FLEA Ukuleles on Amazon Wish List

FLEA ukuleles make a FUN GIFT … whether giving or receiving.

The wish list feature on Amazon makes either role easy.

Click here to start your list, see others

CLICK HERE to choose our Amazon store listings for your list. Whether desiring just a FLEA ukulele, a FLEA uke paired with a designer case, or a FLEA packed within our exclusive kit to get you playing quickly … let others know precisely!

Maybe it’s for that special birthday or holiday gift. You’ve wanted one of these colorful ukuleles for some time now. Or you’re looking to share the special “gift of music” with a friend or family member versus the latest clothing and electronic fashions.

Perhaps a wedding is on the horizon and the registry is coming together. You and your fiance are planning an adventurous, great outdoors honeymoon. You’d rather take along a pair of FLEA ukuleles (in rugged FUSION designer cases) versus receive more place settings and toasters.

Or your school music teacher, camp leaders or music therapy team may be looking for high quality, rugged instruments that anyone can play easily, especially in groups. Express your wish and let fundraising volunteers help bring it all together.

If you want to skip wishing, jump right into playing (plus help hospitalized children cope with their challenges), see below!

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Wanna’ PLAY or PLEDGE a FLEA® ukulele? Visit www.truejoyacoustics.com to learn more plus connect to Amazon and eBay listings. Purchases are convenient, secure, delivered FREE (continental USA) and backed by Buyer Protection Programs on these two well established e-commerce stores.

Email me at info@truejoyacoustics.com if you would like to sponsor a donation of one or more FLEA ukuleles to the music therapy program at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. It’s easy and will certainly bring joy to your heart as well as many kids spending weeks in a hospital.

click to visit our website

Bloggers, visit us on: WordPress (True Joy Acoustics – Community), WordPress (Ukulele Shops), Tumblr (Ukulele Shops) and Blogger (Ukulele Shops). Comments and connections welcome!

Greg, TRUE JOY ACOUSTICS

We’ll help you strum Ukulele LEFT Handed

Love to strum, whether LEFT or RIGHT handed

Upon written request prior to shipping your order, we’ll re-string your ukulele for FREE to strum left handed.

We’ll also suggest tips and materials designed for left handed players.

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About 1 in 10 people are left handed. When it comes to playing some music instruments left handed, it’s not all that easy.

Take for example the traditional acoustic guitar designed for right handed play. You cannot just flip the instrument around, re-string or re-tune in reverse order and start playing. Many hindrances. One is the increasing string gauge. The 6th string is over four times larger in diameter than the 1st string, and guitars have several components designed around this parameter to play in tune. Left handed learners are often encouraged to play right handed. Or they must seek a guitar built for left handed play, among a very limited selection.

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Good News! Concert size FLEA ukuleles packed with our exclusive Musician Maker Kits are very easy to re-tune for instant left handed play.

Just flip the ukulele around. Tune the strings in standard G-C-E-A order as you progress from the redefined top/4th string to the lower/1st string.

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Why? Ukulele string diameters also vary, but to a much lesser degree. Plus, the ukulele’s reentrant tuning (4th string tuned an octive higher than following the natural sequence as you progress from strings 1-3) makes the string diameter pattern more symmetrical. Two inner strings have a diameter ranging 0.025 – 0.035″, whereas the outer two strings are thinner and have a diameter close to 0.020″.

To be more exact, you can re-string (when ready for new strings) in left handed order. Nut/bridge notches on the FLEA ukulele will accommodate the reversed sequence of string diameters without binding or making string fit sloppy.

We’ll even re-string your brand new ukulele for FREE to strum left handed! Send your written request prior to shipment. Email us at info@truejoyacoustics.com if buying direct. Or send your request by Amazon or eBay message AT THE SAME TIME you order from our online listings (we ship within 1-2 business days).

The challenge remains for finding instructional materials (e.g., chord diagrams) and music published specifically for left handed play.

Fortunately, much of the music written for right handed ukulele play (e.g., lesson materials in Musician Maker Kits) is about using basic strumming techniques with simple chords. Envision and learn the “mirror image” of chords diagrammed for right-handed play, then jump right into playing the songs. Strumming methods taught in Musician Maker Kits are versatile … simply use your “natural” left hand to master the same up/down strumming patterns and rhythms.

Several other resources are available online (just click titles below) and written specifically for left handed play. The chord charts let you see actual chord fingerings … skipping the need to envision “mirror images”. Technique books also provide chord diagrams, but are designed mainly to help serious players understand chord theory and master chords up and down the fingerboard. They do not provide simple song collections for beginners.

GOOTAR Four String Chord Generator website – this cool tool lets you quickly see and hear virtually any ukulele chord for “lefty” strumming

Left Handed Ukulele Chord Chart – a very nice set of chord charts posted by a ukulele club at a New York elementary school

“A Guide to Ukulele Chords for Lefties” by Curt Sheller – a 54 page method book that teaches chord understanding and proficiency for left handed play, plus an intro to jazz chords; also available as an instant downloadable eBook/PDF

“Neck Anywhere, Lefty!” by Washtub Jerry – a 28 page method book for learning how to master “movable rhythm chord shapes” up and down the ukulele fretboard (book is listed near the end of page entitled “Music and Book Projects”)

Greg, True Joy Acoustics founder

Ukuleles for Summer Fun!

