1 year of Ukulele-ing

Some thoughts on picking up a new instrument

Hello, it seems I haven't written here for a while. I initially had high hopes and expectations for this blog; however, I now have lower expectations and want to write about whatever comes to mind. After all, expectations are pointless!

This post is about my experience picking up the ukulele. It's been nearly a year since I started playing, and below, I will monologue about it.

At the beginning of 2023, I used to play in a band called 'Mad Exhaust.' We were an eclectic mix: a guitarist into metal, a bassist into funk/jazz, a drummer who wanted to play psychedelic alternative music, and a singer who sang in a choir. While great things can come from fusing diverse ideas together, sadly, we never really managed to create many good ones. However, there was one song I still enjoy called 'Brexit Geezer,' depicting a typical conservative man who drinks a lot and hates immigrants. Although the lyrics are questionable, my enjoyment while playing the song is certainly noticeable (see 3:29), so is Alex’s butt (see all of the video).

‘This women pleaser, Brexit geezer

is the type of man that would like to meet you’.

Things went quiet with our band (I think we all quit by silence), and I was left to my own devices. Luckily, I believe Dylan has formed a new band with more of a metal focus, so I am happy for him! I didn't have any particular plans during the summer of 2023, which gave me the chance to learn a bunch of new things - the most notable being the ukulele! There was a tutor named Ben who was teaching an intro to ukulele at the Bristol Folk House (his workshops still run, and you should attend!). I bought my first ukulele in Oxford for £20, and the workshop cost me around £60, so it was an £80 investment - which turned out to be pretty worthwhile in the end.

This was the first song I created - I don’t remember what it was about but I imagine probably me recovering from repetitive heartbreak.

During that summer, I went to Edinburgh to visit Peter Marsh. Pete is a very talented folk musician, and his house has an array of instruments. It was quite enjoyable spending the week with him; we'd often find ourselves in the living room, spontaneously playing his various instruments.

Clearly, we are getting very into it!

At this point, I was still fairly new to the instrument and didn't really know chords beyond C, F, and G - which is great because most songs are in those keys anyway! The classes drew to an end, and I was left with a new skill. I'm not sure at what point I decided to take the instrument seriously, though - like really seriously, to the point of actually spending time getting good at it. It probably had to do with discovering The Magnetic Fields and joining my folk band.

I was in the Geneva Airport and didn't have an internet connection, but I did have the entire '69 Love Songs' album downloaded on my phone and had to sit in the airport for four hours - which was enough time to relisten to my favourites and go through the entire album. Stephin Merritt, the main vocalist, primarily plays the ukulele, and he says this about the instrument:

I like to play the ukulele because it's portable and it's small. I'm small, 5'3", have a chihuahua, drive a Mini Cooper, and live in a bungalow. In New York, I had a very small studio apartment. I like small things, so I like the associations the ukulele has.

It's a problem in Germany though. They don't have a George Formby in Germany, so they don't know what ukuleles are. They think all of my records are really badly recorded because the ukulele, to them, sounds like a low fidelity recording of a guitar. It goes something like this...

I am not 5’3”, nor do I have chihuahua, Mini Cooper, Bungalow or studio apartment in NYC but I relate to Stephin.

I bought myself a sturdier and bigger ukulele (a soprano or something?) and joined the Bristol Uni Folk Society! It was a good decision on my part; I love folk - both dancing and playing. At that point, I embraced the fact that the ukulele was going to be my main instrument of choice and started paying attention to what chord sequences sound good, how to fingerpick, and all that jazz.

Me with my bigger Uke ft. Ali

Here is a Polka (2/4 rhythm) ft. Sam behind me who was also in Mad Exhaust!

So far in 2024, I have learned a bunch of new songs and a whole array of chords and fingerpicking patterns - my favorite being Paul's Dance! I recently attended a Penguin Cafe concert at the Bristol Beacon, having only listened to Music for a Found Harmonium by their predecessor, the Penguin Cafe Orchestra, and I was pretty amazed by the music (I am now a huge PCO fan). Here is a video of Paul's Dance live, followed by my interpretation of it:

I hope to eventually record a bunch of songs I've written and put them up somewhere. When I move house next, I'm planning to pick up more instruments. I am considering the mandolin, maybe - I really dislike playing the guitar and much prefer smaller, more portable instruments.