Shakuhachi Spotting

I'm armchair traveller much more than I'd really like to be these days but the responsibilities of caring for a senior dawg are reining in my wandering ways.  All is not lost though, I have more focused time now to play my flute and, as well, drum and strum.  And I've been able to savour the daily Facebook photo updates that our local shakuhachi master, Alcvin Ramos, has been posting of his 2015 Shakuhachi Roots pilgrimage.  Among the many fascinating photos of Japanese temples and meetings with well known shakuhachi teachers and players, Al has documented numerous shakuhachi themed imagines.  Here are a few of the prints and paintings he took photos of on his recent trip:

Hank

They are the poor person's hang drum, the hank drums were originally made from propane tanks and are tongue drums created to provide a cheaper alternative to the Swiss made hang drum and its subsequent copies. 

The hank, a term that arose from the combination of tank and hang, is now usually fined crafted from carefully shaped steel specially formed for the drum body and then precisely tuned by experienced artisans. 

This hank is a Manastone and plays in the key of E in a Mixotonic scale. 

Though mallets can be used to play this steel tongue drum, many prefer to use their fingers and hands for a greater range of techniques and a more intimate relationship with the instrument. Playing the hank is like going on a trip through a colourful and varied soundscape comprised of a blend of percussion and melody. 

The Itsy Bitsy Ukulele Meets Jake

We had a terrific evening at Jake's concert in Bellingham and even the line up waiting for a photo with Jake was enjoyable as we socialized with ukulele friends from our local Vancouver meetup groups and got to know other ukulele enthusiasts from Washington state.

I had brought along a short scale model of the Itsy Bitsy uke made by Allan Page in the UK to give to Jake for his young sons.  The short scale model is particularly well suited to kid size fingers but that didn't stop many of the uk'ers in the line up or Jake himself, for that matter, from having at go at playing the micro instrument!

Thanks to Jake Shimabukuro for a great concert and a fabulous time at the Mount Baker Theatre!

Jake Shimabukuro Concert

Tickets purchased months in advance, passports dusted off, my ukulele pal and I headed south from Vancouver to Bellingham.  A lovely fall afternoon, the roads were dry, the leaves were red, the border crossing was quick and here we are outside of the Mount Baker Theatre in plenty of time for the evening concert.

Being a total Jake fangurl, I had watched all of his YouTube videos, listened to every album and read all of his Facebook posts but nothing, absolutely nothing, comes close to seeing and hearing Jake live.  His technical skill as a musician is extraordinary and the energy he puts into each piece is simply stunning. 

It was no surprise to see many Vancouverites in the audience and afterwards in the long line for photos and autographs with Jake we had a chance to talk to quite a few of our ukulele meetup pals.  The Itsy Bitsy uke was a magnet for uke lovers and it again lived up to its reputation of being 'Big Fun in a Small Package'.

Here is Jen, the cofounder of the Cutie Ukes http://cutiecircle.com/  having a swell time with the Itsy Bitsy:

and David from Oakland was among the Itsy Bitsy fans too:

This short scale version of the Itsy Bitsy found its best fit under the nimble fingers of the kids in the crowd.  The younger players absconded with the wee uke so quickly I wasn't even able to snap a pic!

I've had quite a few inquires about the Itsy Bitsy ukulele which is a completely playable instrument totally handmade by Allan Page in the UK.

For those adults interested in a longer scale version, you find photos of the instrument's construction and contact info for Allan Page the maker of the Itsy Bitsy uke on Facebook (just search for "Itsy Bitsy"). And for anyone thinking of a teeny uke for the smaller people in their lives, I highly recommend the short scale model.

Itsy Bitsy meets the iUke

Being a part of the Ruby Ukes Orchestra here in Vancouver as many benefits not the least of which is being among such a large group of ukulele enthusiasts. One of the orchestra members, Marlene, is a big fan of small ukes.  She kindly brought a few of her mini ukes to last night's practice and even lent me one to play at home. So now I have a perfect opportunity to compare the iUke with the original short scale IB.

The iUke fretboard is a tad over 5 1/2 inches long and at this length I found it a fairly manageable uke to play.

The original IB's slightly under 4 inch scale, in contrast and has already been noted, is just a bit too short for comfortable micro uk'ing.

So, with the next generation of IB already off the drawing board and the first build ready to be lauched, going for the longer 9 inch scale is going to make this model a fine player and most likely even more comfy to fret than the iUke.

The build of the IB's is so much more robust than the China made iUke which will encourage ukers to consider the IB as an excellent choice to take travelling, for example.

The iUke does come with a nice custom gig bag: 

That said, I am going down to Bellingham tomorrow to the Jake Shimabukuro concert and I haven't had any problems tucking the IB safely into my medium sized messanger bag. Have IB will travel!

Itsy Bitsy goes to Ruby Ukes

Daphne Roubini, cofounder of Ruby Ukes, Vancouver's very own ukulele school, has nimble fingers on any fretboard and shows a strong curisoty towards anything ukulele. She was quick to scoup up the wee Itsy Bitsy uke when I brought it to our Thursday ukulele orchestra practice.

"Fret markers, you could use some fret markers", she suggested while she deftly plinked on the wee uke. A slightly longer fretboard and thinner neck were also improvements that Ruby felt the next evolution of the IB could benefit from. 

Next to the orchestra's cello, the Itsy Bitsy was living up to its name. 

