Jake Shimabukuro

“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.”

“There's no ego when you're a ukulele player.”

“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.”

“If everyone played the ukulele, the world would be a better place.”

“Blues, rock and hip hop are more about a lifestyle and culture than notes on a page.”

“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?”

“I thought I'd grow up to be a teacher, or maybe run for political office.”

“You know, Leonard Cohen is amazing, just a mastermind, and really one of the great geniuses of our time.”

“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.”

“Hawaii is a small, close community.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“When I was growing up, there was no such thing as a touring ukulele player.”

“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.”

“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.”