Anyone else just starting out?

I just got my first uke and wondered if anyone else is in the same position or wanted to keep in touch / help me with questions and stuff as I learn. It's really exciting to learn and I was hoping someone would be able to help me out.

Hey Jay, I bought my first Ukulele at the end of February. I'm now up to four of them. The UAS (Ukulele Acquisition Syndrome) kicked in pretty early on me.

There are plenty of people here that are happy to help out in any way that is possible. I'll do my best to answer questions that I can, and be willing to offer you a lot of support in the learning process. I need as much of that as I can get as well.

My best advice so far is "Keep asking questions, keep reading up on everything Ukulele that you can find, and most importantly, always make some time every day to practice!"

Velkommen to the ookoolaylee, Jay. I was just like you when I started out three years ago. Nongdam was just like you when he started out five or six years ago. Jake S. was just like you when he started out 34 years ago.

It's all relative. You will love your instrument. Good luck with finding a hand-hold buddy (for lack of a more appropriate term, no condescendence implied). If you found someone you could see and feel and sweat with in person, all the better. In Madison, you should be able to. Just hang out at Noodles and Co. near campus and eat Ramen and put your ukulele on the table. Someone will come up and want to learn it with you. Might cost you a bowl of Wisconsin Macs & Cheese and a Ciabatta roll, but worth it for a new, carbohydrate-adoring friend.

I find it's pretty hard to put down actually, I have a Kala KA-S which I really like the sound of (tho I'd really like to get a tenor with a low G). There's apparently a uke group around here somewhere (http://www.mauimadison.com/), which I should probably check out.

JayMadison said:

I just got my first uke and wondered if anyone else is in the same position or wanted to keep in touch / help me with questions and stuff as I learn. It's really exciting to learn and I was hoping someone would be able to help me out.

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Check out giveit100.com also, so fun there to find people at the same stage as yourself!

https://giveit100.com/@pixiepurls/n9wk8h


Thats my page, I'm 2 months in I taught myself with youtube for a while and now I've had 4 lessons with a teacher, and I am VERY glad I decided to do that, it was perfect timing! About 1 month after I started learning and we stopped a few bad habits I could have given myself.

pixiepurls said:

Check out giveit100.com also, so fun there to find people at the same stage as yourself!

https://giveit100.com/@pixiepurls/n9wk8h


Thats my page, I'm 2 months in I taught myself with youtube for a while and now I've had 4 lessons with a teacher, and I am VERY glad I decided to do that, it was perfect timing! About 1 month after I started learning and we stopped a few bad habits I could have given myself.

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Wow it's pretty amazing how fast you advanced, I'll definitely need to keep an eye on your page. Plus the site looks kinda interesting

I am too old and no talent and no finger nails but I recently started and persisted and I have fun just playing random chords and progressions and talk but do not sing. Very sad really but it makes me sort of happy.

You could say I play freestyle uke and make up monologues.

Art, no one is judging man, when i play my dogs start to howl so i have plenty of critics to keep me grounded, LOL. If you are having troubles finding a structured approach to practice and very incremental learning, try this...

http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?92590-New-Book-Ukulele-Aerobics-by-Chad-Johnson

artwombat said:

I am too old and no talent and no finger nails but I recently started and persisted and I have fun just playing random chords and progressions and talk but do not sing. Very sad really but it makes me sort of happy.

You could say I play freestyle uke and make up monologues.

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billten said:

http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?92590-New-Book-Ukulele-Aerobics-by-Chad-Johnson

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That looks right up my alley, I may have to pick that up

I just hope my fretting calouses come in soon

Welcome to UU, Jay.
I bought my first uke years ago, but put it aside without accomplishing much. I recently picked it back up a few months ago with the intention of practicing every day and making a real go of it. I can strum chords for popular songs and sing along, but I wanted to get a bit deeper with different techniques-finger picking, chord melody, single note playing, etc.

I will +1 the Ukulele Aerobics book. I recently started it, and it is great. It provides a little more structure than a lot of "How to play ukulele" books, and it also gives a good variety of different techniques. It teaches chords, strumming, fingerpicking, chord melody, single notes, licks, and various left hand techniques.

As for the callouses, they will no doubt come in time. I am also a banjo player, trying to get back in the saddle and rebuild my calluses after about a 6 month hiatus. There are various things you can to do build them up faster (a quick google search will help with this). For myself, I soak my finger tips in rubbing alcohol to help expedite the process. Also, steel strings will get you there way faster than nylon/nylgut strings.

