World's Best Ukulele Player

[aibangmaini]

I don't get it - he's playing very basic rhythms, with the aid of a looper. I'm sure he's a nice player and all, but what exactly is so riveting about this performance?

[drumdizzy]

Roy Smeck is the best ukelele player by far.

[aibangmaini]

@drumdizzy I was waiting for somebody to mention a truly great uke player. Well done.

[drumdizzy]

@aibangmaini Thank you !! 

[CowLunch]

There is no world's best musician in any category because art is subjective. If this person thinks he is the best in the world that is there opinion and there's no need for anyone to argue because it can only ever be an opinion.

[spongebo13]

Most interesting: This guy

Most skilled: Jake Shimabukuro

Fastest: George Formby

There are many things that make the 'best'. If you had a combination of the originality of this guy, pure skill of Jake and speed and rhythm of Formby... that would be the BEST ukulele player the world has ever seen.

[AJHutcherson]

@ianosullivenguitar sorry to break it to you but what he is playing is actually extremely easy he's playing a simple part and adding a flick in. I've been playing for a week and can do that. Jake is a much beeter ukulele player and i'm sorry he's barely singing. most of it is spoken and the parts that are, well anyone with any form of vocal talent can do that. Jake is a fantastic uke player and is much better than this guy. if you don't believe me go check out his while my guitar gently weeps v

[ianosullivanguitar]

Ode to a Frozen Boot, I'm sorry but Jake wouldn't be able to play that. James could play anything Jake does. James is a better technician, but Jake is a creative and original arranger. Who's better? Cant compare apples and oranges.

[Keithava]

Jake is good but he doesn't sing..

[SuzieAdvi]

If this impresses you, You ought to check out Jake Shimabukuro. His playing completely awes me!

[BTBHSOHBOY]

No offense to James Hill, but I prefer Jake Shimabukuro. I respect Mr. Hill's talent, but something in Jake's playing impresses me more.

[MadddSkillzzz]

James Hill is one of the best, yes. People talking shit about him need to check him out some more before making any statements.

[BiByron1]

Calm down people, he is very skilled, talented and creative uke player and no-one can safely declare anyone the best as there are always unknowns. I don't know why the uploader called it that, it may be to draw attention to him, maybe he's the best the guys ever seen himself. Whatever it is, posting pointless comments saying he's not is just as superficial so please god shut up. Many thanks :) (Great performance)

[BIGDB12123]

@Shianetto Yes he is

[Shianetto]

Not the best!

[BIGDB12123]

@Nez949 then who is

[JMJgamingproductions]

i don't think thats a ukulele because i have one and i have never someone with 6 strings...

[Heelms]

@JMJgamingproductions Are you kidding?

Of course that's a ukulele. It's very visible - not only because of the FOUR strings, but because of the size and the sound.

James Hill is an expert on the uke. Hard to declear someone the best.

Jake and James has got two different play styles that can't be compared

[JMJgamingproductions]

@Heelms I just maxed the screen and i saw four so sorry and i never doubted how skilled he is it is amazing what he can do just my mistake i saw it wrong.

[Nez949]

I'd say hes really good, but definitely not the best though. sorry buddy! :]

[mmaayyuummiifff]

Wow!

[Ryandri0d]

I guess this is about what I would imagine this song would sound like if Jim Morrison covered it.

[AndreeeCZ]

Sting like!

[bullshitproof]

shit it cant even do this on guitar..

[sevenbagx]

It's awsome.

[LoganLevesque]

THIS GUY SIGNED MY UKULELE OMG OMGEEEEEE



[WatchDarkgirl]

Actually, peeps I believe he could play anything Jake plays!! This guy is a Master Uke Player!! They both just walk to the beat of a different strum!!

[WatchDarkgirl]

James Hill is def the most innovative player!! You will hear him do stuff that sounds like nobody else! Kinda like a Tuck Andreas of ukulele:)

[makulayanga1231]

GOOD!



[delanosucksatchess]

anyone know his name?

[cadalo8]

@delanosucksatchess his name's james hill

[TheJoe313]

um tiny tim????

[XXXsith]

I saw him and Jake Shimabukuro live on stage on the 40th Ukulele festival in Hawaii =)

[cadalo8]

@XXXsith i saw them both at san diegos 1st uke fest :) i got my uke signed by both of them and ukulele bartt :D they're awesome

[MarcusBernard89]

yes @ Jake Shimabukuro...... But this is SICK

[Zukayak]

great playing and performance!

i do have a question for you though.

is that a tenor uke?

cheers

[checkitoutguys1]

That was so fun to watch definitely liked it!

