I've often heard that you only need to know three chords to play the 'ukulele: C, F and G. Confident that I was smart enough to learn these chords, I stopped by Harry's Music Store to buy an 'ukulele on my way out of town during my last visit.

That poor uke spent many months collecting dust on my bench until I decided to finally figure out the three chords of infinite musical mastery. And much to my dismay, learning three chords did not make me an expert.

Since moving to the Mainland, I've missed a lot about Hawai'i. First it was dreaming of a fresh plate lunch from Grace's Inn. Then it was the smell of the salt air that I always had taken for granted. And now it's the company of my friends and family.

But the one thing that always reminds me of home is Hawaiian music.

My girlfriend thinks that I have a problem because I often have new CDs arriving from home. I immediately rip them onto my iPod so I can wail with an Island beat on my way to work.

I have been pleasantly surprised at how often I come across local music in the "lower 48." I once happened upon Justin Young playing at a bar in Burbank, Calif. Another time, I saw Jake Shimabukuro at an international music festival in Daytona Beach, Fla.

One of the most surprising things I ever found was a copy of the first Hapa CD buried in a "used" bin in Columbia, S.C. I had to buy it, even though I already had a copy.

I've bought the Makaha Sons of Ni'ihau's early stuff off of iTunes to expand my collection, and I always find the world section at music stores, just to see how much Hawaiian music they have.

Whenever I need a soundtrack to accompany a long drive or a brisk walk in downtown Chicago, I always can turn to Bruddah Iz to make my trip a more enjoyable one.

I've always thought I had an eclectic taste in music, but lately I have a seemingly unquenchable longing for Island-style tunes.

I try to not let it get out of hand, but last year I really needed to find a copy of the out-of-print Pure Heart Christmas CD to make it feel like a real holiday. With the help of an old colleague, it finally arrived, and I took it to a friend's house for a dinner party.

A fellow guest commented that their version of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" may be his new favorite yuletide tune.

And just like that, I had a little hand in spreading a little bit of aloha.

So now, I want to expand my horizons by learning how to play the 'ukulele. It has been going on quite well with the trinity of C, F and G. And I plan to learn G7 real soon — right after I rip this Sean Na'auao CD that I bought on Amazon.

Former Honolulu Advertiser staffer Ken Rickard now lives in Chicago. Reach him at rickard.ken@gmail.com.