Have you set any ukulele-related resolutions this year? January’s coming to an end, but there’s plenty of time for making music. Read on for my tips to help you achieve your uke goals this year. Ready? Let’s dig in!
Need some support in attaining your ukulele goals this year? Sign up for my newsletter and receive my free Ukulele Goal Tracker.
Step One: Set a (Very Specific) Goal
Rather than vaguely stating that you want to "learn to play the ukulele" or "get better," be more specific. Perhaps you'd like to learn to play a particular song by heart or to smoothly make chord changes from C to G7 (if you've been playing a little longer, perhaps your goal could be to make a smooth transition between two trickier chords or to learn a new strum or fingerpicking pattern).
Step Two: Assess Where You Are
You know those mall directories with the "You Are Here" stickers? Before you can reach your destination you need to identify your current location. Where are you in relation to your goal? How will you get there?
Step Three: Make a Plan
How can you break your goal down into baby steps? How will you track your progress? If your goal was to make a smooth chord change from C to G7, you'd probably make a plan that looked something like this:
Play each chord on its own until you've memorized the chord shapes and can consistently get a nice clear tone from all strings
Have your left hand move from one chord shape to the other, slowly, strumming once per chord
Practice the chord changes while gradually increasing your strumming tempo
And so on...
Step Four: Execute
Make your plan as actionable as possible. When and where will you play? What can you do to make it easier for you to follow through? Would you benefit from taking a lesson or joining a meet-up group? Will you play at night before bed or during the afternoon? Dedicating just a few minutes a day (or most days) can go a long way toward helping you achieve your goal.
Step Five: Celebrate
Once you've accomplished your goal, don't forget to celebrate! It's so easy to want to move on to the next skill/technique/song, but it's important to do a little reflecting from time to time and remember all that you have accomplished.
Remember, It's an Ukulele Practice
As I wrote in a previous blog post,
From time to time I'll refer to playing the ukulele as an ukulele practice, a concept inspired by the idea of a yoga practice. A yoga practice emphasizes the understanding of one’s self in relation to the activity of yoga, whereas doing yoga is the act of going through a series of poses. When I practice yoga, there’s a natural variance in my abilities. Some days I have better balance or stamina, some days I’m more fatigued and stiff. That’s natural and normal, and I experience the same type of fluctuations with my uke practice. Some days my fingers are less agile, some days my playing and singing are a little smoother than others. Thinking about your playing in terms of maintaining a practice can keep your focus on the more satisfying, bigger picture of making music a regular part of your life, while also leaving more room for being playful and patient with your day-to-day playing.
I'll be sending out a free download with my newsletter every month this year. Sometimes it will be a free song, sometimes it will be a tool like this goal tracker to help you with your ukulele practice. Please sign up and share them with a friend! And if you use the Ukulele Goal Tracker, tag me on social media so I can cheer you on! You can find me on Instagram and Facebook @musicalmamaukulele.
