Turning 25 this year, KoAloha 'Ukulele continues to handcraft top-of-the-line 'ukuleles while also offering free factory tours.
When you put your heart into something, it comes through, whether you want it to or not." Paul Okami tells me as I admire the handcrafted koa instruments hanging on the wall.
As I pluck a few strings, I understand what he means.
There's a certain warmth resonating from the instrument, and as I swipe my fingers over each string, the quality of the instrument is abundantly clear.
The sound is crisp and vibrant and just strumming it brings me joy.
What makes this 'ukulele shine is beyond me. I ask Paul, how he and his 'ohana (family) have built something so delightful to play.
"You want the short answer or the long answer?" he asks. He doesn't wait for my response. "I'll go with the short answer first. It's magic."
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Mike Overly's
12 Tone Music Newsletter, forward it to your friends.
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The other day a student asked me how many chords are there? I don't know I replied, but I do know that there are 9 triads of 3 types. If you don't know that, see page 10 of EncycloMedia!
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True to its name, this guitar features a 100 percent bamboo top, back and sides, with unique ripples along the body and a laser-etched leaf design near the sound hole. The acoustic is built with a set mahogany C-shape neck featuring a 20-fret pau ferro fingerboard with pearl Moon Phase inlays. It also features a pau ferro bridge, a Graph Tech NuBone nut, sealed die-cast tuners and chrome hardware.
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IN THE BASSMENT
The 4003 AC is an excellent bass, fully-featured, fully-finished and very pleasant to play. The tones are great and the components pretty much state of the art. The only two issues that come to mind are the price and the fact that this bass is set up to meet the specific needs of a bassist with an unusual playing style. The second of these is highly soluble - just rearrange the hardware and you're good to go.
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"Written for the guitarist who has been playing for a while, but is seriously hampered by the feeling that they don't know what they're doing.
Guitar EncycloMedia
provides the perfect solution to this problem by efficiently presenting the theoretical basis of music in a way that is clear, easily applied, and does not require the reading of staff notes or TAB." - Randy Roos, Associate Professor of Guitar, Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA.
"Bass EncycloMedia
is filled with practical and highly musical techniques and information that will benefit bass players of any style and ability level, especially those who have passed beyond the 'beginner' stage. This is a great addition to the library of every bass player. I am very impressed! " - Dr. Robert Cutietta, Dean of the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California.
Dramatically improve your playing by easily learning all the chords, scales, arpeggios and modes necessary to improvise something uniquely different every time with every song. With over 323 pages,
Guitar EncycloMedia and Bass EncycloMedia
offer total fretboard knowledge in one book. They are as essential as your instrument!
Order
Guitar EncycloMedia or
Bass EncycloMedia now through
July 23, 2020 to receive
FREE SHIPPING! Only available from the 12 Tone Music
store. No coupon code needed. Domestic orders only. Money back guarantee.
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WATCH THIS
"I don't think any artist knows something will become their signature song when they write it," Joe says of "Satch Boogie," the rousing rock-swing guitar instrumental that put him on the map in 1987. "When I was in high school, I played with another guitarist, John Riccio, and he would call everything I wrote 'Satch Boogie.' It became a joke. No matter what I showed him, it was 'Satch Boogie' to him. The name just stuck."
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LEARN HERE
It should be obvious, right? Bigger frets mean bigger tone, and that sounds like something we'd all want from our guitars. However, as with so many things about the guitar, the truth isn't necessarily that straightforward. Fret size and shape can affect a great many aspects of your guitar's sound and feel, so it's worth looking at the bigger picture before jumping to any quick conclusions.
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GREAT GEAR
Are you a fan of the Line 6 HX Stomp, and its incredible multitude of effects and features, but not its jet-black looks? Line 6 has got you covered. The brand recently unveiled a new version of the HX Stomp, finished in Stomptrooper White. Aside from its looks, this version of the HX Stomp is the same as its darker counterpart, with 300+ effects and amps, 126 presets, four-cable amp integration and a USB recording output.
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ARTIST AWARENESS
A seasoned sideman with a soulful and sophisticated approach, Jim Hughart has not only backed up some of the greatest jazz artists, but has stood out as a first call session musician on the Los Angeles recording scene. Frequently accompanying Joe Pass and Tom Waits, his premier upright playing can be heard on records of all genres. With a career spanning over forty years, his long list of recording credits include artists as diverse as Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Joni Mitchell, Johnny Rivers, Natalie Cole, and Celine Dion.
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