Good luck!

Welcome Jay. I was welcomed here just a few months back myself. I got my first ukulele in early April and I've just been learning chords and songs since. I learned some basic chords and then started playing songs that had those chords, learning a new one whenever they came up in a new song. It has been going pretty well, and it is a lot of fun. I hope you enjoy playing your ukulele as much as I enjoy playing mine. My bit of advise, newcomer to newcomer, is that you can make it as simple or as complicated as you want it. I'm trying to just keep it simple. Just sit back and enjoy, and try not to get too hung up with it.

artwombat said:

I am too old and no talent and no finger nails but I recently started and persisted and I have fun just playing random chords and progressions and talk but do not sing. Very sad really but it makes me sort of happy.

You could say I play freestyle uke and make up monologues.

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Too old? I started in my 60s and I've been making steady progress. I have a playing partner and we practice about two hours a day. It's amazing the progress we've made by just committing to some kind of practice each day.

JayMadison said:

I just hope my fretting calouses come in soon

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Yeah I had to take a break some days because they would hurt so bad!!! After 2 months I don't even think about them now (accept on my pinky because I don't use it enough, need to work on that!).

Icelander53 said:

Too old? I started in my 60s and I've been making steady progress. I have a playing partner and we practice about two hours a day. It's amazing the progress we've made by just committing to some kind of practice each day.

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I'm turning 64 next month. A great thing to do if you are retired. Why get up early and go to work, when you can get up late and play the ukulele?

JayMadison said:

I find it's pretty hard to put down actually, I have a Kala KA-S which I really like the sound of (tho I'd really like to get a tenor with a low G). There's apparently a uke group around here somewhere (http://www.mauimadison.com/), which I should probably check out.

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Absolutely check out the uke group, best thing going. It is loads of fun, you will learn quickly and the people are always helpful and welcoming. I went to a local weekly uke jam one week after I got my first uke and it was the best thing I could have done.

Go to Uncle Rods Bootcamp website, he is an active member here. Download all three pdf's and start learning some chords. As most will tell you C, Am, F, G chords are a good place to start. His program has helped a lot of people

Only joined a few days ago and threads like these are very inspiring......ive now got about 4 chords under my belt albeit slowly and the strumming feels like im patting my head and rubbing my stomach at the same time......However i find it fun and will persevere cos youve all gone down this road before and its a real pleasure watching your vids

Rllink said:

Welcome Jay. I was welcomed here just a few months back myself. I got my first ukulele in early April and I've just been learning chords and songs since. I learned some basic chords and then started playing songs that had those chords, learning a new one whenever they came up in a new song. It has been going pretty well, and it is a lot of fun. I hope you enjoy playing your ukulele as much as I enjoy playing mine. My bit of advise, newcomer to newcomer, is that you can make it as simple or as complicated as you want it. I'm trying to just keep it simple. Just sit back and enjoy, and try not to get too hung up with it.

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Yea it's still amazing to me how many songs you can play with only a few chords

Aloha,
Hey I’ve been playing now for 2 ½ months and find it a blast to play. Keep at it; it will get frustrating at times but just power through it. I can do some chord progression, strumming patterns, a little finger picking but I can’t put together a complete song yet. As soon as I start singing it all falls apart. The best advice I can give is practice every day. It can be 20 minutes or 2 hours but something everyday makes fast strides in learning. I have a hard time with a G chord, so I spend a bunch of time just getting in and out of the G chord. Don’t know why it gives me problems. I’m also a fan of the book Ukulele Aerobics; I am on week 3 currently. I also have an instructor that I can bounce question too. I know the internet is filled with great stuff like UU and all they have is awesome but I like a person to give the one on one lesson that’s tailored to me and my abilities we go as fast or slow as I want. What we do mostly is music theory; this would be my suggestion too anyone wanting to play, learn to read music. I have only been doing this a short time but I’m already doing my know arrangements for the Ukulele from sheet music. Knowing what the notes mean and how they relate on the fret board helps in how you play. So take some time and get to know some music theory. Also that old saying holds true today, what you put into something is what you’ll get out. Practice, practice, practice.
Mahalo
:shaka:

JayMadison said:

I just got my first uke and wondered if anyone else is in the same position or wanted to keep in touch / help me with questions and stuff as I learn. It's really exciting to learn and I was hoping someone would be able to help me out.

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You've come to a really wonderful place with equally wonderful people, Jay! Welcome to UU!