I fell into this trap... anyone else?

whistleman123

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 25, 2015
Messages
229
Reaction score
0
Location
Cleveland, ohio
I started playing ukulele just to make personal music. My family is not musical at all. So I play very softly because I didn't want to impose my my music on them or disturb them early in the mornings when I practice.

Now that I want to record a video Christmas card to send out I find I Cannot play & sing at a good volume with any confidence at all!

How do I brake the cycle of playing/strumming too softly and play out with presence and confidence?
 
I started playing ukulele just to make personal music. My family is not musical at all. So I play very softly because I didn't want to impose my my music on them or disturb them early in the mornings when I practice.

Now that I want to record a video Christmas card to send out I find I Cannot play & sing at a good volume with any confidence at all!

How do I brake the cycle of playing/strumming too softly and play out with presence and confidence?

Take deeper breaths. It happens to me all the time.
 
To brake the cycle, I suggest you to go the complete opposite. Just strum as loud and hard as you can, sing as loud as you can, don't worry about accuracy or being in tune. Just have a ball and run with it! After a short while(a few days) you can back off and start to finesse the playing and singing. Don't be afraid to make a fool of yourself. It may help to do that while being alone in the house.
 
Great advice so far. I'd like to add one more bit of valuable advice. Don't try to imitate the artist on the recording because the key they are singing in may not be the key that your voice is comfortable at. Sing in the key that matches your voice range.
 
I know what you mean, at first, I would barely strum loud enough for me to hear, & I certainly didn't want anyone hearing me! :D

However, you do need to think that you are playing loudly, to actually make a recording. I still think everyone can hear me when I record, but the truth is, they can't, & don't even know when I have. ;)

(Another thing, if you use a recording program like 'audacity', you can amplify it in the software, before saving it out to a file.)
 
To brake the cycle, I suggest you to go the complete opposite. Just strum as loud and hard as you can, sing as loud as you can, don't worry about accuracy or being in tune. Just have a ball and run with it! After a short while(a few days) you can back off and start to finesse the playing and singing. Don't be afraid to make a fool of yourself. It may help to do that while being alone in the house.

Totally agree!

"To play a wrong note is insignificant; to play without passion is inexcusable!" - Ludwig van Beethoven
 
The car is a good quiet spot if you want to practice without being heard.
 
The car is a good quiet spot if you want to practice without being heard.

Ditto. Record yourself playing, play it in car at a much higher volume. The windows are rolled up and nobody will hear as you sing loudly to accompany your playing.

You'll get used to the volume, and then you can make a better recording.
 
Singing in a group is a great way to find your voice, also consider a local uke group or even a choir or amateur theatre group :)

When I played guitar I never considered myself a good singer. If I would sing along, it would always be very quietly. Then four years ago I started playing ukulele with a seniors group that meets twice a week. At first I sang quietly or not at all, but as time went by, I sang louder more and more and discovered that my voice got better and better. Now I sing right long with everyone in full voice.
 
I am the same way. 90% of the time I play very quietly since others are sleeping/reading/playing/watching TV. But, I even do it when I am outside playing in the yard with no one nearby. It actually is a nice skill to have. I work on precise chord fingering and expressive playing. The only time I play at full volume is when I am with our ukulele choir.
 
Top Bottom