I and a friend attended one of Ukulele Manila's Meet, Strum & Jam sessions (free admission, free short lessons) and was able to play the uke for the first time. It's just soooo cute! And the soprano was smaller than I thought at first. It felt weird to hold and play it 'cause it was so cute and small :) And my left thumb tired easily 'cause unlike the guitar, I could't rest my palm on the fretboard. Anyway, I tried playing a Susing's, and it was amaaaazing! I didn't really find that a (Sta. Mesa) Lumanog guitar sounded great (though I'd never trade my Lazaro for anything in the world!). Which made me prematurely conclude that all Philippine-guitars are meeh. But after I tried a Susing's uke, I thought whoooooooa!
I've read about Susing's in the past. It's a very famous guitar shop and maker in Cebu (Cebu, you're officially in my bucketlist of places to visit!). Anyway, I've been wanting to buy a pineapple uke, but I played a standard uke during the MSJ (standard meaning the sexy, curvaceous guitar sounding board). I realized the merits of the curvaceous uke when playing standing up: the curves act as anchors across the pelvic area, so I was able to hold the uke steadily even without a sling on.
Uke major chords are weird, especially the ones that need to be barred. Like E (4442) and D (2220). Instead of barring E on the fourth fret, I used three fingers to press the strings. I should warn those with.... er, slightly big fingers: get a concert or the bigger ukes.
If you're interested to buy a uke, visit Ukulele Manila's page. As for me, I'm saving up for a Susing's, which a UM member said would soon be available in their stocks.
Actually, I'm not. The last one I learned is still Tarrega's Adelita. Saving up for a copy of Jose Valdez's arrangements. I saw a few and more at National Bookstore SM North EDSA branch. Sooo, if you wanna learn a few classical pieces (and if you hatedislike are not yet used to writing and/or reading notes) head on there.
A violinist friend also mentioned to look out for sheets at Sound Essentials. If you're a QC person, there's a branch over at SM North EDSA. Haven't gone there yet, though.
What have I been doing? Besides regurgitating my basic repertoire (which I haven't mastered yet), I'm playing substitute-kudyapi, an indigenous Filipino instrument. Here's a sampler from master Samaon Sulaiman, whom I had the privilege of watching and recording ... er, 3 years ago? He was an imam, GaMaBa awardee, master kudyapi player and, yes, town barber. He passed away 2 years ago, and I count myself lucky to have seen him play live.
Why "substitute-kudyapi?" I don't own one, though I would love to acquire one in the future. If and when I do, I think I should apprentice under an experienced player. The kudyapi isn't just an instrument -- it's a work of art and a cultural artifact. It's not something one just learns from YT. Looks easy, but it is so not. I don't think even experienced guitar soloists can play hammer-ons/pull-offs that fast, plus play percussion with the right hand. And I don't think guitarists can do it on their shoulders, hahahha!
Anyway, to make your own substitute-kudyapi, grab your acoustic/classical guitar and tune the 1st and 2nd strings to C. So you have EADGCC. You can try other combinations, as long as the sound comes out right in your ears (I think). Don't mind strings 3-6, and you won't need to muffle them. Stroke direction is upwards. I've seen a few play downwards, but the standard is upwards. I'm not really sure if this stroke direction's strictly the traditional way, but it makes sense since string 1 serves as melody and string 2 the drone. Keep this in mind: kudyapi is a 2-stringed drone and melody instrument. Only the lower string is fretted.
Some players use a finger pick, but long nails are okay. We had a few kudyapi in Kontra-Gapi's stockroom, so at least I had the chance to play the real thing. It was painful on the fingertips, and it was awkward to carry and hold. But it was simple and fun, and I didn't feel at all afraid to improvise a tune.
