Ohana

My uke-building class ended today in much the same way that it began: No lunch.

Also--as with the first day--I was late. When I arrived everyone had already drilled holes in the bridge for the last two strings and had applied to their ukes a coat of Tru-Oil, a finish formulated for gunstocks. Funny, because if the ukulele has an opposite, it is the gun.

After I caught up, it was time to put the strings on and test the nut, bridge and frets for any funny business. The nut I made yesterday was too low, so I had to make a new one, but if there’s one place on this instrument that you can make a mistake, it’s the nut, which isn’t attached to the uke but is simply held in place by the strings. Mike says he once had a student who had to remake his nut seven times, but my second one did the trick. Then I sanded down the saddle, which fits into the bridge, and filed down my frets just a hair. And that was it.

My uke is done.

I was prepared to write about how it might not sound just the way it should, but how it sounds good to me anyway. I figured I would tell you all the little flaws only serve to give it character, but I don’t have to. Truth is, the little sucker is a beauty and sounds better than I ever expected. The tone is as warm as the waters of Waikiki and when I pluck the strings the notes seem to ring forever. I came to Hawaii thinking that, in addition to building a uke, I might buy myself a nice one too--maybe a vintage Kamaka or a new KoAloha--but when I put the strings on mine today I forgot all about buying a new one. I only want to play mine. What’s better is that every instrument needs time to break in, and in the coming weeks, months and years my uke will only sound better and better.

When I talked to Benny Chong during a break in his performance last night, he told me he took Mike’s class a few years ago, but had to leave town for a gig before the last class and never finished his uke. Benny, if you’re reading this: Finish it. You’ll be glad you did.

A little more ukulele information: Ukes come in four sizes--(from smallest to largest) soprano, concert, tenor and baritone. Mine is a tenor and so it has a bassier tone than a lot of ukes, made even bassier by the fact that I put a low-G string on it, which is a common practice but not the standard. What does it mean to have a low-G? If you’ve ever heard the phrase “my dog has fleas” sung, the notes are the same as the four strings of a typical ukulele strummed from top to bottom, G-C-E-A. Unlike a guitar, where each string is a higher note than the last, the G on a typical ukulele is higher than the C and E notes. The tuning on my uke differs in that the G string is lowered an octave so that it is lower than the other strings. A lot of ukers will take issue with this tuning--and I myself tend to prefer the high-G--but after playing some of the ukes in the shop that were built to the same size and shape as mine, I decided I liked the way the low-G sounds on these particular ukes. And, after all, I’m the one who has to play it, right?

So class is over. Albert had a flight to catch and left early, saying not “goodbye” but “see you later.” Isn’t that always what happens when something like this ends, be it summer camp, karate class, or whatnot? You say “see you later” but you know that in all likelihood you won’t. The rest of us lingered for a while, tinkering with our new creations a little longer than necessary and admiring each other’s handiwork before saying the euphemistic “see you later” too.

In this case, though, Albert is probably right: We may not start to call each other for daily chats, but Taimane will surely play in New York sometime soon; I will have a chance to visit Kazuo when I’m in Japan this October; Peter, Phil and Albert will circulate around the same few uke conventions that I will.

Though I'll be in Honolulu for a few more days, everyone else leaves tomorrow. And though I won't be seeing them every day anymore, I will see them again, and when I do I'll remember that for these two weeks, we have been “ohana”--family.

[view today's photos]