blamebrampton

Two lessons, bwahahaha! And it is definitely sounding better, even if I sometimes have to disguise the dodgier chord changes with a bit of fancy pants singing ;-) But in case you are wondering, why the ukulele, B? I offer up these tracks in evidence that ukes are cool, and I have not gone completely doolally.

Jake Shimabukuro is better than I will ever be. Which is fine, he started playing when we was a wee bairn, I bet I am a better writer than he is. Not jealous at all. (That is a lie.) This is him communing with the memory of George Harrison, and it is beautiful and inspiring.



The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain (godlike), playing Life on Mars (brilliant song), by the amazing David Bowie (nicest pop genius EVER) with added hilarity as they point out that all of pop music is made from about 6 chords and two diminished sevenths.




The Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence theme (I love that soundtrack so much, must buy it on CD one day, but it is about £40, so probably more economical to buy a new turntable ...)



I have not bought any more ukes since that first accident the other week, hurrah! Though I still want that banjo one, and the baritone. Buying a recording device next! Fear not, unlike my unsuspecting relatives and Dad's ex-girlfriends who would occasionally come over for a Christmas drink only to be subjected to Highlights From Shakespeare with me taking all the good bits and my reluctant boy cousins doing the girls and bystanders (in return for me not telling on them for their many, many sins), you can ignore the posts that will follow!

I JUST ACCOMPANIED MYSELF!

After a lifetime of being able to sing, I just played an instrument along with my singing for the VERY FIRST TIME!

OK, so it was Hush Little Baby, and in not a great key for, you know, actually singing, and it has two easy chords, but I still feel accomplished!

And Mr Brammers congratulated me. And then laughed when I made my ukuleles kiss each other in excitement.

And I may need to buy a Baritone ukulele, because it would be nicer in that pitch ...

But YAY!

In other important news for the day, HAPPY BIRTHDAY kayoko ! I know you're Glee-ing at the moment, but your cheery posts always make me smile, and I hope that there has been an avalanche of joy in your day!

And al_hazel , I hope that wherever you are and whatever you're doing, it's a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you, too!

Weekends 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 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!

leaf_light , don't get excited, but it is at the brill beta's.

So today was Take Your Ukelele To Work Day in my office. My friend who is keen to get one too is off to buy hers on the weekend and wanted to have a look at mine. As yet, I do not own a ukulele case because there is a ukulele drought in Sydney and the accessories are selling out even faster than the instruments. But I still have the little asymmetrical cardboard box it came in, so I packed it into that and set off on my walk to work.

My neighbour was bringing his bin in as I left. "Is that a sword?" he asked, nodding at the box.

"No," I replied, "It's a ukulele."

I got to work. "Is that a gun?" asked the friendly security guard (NB with ONLY INTEREST, not a hint of 'You might need to check that in'!)

"No," I replied, "It's a ukulele."

I took the lift up to my office and ran into my editor in chief.

"Is that a mini guitar?" she asked (she is v sane).

"Very close! It's a ukulele!"

The day passed with general pleasantness, at the end, I packed my things and went to walk home with some of the other late-leavers who park their cars up towards my street. We made it some little way before my bestie in the group said:

"B, I'm sure it's not, but for all the world it looks as though you are carting a machine gun about under your arm."

"Why does everyone automatically assume I'm likely to carry deadly weaponry?" I asked.

She gave me A Look. "Do you really need me to answer that?"

I suppose it's reassuring in a way that they all believe I would be not only a well-accoutred assassin, but one likely to use her powers only for good, not evil.


ETA OMG! Just realised what day it is, HAPPY BIRTHDAY oldenuf2nb ! You are a thing of beauty and a joy forever! I hope you have a wonderful day filled with pressies and hugs!

My one goal for today: 
* Finish Fathers.

What I actually did: 
* Bought very nice underthings for half-price at DJs (50% off Simone Perle!)
* Went to four places looking for the perfect under-eye concealer that would mask dark circles without looking like I had little pale grey puffy pillows under each eye instead (failed to find any, damn my non-yellow-toned skin!)
* Purchased a nice Kala tenor ukulele for $100 off! 
* Learned to play a scale and two chords on said ukulele.
* Hatched plans for one-woman Vera Lynn Tribute Show (am semi-serious!)


If I can stay awake for another 120 minutes and type very fast, I might still be able to hit my first priority ... Though it is already 1am ...