Someone recently mentioned to me that bringing the IB to a uke meetup was like having a "ukulele puppy", everyone is drawn to it and wants to give it a cuddle.

There's a buzz among the IB fans with regards to the next Itsy Bitsy with its longer fretboard and refined design. Already lots of players queuing up for a chance to cosy up to an Itsy Bitsy puppy!

Steveston Ukulele Circle

It's a bit of a trek from Vancouver's West End where I live to the Steveston Japanese Cultural Centre where the weekly ukulele circle meets on Friday mornings but it's well worth it!

On sunny days I take transit part ways then ride my bike along the lovely Richmond bike paths. 

Some days it's transit all the way or a pal picks me up at the Skytrain station and occasionally I even drive our car but no

matter my mode of transport I rarely miss this gentle easy going ukulele group. 

Everyone in the group is warm and welcoming so it's easy to meet new friends - ukulele players just seem to be like that wherever you go, I've found. And lucky for me the Steveston group has been a fun magnet for some of my long time friends as well. 

Vancouver's largest summer drum circle.

Vancouver's largest summer drum circle takes place weekly, on Tuesdays, at Third Beach in beautiful Stanley Park. The energetic meeting of hand drummers and dancers has been happening for more than 10 years and is referred to as 'Brahm's Tams' respectfully recognizing the event's organizer and guide. 

All are welcome and the drumming flows out of the group's common energy. There is not a moment without a pulsing beat from the start of the circle until after sunset. 

Though stronger substances are partaken by many at the circle, my drumming pal and I kicked off the evening with a tall cool glass of raspberry blueberry bubble tea!

After a lovely 45 minute walk along the seawall to the beach, we immersed ourselves in the sound waves of Brahm's Tams until comfortably mellow then enjoyed the last of the sunset during the stroll home. 

Itsy Bitsy goes to Vanukes

On the third Tuesday of every month a group of up to 100 uke strummers and pluckers head to an old church venue in Vancouver's Kitsilano district to attend Vanukes. 

http://www.vcn.bc.ca/vanukes/

This energetic evening has been offered to uke'sters far and wide for 15 years and is organized and led by none other than the King of Ukulele himself, Ralph Shaw. 

http://www.ralphshaw.ca

When I introduced Ralph to the Itsy Bitsy uke at last night's Vanukes and jokingly asked him how I could restore the wee uke to its former tenor size he was quick to reply with classic Ralph Shaw humour. "Use a bicycle pump, of course!" Ralph quipped. 

The social little instrument continues to bring smiles to players' faces as they often ask to see it and immediately start to pluck and strum.

Some folks even neglect their full size ukes in order to play the Itsy Bitsy:

Big Fun with a Small Ukulele

This morning the Stevenston Strummers had a big surprise when they saw the Itsy Bitsy uke being played at their weekly meetup.  A rumour rippled through the group hinting that the little mahogany uke had once been a tenor but after a wash and spin dry shrinkage led to the instrument's reduced size!

Players all commented on how well crafted the uke is.  During the uke jam, More than once a player asked to borrow the uke to play one of the group favourites on.  By the end of the morning the uke was spirited away by one enthralled strummer who asked to borrow the teeny instrument so she could play it over the weekend. 

Definitely a big hit with the uke crowd, this little ukulele lived up to its reputation of generating a lot of fun!

More Itsy Bitsy

This teeny ukulele has a way of challenging players to try playing their favourite songs on the minature instrument. Yet it doesn't give them satisfaction immediately. Fingers need to adjust to the small fretboard spaces and though single finger chords like 'C' and 'Am' ring out easily, more crowded chords like 'G7' and 'D' require more agility. To hear a 'Bb' or bar chords ring out signals a real Itsy Bitsy pro!

Koa Spruce Tenor

I played the newly crafted ukulele last week at the Steveston uke meetup. It blended well with the the other ukes and added a full rich tone.

A local luthier at Rufus Guitars gave the instrument a thumbs up commenting that the uke had beautiful sound both when played quietly or at greater volume. 

Definitely a fabulous uke for meetups!

Shakuhachi

Now that I'm back from ukulele building, it's time to turn my attention to my shakuhachi. I've been studying the Japanese vertical bamboo flute for six years. Michael Gould is my teacher and you can read more about my journey at my other blog:

http://ashakuhachijourney.blogspot.ca/

Today is lesson day and I'm very excited to be starting Shika no Tone, a two part piece which I'll be playing with my good friend, 'Tsu'.

Summer Drumming

It's been a long hot summer in Vancouver, perfect drumming weather. 

Monday nights at Gary Point Park in Steveston have provided our intimate little drumming group with great opportunities to experiment with the interplay of rhythms.  Here's my pal Bonnie settling in with her new djembe:

I've been exploring the wide range of tones of my alder drum. The djembe is a beautiful drum crafted by Robin of Sylvan Temple Drums on Vancouver Island. 

http://www.sylvantemple.ca/

 

Ukulele Acessories

There's not much extra needed, besides a uke, to play a ukulele but I do think that by adding a custom strap made by Sarah Maisel to my new tenor has made the instrument sound and look even more beautiful!

Sarah's 'rubba slippa' design suits this instrument perfectly. 

Many players prefer to play their ukulele strapless but I find that with the instrument supported by a strap rather than my left hand and right arm I am less encumbered when playing.  If you haven't tried a strap on your uke you should consider experimenting with one some time.