Why the Ukulele Is So Popular These Days

Hello everyone on Lessonface! My name is Kevin Fleming and I have been a professional  musician and music teacher for over 25 years now. In that time, I have encountered thousands  of people that have come to me wanting to learn how to play music. Many love the sound of  the guitar and it suits them, while others are more enchanted by the banjo or the mandolin for other reasons. 

Either way, it's music that binds us on common ground and more and more people are realizing that they want to be a part of it. For many, starting out can be a bit daunting. After all, learning an instrument is time consuming and can get expensive quickly.  

Do you want to learn guitar or violin? Maybe you can try something a bit more exotic like the  banjo or even pedal steel? Maybe you just want something that can get you started in music,  something that gives you that first step on the bridge to a musical world. As a professional  musician that plays 8 different instruments, I am always striving to recommend the “right”  instrument to any beginner that asks for my opinion. 

Enter the ukulele. The ukulele is one of  the most portable, inexpensive, and convenient instruments ever invented. It weighs a fraction of what a guitar does and costs a fraction of what a pedal steel would cost. You can buy one for less than $100, learn how to tune it, learn your first 3 chords, and play your first song, all on the first day! It's also extremely versatile, in that you can learn to strum any guitar songs, play almost any style of music, and even learn to fingerpick melodies and intricate folk songs, and you don’t even have to learn to read standard music notation. 

Ever end up at that gathering where several people pulled out instruments and started playing songs together and you felt left out? “If only I could somehow join them” you might say. But now you can! The ukulele may be the perfect musical companion for you. You can plunk around on some of your favorite catchy melodies, learn the backing chords and strumming to that favorite song that you love to sing, or sit in and fit in with virtually any other instruments that come along.  

So if you are looking for a starter instrument to finally get going in music, I recommend trying the ukulele. Pound for pound and dollar for dollar, it's one of the best and most popular instruments out there. 

And if you do dive into ukulele, please join us at Lessonface in my new super-fun adult ukulele class for beginners, starting in January 2025. It will be a safe and easy-going environment where you can learn the things that you need to play your favorite songs.  Visit my Lessonface profile if you have any questions, and I look forward to playing some ukulele with all of you soon!