It's just about enjoyment. Innit?

S11LKO

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I've spent a lazy morning looking at guitar & uke videos on YouTube with my brother in law.
He's non-musical and doesn't play ANY instrument at all.

He commented about the MANY 'unsigned but brilliant' players around the world and the fact that the vast majority played both instruments FAR better than I do or probably ever will be able to do.

He asked me if I found that frustrating.

I answered:
'Only in the way that I would LOVE to be able to do what they can do. But then there are many that have said to me that they'd love to be able
to play like *I* can. It's all a matter of perspective. It doesn't matter if you are a virtuoso or can just knock out a few basic chords. The main thing is that we love making music - to whatever our level of play - and that we ENJOY doing it and it gives us pleasure and that watching those more proficient inspires us on to keep practicing and becoming better ourselves.'

And enjoying listening to and playing our music is the most important thing. Innit?

Thoughts?
 
Quite honestly, going all the way back to when I was very young, I have always found a strange peace and tranquility in having my hands around a stringed instrument. It quiets my soul and brings me joy. That joy has never been affected by the quality of my playing (though I will admit it can be affected by the quality of the instrument!). I play fairly well - there are many who play better. However, I enjoy their playing. That said - I enjoy nothing more than sitting and losing myself in wood and strings.
 
Your brother in law showed his ignorance (used in the proper term, not an insult) about playing a instrument. As bearbike said it is the peace and tranquility playing an instrument brings that is the reward. I can get completely lost in the playing and loose track of time and of myself. Would I like to be a much better player ......of course, and I do strive to improve. But picking up an instrument and noddling around on it at my kitchen table is as enjoyable to me as anything.
 
Just getting a tune out of an instrument is one up on someone who can't. :p

I only 'play' for my own enjoyment, I don't really care what others think - & that is probably just as well. :smileybounce:
 
I played rhythm guitar for almost 50 years, never became advanced, but always enjoyed doing it. A number of people said I was very good, but compared to one of my best friends, and later to my nephew, I was barely intermediate. Then I started playing ukulele and my guitar experience made it rather easy to transition, I actually enjoyed playing even more.

I almost immediately joined a seniors group of about 60 people and many consider me an advanced player, but I only do rhythm, no finger picking, so compared to the leader of the group, Cali Rose (and her husband Craig Brandau), I'm again maybe intermediate. I also recently started playing with a group of acoustic players in a park on Sundays, some are very accomplished, and I keep up as best as I can.

I've seen Jake online and live, participated in seminars and workshops with Jason Arimoto, Daniel Ho, Del Rey, Kris Fuchigami, Sarah Maisel, Fred Sokolow, so I know what a great player is. I'm certainly not one, but I love playing now more than ever, especially because with the group I get to play gigs, including for kids in UCLA/Mattel Children's Hospital in conjunction with The Ukulele Kids Club, and give them ukuleles.

Since I've taken up the uke 5 years ago, I haven't touched my guitars, the uke gives me far more pleasure.


8 tenor cutaway ukes, 3 acoustic bass ukes, 8 solid body bass ukes, 7 mini electric bass guitars

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children's hospital music therapy programs. http://www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers: https://www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/videos
 
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Great thread! So much of what has been expressed here is right in line with my own experience. I started playing when I was 12, and I'm 65 now. There was a time when my focus was on trying to develop lightning-fast technical chops, and that led to a lot of frustration because, even though I may have worked and practiced to the point that my playing was pretty competent, the fact is, no amount of practice or dedication was ever going to make me as good as those players whom we regard as the "primo" players. After I finally accepted that fact, I decided to adopt a different perspective-- instead of griping about what I couldn't do, I would step back, assess what I COULD do, and focus on doing THAT in the best way that I possibly can. With the uke, that has become picking out songs that I grew up loving, working out solo rhythm arrangements of them with nice chord voicings, and in a key that fits my vocal range, and strive to make them "work" as tasteful versions of those songs, presented with one uke and one voice. It's a challenge to pull that off, just as it's a different kind of challenge to develop super-fast soloing skills, but I am now in my "wheelhouse" and enjoying it immensely, rather than bemoaning that which I cannot do.
 
Your brother in law showed his ignorance (used in the proper term, not an insult) about playing a instrument. As bearbike said it is the peace and tranquility playing an instrument brings that is the reward. I can get completely lost in the playing and loose track of time and of myself. Would I like to be a much better player ......of course, and I do strive to improve. But picking up an instrument and noddling around on it at my kitchen table is as enjoyable to me as anything.

:agree:

S11LKO must have a wonderful wife or something ‘cause it otherwise just doesn’t seem worthwhile, we’ll in my evaluation, to put up with such a Brother-in-Law. To my mind said Brither-in-Law is lacking in something and if he has a Compass in life that he follows then it’s pointing in the wrong direction.

In all things we do in life few of us become the very best and we get our head around that fact or become very unhappy. So it is with playing an instrument, I’m never going to sound as good Jake or the chap who taught me how to play - who also will never sound as good as Jake but still is a cracking player - but that doesn’t worry me one bit. In life strive to be the best you can reasonably be; accept that level and take pleasure in your achievement - it’s OK to fail at things (if you’ve tried) and it’s OK not to be the best.
 
