UKULELEjapan Video Pick |
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This arrangement of "Caravan" is such fun to listen to! You can just feel the energy come through.
What makes this particularly interesting for me is Kaneda-san's banjo playing. The banjo ukulele was developed back in the 20s as a way to amplify the sound of the ukulele. (See my grandmother's banjolele here.) Back then there were no pickups and microphones were unreliable and expensive. To avoid being drowned out by other instruments ukulele makers experimented with ways to get more sound of this little instrument. Dixieland Jazz bands were all the rage at in the teens and twenties so someone must have put one and one together to make the banjo ukulele (aka: banjolele, or banjouke). The instrument Kaneda-san is playing has a 10-inch pot and comes with a pickup and it plays loud and clear! You can find it at: DukeUke.com |
When it comes to the ukulele, outside of Hawaii Japan is where you can find some of the best arrangers, composers, performers, and instructional materials! I'm an amatuer ukulele player who happens to be fluent in Japanese. For many years Japanese have kept their passion for the ukulele burning strongly and not surprisingly, some of the best instructional material, performers (pros and amateurs), and instruments can be found there. Now you can find it here!
UkeKev |
