When I got my first ukulele I told myself I’d give it a year and if I didn’t see noticeable progress—if I couldn’t at least play a song by then—I’d put it away. I told my wife I’d be happy if I could just learn to play “Greensleeves”, which was a joke because that’s a fairly complicated tune and I knew it would be a long time, if ever, before I’d even try it.
I’ve always loved music but I’ve also spent most of my life feeling like it was something I could only enjoy as an outsider. I’ve never been able to sing, but then the voice is only one instrument. Then there was my attempt at learning the violin when I was ten. That was one of a series of mishaps that had left me with the belief that I was hopelessly non-musical. In retrospect my experience with the violin, or rather lack of experience, was the result of a lot of factors, at least some of which were beyond my control. I had no previous musical experience and the violin isn’t exactly an instrument a novice should cut their teeth on, though I did manage to produce some sounds that shook loose my grandmother’s fillings. In retrospect, while the violin may not have been my best choice I gave up on playing an instrument much too easily. Though the idea that I should pick another, maybe something less challenging, flitted in and out of my mind for decades, it was easier to just tell myself that I had no musical ability, and anyway musical instruments are expensive. It would be a shame to invest so much in a futile pursuit.
My first ukulele was free so I figured, well, even if I fail all I really have to lose is some time. After I gave up the violin a couple of older kids came to my class to talk about music and to try and get us to join the school band. One played the clarinet, the other played the saxophone. They both said that just learning the basics of their instruments took about a year. I didn’t connect it to my experience with the violin, which I’d only spent a few months trying to master, but I did think a year sounded like a really long time to learn something. Now that I’m older a year doesn’t seem as long as it once did.
It was also something I didn’t fully understand until I made a serious commitment to learning to play the ukulele. The idea of “musical ability” I’d held onto for so long has nothing to do with reality. Bona fide musical prodigies exist but they’re extremely rare, and even they have to put in the time and effort to learn their instruments. No one just picks a violin and plays “Flight Of The Bumblebee” on their first try. And it’s not a coincidence that, historically, most musically gifted people were born into musical families. Mozart was a genius but he was also dropped on a harpsichord while he still had an umbilical cord.
In retrospect—this pursuit has led to a lot of looking backward—that’s something I wish I’d understood sooner. It seems silly that I didn’t, especially having experienced the confidence that comes with playing music. The first time I plucked out “Oh! Susanna” on the ukulele it was a revelation. Yes, it’s a pretty simple tune, but it gave me the feeling I could do anything. Some things may just take more work than others. The fact that I did it after just a few weeks of lessons–my wife found a ukulele teacher because she wanted to encourage my interest—made me realize my initial ambition of just being able to play a song after a year was a ridiculously low bar to set. The teacher’s a really good guy and at the end of our first lesson I said “I think I can do this.” He said, “I know you can do this.”
I hadn’t realized it before but that’s what I’d needed to hear—something I still need to hear on occasion because I still have doubts, but it’s been a year and, while I need to stop focusing so much on the past, in retrospect I’ve learned a lot, I’ve made a lot of progress, and I know I can do this.
I’ve already made a pretty good start on learning to play “Greensleeves”.
I started taking piano lessons when I was 5 and continued into my teens—this is making me want to get a piano so I can play again!
mydangblog recently posted…Deer Me
And I love that picture of you with the ukulele!
I think a lot about music and talent and confidence, Chris, so thanks for composing this wonderful post.
ANN J KOPLOW recently posted…Day 4397: Asking