Learn How to Play the Ukulele: Why You Shouldn't Practice the Ukulele

This is all about why you shouldn't practice the ukulele. Sounds crazy, right? I  mean, even that old joke: How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice! 

We've always been told that in order to do anything musical, we have to practice, practice, and practice some more. And when I was studying music in college, I had to keep more than one practice log, and it was expected of me that the more I practiced, the more progress I was supposed to make. I mean, practice makes perfect, right?

Well, I began to loathe my practice time. Like, seriously loathe it to the point that I felt so much resistance, I gave up playing the piano altogether for a while and dropped out of college for a couple of years. 

When I started learning how to play the ukulele last spring, I told myself that I wasn't going to use the word "practice" to describe what I did while I was learning new songs. Instead, I decided to use the word "play". I mean, think about it: for some of us, practice is a loaded word, and it sets up the expectation that we will make mistakes, and mistakes can often feel like failure or be frustrating when we're trying to make progress.

The word "play" is pretty loaded, too. We tend to assume that play is something frivolous, and that there's just no time for play once we grow up and have to become serious adults with serious responsibilities, right? Play has become not just something we need to relax, but it's also become a little bit of an act of rebellion. 

Kids learn best by playing, and I suspect that adults would learn best by allowing themselves to play more, too. Play removes all of the expectations associated with "practice" and lets us just have fun. And really, don't we all need more fun right now?

So the next time you sit down with your uke, if you feel resistance, remind yourself that this isn't practice - this is play. Let your heart be light, let yourself be present, and have FUN!