Playing Our Ukuleles

Down Up Dick

Down Up Dick

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Ya know, I cruise on this forum and in other places a lot. I post a few inanities from time to time and chuckle at some of the other posters too. I've also learned some stuff and maybe even taught a little. In addition, I'm a dedicated Internet "window shopper" and puzzler and gamer.

Those of you who post, post, post about the beauty and merits of your favorite ukuleles, your "what to buy next" contemplations, and your eternal string examinations and trials in addition to your jobs and, maybe family stuff, must not have a lot of time to spare.

I wonder if we all wouldn't be better served to put in some of this forum and Internet lurking time by actually playing on our numerous and costly ukuleles.

It was just a thought I had as I was doing my "beginning of the day" cruise around the net. I certainly don't play nearly as much as I could. What about you?
:eek:ld:
 
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I was falling into that trap. I was on UU more than I was actually playing. I purchased the Jazz Ukulele by Abe Lagrimas and this has pushed me back to practicing more. So I guess I needed some motivation. Interesting subject.
 
I actually realized that I could play more by bringing my ukulele into the office and using my break time. I've also been taking it with me while my wife teaches at the YMCA. After I finish my workout, I practice. I feel like I'm making some big advancement. Not by playing more, but by playing with purpose.

Honestly, I don't think about *buying* new instruments too often. I've been playing since 2009, and I only have purchased three. The first was my intro uke. The second was an acoustic/electric tenor in 2012 to use when I play with others at church or jam sessions. The most recent was to commemorate my trip to Hawai'i earlier this year. As of right now, I don't have any plans to buy more, but it wouldn't be bad to start saving for a custom job.
 
I arrived at the same conclusion a while ago and cut down my forum time a little. Still reading and posting when I'm working, if only to clear my head, but I'm more mindful of the majority of my ukulele-related time and energy going into practicing -- instead of reading about practicing or what others have purchased or are selling.

I walked into the same trap with my other hobby (the game of Go) where I also ended up reading and writing more about it than actually doing it. It led to a lot of theoretical knowledge that I couldn't apply practically, which was a source of frustration, and it's really the same with the ukulele. Working on fixing that, though. I'd much rather play better and know less.
 
jddennis, I don't buy Ukes anymore at all, but if I ever went to Hawaii again, I would certainly buy one as a keepsake. :eek:ld:
 
The main reason I keep playing ukulele is because of this forum.

So many helpful links to books on technique, great uke players to listen to (both pro and fellow members), as well as educational info.

In ADDITION to that, the SEASONS contests every week FORCES you to learn new music and make a video and share it on YouTube, so if you dont PLAY, you cannot participate...

Not all of us do the forum instead of playing time, but for me the forum enhances playing time.:music:

I've also developed some truly great friendships with others, which transcend the forum, for which I am grateful. I'm sure many other folks here have done the same.
 
I usually cruise the forum when I should be working ;) or on breaks such as now - a ten minute break between classes & I am eating a cup of applesauce and surfing before the next class.
 
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Same here. I check the forums a lot throughout the day because it's easier to access when I'm at work and when I'm at home, I'd like to have more time to play my ukes but with a 1yr old...I have to wait until nap time or bed time.
 
I consider myself to be a ukulele hobbyist or enthusiast. And I like doing other uke-related stuff as well as actually playing the thing. As an analogy - someone who's really into motorcycles might derive pleasure from spending an afternoon taking the engine of their prize hog apart (and putting it back together again ;)) - almost as much as they might enjoy cruising around on it. So it's likely that I will continue tinkering around with my ukuleles, experimenting with new strings and so forth.

As far as posting here goes I enjoy the sense of community and greatly appreciate the ideas and information that the UU forums provide. I haven't had much luck finding uke-related group activities locally*, so I'm glad to have access to online resources. I think that if it was just me strumming away in my back room in 'splendid isolation' I might possibly lose interest.

*I don't even have a uke buddy to jam with - everyone say "aaawwwww" :p
 
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Everything in moderation.

Otherwise.. the conclusion to your question, is we should shut down the forum, and replace it with a website with tab of the day.
 
*I don't even have a uke buddy to jam with - everyone say "aaawwwww"

Awwwwww, man!

I'm here instead of playing this time, because I've had a rather traumatic past few days. No details here, just work related BS. And moderate to severe arm pain. But it feels better today.
I'm here quite a bit at work (nights) because I am, as many of you know, EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN to play at work, or even have one on my person. Soul sucking job.....
Like Booli, my playing has a lot to do with UU. I'm inspired a lot here. I'm not a Seasonista, because I still don't feel like my playing is good enough, and I have no You Tube savvy whatever, except for listening to it.
Just missed a chance to play at a fundraiser Luau, because it is exactly the same time as our next club jam session. darn it.....
 
jollyboy said:
I consider myself to be a ukulele hobbyist or enthusiast. And I like doing other uke-related stuff as well as actually playing the thing. As an analogy - someone who's really into motorcycles might derive pleasure from spending an afternoon taking the engine of their prize hog apart (and putting it back together again ;)) - almost as much as they might enjoy cruising around on it. So it's likely that I will continue tinkering around with my ukuleles, experimenting with new strings and so forth.

As far as posting here goes I enjoy the sense of community and greatly appreciate the ideas and information that the UU forums provide. I haven't had much luck finding uke-related group activities locally*, so I'm glad to have access to online resources. I think that if it was just me strumming away in my back room in 'splendid isolation' I might possibly lose interest.

