Don't judge me!
Jul. 9th, 2011 07:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
blamebramptonWeekends are for ukulele buying!*
This time it was at the local musician's market (a well-run little private shop, not, alas, an actual market, which would be at night, and have harps* and mandolins, and be unutterably cool!) where the owner had told me he was expecting hard cases for tenor ukuleles any day now.
I popped in on spec, and while the cases were not in yet, he showed me the same type in a soprano size and I approved. But …
'Could I take a look at a soprano ukulele?' I asked. 'My little hands are finding it a stretch to manage some of the fingerings at the same time I am learning them, so a smaller one might be easier until I have learned more chords.'
'Good plan!' the owner replied, and started to show me through a few nice models.
Less than 15 minutes later I left with a lovely and teeny new ukulele, in its own rectangular case!
I had a mission of mercy to deliver hot chocolate to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
pseudicide , and then headed on home, crossing busy King St behind a couple who then headed down the same side street I was going to and got into their rather silly car. I had to duck around the passenger door that the chap had left open across the pavement and he only noticed after I was already ducking, but he sang out 'Sorry', so I smiled back.
When I went to cross the next street, their car was already in motion and coming in my direction. I waited, for I am polite. The car rolled to a stop in front of me and the man in the passenger seat rolled down his window. 'Excuse me?' he asked.
I was expecting to be asked for directions. Instead, he pointed at the case and said 'Is that a flute? Or a saxaphone?'
'It's a ukulele!' I said. 'A soprano ukulele.'
'We were both wrong!' he declared, laughing.
I grinned and waved at him and his girlfriend as they drove off, and walked home, smiling, happy that strangers see me as a natural arty musical type, and not the homicidal maniac my nearest and dearest do.
*I originally wrote that Saturday was for ukulele buying, and then realised that I have only had my tenor for six days, not seven, so my progress is not as dire as I had thought!
This time it was at the local musician's market (a well-run little private shop, not, alas, an actual market, which would be at night, and have harps* and mandolins, and be unutterably cool!) where the owner had told me he was expecting hard cases for tenor ukuleles any day now.
I popped in on spec, and while the cases were not in yet, he showed me the same type in a soprano size and I approved. But …
'Could I take a look at a soprano ukulele?' I asked. 'My little hands are finding it a stretch to manage some of the fingerings at the same time I am learning them, so a smaller one might be easier until I have learned more chords.'
'Good plan!' the owner replied, and started to show me through a few nice models.
Less than 15 minutes later I left with a lovely and teeny new ukulele, in its own rectangular case!
I had a mission of mercy to deliver hot chocolate to
pseudicide , and then headed on home, crossing busy King St behind a couple who then headed down the same side street I was going to and got into their rather silly car. I had to duck around the passenger door that the chap had left open across the pavement and he only noticed after I was already ducking, but he sang out 'Sorry', so I smiled back.When I went to cross the next street, their car was already in motion and coming in my direction. I waited, for I am polite. The car rolled to a stop in front of me and the man in the passenger seat rolled down his window. 'Excuse me?' he asked.
I was expecting to be asked for directions. Instead, he pointed at the case and said 'Is that a flute? Or a saxaphone?'
'It's a ukulele!' I said. 'A soprano ukulele.'
'We were both wrong!' he declared, laughing.
I grinned and waved at him and his girlfriend as they drove off, and walked home, smiling, happy that strangers see me as a natural arty musical type, and not the homicidal maniac my nearest and dearest do.
*I originally wrote that Saturday was for ukulele buying, and then realised that I have only had my tenor for six days, not seven, so my progress is not as dire as I had thought!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-07-09 10:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-09 11:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-09 11:14 am (UTC)He will taking up the trombone in the next couple of weeks as well.
I guess my point is that I really love seeing people teach themselves musical intruments and how much joy it brings to them. I have such a small amount of practical talent where music is concerned it is quite shameful, (after 10 years of music lessons I can play Joy to the world on the recorder and possible the clarinet and Mary had a little lamb on the piano from memory :() but I do love music a whole lot and got honours in my first 4 grades of musical theory as a child.
TL;DR - You are awesome and your posts make me smile so thank you. :)
no subject
Date: 2011-07-09 11:29 am (UTC)I have to confess that I have made it to 44 without being able to play a single instrument. Maybe a scale and a few basic things on the piano if schoolgirl lessons were to somehow leap to the front of my memory, same on the recorder ... it's shameful, especially because Dad could play many instruments, stringed and wind.
But he could not sing and I could, so he never taught me as he said I would not need an instrument, I'd be too busy singing. If he'd lived longer, I am sure I would have nagged him into helping me, at the least on the guitar or harp so I could accompany myself. But it's never too late! And the soprano uke IS easier for tricksy fingerings :-)
Your son sounds awesome, and so does your uncle, and I would love to pick your brain for musical theory once I have more of it in my own head. I will practise and we should see about getting together later in the year!
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Date: 2011-07-09 01:33 pm (UTC)Now I really want to learn to play the ukulele, too. Too bad I still haven't mastered my tambourine. At all. *is sad*
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Date: 2011-07-09 02:44 pm (UTC)I actually can play the tambourine, but I'm not certain it counts as an instrument, more a device of cruelty ...
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Date: 2011-07-09 03:00 pm (UTC)Well, yes, I was counting on the tambourine being instrumental in my taking over the world.
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Date: 2011-07-09 03:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-09 03:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-09 03:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-09 04:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-09 02:38 pm (UTC)The younger one is in year 5 and doing clarinet, although she seems to want to stick with it and not go brass in HS. Guess I will have to get her one also. Which leaves me to learn to play the electronic keyboard they were given a few years back (DH plays guitar).
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Date: 2011-07-09 02:51 pm (UTC)Can you rig backpack straps to her instrument case? I have a friend who plays the Viola de Gamba (I think that's what it's called) and she made a harness that lets her carry it on her back, which she vastly prefers to lugging under one arm.
I think that's one of the reasons I went with a Uke, SO portable!
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Date: 2011-07-09 08:02 pm (UTC)Arty sounds much better that homicidal. *nods*
no subject
Date: 2011-07-10 12:40 am (UTC)