December 20, 2006 6:35 PM

I've become completely enthralled with the sound and feel of the ukelele, played as fast I as can (ding). I approach it with a very old, very folk-like method of playing -- two chords, with variations, mostly rhythmic. I really like that I can hold the whole thing in my arms, and that there's only four strings. I have a degree of control over it that surprises me, since I'm terrible musician. Because it's scaled so small, I can accent on 16ths and play tonic unisons, which is something I can't do very easily on any other instrument. There's also a certain kalimba-like hollowness to it when played aggressively because of its size, and the percussive noises against the strings compete with the melodic tone. Harmonics can be made by plucking the desired string hard, with a sloppy finger just barely touching it from the next string over.

Honorama.org now is the home of The Royal Honorama. All previous shows are now available.