Grand Ukulele | Jake Shimabukuro | Talks at Google

[@revsoupbone]

I just came from a concert of Jake's...he is an incredible talent. Top shelf musician and creative artist. Amazing that he OWNED the stage, just him, one uke and that's it. No vocals. At the end people shot up to give him a BIG standing ovation. Everybody was blown away by this young guys art. I'd go see him anytime he comes around. Wonderful wonderful stuff.

[@sagezayn254]

instablaster...

[@joeandrosahopkins]

This sounds very much like a lot of Spanish Guitar playing that I have heard, yet it is done on a ukulele. The style is fascinating and his fingers work intricately on the instrument, extracting the sound like pulling petals from a rose. It sounds both familiar to the ear and yet unknown, new and somehow aged. It is extraordinary and we wish him all the best. He is definitely a class act and is in a league all his own. Passion and hard work have married themselves together to produce this and I am privileged to have witnessed the result. Bravo, friend!

[@suncai]

very well said!!

[@joeandrosahopkins]

Thank you!

[@scottfrank8805]

OMG, you gave me the chills when I was listening to Jake play, no "style is fascinating and his fingers work intricately on the instrument, extracting the sound like pulling petals from a rose. It sounds both familiar to the ear and yet unknown, new and somehow aged" Very well said.....Jake has made a believer in the resurgance of the grace of the Uke. Thank you thank you scott

[@mike58greenberg]

And you write one hell of a great review!

[@joeandrosahopkins]

I'm flattered! Thank you :)

[@dougferguson6445]

Listening to Jake talk about the ukulele is so inspiring. You are an artist in the truest, purest sense of the word.

[@CurseMyCircuits]

Such purity of tone and clarity of expression. Jake, you are the Andres Segovia of the Ukelele.

[@tanyeehern]

His new edition of while my guitar gently weeps is simply amazing... Never expected to hear such a wide range of tone form the ukulele in one song

[@nancyperry1378]

I love "missing 3", very soulful, tender tune, reminds me of classical times, thank you Jake!

[@CPGthe3rd]

My first introduction to Jake was viewing the film "Life On Four Strings." I was hooked! Having become a fan, my wife booked tickets to see him in person, playing with the Oregon Symphony. She reluctantly accompanied me. I say reluctantly because she hears me constantly plunking away on my own uke. Maybe not badly, but certainly not at the level of Jake, and since she has to listen to me practice, it sounds somewhat repetitive to her. Anyway, both of us were blown away by Jake's concert. He is absolutely amazing here on KZbin, but far more so live and in person. And as for my wife, she wanted to get recordings of some of the music he played. If you ever, EVER, have the chance to see him play live, jump at it. Pay whatever the tickets cost, you will not be disappointed.

[@SOLT_Mark]

What a great musician and gentleman. An inspiration of what one can accomplish when you are truly passionate and love what you do.

[@danielcj1978]

I can't watch this without feeling like the music changed my soul.

[@ChristineMiura]

What I love about you Jake is your passion and love for playing this instrument. Your passion for the music is contagious~ You're amazing!

[@mslizzylu]

I NEVER TIRE of listening or watching Jake. What a blessing to be so amazing!

[@john5415]

0:52 0:53

[@Christine-xl8ly]

Jake, wonderful, beautiful playing. As usual. Your a beautiful "soul". Congrats on the marriage and new Daddy Journey !!! How great. Thxs for sharing.

[@FCGlynn]

KZbin has lots of folks who play well but only a fraction play with heart. You my friend, play with heart. Well done.

[@darraghcareykennedy4819]

What an outstanding player. Great technique throughout his playing. Love the song "Missing Three".

[@mgathena]

I saw him in concert last night. He is so amazing!

[@SurfnDrBob]

I met him less than one year ago coincidentally. He is incredibly humble and kind. Made me like him even more.

[@cbmlgia]

That song he wrote for his son is the most beautiful inspirational song i have ever heard..

[@dawnbigelowakadawnssong4us253]

Wow! I love listening to Mr. Jake Shimabukuro !! Especially like "Missing Three" and the whole concept behind his composition from 3:30 to 8:55 hats off to you sir! !! Amazing! Well done! All my best to you and yours always! And Thank you! For "Missing Three" Dawn Bigelow

[@CamSobalvarro]

A beautiful and personal performance by an amazing artist.

[@singmealuvsong]

Just...WOW! Such a privilege to see him in concert.

[@nolahorserider]

Jake you are such a wonderful musician. I just love listening to you play and learning some of your awesome sounds.

[@jameswest4521]

Love seeing you with Buffett and I finaly decided to search you on youtube and bam! here you are I love all of it and I cant get enough! I have played the guitar for years but I am now being treated for Carpel Tunnel. I find the softer strings of the Ukulele more comfortable and I love the soothing sounds. I thank you for helping me discover this wonderful instrument.

