The Live Ukulele Podcast
Join Brad Bordessa, a professional ukulele teacher and performer, for insightful deep-dives, interviews, and fun on The Live ʻUkulele Podcast! In these episodes you'll explore important uke lessons, hear first-hand stories from the Hawaiʻi music scene, and get to know some of the biggest names in the ukulele community.
With a background in Hawaiian music, Brad approaches the ukulele from the intuitive side. Through tips and tricks to improve your mentality surrounding music and the philosophy of the ukulele, he provides encouragement and permission to explore this four-stringed instrument in an organic way that works best for you.
Guests from Hawaiʻi and abroad join in to share heartfelt and insightful off-the-cuff conversations on a huge range of topics.
Tune in every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month for a new episode and be sure to subscribe.
- Update frequency
- every 13 days
- Average duration
- 46 minutes
- Episodes
- 113
- Years Active
- 2020 - 2025
Joey Bradley: Collecting Ukes and Making Recordings
Fun, laid-back interview with Kohala-based artist, Joey Bradley, about his ukuleles and engineering projects.
Contact Joey: [email protected]
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Basic Hawaiian Language Pronunciation for Uke Players
A crash course on the very basics of ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi as it relates to singing Hawaiian songs.
Resources:
- Basic pronunciation and practice: http://papaolelo.weebly.com/uploads/1/0/2/2/102246944/1._ha%C…
TLUP: After Hours #4 - WA Tour, New Uke Samples, Updates
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Growing the Next Generation of Ukulele Players with Aaron Nakamura
Talking story with Aaron from Ukulele Underground about humble origins, accompaniment, and the future of one of the web's most popular uke websites.
Mentions:
- Ukulele Underground: https://ukuleleunde…
Head Games: Enjoy Ukulele More
Ever think you're not good enough? Comparing yourself to other players? In this episode I explore giving ourselves the permission to enjoy ukulele at whatever our skill level is.
Mentions:
- Kahumoku W…
Uke Heads: James Hill's Album That Became A Community
Interview with James Hill on his new crowd-sourced ukulele recording project, Uke Heads. Buy a Uke Head art piece, learn an ukulele part, record yourself, get on the album. It's a cool concept that v…
Finding a Music Lifestyle That Benefits Your Uke Playing
How life experiences inform musical vocabulary and some of my thoughts on what a Hawaiian music lifestyle means to me.
Resource links:
- Uncle George's farm: https://kahumoku.com/kahumoku-farm-tour/
Tuning Your Ukulele - Adjust to Perfection!
My process for tuning by ear and some tips and tricks to help you get the strings in more precise alignment.
Resource links:
- Chromatic scale lesson: https://liveukulele.com/lessons/fretboard-charts/…
Ukulele Workshops and Festivals: Get the Most Out of It
Reflections on my years of attending and teaching at workshops. In which I provide some tips for ukulele players who want to get the most out of the experience.
Resource links:
- George Kahumoku, Jr.'…
Wrong Notes Aren't So Wrong! Some Tips on Chromatic Ukulele Playing
Don't panic if you play a wrong note on your uke! In this episode we'll explore how a change in attitude can help you turn "mistakes" into gold and how chromatic notes are what give many ukulele genr…
Left Hand Technique For Ukulele
Diving into the details of my new video course on optimizing your fretting hand movements and musicality.
Learn more about Left Hand Technique For Ukulele here: https://liveukulele.com/store/left-hand…
TLUP: After Hours #3 - Ukes For Ukraine Debreif, New Mic
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Join my newsletter! It's free and I won't spam you. Get updates on new lessons and access to exclusive resources: https://liveukule…
Victoria Vox Interview - Songwriting, Inspiration, and Mouth Trumpetting (of course)
Talk story with one of the ukulele scene's best songwriters! Victoria shared all about her inspiration and execution of her newest project, Nirvana in REM, how she adapts her music to solo uke, and h…
Phrasing - The Heart of Expressing Music on the Uke
Examples and discussion on how you can adjust phrasing to make music more original and change the feel.
Ukes For Ukraine - https://liveukulele.com/ukraine/
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Become a Professional Uke Player - Even if You Suck!
Some thoughts on what makes for "professionalism" in an ukulele player. Also, announcement for Ukes For Ukraine live stream event on April 9th.
https://liveukulele.com/ukraine/
https://www.youtube.com/…
The Amplification Basics Episode: Ukulele Pickups, Amps, and More
Learn what you need to plug your ukulele into an amp or PA. Some tips for getting a better sound and avoiding pitfalls.
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What to Play When
Knowing what part to choose when looking at a TAB and also some examples of a couple recordings I've done recently where I break down the individual tracks I'm playing.
Resources:
Caring For Your Ukulele
How to keep your ukulele in tip-top aesthetic shape and considerations for its well-being.
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TLUP After Hours #2 - LIVE Practice & Talk Story
Unofficial podcast hangout with some freeform jamming, thoughts, and insights on ukulele.
Here's Tobias's Byen Sover album (free to listen): https://soundcloud.com/elofwamberg/sets/elof-wamberg-byen-s…
Kelly "Kaʻahele" Hyde Interview on knowing Music Theory, Songwriting, and Touring With the Ukulele
Big Island's own Kelly Hyde (formerly known as "Kaʻahele") joins Brad for a heartwarming, mellow episode about singer-songwriter ukulele. Her process and mindset for creating some of the best origina…