A while back I changed the strings on my Kala baritone. It never buzzed before, but it sure does now. I’m kind of baffled as to what could be causing it, but I do know that when I changed the strings, the saddle fell out on the floor. It was in there very loosely. So I’m wondering if it’s possible that I put the saddle back in the wrong way around. The B & E strings are taking turns buzzing, especially around the first three frets. I guess the other possibility is that the new strings are sinking too far down into the slots on the head stock. I did watch your video Matt on uke maintenance, but I hesitate to start messing with either the nut or the saddle. Do you think the buzzing would stop if I just changed to a different brand of strings?

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Matt, I just watched your video on cleaning your ukulele, which reminded me of something I have seen on Etsy and other FB ukulele sites - painted ukuleles. If a cleaning product can damage the finish of a uke, then I would assume that paint would do the same, right? There is a seller on Etsy who uses inexpensive ukes (from Amazon, I assume), then paints them and re-sells them. Some of the artwork is gorgeous but wouldn't the layers of paint kill the sound? Yesterday I saw another one on a FB site where the lower bout was decorated using coloured epoxy. It blew my mind that someone would do that. I am thinking that you'd be better off getting a uke that had inlay work in abalone or laser etching than one that was painted. Unless, of course, you just wanted a painted uke as wall art.

Hi Matt - One thing I plan to do for 2024, in addition to my private lessons, is to finish your Fingerstyle course. Is it OK to learn the pieces in a random order or is it best to learn them in the order they appear in the book? So far, I've got 4 learned (but not perfected), but am tempted to skip around. I'm thinking there was a method to your madness?

Oh dear. It's September and all the music stores are sending flyers to my door to torment me. And now UAS is bubbling to the surface again. (And I was doing so well these last couple of months!😉) I am not a huge fan of soprano ukuleles - hard to hold on to, squishy frets and dodgy intonation - at least on the two I own. BUT!! I saw an ad for a long neck soprano, and started my investigations. Do any of you own such a beast? From what I have gathered from the internet, the body is soprano size, but the neck can be either concert size or tenor size. But that doesn't necessarily mean you get more finger room across the frets unless the neck is also wider, not just longer. (Thank you gotaukulele.com(http://gotaukulele.com)) Lord knows I don't need another ukulele, but I am intrigued. Thoughts? Opinions?

My fingernails are like paper and have vertical ripples, probably due to my thyroid condition. I have managed to grow them out a bit a couple of times, but they get chipped from the strings or they tear. As they get longer, they simply bend. What do you use to keep your nails strong? I have tried a few things, but to no avail. My current strategy is to put some hoof repair cream on them daily. Really. And I don't even own a horse!