When someone asks "How good ARE you?" what would you say?

barefootgypsy

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Someone asked me last night, re: uke & banjo-uke.....in a very direct manner - ! "How good ARE you?" I said "Not very" - and I'm not, compared to any accomplished player.... I'm interested to know, what would you have said?
 
"I'm so good that if I was any better I would have to float round on a cloud whilst angels accompany me joyously on harps"

Then I'd wake up and fall over due to my unfortunate nose extension.

I would actually say "I can bang out a decent tune"
 
There seems to be a lot of false modesty out there. I've seen a lot of videos of people who claim that they are not very good but after watching the video I go, "Are you kidding?!" I someday hope to aspire to be as good as many of the people out there I've seen who "aren't very good".
 
I usually adopt an "aw shucks" posture, look down and kick the ground a bit and say that I try and not do any harm to music.

Then I proceed to rip through "La Villa Strangiato" while doing a tap.

Actually, I tend to tell people that I am better than I thought I could be, but still not nearly good enough.
 
I'm a beginner - after playing for a little over two years. I've got much to learn. I can strum out a song fairly reasonably - but chord melody stuff is a bear, for me... I could probably spend a lifetime studying music... If someone wants me to accompany them while they sing or there is someone on lead I could probably reasonably hold up.
 
I say, "I have fun playing."

The few times I've gotten through a song for a non-player, I've gotten a compliment, but I freeze with the thought of playing for real ukers and I just strum through a C-Am-F-G progression.
 
I tell them the truth... I'm pretty bad. A lot of people have said I sound pretty good but that's only because they don't know any better. GT3T11 I do the same progression when I don't know what else to do also :)
 
Someone asked me last night, re: uke & banjo-uke.....in a very direct manner - ! "How good ARE you?" I said "Not very" - and I'm not, compared to any accomplished player.... I'm interested to know, what would you have said?

Enough to keep myself amused. :) Which is really my only goal.
 
Same thing I say when I'm asked how good a piper I am: "I suck but I'm enthusiastic."
 
I usually say that I'm "a work in progress," which has the advantage of being true regardless of how well, subjectively, I play.

.....and I just strum through a C-Am-F-G progression.

I do this too; sometimes I sing along with it "Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life" from Monty Python's Life of Brian. People seem to appreciate that I can play a humorous song they may recognize.
 
At a picnic on Sunday two little boys kept hanging around our family because they liked the music and singing. The one kid came up to me later and said "yer a really good banjo player sir". I told him it was an Ukulele and he said "cool!" How good am I? Good enough to have fun with it and make people smile! Good enough!
 
Enough to keep myself amused. :) Which is really my only goal.
Thanks Freeda, this is the answer I'd have given if I'd thought quickly enough - but I never do! Story of my life...... never was a wit!

BTW I didn't have my uke with me.... if I had, she could have made her own mind up!
 
At a picnic on Sunday two little boys kept hanging around our family because they liked the music and singing. The one kid came up to me later and said "yer a really good banjo player sir". I told him it was an Ukulele and he said "cool!" How good am I? Good enough to have fun with it and make people smile! Good enough!
I like it!
 
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