Junkyard Jam Band

10   The Robo-Tiki Steel-Stringed Ukulele

There are several reasons the ukulele is an ideal first instrument, especially for adults who never learned to play anything as a child. First, ukes are cheap and highly portable. Second, they have low-tension strings, which means they’re easy on fingers new to holding down strings while strumming. Third, the fingering for all the basic chords is exceptionally easy. But the main advantage of the ukulele is that it’s often dismissed as a toy. Anyone playing a recognizable song on the uke gets disproportionate accolades based on the talking dog effect.¹ Mark my words: had electrified ukes dominated the market early on, the vast majority of punk bands would have lead ukulelists, not lead guitarists.

But ...