I've been somewhat musically inclined for most of my life. Although that statement sounds very uncertain, it holds true for me. I wouldn't imagine that I make myself out to be some musical prodigy or virtuoso but I do have some talent in that area. When I was about six years old I learned how to play the piano. I was taught to sight read and I got progressively better at it, as I do with most things that I practice for a number of years, but that fell out when I quit lessons sometime in middle school. However, when I got to middle school, after a brief and futile effort attempting to play trombone in the band, I took vocal music, or choir, and participated in show choir. I did well in both of those but quit show choir my eight grade year and stopped singing in high school when it was no longer required. So here I stand, today, with a new guitar and ukulele and the desire to master at least one of the two by the time summer comes to an end.
So, my inspiration for this random surge of musical motivation, or whatever the hell we can call it, has really stemmed from the ukulele my aunt and uncle bought me for my birthday. It was a kind of random gift and they went out on a limb hoping that I would like it. Well, the limb held and I loved it. Immediately I took it home and YouTube searched "how to play somewhere over the rainbow on ukulele" and within a half hour I had that down. Ukulele is pretty darn easy instrument to play because there are only four strings and almost every song is the same basic chords, with a little variation in strum pattern here and there.
After I had realized how easy the ukulele was, I decided to move on to the guitar. Now, a few years back, on another birthday, perhaps my eighth, I had received an acoustic guitar from my great-step-grandfather twice removed and three times divorced (I really don't know how to explain my relation to him but nevertheless it's a complicated one). The guitar was nothing over the top, just a relatively cheap, beginners guitar and a few picks. After locating it, I picked it up and YouTube searched "how to play casimir paluski day on guitar." A beautiful songs that, as it turns out, isn't too complicated to play. No bar chords, just a D, C, Am, and G with a few hammer ons and pull offs. Regardless, I ended up wasting around five hours playing guitar that night instead of studying.
I don't have motivation to play guitar/ukulele for any other reason except for the fact that it is just god damn addictive. I mean seriously, every time I sit down to play, I can't stop! I think it's because I love music so much that being able to play it myself just gives me this incredible rush that I can't explain. Maybe not a rush, but there's this feeling of euphoria that I get when I'm able to strum out a song that I've loved forever and am now just being able to play.
So, my inspiration for this random surge of musical motivation, or whatever the hell we can call it, has really stemmed from the ukulele my aunt and uncle bought me for my birthday. It was a kind of random gift and they went out on a limb hoping that I would like it. Well, the limb held and I loved it. Immediately I took it home and YouTube searched "how to play somewhere over the rainbow on ukulele" and within a half hour I had that down. Ukulele is pretty darn easy instrument to play because there are only four strings and almost every song is the same basic chords, with a little variation in strum pattern here and there.
After I had realized how easy the ukulele was, I decided to move on to the guitar. Now, a few years back, on another birthday, perhaps my eighth, I had received an acoustic guitar from my great-step-grandfather twice removed and three times divorced (I really don't know how to explain my relation to him but nevertheless it's a complicated one). The guitar was nothing over the top, just a relatively cheap, beginners guitar and a few picks. After locating it, I picked it up and YouTube searched "how to play casimir paluski day on guitar." A beautiful songs that, as it turns out, isn't too complicated to play. No bar chords, just a D, C, Am, and G with a few hammer ons and pull offs. Regardless, I ended up wasting around five hours playing guitar that night instead of studying.
I don't have motivation to play guitar/ukulele for any other reason except for the fact that it is just god damn addictive. I mean seriously, every time I sit down to play, I can't stop! I think it's because I love music so much that being able to play it myself just gives me this incredible rush that I can't explain. Maybe not a rush, but there's this feeling of euphoria that I get when I'm able to strum out a song that I've loved forever and am now just being able to play.
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