Jake Shimabukuro
I thought I'd grow up to be a teacher, or maybe run for political office.Collection: Teacher
There's something about the ukulele that just makes you smile. It makes you let your guard down. It brings out the child in all of us.Collection: Smile
There's no ego when you're a ukulele player.
I love the fact that people don't see the ukulele as a serious instrument. A lot of people see it as more of a toy, and I love that because it just proves that people aren't intimidated by the instrument. They aren't afraid to pick it up.
The ukulele has always appealed to the older generation.
If everyone played the ukulele, the world would be a better place.
Most of my ukulele heroes were traditional players from Hawaii, like Eddie Kamae and Ohta-san. There may not be uke stars in popular culture, but there are certainly pop stars that play uke - George Harrison, Eddie Vedder, Taylor Swift, Train, and Paul McCartney.
You get older, you start meeting girls, you want to impress them. And if you happen to know an instrument, what you do is turn on the radio and try to figure out how to play popular songs.
There's nothing I like better than talking to kids, just sharing the music with them. To relate to them, you need to play songs they're familiar with.
Bill Gates recently picked up the ukulele. And Warren Buffett is a huge ukulele fan. I even got to strum a few chords with Francis Ford Coppola. It blows my mind that these people, who have everything in the world they could want, have picked up the ukulele and found a little bit of joy.
I always feel a little funny being in front of a lot of people trying to show them my approach to the ukulele, but I do enjoy it. I do get a little more nervous doing workshops rather than performing.
I think everyone should feel like they can make music, they can create music.
When you go into the studio or get up on the stage with people who have more experience or knowledge, you learn.
Classical music presents some of the world's most challenging pieces.
Jazz is an art that takes decades to appreciate and understand.
Blues, rock and hip hop are more about a lifestyle and culture than notes on a page.
Hawaii is a small, close community.
I know a few chords on the guitar, but I wouldn't be able do a show or even be part of a jam session with one.
Bruce Lee loved all different styles of martial arts. He believed that you shouldn't limit yourself to one style, because martial arts is just another form of human expression.
Sometimes I can't think of a better way to end my day than coming home and just strumming my ukulele for a few minutes. I mean, I joke around and tell people that it's an entire yoga session in one strum, you know?
You know, the ukulele itself is not a very loud instrument, all right? And, you know, compared to like a trumpet, right? A trumpet is really loud.
I'm not the kind of person that can do the same thing over and over and over, so that's why touring, playing in a different venue every night, in front of a different audience, is so rewarding, you know, because it always feels fresh.
You know, I think music is very interactive. It's a - it's a language.
One of the biggest things that happened for me was YouTube.
When you play guitar and strum, you're using biceps and triceps to move up and down. I realized you could just turn your wrist, your forearm, using smaller muscles in your arm that are much more efficient and much quicker.
When I was growing up, there was no such thing as a touring ukulele player.
You know, Leonard Cohen is amazing, just a mastermind, and really one of the great geniuses of our time.
I still believe that music is healing to some extent.
The ukulele is the instrument of peace.Collection: Ukulele
Because if everyone played the ukulele, this world would be a much happier place.Collection: Ukulele
Most people are awestruck when they see Lady Gaga and Bette Midler, but then the queen comes in.Collection: Queens
Growing up, the ukulele was always a respected instrument. It's a big part of our culture. It wasn't until I started traveling outside of Hawaii that I realized people didn't really consider the ukulele to be a real instrument.Collection: Growing Up
The ukulele totally fits that whole hipster community or whatever you want to call it, but then at the same time it works great in nursing homes where senior citizens get together and play, and then as the traditional Hawaiian instrument with people doing the Hula and strumming the ukulele and singing.Collection: Senior
Now I know what a dulcimer is supposed to sound like.Collection: Sound
I actually got to perform for Queen Elizabeth, and I got to meet her after the show. She said she thought my performance was beautiful and I got to shake her hand and it was just an incredible moment.Collection: Beautiful
If I could do something with Paul McCartney it would be just amazing. Or Eric Clapton.Collection: Eric