, word got around and it triggered a nationwide hunt for a ukulele for me. At least five people who popped by the farm every once in a while said they knew where to get a ukulele and would do their best to find one.

The hunt would have ended much sooner, but, you see, i'm a little picky with my ukes. Most of the ones i've seen in Japan have the wrong kind of tuning pegs. Even when i went to a higher end music store, all of the ukes there, yes even the ones that were about ¥40000, didn't have tuning pegs that had the little gears. They were all just pegs, difficult to stay in tune and required very fine motor skills to operate. Eventually, when it seemed i wouldn't be able to find the kind that i liked, i settled on a cheap one that we found at a recycle shop for ¥4000.

Not a few days later, one of the other ukulele hunters found a very, very nice Yamaha ukulele that her late mother had given her. She couldn't play it herself, but really wanted to hear someone play it. So, now i have it and i kind of feel guilty for having something so nice. It's much nicer than the one i have back in Canada.

Since getting these ukes, i've already played two solo shows. They consist mostly of covers, like "When I'm Sixty-Four" by the Beatles and "Somewhere over the Rainbow" and "Mr. Mercury" by the Secondhandpants. They were simple, like the ukes themselves, but they seemed to be a hit, even though most people cannot understand the lyrics. I can already sense that people will want me to play more as the summer moves on.

Guess i need to practice more.