[ducksbumhole]

amazing



[funkydavidoff]

Ah, great, made me smile throughout the song !

[stuckinthetrees]

Really good stuff!

[ActivateBeastMode1]

Pedro da Silva, look him up, flamenco uke and electric uke god

[DerTrittbrettkollege]

amazing!!!

[sergiesmax1]

Was amazing got to say this in my home slang gobsmacked excellent.Now to share on my facebook page

[bhscout800]

to all those saying not the best.... who cares he's amazing i wish i had a tenth the talent he does......

[DerTrittbrettkollege]

awesome !

[kenyajon]

There are SO many elements to the Worlds best music...Technique...Tone...Tim­ing etc. I shot this video of James at a Music Education conference where he was performing to a room full of music teachers. The theme of the session was that sometimes music educators can ruin the feeling and expression of music by hitting their students over the head with theory. James demonstrated how teaching creativity and music expression will keep their students engaged rather than frustrated.

[syafizone96]

Check out sungha jung :)

[spudboy56]

Entertaining, yes. Worlds best, not even in the same league of the best Uke players in the work.

[1skullduggery]

he shooda moonwalked off da stage....

[bowdowwn]

I think your description totally missed the mark :(

[teiva1962]

THE BEST OOAAH

[SuperRedhat123]

the Willie Nelson of the Ukulele

[rebob59]

who cares good song great stage presents

[TheeZulu]

James hill music dot com



[MusicManAustralia]

Murray Wiggle is the best

[msmaji85]

Awesome shitttt!!!!........ooweee i wish i could play like this!!!

[iMANACreatioNZ]

This guy is GREAT! He does everything else Shimabukuro doesnt :)

[BobbyJKally]

really awkward when i played this video and it wasn'

t shimabukuro

[jpoulivaati]

I find what he does impressive, but more on a comedic side!!! That is impressive, the beats with all the parts. Not going hate on it.

[SuperJOOWON]

Is this person better than sungha jung???????????????

[tankbuster72]

That was a waste of my time

[xsheepyful]

Jake Shimabukuro is the best!

[farrrive]

Thats right!! Thsi guy has nothing on jake!!

[aasekristoffer]

@xsheepyful The God of ukulele!

[aibangmaini]

@xsheepyful Try Roy Smeck sometime.

[Agentseaturtle]

Best in the world? um. Have you HEARD Taimane Gardener?

[SuperCavalierking]

@Agentseaturtle

Taimane is way under........ jesus. James Hill and Jak,e are top notch players with a sublime technique. wtf have you in between your ears

[Agentseaturtle]

@SuperCavalierking

ok, ok. jeez. ya don't have to get all defensive. Just my opinion

[jpoulivaati]

@Agentseaturtle I love watching and listening to Taimane!!!! I believe she was a student of Jake.

[Agentseaturtle]

@jpoulivaati

Really? That's so cool! I think the ukulele sound beautiful :) I'd love to learn some day

[jerryfinsternumber9]

I'm guessing he's the world's best because he is playing the percussion, the base line, the rythm, and the melody at the same time? nifty, but not world's best

[hellothrful]

@jerryfinsternumber9 Well Its his innovation and creativity that makes him great. Even Jimi Hendrix played with his mouth and teeth. We should applaud those who are creative and different for they are the ones who come up with great stuff. Not the music you hear on the radio now, it all sounds the same: which is CRAP.

[paulmay7777]

@jerryfinsternumber9 Hes playing the rhythm and percussion I didn't hear any bassline and was kinda saying the melody...but i get your drift lol Jake is definitely WAY better but this guy is still really good.

[claudioscola]

@jerryfinsternumber9 He's called the best because many of the worlds great uke players say he's the best. Some people think it's Jake and some think it's James...Both awesome.

[jerryfinsternumber9]

@claudioscola no one thinks it's james

[tommyka123]

sungha jung is 54839201 times better..

[DrAwesome360]

Left kid screams into mic

[LivingStardust]

What brand/make ukulele is he playing?

[booger808]

Best?!? The kids at my elementary school can do that...

[nguyentanhai]

Best ever

[ziggyziggylaalaa]

His name's James Hill

[iMoreAsianR]

Sungha Jung, nuff said...

[KalihiC11]

@iMoreAsianR Jake Shimabukuro.