Q: What time of year is best for buying and learning ukulele?

A: For traditional school instruments, a new school year and holiday gift budgets often set the timing and means. It’s also hard to make progress on such instruments without private lessons or a professional classroom instructor.

We encourage ukulele purchases throughout the year with our everyday low pricing. More affordable than traditional band instruments and playable right from the start. Take advantage of FREE SHIPPING specials!

Warmer outdoor seasons provide ample opportunity to learn and enjoy ukulele: school break activity, vacation take-along, family & friend get-togethers, time spent with grandparents, workday child care programs, summer camps, church groups and more!

If starting up a ukulele club or interested in procuring ukuleles for fundraising efforts (e.g., school music programs), please send an email to info@truejoyacoustics.com for special pricing.

Greg, True Joy Acoustics founder

Heart Strings for Valentine’s Day

FREE shipping on instrument purchases through Valentine’s Day … whether buying our ukuleles and kits on Amazon, eBay or directly from True Joy Acoustics.

Now is the perfect time to get a FLEA ukulele. Learn the basics, get ready for warmer months ahead. Spring is just around the corner according to today’s prediction from Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney!

Musician Maker Kits make it easy to develop skills on a high quality instrument. And with tutorials like the one below, you’ll be strumming to your sweetheart in no time. “Ukulele Mike” is regarded by many to be the absolute best online teacher for learning ukulele. Passion for teaching the instrument and a skill at keeping the process simple and engaging. In addition to producing all these free videos on YouTube, he teaches music to preschoolers through 8th graders in the Seattle area.

Greg H., True Joy Acoustics founder

Thank You Mom Bloggers

❛Good family life is never an accident but always an achievement by those who share it.❜
James H. Bossard (mid-20th century family/social life researcher and author)

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The computer age, blogging and an exploding community of mom bloggers enable a 24/7 interactive forum among thousands of parents pursuing a common goal: achieving good family life. A powerful medium to share and learn –– supplementing the vital workings within a family’s household that contribute to well being.

Sharing new product discoveries and candid reviews based on family evaluation play a major role. And frequent product give-aways stimulate a large base of followers in blog spheres, Facebook, Twitter, Google … an attractive word-of-mouth advertising channel for manufacturer sponsors who serve family needs.

True Joy Acoustics is appreciative of many mom bloggers who featured our ukulele kits within their 2010 Holiday Gift Guides. These posts were made graciously without fee in light of our community outreach mission (Clovernook Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center).

These mom’s also recognize the power of musicality in creating family connections and memories, lifelong skills and perhaps even shaping a family member’s professional career. Musical instruments featured in our all-inclusive learning kits make it easy and inexpensive to learn ukulele (plus other instruments later) … sparking new interests and skills … creating connections with family, friends, schoolmates and even the world at large with tools such as YouTube.

Below is a sampling of sites that listed Musician Maker Kits featuring FLEA ukuleles in 2010. Just click on their respective icons and you will be linked to a world of immense personality, informative product reviews and social media connectivity.

Beyond Holiday Gift Guides, most mom bloggers provide informative and often entertaining product reviews all year long. They’re equipped with a search box (e.g., type in “ukulele” and True Joy Acoustics feature will appear), making them a trusted resource to explore historical product reviews at your favorite mom blogger sites. So bookmark and enjoy!

Greg H., True Joy Acoustics founder

Free Online Ukulele Tuner

Here’s a convenient tool when playing ukulele (+ other instruments) by the computer.

Click the following banner link, scroll down, select the “play” icon underneath each open string note. It will repeat the tone until you move to another string (or click “Stop Sound”) … makes it easy for you to adjust the tension on your corresponding ukulele string until you have a precise match. Set up for standard G-C-E-A tuning, but can be modified to any tuning. Hats off to Scott at http://www.get-tuned.com for creating this!

And here’s an easy way to remember the standard tuning notes for ukulele. The following letters are the open string notes (i.e., playing each string open without fretting) as you progress from the top (4th) string closest to your face while holding the ukulele … to the bottom (1st) string which is farthest from your face:

G-C-E-A stands for Good Children Eat Apples.

You’re all set. Just bookmark this page, stop back and always strum your tunes true.

Greg H., True Joy Acoustics founder

An Easier Way to Learn Music

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FLEA ukuleles are fun yet serious instruments.

They also provide an easier, economical stepping-stone to playing guitar and other instruments later.

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Learning larger instruments can be a handful, usually requiring help.

Many kids want to jump right into playing guitar. Not a toy, but a real guitar. Popular, versatile and cool to play.

But not so easy once you actually have one. Standard guitar sizes can be a handful. Higher tension strings (made of metal on standard guitars) can irritate the fingers until you build up calluses. Learning chords across six strings and even playing simple notes often requires professional lessons. Lots of practice to play basic tunes.

