Max and I (left) at our 15 minute uke session.
Hot on the trail of something unusual to do, I remembered I was set to meet up with my friend Maxine in London. I hadn’t seen her for over a year and she is always up for doing something new. I had a quick look for something a bit different that we could do in London over the weekend. Max is of a musical bent – we used to spend a lot of time watching bands together in Camden back in the day. Luckily, I stumbled across something totally different – a 15-minute ukulele lesson on a Saturday morning near Tin Pan Alley listed on Design My Night. What could be more unusual than learning the ukulele in 15 minutes?
I have been curious about learning the ukulele ever since I once witnessed the awesome sight of a ukulele orchestra playing The Ace of Spades by Motorhead live at a gardening event – of all things. I messaged Maxine and she was game, so we set it all up. Hobgoblin Music is an amazing music shop in Rathbone Place in Soho with every kind of musical instrument imaginable – including some I had never heard of or seen before. They also have a store in Brighton. Our tutor Paul who runs the shop was enthusiastic and friendly, explaining all about the history of the ukulele and how it hailed from Hawaii, and setting us at our ease.
Within minutes of picking up our first ukes – soprano ones – we were working (some more expertly than others… Maxine was a lot more proficient than me!) on our first chords for Somewhere Over The Rainbow and Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow. I’ve tried to learn the guitar before but this was a lot more manageable and fun. Paul said he wanted us to be able to actually learn to play a simple song rather than just learn some chords in isolation. And after the lesson – which lasted far longer than just 15 minutes – he packed us off home with music and some lists of chords to practise.
Uke fever
Max had a ukulele at home her partner had brought back from the States so she could have a go once she got home. After mulling a while, I got a mid-range ukulele online from Flight for £46 and have since become mildly addicted to the thing. It’s so small that you can just pick it up in a quiet moment when you’re doing something else around the house – like cooking – and start trying to pick out a riff from something on the radio.
I have even taken to carrying it with me in the car when my son is at his swimming lessons and strumming away on it in the school car park (in a quiet area where no one can witness my eccentricities or lack of musical talent, I hasten to add). Fantastic fun and definitely to be recommended.