[iMoreAsianR]

@KalihiC11 Sungha Jung could play jake's ukulele weeps when he was only 6 years old.

[TheSmexyViet]

@iMoreAsianR That's like saying Jane Doe can play Bach's Brandenburg no. 5. Great, Jane Doe can play someone else's COMPOSED song. Is Jane Doe as brilliant as Bach? Probably not. Just because someone can learn an existing song doesn't mean they're on par with the original composer. I know Sungha composes his own covers, but saying that he could play someone else's song is just a weak and poor argument.

[Grafikbug]

I thought at the beginning he has such a loop machine.

[RzRbZl]

You just made the ukulele sexy... i am sold... lol that was so awesome super well done

[chewymcbaca]

hey you should do a lesson!!!!!!

[vocaltutor]

this is great. A fabulous twist on the song.

[agvaililu]

Jake and this guy are both great enough to say thay're cool

the difference of them is just

One is Acoustic Indy Style as Entertainer

another one is Classical Solo Style as Instrumentalist

Don't you thinks thay're both great Musician?

[patsrok2]

Mind . Blown .

[truegangsteroflove]

Entertaining guy. Not so sure about best in the world. I didn't see much ukelele playing. Strange that whoever put this video up didn't bother to give his name. I saw Jake Shimabokuro live about a year ago. One would be hard-pressed to find a better ukelele player. This guy isn't it. Even Israel Kamakawiwo'ole does more with his ukelele, though for him it's more of an accompanyment to his singing. Bill Tapia, who just died, was also better.

[iamjurell]

@truegangsteroflove Look up other james hill videos. He is NOT lacking when it comes to instrumentals....

[GinnyWebbTube]

yep, jake is kind of the 'classical guitarist' of the uke world- james is far more experimental and pushes the frontiers, so to speak.

[MrCipres0]

is it ok to say this guy is at least more entertaining if not better than jake ?

[ragzdaddy]

Then again , the Uke is about fellowship and friendliness . No need to argue centering the single msot instrument thats centered around peace . Just enjoy them all for they are and do . My actual favorite player to watch is a small asian boy and his sister on cello from the midwest . They play for the enjoyment and that only with no real paying audience in mind .

[ragzdaddy]

@CHK046 ........ NOOOOTTTTTTT Harldy . But you get an A+ for imagination . Brittni Paiva is still well into the pile of masters . James Hill is good . But it's more like the Gong Show Atmosphere with all the clwon antics and all . Jake is a performer of the utmost and highest level of artisans . Where James Hill is a wonderful player , the bafoonery takes away from true maestro status . Never forgetting , Jake is the better instrumentalist far above and beyond James Hills wildest dreams.

[EdRobinsonMusic]

this is so cool :L

[ragzdaddy]

Jake and James are truly masters . But James is NOWHERE near the level of Jake .

Then again , let's not forget Britttni Paiva . She is knocking on Jakes door pretty hard without question .

[CHK046]

@ragzdaddy James is so much better than Jake. James can do everything Jake does, but he's doing so much more. Pushing the limits of what the ukulele can do.

[tesselationist]

i knew the uke could be sexy

[becstream]

@E4rlGrey theres always an asians that can do it better

[Sushiman808]

Jake baby !

[Manna580110]

Jake Shimabukuro and James Hill are both masters~ 

[issacdhan]

Not the best.

But the good part is I enjoyed. So no need to be best just be good entertainer.

[PIMI1279]

that is awesome!!!!

[kaleasgrampa]

nice nice

[jgordon766]

Really nice!

[classified9]

James hill>jake shimabukuro... just found out my friend is friends with him and he's coming to my city on sunday :DD

[sophieb2296]

jameees hill :) saw him in langley years ago!

[MrDickmoody]

i didn't think much of the song but ule technique wonderful I listened twice too lol  voted 3X

[MrDickmoody]

i didn't think much of the song but ule technique wonderful

[smithyosobb]

Fucking... TEACH ME. :O

[MultiKILLERCOMBO]

f**k hes good

[xerhino]

Fantastic! I didn't even know I liked that song until just now.

[pon2pan3]

ทำได้ไง

[Prnzkamil]

@pon2pan3 ไม่น่าเชื่อเนอะ

[bunn1989]

@cokotuossurdum look dude, racism is completely unnecessary. Jake is an amazing ukulele player and you wish you had a tenth of his talent. He has more musical ability and aloha in his pinky finger than you do in your entire family apparently.