*I don't even have a uke buddy to jam with - everyone say "aaawwwww" :p
Click to expand...

I think a lot of us are UUing so much because we're just bored, lonely or lookin' for something more interesting than our lives. :eek:ld:
 
Down Up Dick said:
I think a lot of us are UUing so much because we're just bored, lonely or lookin' for something more interesting than our lives. :eek:ld:
Click to expand...

I'll admit to falling into that "bored" category at times. I'm temporarily not working right now, which means I'm not currently a slave to a computer - and I'm finding that I spend a lot less time here and on a computer in general - there's just so many other things I like doing when I'm not chained to a desk all day! :)
 
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Down Up Dick said:
I think a lot of us are UUing so much because we're just bored, lonely or lookin' for something more interesting than our lives. :eek:ld:
Click to expand...

I feel that's rather a negative way of framing it to be honest. I would say that it's perfectly normal and healthy for people to feel a desire to socialize with others with similar interests. And with something rather niche, like playing the ukulele, the internet provides a means for a bunch of enthusiasts, who might never meet in real life, to share their thoughts and experiences.

There seems to be a perception that engaging with other people online is a bit of a sad and lonely thing to do. Far better to be out in 'the real world'. Honestly, I believe that the way people interact with each other is evolving and changing and that there is nothing intrinsically wrong with that. It's just different. Thinking of it in a negative way seems to be all part and parcel of the things-ain't-what-they-used-to-be-and-everything's-going-to-hell-in-a-handcart mentality that some people choose to subscribe to.
 
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Down Up Dick said:
Ouch!--bad day? Strum a bit. Maybe you'll feel better. :eek:ld:
Click to expand...

Not so bad. What I mean, is moderation in using the forum, in shopping, research, etc.
If you make the acquisition of new gear the priority, then you'll probably get new gear.
If you make practice the priority you'll probably get better.

But staying in touch here, helps keep your interest up, which helps keep you playing.

Seeing something to get excited about is good, even if you don't end up getting that thing.
 
As for participating in the forum, I guess I'm a minimalist. I read a lot of posts during the workday (just to break up the doldrums), but often I don't have further input beyond what's there. I have no time to participate in the seasons. They seem very established, and I get confused when I try to figure out what the actual rules are. And if I could get the time to put an entry together, it'd only be one song at most. So it can be overwhelming and off-putting to see the content that others pump out in comparison to what I could do.

By the way, And the internet is most definitely not a lonely-person's activity. I was a communications major in college, and one of the classes I took looked at communications methods. Even though it takes longer for people to develop a rapport than face-to-face activity, the bonds people make over the internet are exactly the same. It's a great supplement for people, but for some it can open up all sorts of opportunity.
 
jollyboy said:
I feel that's a rather a negative way of framing it to be honest. I would say that it's perfectly normal and healthy for people to feel a desire to socialize with others with similar interests. And with something rather niche, like playing the ukulele, the internet provides a means for a bunch of enthusiasts, who might never meet in real life, to share their thoughts and experiences.

There seems to be a perception that engaging with other people online is a bit of a sad and lonely thing to do. Far better to be out in 'the real world'. Honestly, I believe that the way people interact with each other is evolving and changing and that there is nothing intrinsically wrong with that. It's just different. Thinking of it in a negative way seems to be all part and parcel of the things-ain't-what-they-used-to-be-and-everything's-going-to-hell-in-a-handcart mentally that some people choose to subscribe to.
Click to expand...

I don't see my comment was negative at all. Sometimes life is lonely, or boring or rather uninteresting.

When I was in the Air Force for 21 years and, later, in college for six years, there were lots of guys similar to me with whom I could interact, and it was fine. Now, most of those with whom I mingle are women and/or uninteresting male relatives. My neighbors are younger and busy with their families. My one good ol' friend's wife is very ill, so he's busy with her lots. I'll bet lots of old folks in the UU are lonely, and it's not negative. It just is.

And, being an old geezer, I can't do a lot of the interesting and exciting things that I usta do. Music, ale and Cognac is just about it, though I have a great wife too. And, missing those interesting, fun things is not negative either. It's all part of getting old. And everyone who is reading this post is gonna go through something similar. I know three or four different oldsters who have said "I wish I'd just die", and some of them finally did.

Negative? Nah! Just life. :eek:ld:
 
I actually feel like I play too much. Yesterday I was just hanging out, watching the NBA playoffs all day and I was playing and watching at the same time. I probably played my Uke for about 8 hours yesterday, probably even more than that. That was the norm when I first started also. From the time I woke up I would play for 5+ hours a day. I did that for about the first 8 months. I have less time now but I still find myself playing multiple hours a day, sometimes all day.
 
I don't spend a lot of time on UU, but I visit it a lot. But like most it seems, I check Uke Talk, maybe Beginners, sometimes I check some of the others to see if something else has happened, but let's face it, most of the subforum just sit there. But I might spend five or ten minutes here, then I do something else. I seldom sit here and read everything regardless. I do not just come here to UU for the ukulele. In fact, I think that my interest in the ukulele itself is not as enthusiastic and most here. But I do find the people who post here interesting. I enjoy reading the responses and just seeing where people are coming from in their thinking. We have a lot of personalities here. I've never actually met a UU member in person, but I have made a few friends through the forum and I enjoy that as well. And when I get to know members, their posts take on a much more important aspect, which makes their posts even more interesting. So to me, it is more like visiting friends.
 
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