BY JIM D’VILLE | FROM THE SUMMER 2026 ISSUE OF UKULELE In 2017, Cynthia Miller was teaching ukulele lessons at An Unlikely Story, a bookstore in Plainville, Massachusetts. The local farmers’ market thought it would be fun to have some ukulele entertainment, so Miller rounded up her students and “any other ukulele players I knew,” […]

BY NICOLAS GRIZZLE | FROM THE SPRING 2026 ISSUE OF UKULELE MAGAZINE Each instrument made by Donna LoPrinzi begins its life in her shop as a flat piece of wood. The sides are all bent by hand over a hot metal pipe before being placed in a mold to seal in their shape. With just

It is rose season and a new tenor has  also blossomed This uke has a pretty Koa body, Western red Cedar soundboard and an Ironbark fretboard and bridge. With its Mahogany neck and and gold hued tuners this is a handsome instrument. The tuners are the excellent Gotah UPTs on a European Birch head plate

This edition of Uke Tales features your responses to our queries about favorite ukes and jazz music, plus some heartwarming personal stories. Thanks for writing in!  Like Tinkerbell The ukulele holds a special place in my heart, and one of my favorite quotes captures this sentiment perfectly: “Ukulele gives me wings.”  It all started back

Let me ask you a question: Are you Irish? Most people in the world aren’t. But when St. Patrick’s Day rolls around, everyone and his brother suddenly starts speakin’ the brogue, wearin’ the green, and kissin’ the blarney. Surely, for one day, it’s ok stereotype a group most of us don’t belong to? Why else would

Here’s a little charmer of a song from the 1940s — simple, catchy melody, and lyrics that tell a funny story. I know it from on old 78 rmp record we had in the family home. My dad was always delighted with our Irish heritage and took any opportunity to show it off, even it

How to spell it? How to pronounce it? As long as I’ve been playing, these have been bones of contention. Brad Bordessa over at Live Ukulele just published a very thorough, very well-researched piece on how to pronounce the word “ukulele.” Please note the depth of detail, the quality of the content, the thoroughness of

I don’t believe I’ve ever shared this sweet story with you. You probably know that my entrée to show-biz was as an awkward teenage magician. The same way I love ukulele now is how I loved sleight-of-hand back then. And just like we have uke clubs all over the place now, there are clubs in

Like my Aunt Trinnie with her purse, I switch ukulele bags every season. While transferring the contents from the little pocket of my ukulele bag, I realized that television’s MacGyver would get by very well indeed with all stuff I found. What I found (and what it’s for): Tiny Phillips-head screwdriver–for stabbing a hole in

I know a lot of folks here love classic movies and vintage TV — is that you? Me, too! If it’s in black and white and somebody’s wearing a hat, I’m in. So, not too surprising when something like The Little Rascals theme song from the 1930s comes drifting through my head. It’s a sweet

How long have you been in the uke world? Here’s why I ask — It seems like the young folk getting involved with uke today don’t have any of the associations (both good and bad) that We Of A Certain Age do have. Like what? Hawaii: None of the young players I know have any

When Jim Beloff contacted me late last year and asked if I’d like to preview his new album, I jumped at the chance. As soon as the rough mixes hit my ears, it was obvious it was some of Jim’s finest work to date. In fact, mid-century modern may well be his best record yet.

FROM THE SPRING 2026 ISSUE OF UKULELE MAGAZINE Bossa nova—roughly meaning “new trend” or “new wave”—is a musical style especially well suited to the ukulele. Emerging in Brazil in the late 1950s, it blends samba-derived rhythms with harmonies and phrasing influenced by American jazz. The result is music that feels relaxed and understated on the

Photo Credit: Toby Melville / POOL / AFP via Getty  As reported on MSN: “King Charles joined a local ukulele ensemble during a visit to Ards Allotments in County Down on the final day of his Northern Ireland tour with Queen Camilla on Thursday. The 77-year-old monarch strummed along with the Loughries Men’s Shed Ukulele Ensemble

STORY AND PHOTOS BY SANDOR NAGYSZALANCZY | FROM THE SPRING 2026 ISSUE OF UKULELE MAGAZINE Riding a wave of success propelled by its inventive guitars, mandolins, and banjos, Gibson started producing ukuleles around 1926–27, a decade or so after Martin had established itself as America’s premier ukulele maker. Gibson’s entry into the uke market reflected

Considering its size, it’s no surprise that the ukulele travels well. And while it is remarkable how quickly it is often embraced when introduced to a new culture, that’s not exactly surprising, either. Something I am continually amazed by, however, is its adaptability to playing a wide variety of music from around the world. The

“Coquette” is a pop tune turned jazz standard, written in 1928 by Carmen Lombardo and Johnny Green with lyrics by Gus Kahn (of “I’ll See You in My Dreams” fame), not to be confused with the Irving Berlin song of the same title, also published that year. Although the tune was released that year by