When I was growing up, there was no such thing as a touring ukulele player. Jake Shimabukuro growplayerthing Change image and share on social
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. Jake Shimabukuro armbicepefficient share on social
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. Jake Shimabukuro cultureeddiegeorge share on social
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. Jake Shimabukuro afraidfactinstrument share on social
I thought I'd grow up to be a teacher, or maybe run for political office. Jake Shimabukuro growofficepolitical Change image and share on social
Hawaii is a small, close community. Jake Shimabukuro closecommunityhawaii Change image and share on social
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. Jake Shimabukuro audiencefeltfresh share on social
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. Jake Shimabukuro figuregirlhappen Change image and share on social
Jazz is an art that takes decades to appreciate and understand. Jake Shimabukuro artdecadejazz Change image and share on social
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. Jake Shimabukuro artbelievebruce Change image and share on social