[WannaKamaka]

James Hill is known for his uke playing. He's good. But a gifted uke player is Jake Shimabukuro!! Find Jake's song, "My Guitar Gently Weeps". Hits all notes clearly and can fan strum like no one's business.

[smartins3004]

sorry, shitt, i didnt really pay attention, your right hes not using a loop station, of course, he is using a poor man loop station as he says. But nevertheless it isnt very difficult to do what he is doingm but good work and quite cool the way he does it...sorry, forget my last posting

[smartins3004]

well he plays nothing, his loop station is playing but hes funny

[lsamoa]

@smartins3004 james hill doesn't use loopstations, he's just a really good musician

[minilangthumper]

i cant stop watching this, ive watched it 5 times in a row and cant figure out how to play it. please help meeeeeeee

[smartins3004]

@minilangthumper just buyy a loop station!!!



[minilangthumper]

i have to learn this, please, can someone tab this? and send it to me? please please please?

[minilangthumper]

WHERE DO I FIND MORE??////

[kilrmax]

I find it funny that this was linked from a Jake Shimabukuro video.

[Jacksonblake26]

He's playing the guitar, the bass, and the drum part all on uke:D thats awesome:D

[slipdipdog]

I saw nothing in this video that says he is the greatest???

[Yokai671]

hell hes good but jakes the worlds best..... look up sungha jung he does what this guy does but the gutair does song, melody, beat, and sings.

[claudioscola]

Check Jimmy out on a Kala!

[MieMegaLove]

1 dislike. Dude... this guy is amazinnnggg

[kaonilaulani]

more like best uke flicker! yeah great talent! lol... j/k it was a great nice piece. it's just when he started to try to sing that made it really bad! "Jake Shimabukuro" baby!

[MrDarkmourne]

@kaonilaulani He sings good! i think.

[TheSyntheticOmega]

@kaonilaulani You should check out his own music that has lyrics. He has a great voice.

[shadowblade000000]

it sounds like billie jean

[Punkjunkie1994]

I wanna know exactly how he was mixing his strumming and slapping to create the song? :)

[fromthebody]

Pretty creative. I/m more in love with his UKE then I am his song. What is that, a kamaka?

[ChickenVendetta]

@fromthebody Ha! Not likely! This was at NAMM, and he was being sponsored by Kala. That's a great model, but it's not a Kamaka. You can get this for about 1/9 of what it would cost for a Kamaka tenor.

When he tours, he uses 2 custom G-String ukuleles.

[ChickenVendetta]

Haha! I was about to ask what king of looping pedals he was using.

James Hill is awesome.

[SalPedi]

His left hand is really moving along, but I can't hear the sounds of the chords!..

[MsDidier1973]

Super bien:je vote:10/10.

[prs22you]

Great uke playing!

[E4rlGrey]

Best Ukulele player? Really? Seach "Jake Shimabukuro."

Keep in mind I'm not saying this guy is bad.

[kenyajon]

@E4rlGrey Amazing! Thanks for sharing. I will let the NAMM folks know to check him out.

[thezestiest]

@E4rlGrey look up "Awesome Carbondale" - and you will find a vid of my brother (from Carbondale, IL) playing ukulele. He has a really different style (and plays a lot of different music), but he's extremely good.

[ChickenVendetta]

@E4rlGrey In my very humble opinion, James is, at least from a technical standpoint, slightly superior to Jake Shimabukuro. His strumming is more intricate, while his writing is less.

(Just opinion, not fact, obviously.)

[TheSyntheticOmega]

@E4rlGrey James Hill is more technically sound than Jake. Jake does draw a crowd though.

[lsamoa]

@E4rlGrey They're both amazing and best in the world in their own ways. I have a slight preference for James Hill because I like the songs he plays better and I find him more versatile, but I absolutely love Jake too. And Aldrine!

Does it have to be a competition? Can't we just enjoy these players' intense awesomeness and be happy with it?

[nova0981]

@E4rlGrey And also Kalei Gamiao. Especially his song "Mach 4"

[Crazyk100]

@E4rlGrey You can't just go off of this video it doesn't give this guy justice, look up other james hill videos and you'll see that he is easily just as good as Jake Shimabukuro

[darryleyeman]

@E4rlGrey They are both great but personally I think James is on another level. Check out some of his claw hammer style videos and his chopsticks work for something different.

[steev3d]

@E4rlGrey Jake is technically very very good of that there is no doubt but he is also very BORING he has no life in him at least this chap is a bit of laugh lets face it Jake takes his UKE WAY too seriously