Ukulele Lessons: Caring for Your Ukulele

Like any other instrument, your ukulele requires handling with delicacy and care. The ukulele is a delicate instrument that produces lovely sounds, but it will only give you good and long service if you maintain it properly. Without proper care, ukuleles can get warped, lose their beautiful tones and even simply disintegrate at some point. To avoid all this, make sure you know how to take care of your ukulele as soon as you purchase one. To learn more about tuning a ukulele, refer to: http://guitarlessonssingapore.com/how-to-tune-a-ukulele/. Here, we will see more about maintaining the instrument.

Play it!

This shouldn’t have to be said but sometimes people keep their instruments locked away for years and then take it out and expect it to perform as usual. It won’t, obviously. So keep playing the ukulele at every opportunity, whether you are still taking ukulele lessons or not. Even if you are too busy, try and play it once a week to keep it in working order.

Clean the ukulele regularly

When you play the ukulele, it tends to gather dust. If not immediately wiped off, it can gather gunk, making it unpleasant to handle and tougher to clean. All you need is a soft cloth to wipe down the instrument after handling it. Avoid rough cloth or paper towels as it can scratch the ukulele or damage the polish. Polishing should be done sparingly and carefully because too much of the cleaning agents can damage the instrument in the long run. Be very careful when polishing the instrument as the polish must not be applied on the fretboard. It also helps to wash your hands before handling the instrument to prevent the germs and dirt in your hands from transferring to the ukulele.

Avoid exposure to elements

Chances are that if you are already taking ukulele strumming lessons, you know a bit about the instrument and how delicate it is. A ukulele is made mostly of wood and is very reactive with the climactic conditions. In order to ensure longevity, it must not be kept away from the extremities of the weather. If it’s too humid, the uke can shrivel up and warp, affecting the playing. If it is too dry, it can crack and cause buzzing when playing. If it’s too hot, the uke can even come apart. So avoid exposing the instrument to such extreme environments.

Store the ukulele properly

Storing the instrument properly and under the right conditions is essential for its longevity. Keeping the ukulele in its case will prevent it from getting dented or bent or even destroyed by accident. Even the slightest bent can change the quality of your playing. Moreover, storing it safely will help in keeping it safe from extreme weathers. If you feel that the air is too dry, you can keep a small humidifier in the case. On the other hand, if the air is humid, then keep a silica gel pack in the case. Keeping an eye on the general climate and taking these simple measures will go a long way in keeping the ukulele in good condition.

With a little care and exertion on your part, your uke can last a long time and you will have the pleasure of enjoying it for years. For more on ukuleles, you can check out. www.guitarlessonssingapore.com.