[@rosc82]

Your emotions flow through both through your music and how you work with magic on your uku. Grateful tears. Thank you!

[@lanzh29]

Jake is not just an extraordinary ukelele player but also a truly entertaining storyteller. Inspiring to hear! :-)

[@saraimolinar]

I just bought my Uke, and this Guy was an inspiration for that, He inspires me so much!!! I LOVE THIS INSTRUMENT, sounds like peace and joy.

[@melodypudding]

Wow. Finally I came to know him. As a ukulele player, it is shame that I found him so late. Still even the time has passed a little, the music and his trained amazing hands are great.

[@craigsadler8794]

Im inspired beyond belief...! The guy is just a natural in many many ways. He plays with his talent, but much more importantly he's able to connect this with his heart and mind. Like many....i can only wish someday to be able to come within a mile radius of his genius.. Jake - if you ever read these comments - stay true to yourself and your heart - good on you!

[@joseperez9033]

I'm still a beginner at the ukulele so everything this guy does with it amazes me. He is so fluid in his movements. It sounds so relaxing and moving. I never knew a ukelele could be so fulfulling. I used to think it was just for doing stand up comedy.

[@KeithVaught]

Jake, I'll always be glad one of our retired art teachers told me about your music. Thank you for sharing the magic. Love "Missing Three."

[@Uke_in_Flight]

Will be seeing Jake performing live this winter... I can't wait!

[@gchutton]

JAKE is the one artist that I would probably not buy a CD ,but NEVER MISS LIVE !!!

[@LukinaHsieh]

I love the song for his baby. What a lovely melody!!

[@Deedubau]

I have never cared about the ukulele until I saw him playing this one day on youtube. I'm a huge fan of his skills and it actually convinced me to buy one myself lol. Jake plays the instrument at a different level as most people on this planet though, and it's almost like it's born and tied into his DNA.

[@srfsk8cree8]

If you like this check out Taimane Gardner. Her and Jake have both reinvented the ukulele as far as I'm concerned.

[@83loveanimals]

Isaac Olivera May i ask you a question as you mentioned Taimane Gardner as well...I do know nothing about ukuleles ....both he and Taimane do they have different ukulele than the ones that are on the online Shop? Because they play high notes, while when i watch videos of other people their ukulele don't reach those high notes. ..do you know why?

[@83loveanimals]

Isaac Olivera May i ask you a question as you mentioned Taimane Gardner as well...I do know nothing about ukuleles ....both he and Taimane do they have different ukulele than the ones that are on the online Shop? Because they play high notes, while when i watch videos of other people their ukulele don't reach those high notes. ..do you know why?

[@maximusmiranda5]

Valentina Moro sometimes they tend to tune it up or they go high on the fret board and others don’t really go that high.

[@sonic5d]

This guy had me LOCKED in a trans or something from 31:00 to 32:00 was a pure minute of music streaming through me, man~ Just amazing!!!

[@hosmanadam]

Half of the people in the audience bought an ukulele the next day.

[@johnnycamposflute]

Totally hehehehe

[@grzegorzlaski7295]

@@Nazmulhudrobin And complain it has to be some kind of scam :)

[@arrthe3zy]

I got to usher for him last night, it was such an honor to get so see him live man

[@Waynet126]

What I like a lot about the two concerts he gave at Google was how he gave you glimpses of what he is truly about. Not only is he a fantastic musician, but he is a real humble guy. His edge is his passion for the instrument and for music - I believe that's what makes him better than anyone else. There is real feeling in his playing. I also liked how he paid respect to Bill Cosby by wanting to connect to the audience like Bill did. It seems as if he is constantly learning to become better. Way to go, Bruddah Jake.

[@joandenham2903]

Waynet126 i

[@joseteixeira4882]

You're a great player, his performance is phenomenal. Brazilian node like a lot of music and is a genius.

[@alzepop]

He is getting better and better. I could not imagine he could still improve his play !

[@jenniferjoiewebster8927]

fabulous! I have a brain injury x2 and this is so helping me learning Uke for my therapy. love you Jake! Happy new baby,I used to see you play downtown Honolulu in 2007 ! Now I am stuck in kansas AAHHHHGGGGGG do you ever come her? OMG help!

[@RickertBrandsen]

jake is one of the best musicians i've bumped into on youtube...his personality is so nice...and he plays wonderfully as well :)

[@thalesacguimaraes]

Jake, you are the number one reason and inspiration for my ukulele playing! Thank you for showing me what this incredible instrument can do.

[@hiddenwaves4772]

He is the greatest ukelele player of the World! Incredible! Amazing!

