Jumping Fleas
According to Urban Dictionary, the word ukulele means jumping fleas. This is a reference to the rapid movement of the player's fingers on the frets of the stringed instrument. (Thank goodness there are no real fleas involved. We have had more than our fair share of flea problems here. One time, someone thought my daughter had Chickenpox, turned out that she was allergic to flea bites...as am I. YUCK!)
For a few years now, I have been hinting to John about getting me a Ukulele for Christmas, my birthday, Valentine's Day, Armistice Day, or any other day on the calendar.
Having no limit, I even went to the extent of going to our Amazon account, and putting my favorite choice of instrument in a wish list. Although my husband often claims he has trouble finding gifts for me, he was not taking this bait.
Holidays have come and gone. There has been no sign of a ukulele, not even a penny whistle. And yet, I can't argue with the gifts he has given me. There have been flowers, candy, a beautiful white gold/Swarovski emerald cut CZ ring, even the Chromebook that I type this blog on. I can never complain that he does not give me wonderful gifts. But, he somehow was not picking up on my not-so-subtle Ukulele hints.
This past June 8, our 33rd anniversary, he informed me that if a package arrived in the mail, I was not to look at it. That made me very curious. In fact, he also gave me strict orders to not look at our Amazon account or any emails from them. A few days before our "day", the package did, indeed, arrive, and I was obedient, never taking a peek, or even shaking the box.
Our anniversary came, and it was a bit of a downer, due to the fact that my beloved aunt's funeral was that very same day. When John got home from work that evening, we had a quiet celebration. We had originally planned on dinner out, and maybe a movie, but I was drained from the funeral. We decided to stay home. When it came time to open my gift, you can imagine how excited I was to find the long sought after musical instrument!
The only instrument I can play is the piano, and I never had lessons. I am self taught. As a child, I would visit my grandparents, who had a piano in their living room, and my aunt Loretta provided a beginner's piano book. She explained some elementary basics, and I would sit and practice.
When I was a young teen, my mother bought a piano, and I doggedly taught myself everything I needed to know. I learned where the notes were, how to count, how to play right, then left hand. I never became a great player, but I can hold my own. One of my favorite things to do was to go to local music shops and buy new sheet music to practice and learn.
The ukulele is nothing like a piano. Where a piano has keys that correspond to musical notes, the uke has strings and frets. As I examined my new uke, I wondered how this was going to "go".
I began learning a couple very simple tunes. Scarborough Fair and This Land is Your Land were the first two I learned, followed by Happy Birthday.
These songs were in the little booklet included with my instrument. I went onto the Amazon site and found this book, with a nice assortment of music. Two days, later, I was practicing Edelweiss, Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head, The Rainbow Connection, Hallelujah, and several other tunes.
I found that my favorite way to find music is online, for free. There are "tons" of songs available for the ukulele. I really admire old music, and the first song I downloaded and memorized was By The Light Of The Silvery Moon.
I have downloaded about a half dozen showtunes, as well as a few standards. I am currently practicing (and trying to perfect) Look To The Rainbow (one of my all time favorites, from Finian's Rainbow), Can't Help Falling In Love (By Elvis), Moon River (Breakfast At Tiffany's), and God Only Knows (Beach Boys).
When I first started playing, I quickly realized that the tender skin on my fingertips was going to have to toughen up. After almost two months of playing, I have built up some decent callouses!
I love a good challenge, and my newest one is learning to "barre", which means holding down several strings with one finger. It seems easy, but it is not...at least for me. To do so and produce a nice clear sound is a bit of a trick. I am improving each day! Another thing I have just begun to explore is finger picking. This opens up my instrument to so many more possibilities. I want to be able to play a variety of songs, and hope I can master this technique.
Gosh, am I thankful that John gave me this little Hawaiian instrument. It is a joy to play, and I really love it!
For a few years now, I have been hinting to John about getting me a Ukulele for Christmas, my birthday, Valentine's Day, Armistice Day, or any other day on the calendar.
Having no limit, I even went to the extent of going to our Amazon account, and putting my favorite choice of instrument in a wish list. Although my husband often claims he has trouble finding gifts for me, he was not taking this bait.
Holidays have come and gone. There has been no sign of a ukulele, not even a penny whistle. And yet, I can't argue with the gifts he has given me. There have been flowers, candy, a beautiful white gold/Swarovski emerald cut CZ ring, even the Chromebook that I type this blog on. I can never complain that he does not give me wonderful gifts. But, he somehow was not picking up on my not-so-subtle Ukulele hints.
This past June 8, our 33rd anniversary, he informed me that if a package arrived in the mail, I was not to look at it. That made me very curious. In fact, he also gave me strict orders to not look at our Amazon account or any emails from them. A few days before our "day", the package did, indeed, arrive, and I was obedient, never taking a peek, or even shaking the box.
Our anniversary came, and it was a bit of a downer, due to the fact that my beloved aunt's funeral was that very same day. When John got home from work that evening, we had a quiet celebration. We had originally planned on dinner out, and maybe a movie, but I was drained from the funeral. We decided to stay home. When it came time to open my gift, you can imagine how excited I was to find the long sought after musical instrument!
The only instrument I can play is the piano, and I never had lessons. I am self taught. As a child, I would visit my grandparents, who had a piano in their living room, and my aunt Loretta provided a beginner's piano book. She explained some elementary basics, and I would sit and practice.
When I was a young teen, my mother bought a piano, and I doggedly taught myself everything I needed to know. I learned where the notes were, how to count, how to play right, then left hand. I never became a great player, but I can hold my own. One of my favorite things to do was to go to local music shops and buy new sheet music to practice and learn.
The ukulele is nothing like a piano. Where a piano has keys that correspond to musical notes, the uke has strings and frets. As I examined my new uke, I wondered how this was going to "go".
I began learning a couple very simple tunes. Scarborough Fair and This Land is Your Land were the first two I learned, followed by Happy Birthday.
These songs were in the little booklet included with my instrument. I went onto the Amazon site and found this book, with a nice assortment of music. Two days, later, I was practicing Edelweiss, Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head, The Rainbow Connection, Hallelujah, and several other tunes.
I found that my favorite way to find music is online, for free. There are "tons" of songs available for the ukulele. I really admire old music, and the first song I downloaded and memorized was By The Light Of The Silvery Moon.
I have downloaded about a half dozen showtunes, as well as a few standards. I am currently practicing (and trying to perfect) Look To The Rainbow (one of my all time favorites, from Finian's Rainbow), Can't Help Falling In Love (By Elvis), Moon River (Breakfast At Tiffany's), and God Only Knows (Beach Boys).
When I first started playing, I quickly realized that the tender skin on my fingertips was going to have to toughen up. After almost two months of playing, I have built up some decent callouses!
I love a good challenge, and my newest one is learning to "barre", which means holding down several strings with one finger. It seems easy, but it is not...at least for me. To do so and produce a nice clear sound is a bit of a trick. I am improving each day! Another thing I have just begun to explore is finger picking. This opens up my instrument to so many more possibilities. I want to be able to play a variety of songs, and hope I can master this technique.
Gosh, am I thankful that John gave me this little Hawaiian instrument. It is a joy to play, and I really love it!
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