HOW DID YOU BECOME PASSIONATE ABOUT UKULELES?
I used to play guitar, but it didn't fit my lifestyle. I was travelling all the time and guitars are too big to carry around so I looked for a small, portable alternative. A Thai flute is hard to jam on with friends. I was working on a project with Singto Numchok and he introduced the ukulele to me. It was a great solution - easy to play and compact.
DID HE TEACH YOU HOW TO PLAY?
Yes, but he plays very fast! I later trained myself how to play it more slowly. It's similar to fingerpicking on a guitar, but more simplified.
WHY DID YOU START THE ONLINE TUTORIAL CHANNEL?
The tutorials started among a small group of friends. I wanted to share the instrument with my circle of friends, so I uploaded video clips on YouTube. They were interested and asked me to teach them how to play too.
WHY IS YOUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL SO POPULAR?
I think it's because of my sincere and straightforward style of communication. My lessons are beginner-friendly and not too technical. I try to make the content entertaining. Perhaps it's shared around social networks.
HOW DO YOU SELECT A SONG OR TOPIC TO COVER FOR EACH EPISODE?
It may relate to a holiday or season, or be a popular and easy-to-play song. Sometimes my viewers also make requests.
ARE YOU PLANNING TO RUN WORKSHOPS IN PERSON?
Since I'm a freelancer, my schedule is not fixed. I tend to run more activities out of town as I want to promote the instrument to a wider audience. I founded a ukulele community in Phuket called Apple Rangers Uke Club which gathers ukulele lovers from the southern provinces. We host a monthly activity together. Some of the members also play the instrument professionally.
HAVE YOU MET ANY OF YOUR FANS IN PERSON?
Once an elderly woman approached me out of the blue. She was very excited and asked to take a photo with me as her daughter watches my show every day. I once ran a survey on my Facebook page and found out that the age of my viewers is wide-ranging - from kindergarteners to seniors.
WHAT DO YOU WATCH ON YOUTUBE?
I normally check out music. YouTube offers alternative and diverse content you can't find on TV or elsewhere. For example, my neighbour who is only a primary student learns how to play games from YouTube. It's an open learning platform for everyone.
FACTBOX
Pennapang Chaydan is synonymous with "Apple Show" (www.youtube.com/superappleshow), her ukulele tutorial channel on YouTube. Currently with almost 150 videos, the music-loving freelancer shares easy-to-play lessons covering basic techniques and songs for beginners of the popular Hawaiian instrument. The online instructor has also earned over 88,000 fans on her Facebook page (www.facebook.com/fanappleshow).
