Land of the Jumping Fleas: Ukulele Fever Grips Taiwan(a)

Land of the Jumping Fleas: Ukulele Fever Grips Taiwan

　　The adorable four-stringed ukulele, resembling a miniature guitar, has recently caught on big time in Taiwan. It's loved by TV stars, popular vocalists, and the general public alike, and this whirlwind craze has also unwittingly drawn attention once again to the traditional instrument industry of Shuilin Township in Yunlin County.

　　Strolling along Taipei's streets nowadays, you'll notice that alongside the proudly exhibited saxophones and guitars in the display windows of musical instrument stores, pastel-colored ukuleles have begun to appear, drawing looks from passersby. In the popular Taiwanese drama, In Time with You, the male lead, Li Da-ren, is unable to express his feelings, so he sits on a balcony playing the ukulele all alone, which wins the hearts of viewers. The TV series helped make this small, simple instrument so popular that it became a hot commodity in 2012.

　　Even before In Time with You, however, ukuleles were already popular and well known to the Taiwanese public. At the 2010 Simple Life Music Festival, as fans were mesmerized by the delicate voice of songstress Cheer Chen, it was the simple tone of the ukulele that accompanied the songs. Elsewhere, hipster singer-songwriter Crowd Lu, who usually performs sporting a bowl cut, black-rimmed glasses, T-shirt, and shorts, appeared in a TV commercial playing the ukulele while selling spaghetti.

　　The recent enthusiasm for ukuleles has also sparked an interest in learning the instrument through regular and virtual instruction. A search for the word ukulele on YouTube yields more than 440,000 hits. Virtuosos in Taiwan and abroad play the role of virtual music teachers by recording all manner of instructional videos, starting with basic fingering and music theory, to spread the joy of playing. In addition, community colleges around Taiwan are now offering classes, so senior citizens can learn alongside young people, strumming and singing together on their ukes.

 

流行新浪潮──乌克丽丽疯

　　外型很像小型吉他，拥有四根弦的可爱乐器乌克丽丽，近年来在台湾大为风行。它不仅让电视明星、当红歌手和一般民众爱不释手，而且这股旋风式的热潮也意外地让云林县水林乡的传统乐器产业重新获得瞩目。

　　现在漫步在台北街头，你会注意到在乐器行的展示橱窗里，除了高挂萨克斯风及吉他之外，旁边也开始摆出一把把粉色系的乌克丽丽，吸引了路人的目光。在一齣相当受欢迎的台湾偶像剧《我可能不会爱你》当中，男主角李大仁无法表达他的情感，于是他便坐在阳台上独自弹奏着乌克丽丽，这段剧情掳获了大批观众的心。这齣偶像剧有助于让这把小巧且音色质朴的乐器人气窜升，成为 2012 年火红商品之一。

　　其实早在《我可能不会爱你》推出之前，乌克丽丽便已在台湾蔚为风潮且广为人知。在 2010 年的简单生活音乐节活动上，当歌迷陶醉在女歌手陈绮贞的美声时，一旁伴奏的简单乐音正是乌克丽丽。场景一转，向来以西瓜皮发型、黑色胶框眼镜及一袭 T 恤短裤出现在歌迷眼前的流行创作歌手卢广仲，也在电视广告中一边卖意大利面，一边弹奏乌克丽丽。

　　近期民众对乌克丽丽的热爱激发了学习这项乐器的兴趣，无论是透过实体或虚拟指导。在 Youtube 网站搜寻『乌克丽丽』四个字，结果出现四十四万多笔的搜寻结果。来自台湾与国外的音乐大师录制各式各样的教学影片，各自扮演虚拟音乐老师的角色，从基本的指法和乐理教起，传达弹奏乌克丽丽的快乐。此外，国内的社区大学现在也提供了相关课程，让银发族得以和年轻人一起拿着乌克丽丽弹弹唱唱。