[@AshAlmond1]

Jake is the King Of Uke.

[@ukulelecosmin7462]

Amin!

[@dzre2087]

THIS dude is the king of uke, IMO kzbin.info/www/bejne/iZDZqYSFfZVoZ7c

[@95dpridham]

We need more ukuleles in the world.

[@deeman524]

More strings has it's benefits, but so does less, I play Both Tenor and baritone Ukulele, Guitalele, Dulcimer and Guitar, I love the full sound of six strings but I also love the melodic sound of 3 or 4. On fretted instruments less strings are more melodic and more strings are warmer in sound. Pro Guitar players play ukulele on their guitars frequently without thinking about it- they play the top 4 strings as Chord Fragments for a more mellow sound, I do this too when I play in the band. What I really love about the Uke is I can play arpeggios better and play melodies even within the rhythm easily, playing melodies is easier and more creative when you have less strings to work with.

[@rgayda]

DEROY CREWS Yes Deroy..I agree with you.. playing melodies is easier in Ukulele because its on the 5th fret already and has four strings only ..

[@deeman524]

Rolando Gayda ah see I'm learning and I've only been playing Uke for over a year

[@robbrown8483]

What are you talking about? This is gibberish. "More strings has it's benefits, but so does less." First, let's deal with your grammar. This sentence should read as follows; "Having more strings has advantages, but so does having fewer." "On fretted instruments less strings are more melodic and more strings are warmer in sound," should read "Fretted instruments with fewer strings are more melodic, while fretted instruments with more strings are warmer in sound." Even with good diction, this assertion is nonsense. Before making another post, clean up your grammar then read what you have written, ponder it, and ask yourself if it makes sense.

[@LachlanN2307]

Saying someone is gifted with skill is an insult to their own hard work and dedication to what THEY achieved, by no matter is musicality a gift, it is always hard earned and it takes a long time to get to this level, he does not have a gift, he made himself the master that he is.

[@mshep071]

When ever I need some inspiration I always put this video on and it blows me every time.

[@LBCoolSolutions]

+emapagaep the song he's playing at the begining is 'Island Fever Blues' and for anyone i've seen wondering in the comments, he plays a custom built ,tenor electro-acoustic kamaka ukulele.

[@harriware]

luv to watch him make his ukulele sing --thanks for sharing

[@TheBluesBeggar]

I didn't think these things could do this. Amazing. They are not toys in the hands of the gifted but serious instraments! Wow

[@dorispli]

One thousend times awsome, than i beleived this guy inspirate me to live in a wonderful way!

[@ChrisGorman87]

Jake shimabukuro is such a humble guy. I think the ukulele makes people better humans!

[@StevenEspaniola]

Maika'i nui brother! Mahalo nui again for performing for my son's benefit last year!

[@meerartdump]

this guy is amazing i only discovered him for a week though i wish i discover him earlier

[@krzemyslav]

Great performance and great talk, even philosophy - there's depth to it.

[@skippress]

You guys go buy his albums and support the guy, he's got a family now. I bought three today at Amazon, got a discount.

[@NorwegianUke]

This is my favorite video on the entire internet

[@DWG3809]

Oh my that three string is amazing . So outstanding and warm ....

[@Kwood10]

Would love to see one of his concerts in person .

[@precursorsbeforeme5761]

Song Locations 0:00 5:51 11:51 25:10

[@richardbradley1551]

Great as always, you play at a level that most musicians can only dream of doing.

[@beckyp9633]

Jake is a good soul. Thank you for sharing this.

[@LouisDefaux]

I think ukulele is perfect to play lullabies . You play perfectly ; it's so great to listen to your marvellous music !!!!!!

[@rondy702]

Amazing...just a beautiful arrangement! I didn't know this could be done on the ukulele !

[@BAJEGIO]

Simply Awesome :) thanks for share! Really inspiractional! People like Jake, makes me proud to be human!

[@alainsir4099]

Great guy and what a super talent! Aloha Jake! Last time we saw you was in Kauai (you played at a fund raising function for a school).

[@danialhamdan430]

I started picking up an Uke as my 1st instrument after being inspired by him. I hope I be good as him someday. Damn.. he play so superb! How I wish he be my coach...

[@ThornyUke]

Well, inspired by missing three I wrote a song called missing all four, very easy to play I must say :-) What an amazing player Jake is!!!

[@PurdyBear1]

That is so true, when he says music is not only a universal language, but a language of the universe. I feel it literally crosses universes, a way to communicate without a spoken language. It took me at least 2 weeks just to get an orchestral flute head piece to make the right tone, that's without connecting the other two bits to the end. It would probably take a month just to do one note. LOL!

[@joseteixeira4882]

You're a great player, his performance is phenomenal.

