Day 2: April 13, 2017
Challenge: Learn a song on the ukulele
So, I bought myself a ukulele like six years ago, and never learned to play it. Like many of the instruments in my life it remains largely untouched. I wanted to give myself a challenge to help me remember the joy of learning something new and also the joy of music. Since ukulele playing is easier than guitar playing, I thought this would be an easy challenge; it was not. Learning the song was not hard, in the end, the hard part was going easy on myself for making mistakes. Music used to be so easy for me, I could pick up how to play any stringed instrument I could get my hands on, it just came so naturally to me. Then in my third year of college, I seriously damaged my wrist and my natural "knack" for playing was suddenly gone from my life. Even on the instruments that I studied (piano and bass) for years and years, I couldn't get the feel for what I was doing. Playing wasn't easy anymore, it was work, and it was hard. I had to learn to focus on hand position, and fingering - because it hurt if I didn't - and that took my focus away from the music. I had begun to play music from the head, and not from the heart, and it wasn't the same, didn't bring the same joy, peace, nor escape that it had always done. I bought the ukulele six years ago in the hopes that it would be easier to play, so that I would want to play more often. But I was still focused on the technical aspects and didn't let myself feel the music.
I learned to play a song on the ukulele for this challenge, but I also learned to let go of my insecurities about playing. I wasn't playing this for anyone but me, I didn't even record myself to share later. There was absolutely no reason to be worried about making mistakes. Here's the thing, though, I should never worry about making mistakes in music, or in life. I need to play and live more from the heart if I want the joy back. I need to learn to relax and enjoy the music. I still don't play as often as I'd like, but I play a lot more often than I used to.
Challenge: Learn a song on the ukulele
So, I bought myself a ukulele like six years ago, and never learned to play it. Like many of the instruments in my life it remains largely untouched. I wanted to give myself a challenge to help me remember the joy of learning something new and also the joy of music. Since ukulele playing is easier than guitar playing, I thought this would be an easy challenge; it was not. Learning the song was not hard, in the end, the hard part was going easy on myself for making mistakes. Music used to be so easy for me, I could pick up how to play any stringed instrument I could get my hands on, it just came so naturally to me. Then in my third year of college, I seriously damaged my wrist and my natural "knack" for playing was suddenly gone from my life. Even on the instruments that I studied (piano and bass) for years and years, I couldn't get the feel for what I was doing. Playing wasn't easy anymore, it was work, and it was hard. I had to learn to focus on hand position, and fingering - because it hurt if I didn't - and that took my focus away from the music. I had begun to play music from the head, and not from the heart, and it wasn't the same, didn't bring the same joy, peace, nor escape that it had always done. I bought the ukulele six years ago in the hopes that it would be easier to play, so that I would want to play more often. But I was still focused on the technical aspects and didn't let myself feel the music.
I learned to play a song on the ukulele for this challenge, but I also learned to let go of my insecurities about playing. I wasn't playing this for anyone but me, I didn't even record myself to share later. There was absolutely no reason to be worried about making mistakes. Here's the thing, though, I should never worry about making mistakes in music, or in life. I need to play and live more from the heart if I want the joy back. I need to learn to relax and enjoy the music. I still don't play as often as I'd like, but I play a lot more often than I used to.
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