"... I can finally make music for MY OWN enjoyment and not for someone else's, not for money, not to prove anything--just for the sheer celebration of the sound of it. That I get to play ukulele with others is a very pleasant bonus to the whole blessing the ukulele has been for me." –uncle taco
my heart swelled with joy when i read this....uncle taco nails it on the head...how many times have i heard...
'i've always wanted to learn to play an instrument, but i'm not very musical...'
Gah! i let my friend take my ukulele and in 5 minutes i had him strumming 2 chords and there was a huge smile on his face. of course like anything getting really proficient on the uke takes practice, but it IS one of the most 'user-friendly' instruments i've ever played.
my friend howlin' hobbit says, 'four strings, four fingers...how zen is that?' i don't really know the webster's definition of 'zen,' but i think he means it just feels, looks, sounds, and is "right."
if you're wanting to explore fun, joy, and making your own music i recommend the following instruments....
-the ukulele (flat out number 1)
-the harmonica (more on that later)
-the strumstick (also known as the walking dulcimer)....google mcnally strumstick for this one...
oh, and here is
Jeff's blog
hey Todd, thanks for all your vids! I just bought a new baritone ukulele and man is it ever fun to play!. Do you think you could show us a simple finger picking pattern to practice.
ReplyDeleteDeacon Woodcutter
Deacon,
ReplyDeletecongratulations....it seems that soprano ukes (the smallest) and baritones (the biggest) are my 2 favorites at present....polar opposites ha ha!
i will stew over the idea of a possible tutorial and see what i can come up with :)