What has been your best confidence booster?

Dorothy

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 1, 2012
Messages
53
Reaction score
0
Location
Nova Scotia
I am still very new to playing the uke. I have very low self-confidence. (in all areas of my life, not just uke playing)

I joined our churches worship team with my daughter (she plays electric guitar). My uke does not have a pick up, and I refuse to have a mic put in front of it ... cause I don't think I play well enough.

The last Sunday we played there was a song we did that had a section of music only. Usually my uke is "drowned out" by the 2 accoustic guitars. But, this day one of the guitar players lost her pick and stopped playing, and I was no longer drowned out. On Monday someone called me to tell me how much they enjoyed the sound of my uke in that song, and that they thought I was doing a great job with it.

That was a good confidence booster for me. What has been a boost for you??
 
Knowing chords well enough (or being able to find them) to play from guitar music when I can't find uke music.

Being able to transpose music to better suit my singing range. (Although I think I probably sing best in a key that hasn't been invented yet! ;) )
 
My biggest confidence booster was being able to play a bit of Red Hot by Robert Johnson last week.
Still can't figure out the intro though..
 
I feel very chipper when a quick chord change that I've struggled with (e.g., F/Bb/F7 in "Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie") suddenly is no longer a struggle. It happens because of practice, of course, but the first time it seems fairly easy---especially if it's without looking---is like the sun breaking through clouds.
 
Really- no one said this yet? OK- Liquor.
And a ton of practice.
And kids- they are great, enthusiastic audiences who still love that you are making them dance around even when you mess up.
 
The best confidence booster is playing ukulele with other people (both other people playing music and other people listening). Hours playing by myself don't benefit me as much as minutes playing with others.

A close second would be participating in UU contests. I doubt there is a more supportive and friendly a group of uke players than the Seasons of the Ukulele contest participants. Lots of great, positive feedback every week.
 
For me it was hanging out in bars and having complete strangers recognize a tune I was strumming away at. Alcohol: the great de-inhibitor.
 
I am still very new to playing the uke. I have very low self-confidence. (in all areas of my life, not just uke playing)

I joined our churches worship team with my daughter (she plays electric guitar). My uke does not have a pick up, and I refuse to have a mic put in front of it ... cause I don't think I play well enough.

The last Sunday we played there was a song we did that had a section of music only. Usually my uke is "drowned out" by the 2 accoustic guitars. But, this day one of the guitar players lost her pick and stopped playing, and I was no longer drowned out. On Monday someone called me to tell me how much they enjoyed the sound of my uke in that song, and that they thought I was doing a great job with it.

That was a good confidence booster for me. What has been a boost for you??

If your sound engineer at your church knows what they're doing, mic'ing your uke can sound fine. Otherwise, you will definitely want a pickup. I have a piezo-electric external pickup on mine that I've placed near the bridge and it works fairly well.

My personal boost has been the smiles and the people singing along during my performances at open mics and when busking. And when people toss me a tip or two while busking also gives me a bit of a boost too. I remember getting a $20 bill not that long ago from busking and I was ecstatic! Also getting compliments from musicians that I admire greatly is another addition to my personal confidence. It's cool when people you respect and think are great at making music think you did a great job. :)
 
I had my uke at the lake yesterday and a woman complimented me -- saying how nice it was to hear live music at the beach. We talked a bit and I learned that she was a fiddle player and her husband a cellist. They thought my beginner playing was just fine and their three year old danced and sang along. I'm far from the player I want to be, but that experience made me feel pretty swell. (Also: I think I converted them. When we parted company, they were talking about visiting the local guitar shop to see what the uke selection looked like . . .)
 
The best confidence booster is playing ukulele with other people (both other people playing music and other people listening). Hours playing by myself don't benefit me as much as minutes playing with others.

A close second would be participating in UU contests. I doubt there is a more supportive and friendly a group of uke players than the Seasons of the Ukulele contest participants. Lots of great, positive feedback every week.
I think Ralf has summed it up beautifully. I encourage everyone, beginner or otherwise, to join in the seasons contest. It really has become a lovely forum for comraderie and encouragement of one another. Everyone involved blesses and is blessed by everyone else. No egos, no condescension, no rivalry, just blossoming friendships as we all improve our playing publicly, together. :)
 
practice practice practice. With daily practice it is
amazing how you can improve and boost your confidence
over just one little week!
cheers
Gary
 
Playing for my baby girl. No matter how bad I think I sound, she always claps and laughs when I play. She makes it all worthwhile.
 
Many different experiences.

One of them was while sitting in the Chicago Airport, just playing quietly for myself, waiting for the boarding call. When we got in line, two of the gate agents thanked me for my playing, and said it was a great counterpoint to the buzz and turmoil in the gate area.

Then, after landing in Wisconsin, the woman in the seat in front of me turned around and thanked me, and said the music was delightful and relaxing.

Just to be the normal, self-deprecating person that I am, I must point out that none of these people said that my playing was any good, merely that it was welcome. (g)

But I also have to echo Rafe: Playing with others is the best way to go. Even if you lack the confidence to lead a song, you will start feeling better about what you are doing, and your playing will improve greatly, and thus your confidence will increase.


-Kurt​
 
Really- no one said this yet? OK- Liquor.
And a ton of practice.
And kids- they are great, enthusiastic audiences who still love that you are making them dance around even when you mess up.

Ha ha, liquor? Really? But do the sober folks think you sound better? My son's dog leaves the room when I play and my grandson covers his ears and pleads that I stop. I think I may need some liquor.
 
I like to sing. So, whenever I run across someone who seems sincere (or is a very good liar) who says they like my voice. I don't worry too much about my uke playing, because I know its only passable beginner level, but its good enough for singing to. I also find that recording myself a lot and listening to it gets me almost to the point of thinking my voice and playing is OK.
 
Last edited:
I have very low self-confidence. (in all areas of my life, not just uke playing)

Been there. One of the turning points of my life was having somebody explain to me that it's not actually a virtue to lack self-confidence, it's a drawback. (I was brought up to believe that feeling proud of anything I did, and not constantly feeling like I should apologize for existing, was the first step on the road to perdition.)

When you don't spend a large portion of every day feeling awful and scared, it leaves more time for uke practice.

(No idea whether this is actually an issue for YOU. Just tossing it out there.)
 
For me it was a moment a few weeks ago where I found a new song and just... played it! I had practiced enough chord changes that I didn't need any additional practice time or to write out the chords and practice them ahead of time... I just... PLAYED the song!

Then in celebration, I played it about 7 more times in a row! :)
 
So, another confidence booster. My hubby has always liked that guy who played the banjo ukulele ... can't think of his name. Well, he's bidding on one for me on ebay :) It'll be my b-day present if he wins it. Told him not to bid any higher than he is at right now though - it's an 8 string ... I'd rather have 4 string.
 
Top Bottom