I posted this earlier today on my Ukulele Review site:
Some people may march to the beat of a different drummer, but as a fan of 4 stringed instruments you might strum to the rhythm of a different ukulele. We’ve reviewed ukuleles made of plastic like the Flea and the BugsGear, and we’ve even shown you a ukulele made of LEGO. But how about a ukulele made of flax fiber? The Blackbird Clara ukulele is made of eco-friendly Ekoa composites. It’s the first flax-fiber string instrument on the market. Prices for the Clara concert ukulele start at $1150. Visit the Clara page to learn more.
Using alternative materials to make popular products has always interested me. Blackbird claims that this musical instrument made from plant fiber has a vintage ukulele sound. I agree that it does sound good in their video and I would very much like to try one sometime. However I do wish they offered one with a more traditional shape.
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I visit Hawaii once a year and tried to learn the ukelele but gave it up.
However, Julie, do you know the proper pronunciation of ukelele.
Most people say Yew-keh-lay-lee. But the proper Hawaiin way is Ook-keh-ley-ley.
The name means jumping fleas and comes from the two Hawaiin words ‘uku (flea) and lele (jumping).
The name comes from the appearance of the fingers as they fly around the strings. Little jumping fleas.
Mahalo
@Sandee Yes, I know that’s the way they pronounce ukulele in Hawaii, but when we say it over here like that it just sounds goofy and pretentious to me 🙂 It’s almost like if you’re not Hawaiian, you can’t pronounce it that way.