Presenting the humble ukulele: Jake Shimabukuro wows TEDxTokyo

On Saturday I attended the 2nd annual TEDxTokyo conference. Last year was great; this year was even better. The event was extremely well run and the mix of presentations and performances was outstanding. My head is still spinning. What a day! One of the most memorable performances was by Jake Shimabukuro. Please set aside 20 minutes out of your day to watch this whole presentation/performance. Jake plays a few songs and shares a couple of good stories as well. Crank up your speakers and stick with this performance; it just gets better all the way to the end. Remarkable. (Also with Japanese translation.)


Beating people's expectations
In life, often people just don't think too much of you (or of what you do), even before they know much about you. They prejudge you. But rather than letting this get you down, you can use this as an opportunity to surpass their expectations and blow them away. Low expectations can sometimes be a blessing to be leveraged. I love Jake's money quote on this idea: "One of the things I love about being a ukulele player is that no matter where I go in the world to play, the audience has such low expectations. [This is] a huge plus for sure."  

           

There are many takeaways from this performance from the Zen Master of the the ukulele beyond mere entertainment. The ukulele itself, and those like Jake who play it so insanely well, represent both the struggle and the inspiration and delight that comes from blowing away other people's low expectations of you through your own hard work, unbridled passion, and dedication to excellence. As with the ukulele, others may misunderstand you or not take you or your cause seriously. Others may not give you a chance or think you are too small, too young, too old, too unusual to take a chance on. Few people take the ukulele for a serious musical instrument, and yet Jake shows us how misguided that kind of conventional wisdom is. Jake and his ukulele are an inspiration.

Playing naked is best
All Jake had with him on stage yesterday in Tokyo was his ukulele and his talent. As he explains in this older performance below (it's an amazing performance from circa 2007), he used to have all sorts of equipment to play loads of special effects. People loved this. But he decided to go back to basics — to go naked in a sense — and strip everything away and to be what he really is: the best ukulele player you'll ever see. He is an amazing talent with a great personality that really shows through his art.



Photo in the slide above is by Ryota Mori.

Comments

[Glen Lipka]

A few years ago I saw Jake on YouTube. It inspired me to take up the Uke myself. I loved it. Whenever I play it for people (and I'm not very good) the expectations are so low that even a simple song is a triumph. If I had a guitar, the enjoyment of others would be significantly lower.

I'm a designer. I find management of expectations is one of the most important tasks I perform. Great vs. "Meh" come down to expectations.

[Asfarian.wordpress.com]

It's a great performance from the beginning until the end. Thanks for sharing :)

[Kyoun]

Impressive performance.

[Jude Rathburn]

One of the things that impressed me about Jake's TedxTokyo performance was the gentleness and grace that came through as he played each peace with reverence and delight. Thanks for challenging my expectations about the ukulele.

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thanks a lot ! It's a usefull post !

[Dinesh Rudra]

I like the way he intertwines short quips and stories between his pieces. What a presenter!
Thanks for sharing this, Garr.

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He is really impressive and talented...

[Kaede]

Wow, amazing guy. He's really talented. Thanks for sharing this.

[Dwayne]

I saw this and just bought one. Nice pick Patrick!

[Damon]

Oh my gosh... Jake is one of my all time favorites. I first saw him in 2000 right after I moved to Hawaii. He is amazing, as is this clip! Thanks for sharing the presentation and your insights from his performance.

Much mahalo!
Damon

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"zen master of the ukulele" is a beautiful expression. I really must check this guy out, to see why you called him this.

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[cbramhall]

If you've not heard of them before, try investigating The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain too. Their covers of Anarchy in the UK and Smells Like teen Spirit (not to mention The Dambusters March and many others) have to be heard to be believed.

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Great, very interersting

[PL]

Reminded me of balalaika performer Alexey Arkhipovsky: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAWF8WtVWSY Amazing mastery of what one would consider a toy instrument.

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If you've ever thought of the ukulele as a simple instrument or even a type of toy instrument, the playing of Jake Shimabukuro will shatter that illusion. I first became aware of this young Hawaiian musician through a music video of Shimabukuro playing "While my Guitar Gently Weeps," which had been posted on YouTube, google and other websites. This young man's performance was, at the very least, impressive.

[Tadarich]

Jake is a phenomenal soul...his playing gives me chills...utterly amazing!

[travesti]

I'm a designer. I find management of expectations is one of the most important tasks I perform. Great vs. "Meh" come down to expectations.

[travesti]

expectations are so low that even a simple song is a triumph. If I had a guitar, the enjoyment of others would be significantly lower.

I'm a designer. I find management of expectations

[travesti]

Good article "One of the things I love about being a ukulele player is that no matter where I go in the world to play thanks yess