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It's been another hectic week. Mostly because two days ago my younger cousin managed to break all five toes in his right foot while playing football, and had to undergo surgery. We're still waiting on the x-rays, and hoping they won't have to operate twice. The general consensus in the family is that since he's six-foot-tall and as strong as he is clumsy, it was bound to happen sooner or later. He's 19 and he's already wrecked the car (he wasn't drunk or anything, it was raining and it was dark, but still), and once he managed to accidentally stick a fish hook in my uncle's ear while they were fishing. Breaking all those bones was the next logical step it would seem.
In other, less anxiety-inducing news, today I finally found the time to drop by the music store downtown (it's been there for years, and I've walked past it for years, and only last week my brain actually remembered it was there), and I bought a proper ukulele. Nothing wrong with the old one, except that its quality was the lowest possible, as I wanted to buy something cheap first, to see if I could actually commit to learning how to play a musical instrument at my old age. Two months later I can safely say I'm committed to this relationship, and enjoying it a lot, so it was time to buy something that wasn't just one step higher to a toy.
I did some research before going in, and found exactly what I wanted. It comes from California, it's still a soprano ukulele, and it has Aquila strings, the best ukulele strings available. I plucked it a bit before buying it, but they were testing a mixer in the store, playing some reggae music quite loudly to test the bass, so I couldn't appreciate it fully until I came back home, tuned it, and realized what I had missed all along. The sound is crisp and clear, and really loud. Seriously, I'll have to use the old one to do my evening exercises, because there's no way the neighbours won't hear me playing this one. It's amazing. And the chords are so refined, all the notes are round and pure, and it smells of polished wood. It's fantastic. ♥
So now it's back to basics. Fingerpicking exercises, strumming exercises, and the occasional Banana Boat Song to practice the off-beats. Bring it on!
In other, less anxiety-inducing news, today I finally found the time to drop by the music store downtown (it's been there for years, and I've walked past it for years, and only last week my brain actually remembered it was there), and I bought a proper ukulele. Nothing wrong with the old one, except that its quality was the lowest possible, as I wanted to buy something cheap first, to see if I could actually commit to learning how to play a musical instrument at my old age. Two months later I can safely say I'm committed to this relationship, and enjoying it a lot, so it was time to buy something that wasn't just one step higher to a toy.
I did some research before going in, and found exactly what I wanted. It comes from California, it's still a soprano ukulele, and it has Aquila strings, the best ukulele strings available. I plucked it a bit before buying it, but they were testing a mixer in the store, playing some reggae music quite loudly to test the bass, so I couldn't appreciate it fully until I came back home, tuned it, and realized what I had missed all along. The sound is crisp and clear, and really loud. Seriously, I'll have to use the old one to do my evening exercises, because there's no way the neighbours won't hear me playing this one. It's amazing. And the chords are so refined, all the notes are round and pure, and it smells of polished wood. It's fantastic. ♥
So now it's back to basics. Fingerpicking exercises, strumming exercises, and the occasional Banana Boat Song to practice the off-beats. Bring it on!
