I began playing music in January or February of 2020 when I was given a Tenor ukulele - lockdown soon followed and work dropped off so there has been plenty of time to play around. I discovered early on that if I play for fun and pretend I’m not learning stuff, playing songs I know and love just for kicks I come on in leaps and bounds. If I get my ‘I’m gonna learn all of the stuff and be a musical genius’ head on, all of the fun goes away and I feel incredibly sad.
This is my Noah Monkeypod Tenor uke, sweet and warm sounding. I love it with clear fluorocarbon strings - it sings!
This year I’ve finally picked up a guitar and started to play it as a guitar should be played (rather than playing the top 4 strings like a baritone ukulele). My Yamaha CSF3M is pictured below - I replaced the strings which were 12s - phosphor bronze I think, because the poor guitar felt so taught it could explode at any moment. I popped silk and steel 11s on and they’re lovely (it’s just a little guitar)
I live in a tiny flat and my partner works from home, so volume can be an issue. I was becoming very frustrated as I just couldn’t play when I had the time and the inclination, so most of what I play is finger picked. To nail strumming, and to generally be able to play whenever I like without disturbing anyone I have a solution (and yes, being a plump middle-aged lady, I do feel a bit silly rocking out on this, I wish I could have had it in my late teens). It’s a telecaster, some weird hybrid thing they did a couple of years ago, with a teeny weeny fender so I can play through headphones. My strumming is still a mushy mess - the rhythm is fine, the result isn’t, but I’ll keep plugging away at it. It’ll come.
ETA. My better half has reminded me that the correct name for my telecaster is a Parallel Universe Elite or a Nashville Telecaster which was only made for 2 months in 2018…
now I’m a bit scared…
I’m clumsy
My dad gave me this old music stand and I don’t know what I did without it, it gets carted around from room to room and also serves as a stand for my phone when I get together with my mate Jen for a ukulele facetime jam. Attached to the back is a sort of pez dispenser for plectrums and the wee instruction card for the mini fender amp thing. As soon as a pick is taken out of that dispenser, it disappears into the legendary pick vortex
I’m slowly and casually working my way through the modules with no other ambition than to enjoy playing at whatever level I’m at right now. Where the fun takes me, I’ll wait and see.
I’ve started a log out of curiosity really, to regularlyish upload videos of tunes I’m enjoying (or not), and to check in every now and again and see what happens.
I’m currently messing with Ripple by the Grateful Dead and Follow the Sun by Xavier Rudd. Both simplified to my very beginner standard.
NB. Any other gear that pops up in my pics isn’t mine, my other half suffers from chronic guitar gear acquisition syndrome.