Four strings, four fingers

A DECADE ago, a group of locals used to meet every Thursday night as a choir, before heading to the pub for a drink.

A worldwide phenomenon of an instrument, the ukulele was introduced into their musical mix. Becoming a broader ensemble as a result, they received invites to perform at events about six years ago.

Jeannie King said their first gig was the Clunes Farmers Market.

“We had to think of a name. A lot were canvassed, and most ukulele groups have odd, weird, stupid names, so we thought we’d not go too stupid. We chose Ballarat Ukulele Group, which is BUG,” she said.

Still meeting on Thursdays, BUG is booming and based weekly at the Bunch of Grapes Hotel on Pleasant Street, with two encouraging sessions; Beginners at 6pm and Players from 7.45pm. The first three songs for the Players are open mic.

“We’ve got different music we play, people bring different songs, we’ve got quite a big repertoire of songs and we’re always adding in new ones to keep it interesting,” Ms King said.

“Sometimes we have theme nights, like when it’s Rockabilly weekend and we have a Ukulilly night, dress up and do those sorts of songs.”

She said the ukulele is cheap to pick up, and easy to learn by playing with and watching more experienced people. It’s ideal for former guitarists who need a change, or those seeking a creative release.

“Sometimes when your fingers get old and have arthritis, guitar can get a bit difficult, but a ukulele is just a cut down version, and it’s a bit easier to play and manage.

“Four strings and four fingers… What can go wrong? It’s not as complicated as a guitar and there’s a lot of simple music you can play easily,” Ms King said.

“There’s a lot of creative people who don’t have an outlet for their creativity, so if you’re a bit musical, it’s great.”

Ukulele has globally captured the interest of all types of people, and BUG mirrors that, as a “diverse and open group.

“Not all of them are old, retired people. I think Vance Joy’s hit, Riptide, because it was very successful, it was sort of ok for young people to like ukulele as well,” Ms King said.

“If you’ve got a group of 10 people singing, you can’t have 10 people playing guitar because it’s too loud, but you can have 10 people playing ukulele and still sing. A lot of the fun of it is singing.”

BUG is booked for plenty of gigs, playing at the recent Ballarat’s Best for Bushfire Relief concert. They’re looking forward to another opportunity to entertain crowds at the Bridge Mall Farmers Market on Saturday, 1 February.

“It’s a real focal point with kids dancing and having fun. We put the case out and donate money to charity. The money’s going to be donated to bushfire relief,” Ms King said.

“In the past, we’ve donated to hospice, animal rescue, Berry Street music scholarships… Each year, we’ve donated about $1500 to charity.”

Visit ballaratukulelegroup.org or facebook.com/ballaratukulelegroup for more information.