[@thesho6450]

good player love how brings up the fact with strings, i'm a bass player and ukulele player myself (as well as drums but that's not relevant) and i have always felt that if you feel "limited" with just 4 strings you're not a musician (and not saying that in a mean way) because a true musician never has "limits" i mean i've been playing both bass and ukulele for about 16 years and i'm still always learning new things. so limiting i think not the only limits in life are the ones you make for yourself i feel with music as long as you keep your mind open there is no "end" to what you can create even with as jake shows 3 strings. it's all about what you can create and sometimes simplicity really is all you need. i can also comment with my drumming i mean i don't have two bass drums but thanks to double bass peddals etc it's like i have 2 now also so many different way to hit the cymbals etc to make them sound different i mean there are just so many numerous ways to "un-limit" yourself and if you love music it should never be a problem finding a way how. just love how he brought that up. he clearly has a good sense of music

[@tgooose]

Very well stated Sho. I had heard Jake on an interview with a bit of music a year or so a go. Thought it was very interesting. Just came across this Ytube and a few others. He is fantastic. I would like to see him play the 6-string or mandolin, and I don't say that to belittle his virtuosity or instrument. Just think it would be great to see him take his talent across several instruments.

[@leem1914]

Never understood the thing about “only four strings”. How many strings does a Violin have?

[@benbalanay7253]

Thanks for making such good music in the footsteps of Ohta San and others.

[@TheRaven0us]

I'm a guitarist, but just adore the ukulele. It gives you so much freedom by having less strings, lol. This is awesome

[@carlafay6542]

Beautiful work. Thank you for playing and sharing

[@gerardgaddi6929]

Jake, you are an inspiration! Keep it up!

[@bronney]

Saw him live in hong kong many years ago. If he comes to your city you must go see it. Live is totally different. There were parts where I forgot to breathe.

[@michaelbonner5397]

WOW! Fantastic Jake. Do you have the chord changes that we can learn?

[@jimmcnally8180]

Wal Mart

[@BoletusMortalis]

0:42 omgz so tight. Total magic! I wanna play ukulele like this! Is the first song a cover or written by Jake himself, I wanna know the name for the first song.

[@NorwegianUke]

He's awesome! First song is called "Island Fever Blues"

[@JustGresh]

Jake says, "Ya know" a lot during his talk. Haha. No big deal, just something I noticed. This performance was amazing.

[@PreciousOpal]

Thank you Google 4 this all-inspiring Master musician...

[@OrdinaryLatvian]

"I'm 2 cool 2 write without numberz" - Norberto Baez.

[@alannahmulligan4552]

when he plays 'while my guitar gently weeps' it sounds like a harp a little at times!!

[@jiggersok]

Is it weird that I just assumed that this would be totally amazing? I did... and... it was. Also, when Jake was talking about feeling energy from starting down at the toes and moving up... I got an email and the sound cut outright as he mentioned feeling energy in the balls... Well, I feel energy there all the time! Why can't I play like Jake?

[@joeracer302]

I'm an engineer, not a musician or artist, but if listening to this guy doesn't inspire you to create from your soul then I don't know what is wrong with you.

[@kathycarter7761]

Your playing is magical.

[@jackdudley3969]

another amazing perforamce, thank you jake. I will continue to practice, lol

[@karthiksinha86]

That introductory music was so alleviating

[@jodo223]

this is so gosh darned beautiful!

[@armando93274]

Thank You for the information....I will keep my eye out for a nice ukulele.

[@armando93274]

Thank You Kelii for your valuable answer....all I know is about woodwinds, clarinets, flutes and saxophones....This guy has me turned on into buying a Ukulele....

[@DarrellT007]

I saw him live in Carmel 2 weeks ago and although I didn't like the version of As My Guitar Gently Weeps he played that night(this is his best in my opinion),he was nonetheless a joy to see perform.

[@AdSleazyLizards]

Beautiful Soulful Music ! Simply Amazing !

[@THCSneaker1]

One of the Best Musicians I supported while Embedded at Google AV.

[@ArielPerez82]

Let's not forget the Cuban Tres and Puerto Rican Cuatro guitars. The best players of these instruments definitely show that you don't need more strings to get a full range of sound out of them.

[@Joshndthatdude]

Such beautiful music!

[@karli34]

so beautiful so heartfelt so wonderful *****

[@rockitscissors]

Full of emotion and passion..

[@experimentjon]

24:30 Incredible rendition of While My Guitar Gently Weeps

[@huseyingokhanlimnili6226]

this uke is kamaka hf 3 (not a standart one; custom made for jake of course ) tuners are gotoh brand.

[@aguonjohn]

Just lovely stuff, Jake...come back to Guam.