As a human person who lives in a place in which I get to talk and meet with other human persons, the phrase ‘I wish I could play an instrument’ comes up all too often. Whenever I challenge this with the phrase JUST DO IT, I’m met with some classic answers such as “Instruments are expensive/learning will be too hard/my paws are too big and I’m actually a dog woof woof”. There is some validity in these claims (especially the dog one), but I actually think the ukulele escapes all of these prejudices and has the power to be the ultimate instrument for beginner musicians.
You can get a decent ukulele for £25 A big putter-offer of learning an instrument can be the cost, which in most cases is not cheap. Trying to buy a keyboard or guitar for under £50 will be damaging in the long run, as most I’ve encountered at this price point (source – years of teaching private students) suffer from problems that will cost more in repairs than they cost originally – and lets not begin to talk about drum kits…… Now let’s be clear – you’re not going to get ‘the best’ ukulele for £25, or if you’re already used to playing stringed instruments you may find it a bit cheap, but we’re talking for beginners here. I’ve used the Mahalo Soprano coloured ukuleles for my group & school classes for years, these ukuleles have seen many forms of public transport and bashes from tiny children, yet they have held up perfectly. They sit nicely in tune, they play well, and they sound and feel like a ukulele should. The newer ones even come strung with Aquila (good brand) strings, which make a huge difference to the sound. They are so small (smol/små) Errrrr…..what? Ok stick with me here – the ukulele being such a tiny, lightweight instrument really tackles 2 of the problems/complaints I hear when chatting to people about learning to play an instrument. The first one is this: I don’t have space for it. Well listen closely Harry Potter, because it really won’t take up any space. Hell, if you want to it can be put in a bag and neatly tidied away (I personally don’t recommend this – more on that later) so it takes up zero space. A piano/guitar/drum kit all can take up a good amount of space (guitars are the most practical for this) and can put people off, but the ukulele is so super tiny that they won’t be a nuisance – they even look pretty good hung on a wall. Problem number two, which is a tricky one but works surprisingly well with our little friend: I don’t have time to practice. Now, unless you’re a working parent who has to look after their children and manage EVERYTHING on your own, I’m going to call bullshit. We all have time, it’s just spent on other tiny things that sap it all away. To be good at practicing (check it – there are good and bad ways to practice) you need to do it little and often, not once a week but for an hour. It is 100% more beneficial in learning to play for 5 minutes 4 days a week than 20 minutes once a week, and that’s due to muscle memory. The clue is in the name – memory. If I asked you to memorise a sentence for me over a week, what would you say is more effective, spending 5 minutes everyday reminding you of said sentence, or leaving it to one day and spending 25 minutes on it? Practice works the same, and so needs to be treated like it. Due to the ukulele’s size, it’s easily transportable – whether that’s from room to room in your home, or whether that’s in the car/transport to work. It can come with you most places, which sort of gives you a lot more opportunity to get that 5 minutes of practice in. Putting the kettle on? Go get the ukulele. Running a bath? Go get it. Waiting in the car? Bring it. Lunch break at work? Bring it. I mentioned earlier that whilst it can be easily tidied away, I wouldn’t advise it. The main reason is that when you’re a beginner, you might not be used to dedicating time to practice, and until it forms as a habit, it’s actually difficult to remember to do it (life is pretty busy and we have lots of things to remember). Basically – out of sight, out of mind. If the tiny instrument can be placed somewhere that’s in your line of sight daily, it’s very hard to forget about it and is much more likely to be picked up and played, and then you get better faster harder stronger. The skills and knowledge learnt is applicable to other instruments Now, a super excellent fun thing about music and music theory is that it is universal across all instruments – let me say that again. IT IS A UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE/THEORY ACROSS ALL INSTRUMENTS. This means that if you learn how chords/theory/reading works for a ukulele player, it will be no different to that of a guitarist/pianist/flautist/drummer etc. This means that all that hard work you put into this instrument will aid your learning in another instrument, the obvious hard part is learning the physical aspect of techniques etc on the new instrument. It’s not an accident that most musicians play more than one instrument, and it’s because of the underlying theory that links it all together and helps you to think and problem solve as a musician. The learning curve on a ukulele is quite small, unlike other instruments which want your ears and hands to die for weeks before you achieve a slightly acceptable sound. This makes him a much friendlier way of kicking off your learning, even if you don’t want to necessarily stick to the ukulele but want to learn guitar etc in the future. They’re a very inoffensive instrument Drums – loud. Pianos – loud. Guitars – loud. Ukulele – not so loud. You get to keep your neighbours and not have family members/roommates plotting your demise, which is a vital part of a healthy relationship. If you’re reading this and are on the fence, it’s part of your bucket list, it’s a life long fantasy of yours – just do it. Learning new skills is such an important part of keeping you alive, and the longer we postpone learning, the harder it gets. Keep your brain fit and look/feel cool whilst doing so – I really believe that everyone should try learning an instrument, and the ukulele really is an excellent way to get that done. If you ever have any further questions regarding this topic or more, then please hit me up on [email protected] - or you can find me on Twitter @sammydamacy
5 Comments
13/6/2019 03:13:18 am
Surely, there are differences in the appreciation of certain instruments. The guitar is one of the most popular, however, it requires a lot of practice to perfect. The Ukulele is viewed as a lesser version of the guitar, and I agree. The Ukulele is, comparatively, easier to learn and get better at than the guitar. However, if you are a beginner, I really recommend learning how to play the guitar first, that is because it prepares you for the Ukulele.
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Sammy
13/6/2019 09:22:02 am
Hi,
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12/4/2022 10:13:46 am
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15/11/2022 01:57:13 pm
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