![]() “Using a strap means that neither of your hands are responsible for holding your uke in the perfect position. And, if you’re wearing a strap, you can’t spin it around like Roy Smeck.” “Like a violin, a lot of sound comes off the back of the instrument, and if you are using a strap, the instrument nestles down into your gut, and you lose it all. Holding down a chord with my left hand, palm against the neck, keeps it place, and the gravity of up and down strums keeps it floating in mid-air in front of me. (I do play tenor sax, and I use a strap then!) I like my hands to be dancing across the top of the uke. I play nothing but a standard size, which makes them manageable to hold. Within the hour, I realized, ‘Oh my GCEA, I need a strap!’” ![]() Apparently, the world was not ready nobody else came-which made me the luckiest girl on earth: I got a private lesson in sevillanas, fingerstyle melodies, and sharp rhythmic patterns from the traditional Spanish guitar repertoire. “Everything changed the day I went to take Daniel Ward’s first flamenco ukulele workshop at McCabe’s, the legendary guitar store in Santa Monica, California. Why on earth would I need one on such a tiny thing? The uke wants to be clutched close to the heart, not strung on a noose. “For years, I didn’t use a strap on my ukulele. What Pro Ukers Say About Straps Heidi Swedberg Present opportunities for fun accessorizing and gifting.Give you confidence and independence of movement.Allow your right and left hands to play more freely.Help keep your instrument in an optimum position.After all, the process requires that you have a hole drilled in your ukulele and you want to make sure it is put in right place, right? A professional installation could also help stop you from voiding your instrument’s warranty, so check your warranty before selecting a drill bit. Installing the strap buttons by yourself isn’t hard, but it’s advisable to take your instrument to a professional to have this done. Some players, however, add a second button on the neck heel. If you go this route, you’ll likely want to ask a luthier to add one button to the bottom end of the instrument and use a strap that ties around the headstock. You can really open the door of strap options by adding a strap button, like those found on most guitars. You can find this kind of strap in all sorts of materials, from nylon, to patterned polyester, leather, and even padded neoprene. The most common modification-free straps are the so-called “classical” straps, which are like an adjustable-length necklace that goes under the instrument and hooks into the soundhole (the same way Willie Nelson supports his well-worn nylon-string guitar, Trigger). ![]() Straps that clip on are the easiest to use and require no changes to your beloved uke. At left, a “classical” style uke strap at right, button style straps Pressing the instrument against your body can inhibit vibrations on the instrument’s top and back, which, in turn, can make your uke sound like it’s under a blanket. Since playing a uke without a strap means hugging it to keep the instrument in place, the pro-strap gang might be on to something. Some players swear that a strap also helps the instrument sound better, too. This is especially handy if your uke is something larger than a soprano, or if you want to attempt fancy fretwork moves. ![]() And while most ukuleles are small and relatively easy to hold and play at the same time, a strap can free up your arms and offer you a secure playing position. The instrument’s size has also grown tremendously during that time from the original, tiny sopranos made in 19th-century Hawaii. The ukulele has been played for over 100 years without the aid of a strap. In fact, the lack of stuff required to get up and running with a uke is a big reason why it has caught on so quickly with so many people. Do you absolutely need a strap to play? No. ![]()
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