Any Ideas for a Uke Player Who's Losing Interest?

Papa Tom

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I kind of expected this to happen at some point. After two decades as a professional drummer, I picked up my first uke about five years ago and became proficient with chords and strumming almost immediately. Since then, I've had tons of fun playing for kids and co-workers and have developed a few licks that make uke players with much more experience than I think that I actually know what I'm doing.

I don't know what I'm doing.

Now, five years later, I find that I'm kind of "stuck," blocked both mentally and physically from improving in the same increments as I did early on. And what's most frustrating is that, as well as I think I play the danged thing, any guitar player that comes along and picks up my uke for the first time instantly makes me look like an amateur.

I never got past the "rhythm" component of the instrument. While I have a better-than-average knack for syncopation that combines open with choked strings, I cannot solo or play melodies on command, which seems like the obvious next step forward. At this point, I don't really think that's going to happen for me, either.

So what can I do to keep my passion for the instrument alive? I find that I'm picking it up less frequently and playing the same things over and over. HELP????
 
I think everyone has to go through this Phase. Try checking out some tough tabs, and throw yourself into it! (That's what I'm doing) and it really helps! :)
 
Buy Lil' Rev's new book and CD...'101 licks for ukulele' then hook up onto youtube and watch him play some songs. If the sheer joy and enthusiasm doesn't grab you still, buy yourself a copy of 'Mighty Uke' DVD and kick back and watch it whilst cuddling your uke. Then watch it again. Then sleep on it and pick up the '101 licks' book next morning and start the journey to soloing and melody playing.

All the best with it Papa. I feel your frustration mate and hope you push through this stage of disillusionment and find the joy again. :)
 
As a convert from guitar to ukulele, I like you hit barriers, the way I deal with it is to stop playing the stuff I already know and start to learn different more challenging tunes. Playing any instrument is a never ending journey. When you hit a plateau as we all do, try to stay positive and keep playing, you'll suddenly find yourself moving on towards you next plateau.
As for the soloing, the best thing for that is to start learning scales, lots of folk seem to bypass them as they seem boring, but once you've got a few under your belt your soloing will start to improve.
Hope this helps, like you I'm no expert, keep uking.
 
I too feel like I am definitely in that plateau phase. I'm playing the exact same songs I learned two years ago, and haven't moved forward. I'm going to start going through UU's video lessons one by one, and try to learn new patterns, chords, etc.
 
Well i'm not at the stuck stage on the uke yet, but here are a few suggestions for things that really changed my guitar playing a few years ago when I was in a similar situation with that instrument as you are with the uke.

First piece of advice is relevent to something you mentioned, [playing the same things over and over], when you pick up your instrument, the first thing you should do is play something you've never played before, just start making something up, hit a random chord somewhere half way up the neck and improvise from there.
Try dropping the tuning on a string or two, throw out all the rules, this really frees up your mind and will change the way you think about playing.

I agree with Lexxy [Try checking out some tough tabs, and throw yourself into it!], search around on youtube for really nice but difficult piece, then hunt down the TAB, play the video over and over pausing it and really trying to get it down, and be desciplined, spend a few hours a day working on it.
(Dire straits, Private Investigations is my current challenge).
 
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After playing guitar for decades, learning from books and friends and becoming pretty OK over the years, I felt like I was stuck. I signed up for classical guitar lessons a few years back. That really helped to push me along. Every week I was forced to learn new music and work on techniques.

I would guess you could find a classical guitar teacher to agree to give you lessons on the uke and offer you some new perspectives. The difference between having a teacher and learning just from a book is that the teacher will expect some work and progress from you each week.
 
...this is why I have a zillion different instruments in the house... try something new! 5-string banjo, mandolin, guitar... etc -- just taking a short vacation from your uke now and then will make you like it a heck of a lot more.

Not to mention: learning to play something else will always inform your uke playing in a different way.
 
I stopped playing a little less than a year ago after only playing for a year... haven't picked it back up. Not sure why.
 
Maybe you need to explore some differant genres of music.....I suppose with 20 years of drums and 5 of uke, you have an extensive history of music making, but there is possibly some stuff you've missed out that might re-kindle a desire to play new stuff....maybe spend some time going through a re-cycle record store for some vintage music....there is a lot that has fallen from sight over the years. I had a blast recently watching new stuff on the Eurovision song fest.....got me bopping away to new music that I thought I was too old for, lol http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXouSYabDig&feature=related

I also took up singing lessons this year, as I felt that was what I needed to bring my uke playing into some sort of balance.

Cheers mate, hope you find the spark you're looking for.
 
well, we always say the uke can adapt to the requirements of any genre of music....why not glam disco rock!!!!!!!! :p

I've got the words..(oops).. for it,...you want 'em??? lol....Sorry, I just love the vibrancy, it's what I miss most of miss-spent youth!
 
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Aloha,
You need some inspiration and motivation again....watch you tube...take lessons or learn new techniques... everyone goes through this phase...main thing you still enjoy yourself...
doesn't matter if you're not expanding your uke horizons..main thing you are still having fun...and that uke fire is stil lit..it is the journey...go with the flow..Happy strummings, MM Stan
 
For me I stumbled on Jake S.'s "Something" with Char. I set out to learn the song and it has taken me 2-3 months to perfect it. So I'd say set a goal! Here us the link I used to learn it: http://youtu.be/Sfr_WrJESEs Keep in mind you cant play this on a soprano!
 
I don't care if I ever play that well or not. I love to sing and play. I've played guitar for 30 years now, and uke regularly for three. I have not ever had the discipline to develop all that well at either. So I try to have fun. One thing that turns me on is when I find a song that works well on uke, that I hadn't thought of.

At UWC, lonerhino did a fast, fun version of Hopelessly Devoted To You. I thought it was brilliant (as was his Easy). The Dawgs' Waiting on a Friend - genious! Did you catch that DeG inadvertently wound up doing 2 Cindy Lauper songs? Who'd have thunk it?

Sorry to ramble. I probably didn't help much.
 
Thanks, all. I am definitely listening to every one of you and taking in your comments. I've been down the YouTube route before. The thing is, for every video that inspires and energizes me, there are three or four that plunge me back into my defeatist state-of-mind. You know, the ones that feature a three-year-old girl or a dog who can play circles around me.

The most dangerous thing I find is that this phase is where Ukulele Acquisition Syndrome seems to kick in. It's the "maybe I just need a new instrument and all this will go away" problem that many of us experience. In the past six months, I've purchased a banjolele and borrowed both a tenor uke and a mandolin. So far, none of these have provided the spark I thought they would.

Please keep the responses coming. Something should click somewhere along the line!
 
Remember, there will always be someone who can play better than you. Just accept that and be OK with it, and enjoy their performance, and see if you can learn something you would like to play from that. We are not in a contest here, we are just having fun! If someone plays something you wish you could do, work on learning that.
I had a plateau trying to learn piano that I didn't think I could get over. I could play melody with the right, and chords with the left hand, but I couldn't
do arpeggios on the left hand chord. I was stuck for quite a time over that, and then took a beginning piano class at the local college. A few weeks into the classes I was able to break the barrier! So playing with others is a big help, and following a different teaching method can help.

–Lori
 
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