I've put down the uke :(

pakiboy949 · Jul 8, 2008

So I haven't touched my uke for a while due to the fact that I feel I've reached the pinnacle of my ability to play

... I think I'm decent, but for a few months I haven't felt any improvement and lost interest in playing because everything I know is all getting old... what do i do?!

FHS-72 · Jul 8, 2008

maybe u should try new material or take a short hiatus, but don't give it up.

i did not play for 30 yrs after my 1st uke got stolen and now i regret not playing that long. maybe try playing with different people. i hope u stick it out brah.:rock:

UkuLeLesReggAe · Jul 8, 2008

pakiboy949 said:
So I haven't touched my uke for a while due to the fact that I feel I've reached the pinnacle of my ability to play ... I think I'm decent, but for a few months I haven't felt any improvement and lost interest in playing because everything I know is all getting old... what do i do?!

wow.. about 10minutes ago i was just thinking this, because i can't play anything but dragon... its sad.

I tried playing guava jam but i can't seem to pick that fast so i failed that. Im nt sure what to do either.

Jack33@ · Jul 8, 2008

Perhaps you need a slight re-direction?

Pick up a banjo uke and learn this:

a nice beginner's song

Then go back to your uke.

...seriously though, it's like writer's block, you have to go back into the soul of your memory and dig out the faded sunny photo of your early romance with the instrument and try to find that joy again. If you don't do this you may never pick it up again.
All relationships need work, otherwise i'd have left my uke for a cute little susiphone years ago....

redsedge · Jul 8, 2008

You could try doing something that scares and excites you, or just something you wouldn't normally do - last night I travelled for 2 hours to play with a ukulele club and it was a blast. My knuckles ache this morning - we played and played and laughed so much.

Step out of your comfort zone!

Plainsong · Jul 8, 2008

Yeah, try something you wouldn't normally try. You gotta have more discpline than that if you want to play a musical instrument. Yes, it should be fun, but there time when you gotta push.

UkeNinja · Jul 8, 2008

redsedge said:
You could try doing something that scares and excites you, or just something you wouldn't normally do - last night I travelled for 2 hours to play with a ukulele club and it was a blast...Step out of your comfort zone!

Good advice, especially meeting new people can be a really good incentive because they will have little things that you can learn off of them.

But... that photo. Maybe it's just me, but it looks like they are all restringing their uke at the same time. :music:

elemenohpee · Jul 8, 2008

pick up a guitar!
i have my uke phases and guitar phases
it's a good way to keep things fresh

cMejilla · Jul 8, 2008

i've been in that rut before and i did take a break from it for about 2-3 months. the next time i picked it up though, it seemed like everything began to click again and improved dramatically because i had that effect of a new found glory again. i think its completely natural to hit that point. there just needs to be a catalyst for new motivation and i'm sure you'll pick it up again in a hurry.

cMejilla · Jul 8, 2008

UkuLeLesReggAe said:
wow.. about 10minutes ago i was just thinking this, because i can't play anything but dragon... its sad.

I tried playing guava jam but i can't seem to pick that fast so i failed that. Im nt sure what to do either.

guava jam is a killer to learn when picking seems awkward and slow. by the time i finished it, i played it so slow that it could have been a love ballad. finger memorization was not a strong suit with me. lol

Ukulele Dude · Jul 8, 2008

You might try reading the book, "Zen Guitar" by Philip Toshio Sudo. It's a good inspirational read that might help you. In the book he discusses plateaus and gives a little insight on how to overcome them.

polynesianpop · Jul 8, 2008

Although I'm still a newb I seem to go through this too every once in a while - especially once I've "mastered" a song. For me, I think thats where the rut begins. Practising a song again and again to learn it can be like listening to the same thing on the radio 100x over. Its starts to get boring.

I try to keep things fresh by moving to/learning a new song thats a little harder than the last. It becomes my new "goal" so to speak to master that one and once I've practiced that one 100x over I go back to some of the earlier songs I learned and find that I actually play them better since I stepped away from them for awhile and they seem like fresh new music to me all over again.

Howlin Hobbit · Jul 8, 2008

Heya redsedge! I think I recognize some of those folks. Is that Nipper and Phil right next to him? Could that be the lovely Alli B in the back of the photo?

As far as plateaus go, everybody hits 'em. If you keep working on stuff (and maybe shake up your list a bit) all of a sudden you'll find that you've snapped out of it and are making progress again.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with just smoothing and polishing the stuff you already know.

And there's also nothing wrong with just strumming stuff because it amuses you without attaching any importance to it other than that.

russ_buss · Jul 8, 2008

all these guys have great advice. just to reiterate, try some new material, find some people to jam with, or just take a breather. i'm sure you'll miss it after a while, so you'll probably be playing again in no time. whatever you decide to do, good luck!

Kanaka916 · Jul 8, 2008

Seriously, try some new material. I guess I'm lucky cause I get to learn Hawaiian songs; simple chord progressions but enunciation of a Hawaiian word/s or phrases is tricky and a lot of times frustrating as hell especially when you gotta sing fast. That is usually what keeps me going. Just keep strummin - Good Luck man!

deach · Jul 8, 2008

Buy more ukes. As they come in, you'll want to play them, hear how songs sound different on them etc. and the ones you don't like, send them to me. (glad to be here for you)

brokenwing · Jul 8, 2008

deach said:
Buy more ukes.

Sage advice.:biglaugh:
Listen, take the pressure off yourself. Learning an instrument can occupy an entire lifetime. People tend to get impatient with their progress and that's understandable but don't let your expectations take away the enjoyment of playing the uke. Noodle. Pick it up for a minute or two. Just enjoy the sound it makes. Your enthusiasm will return. Patience, friend.

ukemike · Jul 8, 2008

pakiboy949 said:
but for a few months I haven't felt any improvement and lost interest in playing because everything I know is all getting old... what do i do?!

Usually a plateau comes right before a breakthrough. Try something new.

redsedge · Jul 8, 2008

Howlin Hobbit said:
Heya redsedge! I think I recognize some of those folks. Is that Nipper and Phil right next to him? Could that be the lovely Alli B in the back of the photo?

Hey HH

All tucked into the Constitutional Club in Bishop's Wotsit near Taunton. What lovely, lovely people!

Boozelele · Jul 8, 2008

deach said:
Buy more ukes. As they come in, you'll want to play them, hear how songs sound different on them etc.

words of wisdom. words of wisdom. I think of old tunes that I remember from long ago that I really liked, and wonder what they would sound like on the uke. Then I try to learn them (some work and some dont). But its fun to change things around. make a fast song a ballad, turn disco into country, country into hip-hop, classic rock into drunken-uke-music. :music:

I've put down the uke :(

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