As musicians we have a special advantage over most of our fellow mortals. We understand that it's the journey, not the destination. Music doesn't even have a final destination. :cool:
 
I also will never be a great player. However, I do have a great time playing.
 
I've spent a lazy morning looking at guitar & uke videos on YouTube with my brother in law.
He's non-musical and doesn't play ANY instrument at all.

He commented about the MANY 'unsigned but brilliant' players around the world and the fact that the vast majority played both instruments FAR better than I do or probably ever will be able to do.

He asked me if I found that frustrating.

I answered:
'Only in the way that I would LOVE to be able to do what they can do. But then there are many that have said to me that they'd love to be able
to play like *I* can. It's all a matter of perspective. It doesn't matter if you are a virtuoso or can just knock out a few basic chords. The main thing is that we love making music - to whatever our level of play - and that we ENJOY doing it and it gives us pleasure and that watching those more proficient inspires us on to keep practicing and becoming better ourselves.'

And enjoying listening to and playing our music is the most important thing. Innit?

Thoughts?

Good answer. If it ever got to the point where I had to practice and practice in order to please someone else, I'd give it up. This is for fun, not for impressing others.
 
Wow! I never expected such a response! But I sincerely thank you all for taking the time.
It’s great to see that all us muso’s - at whatever level we play - have a similar mindset. I can identify so much with all of what you have said in your responses.

I personally don’t actually mind or take offence if someone doesn’t like my singing or plying - I do it for ME.
You can’t please everyone; after all, even the biggest, richest, most famous musical superstars have detractors who don’t like them. In my day those who loved The Beatles hated The Rolling Stones. Those who loved The Stones hated The Beatles. (Personally I enjoyed both! lol)

Having said that, if anyone DOES comment to me that they like something I’ve done (as I’ve been lucky to have had about a couple of my videos) of course I’m completely chuffed and smiling for the rest of the day - and I would assume the same applies to all of us here and ANYONE who enjoys playing.
 
Very interesting thread. I've been thinking about this very thing for a couple of weeks now and I almost started a similar thread but didn't. I do not measure myself by using someone else as a my yardstick. I just want to be me. Really good and dazzling players and performers inspire me. I love to watch them, they show me what can be done, but I don't get envious of it. I mean that is just silly. But the thing that I've been thinking a lot about is that I've reached my goals as a ukuele player and a performer, which was pretty much to entertain other people with my singing, my ukulele playing, and my wit, none of which I'm particularly dazzling at. I think that I'm not great, but I'm good enough. People come listen to me. So I am quite satisfied. So that is where I stand on it. So my point here is the satisfaction. Is there people like me who are pretty much satisfied with what they are doing, or does it always have to be about striving for more? Because at this point in my musical journey I don't have anything that I'm striving for. Except to get better at what I'm doing, and I figure that just comes over time.
 
Dave, your brother in law has an interesting perspective! If this was applied to other endeavors, would make no sense to play golf, basketball, paint, dance, auto cross, surf, ski cuz there are people waaaay better than you.
 
Dave, your brother in law has an interesting perspective! If this was applied to other endeavors, would make no sense to play golf, basketball, paint, dance, auto cross, surf, ski cuz there are people waaaay better than you.

Haha ampeep - so true. We may as well sit brain dead in front of the TV and our favourite soap opera and just wait for our time in this mortal plain to end! lol

Seriously guys and girls, thanks sooooo much for ALL your responses. I'm so grateful to have found this site and all its fantastic members!! X
 
I am not even a good player, just strum chords and have a great time. When people ask how good I am, I just say good enough to entertain my grandkids and myself.
 
Brain dead sitting in front of the TV - that's me!!

Anyway, Dave it's great that you come up with these interesting topics.

Regards,
Keith
 
I've spent a lazy morning looking at guitar & uke videos on YouTube with my brother in law.
He's non-musical and doesn't play ANY instrument at all.

He commented about the MANY 'unsigned but brilliant' players around the world and the fact that the vast majority played both instruments FAR better than I do or probably ever will be able to do.

He asked me if I found that frustrating.

I answered:
'Only in the way that I would LOVE to be able to do what they can do. But then there are many that have said to me that they'd love to be able
to play like *I* can. It's all a matter of perspective. It doesn't matter if you are a virtuoso or can just knock out a few basic chords. The main thing is that we love making music - to whatever our level of play - and that we ENJOY doing it and it gives us pleasure and that watching those more proficient inspires us on to keep practicing and becoming better ourselves.'

And enjoying listening to and playing our music is the most important thing. Innit?

Thoughts?

Though I'm not a musician and I almost have no musical knowledge. What I do believe is that: music is a way of communication. Only when you play the music yourself, you can communicate with the writer who wrote the music, even if the writer is already long gone. It's like when you're reading a book written hundreds of years ago, by reading the book you'll still be able to communicate with the author. It's also like a wormhole that connect two universes that are separated by time or by space, via which we can still communicate with people who are not near around. Everytime I start playing I'll be wondering in what circumstance, the writer can write those music, what feelings they were having, what stories they wanted to tell. It's lots of imaginations. Like said, imagination is more important than knowledge.
 
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