About
Live ‘Ukulele (as in living with your ‘ukulele, not “Live ‘Ukulele” like a concert) was created by two homeschooled students who can’t get enough ‘ukulele and Hawaiian music. The goal of this site is to provide free tabs, lessons, and advice to all levels of ‘ukulele players. Live ‘Ukulele is one of the top 10 ‘ukulele sites in the world (according to “Top 50 ‘Ukulele Sites”) and featured on FBI Blogs.
Contact – I love to hear suggestions, comments, requests, ideas, etc.
Brad Bordessa
(a.k.a Hippie Guy) – I started playing ‘ukulele in 2005 at age 13 after a move to the Big Island of Hawai’i from California and some encouragement from my mom. Three years of learning Hawaiian music and culture went by pretty fast and before I knew it, I was on a jet heading back to the Golden State. I managed to teach about half a dozen students while there for a year and a half. Late 2009, my family and I moved back to the Big Island and landed in Honoka’a. Since then I’ve become a teacher at the Kahumoku ‘Ohana Music and Lifestyle Workshop in Pahala, HI, at the North Hawai’i Education and Research Center (Honoka’a's UH satellite school), and at the Waimea Middle School through Kahilu theater’s “K-Art” program. I’ve also performed solo at various events, with my humble group “Paved Paradise” (Micah Wang – ‘ukulele, Isaac Wang – slack key guitar), and with Keoki Kahumoku, Lorna Lim, and Hualalai. I have recently been accepted into Uncle George Kahumoku’s Institute of Hawaiian Music program at the UH Maui College – I’ll be on Maui soon!
Drop me a line if you are interested in ‘ukulele lessons, local music, or jamming!
Main Gear
- ‘Ukulele: Kamaka tenor tuned: low-GCEA with Worth CH strings and a MISI Acoustic Trio pickup
- Pedals: MXR 6-band EQ, Line 6 M5 multi-effects, MXR Carbon Copy delay, DOD FX-65 chorus, TC Electronics Hall of Fame reverb
- Amp: Roland AC-90
Music Influences: Eric Johnson, Carlos Santana, Herb Ohta Jr., Kimo Hussey, B.B. King, Jack Johnson, Jimi Hendrix, the Doobie Brothers, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, David Kamakahi, Keoki Kahumoku, Hapa, Hui ‘Ohana, John Mayer, Robert Randolph, Bob Marley, Oliver Mtukudzi, Vieux Farka Toure, Hualalai, James Hill
Life Influences: My family, The Wang Family, Hualalai and Alohi K., Herb Ohta Jr.
My 5 “Desert Island” Records:
- Venus Isle by Eric Johnson
- Supernatural by Santana
- We Walk This Road by Robert Randolph
- Fondo by Vieux Farka Toure
- Cracked Rear View by Hootie and the Blowfish
Slack Key Kid
Was a founding member of Live ‘Ukulele.com. At the current time he is busy attending college at UH Manoa and is not active on the site.
Has been playing the ‘ukulele since 2005 and slack key guitar since 2007. He moved from Oahu to the Big Island in 2000 and started taking classes from Keoki Kahumoku several years ago. He is not as determined to turn his skills to a professional job as Brad, but he is still striving to take his playing to another level.
Main ‘ukulele: handmade 5-string tenor tuned: low-GGCEA
Comment Policy:
When you leave a comment on this site, it goes online for the world to see. You will be asked to share your user name (which will be displayed), your email (which will not be displayed), and if you like, your homepage URL. Use common courtesy when writing your comment. Any comments that I feel are offensive or spam-like will be deleted.
Editorial Policy:
The word “‘ukulele” is pronounced differently by different people in different places. I say it oo-koo-le-le which is the Hawaiian pronunciation. I try to stay true to the Hawaiian roots of the ‘ukulele, so I always think “oo-koo-le-le” in my head when I’m writing. This leads to discussion about “a vs. an”. I write with an “an” in front of ‘ukulele just because that is grammatically correct when pronouncing it oo-koo-le-le. This will sound weird to all of the people pronounce ‘ukulele “yoo-ka-lay-lee”. In that case the grammar goes by the wayside and “a ukulele” sounds right. I apologize if “an ‘ukulele” is awkward to read for some, but it is what I know and that is how it will be on this site. Also note that I spell ‘ukulele with the ‘okina (‘). Auntie Anuhea’s explanation is best on the correct spelling of ‘ukulele.
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