“Tiptoe Through the Tulips.” – Tiny Tim

In winter 2022, I found myself shopping for a ukulele in a Long and McQuaid store. My older sister had picked up the instrument and raved about how fun it was to play. She belonged to a group in her hometown that met weekly. I played an instrument when I was young and was not the best at practicing, but I thought I would try. My previous understanding of the uke was based on Tiny Tim playing, so I laughed at the thought of it.

“Developed in the 1880s, the ukulele is based on several small, guitar-like instruments of Portuguese origin, the machete, cavaquinho, timple, and rajão, and was introduced to the Hawaiian Islands by Portuguese immigrants from Madeira, the Azores, and Cape Verde”—Wikipedia.

My sister supplied me with a stand and music from her ukulele club, my brother gave me a greatest hits book, and I purchased the uke and tuner. I was ready!

 What amazed me was how easy the instrument was! No wonder so many people were picking it up. I was immediately able to play and sing along to many songs and loved it. In the beginning, I would strum and sing daily. I joined my sister’s club for an afternoon and was surprised at the number of people who were there and who had traveled great distances. Playing and singing with such a group brought a deep sense of joy. Anyone could play and sing along, no matter their skill or voice. I loved the experience but found that my daily playing had diminished. I was getting busier, and to be honest, it was much more fun to play with an ensemble.

Luckily, I heard that a new group was starting in my hometown and invited my uke-playing sister to join me at the Veterans Hall event. From the initial invite, there would be about 30 players scheduled to meet bi-weekly. Upon arriving, we found a handful of people doing their best to play along to music, which was projected on an overhead screen. We stayed for the first set and left disappointed in the lack of energy and leadership. It would have been easy to chalk it up to an experience and not return, but I started to think that that attitude is precisely why things are unsuccessful and that I should try to be part of helping it be joyful instead of just walking away. I returned to the next session to a bigger group of energized people, with one trying to take the lead. What a difference! Had it changed, or had my new attitude allowed me to see the positive? I think it was the latter.

Learning to play a new instrument is great for the mind.  Changing my mindset from one that needs to be entertained to one that can be part of the entertainment is excellent for the soul.