My guitar's had a baby!

I bought this Lanikai ukelele at Window’s Music Shop in Newcastle for £180 a couple of weeks ago. I’d only gone in for a new harmonica but, as usual, couldn’t resist trying out various instruments. This one, which has eight paired strings, had a beautiful tone and seemed quite easy to play. The tuning is the standard, G C E A, which is similar to a guitar but three tones higher.

After trying out a few songs, discovering that for me the best keys to play were G and C, I christened the uke with a newly written number called ‘Heart and Soul’ which, though it was more limiting than on a guitar, gave it quite a dynamic feel. Naturally, it works best on up-tempo bluesy or humorous material. Anyway, two weeks after getting my new baby I’m still having fun.