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Finding Inspiration

Finding - and playing - with inspiration is one the hardest challenges that I have had to overcome to improve my ‘ukulele playing. I’ve found it helpful to have a few ideas that will get me out of a rut. Here are a few of the things I do:

Play with someone who is better than me, even if they play a different instrument. I watch their fingers, and try to remember at least one thing they do, so I can practice it later.
I watch a Youtube video of my favorite artist(s). Just seeing how/what they play is enough to give me a few new ideas to practice.
I listen to as much recorded music as I can (‘ukulele or not), and try to learn one thing from each song. That could be a cool chord change, interval or technique. I try to integrate these things into my playing.
I try to play in other genres. People who say that “that kind of music sucks dude!” are way too one dimensional, and are missing out on a lot of great music opportunities. Listening to other genres gives me many ideas for my playing; the hard part is figuring out how to use it.
I watch (to the dismay of my family) concert videos (again and again) and watch the artist’s fingers. Some of the most inspiring for me to watch are Santana, Jake Shimabukuro, Ledward Kaapana and Bob Brozman, Clapton Crossroads Guitar Fest DVDs, Eric Johnson, and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones.

Sometimes a “rut” will seem to last forever and I won’t want to pick up my ‘ukulele for weeks, but I just suck it up and get it out and run the scales or plod through a song. At least when I’m inspired again I will still have a feel for the instrument.

~Hippie Guy