what constitutes a beginner

OK, so about 1.5 years ago I returned from a trip to my Dad's with my old Soprano and a Baritone uke. I've been playing them alot (multiple hours every week ~3 or 4), and have bought two more ukes. I am entirely self taught by downloading music on the web, and playing, as well as going from time to time to a local Uke jam. I have also looked briefly at some tutorials online, but have not gotten into them to much yet. I am a strummer (no picking yet) and a singer, I love to sing. How can I gauge my progress?

gratefulbruce

Sounds like you are making good progress. Kind of depends on what your goals are, remember the most important thing is to have fun and enjoy the trip.

What constitutes a beginner?

It is a simple formula really:

U x K x E - f/u/n x 1.2345% = who cares? As long as you are enjoying it.

grasshopper, you have been playing over a year, you have more than 1 uke,have been to a jam, all that is left is to post to a Season [39th season [see contests] and you will have earned the coveted rank of seasonista.

http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/f...y-still-a-Beginner&highlight=self-examination

OK, try the above. It's totally artificial and UNauthorized... but it may be fun and show you how much you've learned on your own.

Have fun, and keep uke'in',

If you are planning on playing gigs in front of an audience, I'd say you have a ways to go. If you are playing because you love to play and sing and are having fun in the process, then who cares what level you are at. You will get better with practice. I have a saying that I repeat to myself. Practice makes permanance. When I want to feel like really progressing, I put aside the songs with chords that I am having trouble mastering and devote time every day to them until I can play them without hesitation. It's a real ego booster to do that. Sometimes you feel as if you will never get your fingers to slide into position smoothly for certain chords and then one day...voila you can do it. That's progress. Good luck.

hoosierhiver said:

Sounds like you are making good progress. Kind of depends on what your goals are, remember the most important thing is to have fun and enjoy the trip.

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^^^^yes!^^^^^

Yep, depends on the goal. If the goal is to be able to strum a few chords along with songs you sing, you won't be a beginner for long. If your goal is play with as much grace and beauty as Herb Ohta does, you may be a beginner for quite a while. My goal is to be able to play along with any music I hear, so I was a "beginner" for years and years. Heh. Aside from a few frustrating months now and then, I've had fun all the while. For me, musical "success" consists mainly of having a good time, so I'm a "successful musician".

Keep strumming! (And try a little picking if and when it takes your fancy.)

Musicianship vs "performership"

addicted2myuke said:

If you are planning on playing gigs in front of an audience, I'd say you have a ways to go.

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Hard to say. I am a bona fide ukulele beginner, but played fiddling gigs for a number of years with a string band in the Chicago area. I used to say that there were better musicians than me in every audience I ever played for. There is no shortage of superb musicians! The shortage is possibly in good entertainers. The difference between successful performers and good musicians can sometimes have less to do with technical skills than with the ability to help the audience have a good time. Musicianship is important, of course! But there are other ingredients, too, that make for successful gigging (for both audience and performer). It's possible to be a relative beginner on the instrument while being a pretty fair entertainer.