Guitars are great, no doubt about it. But there is an easier way to get started.

FLEA ukuleles are SIZED RIGHT for any beginner. Four strings made of finger-friendly nylon are easy to play. Many chords (and hence songs) can be played by pressing just one or two fingers down on non-metal frets.

The world of making music opens up quickly after players start and excel with our kits. Just strumming the open strings of a FLEA ukulele makes a pleasant rich sound!

Ukuleles can become a lifelong passion and facilitate learning other musical instruments later. They help you learn musical rhythm, simple and complex strumming techniques, fretting individual notes and chord riffs, how to tune up your instrument, and how to play along with others … even if just accompanying YouTube performances!

Greg H., True Joy Acoustics founder

Managing New String “Creeps”

New to the world of stringed instruments?

If purchasing a factory-fresh ukulele model or doing your first string change, you’ll soon notice it takes a few days and some “break in” playing time for strings to maintain a steady pitch.

Applies to most, if not all, musical instrument strings –– not just ukulele nylons.

Why? Instruments are shipped with relaxed string tension to minimize transit risks and preserve string life. When unpacked and tuned up, each string undergoes a material science effect known as CREEP.

Creep is simply the string material undergoing “inelastic stretching” … just like a fresh rubber band that gets stretched and does not fully return to its original smaller size when force is removed. Microscopically, this is due to various regions within the material slipping and responding differently to higher tension stresses. After time and a few workouts, neighboring regions within the material stabilize. Strings then undergo “elastic stretching” when played, and alas, stay reasonably in tune.

Don’t let creepy strings get you down. Keep your tuner handy the first few days, tune up before each practice session.

Musician Maker Kits make tuning a breeze by providing a Qwik-Tune electronic tuner in every kit, easy instructions, plus a belt-loop Accessory Pouch to tote it anywhere. And with high quality Grover tuners on every FLEA ukulele, you’ll soon find that you rarely need to adjust the tuning after the creeps are gone!

Greg, True Joy Acoustics founder

Playing Ukulele Left-Handed?

About 1 in 10 people are left-handed.  When it comes to playing some music instruments left-handed, marketplace offerings do not make it all that easy.

Take for example the traditional 6-string acoustic guitar designed for right-handed play.  You cannot just flip the instrument around, re-string or re-tune in reverse order and start playing.  Many hindrances.  One is the increasing string gauge … the 6th string is over four times larger in diameter than the 1st string; guitars have several components designed around this parameter to play in tune.  So a left-handed learner is often encouraged to play right-handed, or must seek a guitar built for left-handed play (among a more limited selection).

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Good News! The concert size FLEA ukuleles featured in our kits are very easy to re-tune for instant left-handed play.

Just flip the ukulele around. Tune the strings in standard G-C-E-A order as you progress from the redefined top/4th string to the lower/1st string.

---

Why?  Ukulele string diameters also vary, but to a much lesser degree.  Plus, the ukulele’s reentrant tuning (4th string tuned an octive higher than following the natural sequence as you progress from strings 1-3) makes the string diameter pattern more symmetrical.  The two inner strings have a diameter ranging 0.025 – 0.035″, whereas the outer two strings are thinner and have a diameter close to 0.020″.

To be more exact, you can re-string (when ready for new strings) in left handed order. Nut/bridge notches on the FLEA ukulele will accommodate the reversed sequence of string diameters without binding or making string fit sloppy.

The challenge remains for finding instructional materials (e.g., chord diagrams) and music published specifically for left-handed play.

Fortunately, much of the music written for right-handed ukulele play (e.g., lesson materials in Musician Maker Kits) is about using basic strumming techniques with simple chords.  You can envision and learn the “mirror image” of chords diagrammed for right-handed play, then jump right into playing the songs. The strumming methods taught in Musician Maker Kits are versatile … you simply use your “natural” left hand to master the same up/down strumming patterns and rhythms.

Several other resources are available online (just click titles below) and written specifically for left-handed play. The chord charts let you see the actual chord fingerings … skipping the need to envision “mirror images”. The technique books also provide chord diagrams, but are designed mainly to help serious players understand chord theory and master chords up and down the fingerboard. They do not provide simple song collections for beginners.

GOOTAR Four String Chord Generator website – this cool tool lets you quickly see and hear virtually any ukulele chord for “lefty” strumming

Left Handed Ukulele Chord Chart – a very nice set of chord charts posted by a ukulele club at a New York elementary school

“A Guide to Ukulele Chords for Lefties” by Curt Sheller – a 54 page method book that teaches chord understanding and proficiency for left-handed play, plus an intro to jazz chords; also available as a downloadable eBook/PDF

“Neck Anywhere, Lefty!” by Washtub Jerry – a 28 page method book for learning how to master “movable rhythm chord shapes” up and down the ukulele fretboard (book is listed near the end of page entitled “Music and Book Projects”)

Greg H., True Joy Acoustics founder