Practice practice practice

twistedsoda

twistedsoda

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 25, 2012
Messages
68
Reaction score
0
Location
Edmonton Canada
I was just sitting here strumming my ukulele and wondered how often you play your ukulele. Do you pick it up everyday? Once a week? How many hours a day, if any?

I pick it up once a day and try to learn a new song every day. It's hard not to pick it up, it stares at me if I don't. Did your play it today. Did it make you happy? Of course it did.

I play minimum one hour a day. I've never taken a lesson and scour the forums for new info. Very helpful. I have been know to play for 8 hours, once I start I can't stop.
 
Wow! I wish I had that kind of spare time. I feel lucky if I can pick up one of my instruments every couple of days, and if I can get in an hour or two of practice a week it seems like a good week.
 
maybe 30 minutes a day on average. every note and every strum puts fresh air in my lungs. :)
 
Playing the Ukulele Helps a lot with Cabin Fever, Woohoo Springs coming. Gonna need me a Camping Ukulele now.
Depends on the day, If I add all the time up during the day it does add up to 30mins .
 
Last edited:
I play everyday whenever I get spare time, it works out really well since I am homeschooled.
 
I try and play everyday. Sometimes that is only 5-10 minutes and most days about half an hour.
 
uke552 said:
I try and play everyday. Sometimes that is only 5-10 minutes and most days about half an hour.
Click to expand...

Yep, that's about how I do it. Depends what else I've done that day - because I have hand problems, I can't play uke if I've done a bit on computer or something else.
I make sure I at least tune one or two, and strum a little.
 
I teach full time and have a wife and 3-year-old daughter to be with, but if I didn't play music at least one hour (preferably 2) per day, I'd go crazy.
So, it means most other activities are avoided. The uke (and other instruments) bring essential solace and joy to my life.
 
I play about two hours a day. More on the weekends. I still have much to learn and improve, but I am enjoying the journey.
 
I play at least a little every day. But on average a minimum of 30 minutes a day. I play in the car sitting in traffic a lot. If I grab my uke and draw a blank about what to play I just CFG and DDUUDU. I just never get tired of the simplest things.
 
I plunk away at 'Over the Rainbow', and a 'Creep" (Radiohead), G-B7-C-Cm) (Thanks, BillMo) daily. Got my first Uke ~2 weeks ago, picking up my second this morning (UAS!). Startin' to get habit forming......
R
 
I always enjoy these type of threads - it is interesting to me to see how much time people put in with their ukes. It also brings up the concept of practice vs. play or how an individual defines these terms. I used to practice (i.e. working on technique, riffs, new material) an hour or two a day. The last several months have been very difficult. I have had a lot of long stressful days at work. By the time that I get done the things I need to at home and finally sit down to relax I do not have much energy to do anything. Hopefully things will improve in the near future.
 
I'm a daily player - usually about an hour or so - it's hard to say because I work from home. I pick up different music books and work on a song or two. I've been playing for about three years - I'm mostly a beginner.
 
I agree with mmstan:

"I think it is Practice, Patience and Perserverence....... "

might I suggest working on the Ukulele Boot Camp practice sheets?
It's a great way to cover 5 keys and a few unfamiliar chords to keep the
finger dexterity and chord-forming hand strength for when you perform
or play at song circles :) [Boot Camp link in signature]

Several of us have regular weekly gigs which tend to make up most of our
playing and practicing time, esp if we're working up new songs and sets.

Then there are those weekly song circles in various parts of the city/greater
city areas where we 'intrude' and 'insinuate' ourselves for others' and our own
enjoyment and 'practice'.

having lead a 9-week and now a 10-week class, which will be extending another
11 weeks (?!), it truly is Practice, Patience - as the skill will come, and Perseverance -
no give up!

Most of us who have been playing for years, decades even, can't say enough about
'persevering' to the noobies and beginners. looking back, to me, it seems like I've
always known how to play, and yet I know I had to learn it sometime. As time heals
all wounds, it also covers all the heartaches from the effort it takes to learn these
things, so that one day, you'll be playing along with a noobie and trying to encourage
them to keep practicing and being patient and persevering :)

It will come... right mmstan?

keep uke'in',
 
Depends on the day. I have 6 kids and homeschool, which makes for two big practice roadblocks. 1) If I try to practice during the day, I instantly have about 3 or 4 Mahalos in my lap to be tuned so they can play, too. Then, I am teaching them chords, or trying to focus while a 3yo strums next to me. So I wait until they are in bed, which means...2) I am frequently exhausted by the time I can play without interruption. Still, I usually manage 30 minutes to an hour each night.
 
It's only been a couple weeks for me so far, but I have managed to practice a bit every day. Ranging from an hour to a few hours, depending on time. I spend too much time reading the forum, though, which does cut into practice time (but it's fun and interesting!), and I'm waiting for the Uke Leash (found a "local" vendor who carried them) to arrive. Ordered one after I realized that I was holding the tenor wrong and have trouble holding it correctly while also being able to strum in a relaxed way. Luckily, some others had the same problem and the Uke Leash fixed it for them. Hopefully that will be the case for me too.

In the meantime, I also ordered a set-up soprano, which I probably will have fretboard troubles with, but in the long run I'd like to be able to manage, so I need one... well, "need". ;)
 
mm stan said:
I think it is Practice, Patience and Perserverence.......
Click to expand...

Very true and this sort of goes hand in hand with something James Hill told me years ago. I've never been able to live up to it myself but here's what he says is the difference between an amateur and a professional. "an amateur practices until he/she gets it right. A professional practices until they can't get it wrong". There's rarely a day that goes by where I don't play my ukulele. However, no matter how much I play or practice I still find myself having to work hard at it and every now and then I might get something right. Most of all I just try to keep it fun.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

G
Price Drop Custom Kepasa solid mahogany soprano travel/practice uke with K&K pickup
Replies
7
Views
397
JDP
JDP
J
Nova U Mini modification - Silent Practice Uke
2
Replies
25
Views
738
rrieth
R
Joe Strummer
Practice - perfection vs progress
2
Replies
24
Views
784
70sSanO
70sSanO
UkeOkay
Too Busy To Practice
Replies
8
Views
251
UkeOkay
UkeOkay
Jerryc41
Practice or Play?
2 3
Replies
41
Views
1K
Voran
Voran
Top Bottom