How do you juggle playing different instruments?

I'm totally smitten by the uke and all I want to do is practice, and play and learn new songs and techniques. I also play the mountain dulcimer and love the sound and feel of playing that fretted instrument. So now I am struggling with how to keep both instruments going at the same time.

If you play multiple instruments, how do you decide which to play and when? Do you have any tips for someone who plays more than one instrument?

Hi Fretsknot, I don't really worry about what I play (guitar or uke) as long as I play all the time (daily). For me the most important part is to be always playing and enjoying what it gives you in return, the more I play, the more I want to play, everything else just seems to fall into place.

I play classical guitar first then uke. And I find that because they are so closely related I can benefit from both.

However the uke is so. Uh fun, that I make sure to put some solid guitar practice before moving on to the uke on any given day.

I walked away from music for 30 years, and having gone back and invested the last 4 on serious study of classical guitar, Im not about to throw away all that work. So it's nice balance between the two instruments.

And if you think thats tough, I also carve time out for 1-2 hour runs which I do barefoot about 4 times (20 miles) a week.

But hey all this beats sitting in front of the tv most nights.... Like I did for too many years. At 50 I'm having the time of my life with music and running and several other things.

Life is good if you are awake enough to realize if.

The Journey is the reward.... So just have fun with it!

Ivan

Fire up Garageband or Audacity on your computer and start making multitrack recordings of uke & mountain dulcimer duets.

JJ

Ukulele JJ said:

Fire up Garageband or Audacity on your computer and start making multitrack recordings of uke & mountain dulcimer duets.

JJ

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Yep - Like Olarte, my 'serious' practice is usually on the guitar, but that all translates to the uke. Most of my uke playing is just for fun, with the kids, etc..... but doing multitrack recordings for You Tube has been a pretty consistent way to incorporate both instruments into a regular playing routine. I think it's beneficial to think about a tune on multiple instruments, really helps get into the tune and improve your general understanding of music.

For me it's usually song driven. Some styles are better on guitar, some better on uke. Making that discovery is half the fun.

Thanks for sharing your perspectives and methods for playing multiple instruments. I like Ivan's 'the journey is the reward' line.

My main instrument is the Japanese bamboo flute which I have been praticing for an hour a day for the past three years. The uke and mountain dulcimer will just have to duke it out for who gets the spotlight once the flute is back in the basket. LOL

fretsknot said:

I'm totally smitten by the uke and all I want to do is practice, and play and learn new songs and techniques. I also play the mountain dulcimer and love the sound and feel of playing that fretted instrument. So now I am struggling with how to keep both instruments going at the same time.

If you play multiple instruments, how do you decide which to play and when? Do you have any tips for someone who plays more than one instrument?

Click to expand...

I find that the more often you jump between instruments, the easier it becomes. Even changing uke sizes can throw you off a bit at first. I choose the instrument to play based on the song, and which one is easiest to get to. The ukuleles have the advantage of being accessible. My classical guitar lives in an awkward part of the closet, and the banjo collects dust under the couch.

–Lori

I just play them both for about thirty minutes each every day. This, I think, is a very simple way to juggle playing two different instruments.

I don't juggle; I play one at a time. It helps.

Seriously, though: don't worry -- just play what you feel for playing. If you love both instruments, you'll play both.