Blaise J. Arena

Kamaka ukelele rehab - Before

Kamaka ukelele rehab - Before

I was given this "project" ukulele by my wife's nephew, PJ. The joints were separated and there were multiple cracks on the top and back. The cause for all this failure was apparent - the maker extended all of the cross braces to make contact with the sides. So, when the braces expanded over time, the top and back were forced sideways and split open. Poor construction. I enjoyed rehabbing this; a good Corona virus project. I reworked the bracing, reglued the bridge, fixed the cracks and refinished the top. Now my wife Kathy has a fourth ukulele, below.

Fingerstyle Melody Playing

The method of guitar fingerstyle playing that I focus on might be described as “embedding” the melody of a song into the chord progression for that song. So, in effect, you are playing the chords and the melody at the same time. This gives a very rich sound with rhythm and bass notes supporting the melody. This makes the song recognizable, even if you do not sing it. So, if you aren’t a singer and often play alone, this is a great approach to guitar playing for you. It is also very useful for playing an instrumental break between verses when singing a song.This style can be difficult for beginning fingerstyle players. It requires chord forming proficiency, and proficiency with using your left hand little finger, since this is essential for hitting many melody notes. And, it requires proficiency in fingerpicking with the right hand. I use my thumb + 3 fingers, but some others only use 2 fingers. This is a demanding style at first, but well worth the effort since many songs can be played this way. If you have any questions, please contact me.

Blaisearena@yahoo.com
See also my Civil War blog:
flemingblaise.blogspot.com