Joy of ukulele being handed down through generations
GEORGE Formby forged his career with a ukulele.
It made him the biggest British star of his generation. Now that humble instrument has made such a return to popularity that it’s kicking the recorder into touch as a way to teach music in schools.
The recorder has been around for hundreds of years and it’s rumoured Salome danced to an early version. It was popular in villages and palaces in the middle ages when yeomen of England were instructed by royal decree to practice archery and cast aside such pastimes as football, tennis and quoits (and that is not what Yorkshiremen wear in winter). Recorders were not banned.
Like longbows, recorders fell out of favour over the centuries, but regained popularity in the 1920s and began to be used in schools post-war.
Recorder sessions became, like gym work at PE, one of those lessons anyone with a brain wished to avoid. I failed miserably to coordinate my digits over the seven finger holes and the thumb hole in order to produce any kind of recognisable tune.
But then, we didn’t have Salome in our class.
The Associated Board of the Royal School of Music says children learning the recorder has dropped from 52% in 1997 to 15% last year while the ukulele has surged in popularity. Chief Executive Chris Cobb, chief executive of the ABRSM, says: “Music is about joy. Learning to play and sing helps us flourish as individuals and as part of society.”
To enthuse children, schools couldn’t pick anything better than a uke. Ask The Beatles.
John Lennon was taught to play music by his mum Julia on a ukulele and added a George Formby tribute at the end of one song with his catchphrase “turned out nice again.”
George Harrison was such a fan, he once owned a banjolele that had been the music hall star’s pride and joy, was an honorary president of the George Formby Society and regularly attended their annual conventions at Blackpool, where he played along with other members.
Paul McCartney said: “Whenever you went round to George’s house, after dinner the ukuleles would come out and you’d inevitably find yourself singing all these old numbers.”
It’s not just in schools that the instrument, favoured by two famous Georges, has become popular. Ukulele groups for people of all ages are flourishing across the country and I know of at least two local ones, based in Holmfirth and Shelley.
My 83-year-old pal Arthur is a member of one and I remember the memorable occasion they took to the stage at an open mic night in a local pub, in between rock and folk acts, and blew the roof off.
No one could stop smiling. As George Harrison said: “Everyone I know who is into the ukulele is crackers.
“You can’t play it and not laugh.” That has to be the ultimate accolade.