Blog 33 - One, Two, Three, Uke!

Doing my best Nana Miskouri impression!

Challenge 15 was to learn a top 40 hit on the Ukelele.

I chose this challenge as my daughter wanted an ukelele for her 6th birthday and I thought it would be a challenge we could do together! I do not play any instruments but have always wanted to. When my daughter got the ukelele for her birthday she was thrilled, but as we started to muck about on it though, it became apparent very quickly that playing it and in particular teaching it was not going to be easy.

We struggled along on our own for a while then my talented friend Kath managed to teach herself to play (incredibly quickly, making me feel even more inadequate!) and then tried to teach me in one session. Her patience was tested and I was still struggling but she gave me a song to learn that had a small number of chords and seeing as I didn't specify when the song was a top 40 hit, it would still qualify.

Menna and I trying to help each other!

I tried to rehearse this song, but was still not improving really. Another friend then put me in touch with a friends Dad who plays, to see if he could give me any tips. A comedy phone call ensued, where this lovely man invited me to his regular ukelele jamming session with other ukelele players in the Pantmawr Inn. I don't think he quite grasped that I had no musical ability or skill and would be a little unprepared to join a jamming group! Bless him, I think by the end of the conversation he thought I was insane. He just kept asking me; 'So why are you doing this? Have you ever played an instrument before?' to which his response to my answers was 'Oh'. He did very kindly send me a load of simple and easy ukelele song sheets to try. Although none of these easy songs only had two or three chords in it so were not simple enough!!!

Paul who is a fantastic ukelele player giving me some tips!

My colleague Paul then announced he played a ukelele so gave Menna and I a little tutorial in very basic skills, i.e. how to hold the ukelele and how to strum the thing! He patiently told us three chords and came up with a simple song for us to learn with just 3 chords! Hallelujah! So I have been practicsing that one ever since.

Nick managing to teach himself in an hour!

Frustratingly I am still rubbish and still can't really get it, but it will be something that I will continue with and love that Menna and I can do it together. As time is running out, I had to put a final date to get it filmed. Having a slight stress last night almost throwing the Ukelele across the room, my husband stepped in and tried to help and yes you guessed it managed to teach himself the song within an hour! So hey ho, its obviously not one of my natural skills and although rubbish (and I mean really rubbish) I have at least completed the challenge in that I have learnt a song and learnt 3 chords!!!

So if you can bear it, here is the video proof...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKBvPs_9fyc&feature=youtu.be 

If you can't recognise the actual song and to be honest I would be very surprised if you could, this is what it is supposed to sound like...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1bFr2SWP1I 

I know it sounds nothing like it but I tried! Only 7 more challenges to go...