Happy New Year! We’re finally here at the beginning of the year 2023, which means a new start; a new chance to make things better, including –of course– your Ukulele journey! Yes, I know… We’ve been struggling to manage that hard chord, that hard strumming pattern… but today, that struggle is over! How? Easy: I’m going to uncover for you the 5 best things to do this 2023 to finally master the Ukulele and become the Pro that we know you actually are.
Whether you’ve been playing for a while or you got your ukulele as a gift on Christmas, the big question that we, as ukulele players, face at some point is: “Where to start? How do I do this?” Trust me, I’ve been there; even my mom has been there too! That’s why I managed to discover the secret that helped me, and I’m sure it’ll help you too.
How to start playing your Ukulele in 2023?
First things first. To be able to start the year 2022 with the correct steps, you first need to trust yourself. Once you get into that mindset and are ready to start this ukulele journey, the only thing you’ll need to do next is –shocking– Start! And here’s how:
Commit to the ukulele today
Not tomorrow, not “next week,” not “when I get the time”… NOW. For this to actually happen, you need to commit to this and create a daily plan for you to practice every day, even for 10 minutes. Instead of scrolling on Instagram Reels, take those 10 minutes and practice one chord, one strumming pattern. That’s the best way to actually get a habit and stick to it!
Once you accept the daily commitment, then you can start looking for ukulele teachers or channels that can teach you the best techniques out there. Create a list with your favorite teachers/channels and cut it to the top 3. (yeah, it’s hard, but you can do it). Once you get those 3 names, cut that list again to only 1 teacher, and with this teacher, you’ll get a new commitment to stick with his/her ‘step by step’ lessons only. Why? Because when you’re learning to play the Ukulele, you need a guide, a road map to learn the best things at the best moment in time.
In Uke Like The Pros, we offer you a road map, a guide for you to learn how to play the Ukulele, Baritone, Guitarlele, and even the Guitar, in the best way possible, with the hand of Terry Carter as your mentor. When you take the commitment to this ukulele journey with Terry Carter, you’ll go from beginner to master in step-by-step lessons.
Taking one course all the way through
I can’t stress this enough. Commit to only one thing at a time.
We, as ukulele players, need to have only one goal at a time, master that goal, and go to the next correct goal. How to set a goal? Easy: get into a course. As you can see in the road map I showed you before, we at Uke Like The Pros have a huge land full of courses that go from beginner, intermediate and advanced players. In each course, you can find videos with guides, backing tracks to help you to stay on beat, and printables to guide yourself with or without the videos.
Let me talk to you straight: In each course, you’ll have not one, but many goals! This is not about watching a video and moving on; this is about you learning a specific technique, practicing that technique, achieving the goal, and moving to the next one. This is, for sure, the best way to learn the ukulele. It doesn’t matter how long it’ll take for you to achieve one goal, do it on your own terms.
Trust me, this helped me get where I am now, and that’s why I’m telling you how to get there too. In fact, if you try this and it doesn’t work for you for some reason, write me a message, and I’ll help you see what’s going on.
Read more: Best Gifts For The Ukulele Player
Invest in yourself
One of the best ways to truly commit to something is by putting not only time but your money into it. Sure, you can find free stuff online, video lessons and song sheets… But guess what? You’re not gonna use them. You’ll download them, and they’ll sit there in a random folder on your computer! I say this because that has happened to me too! I’ve never used any of the free downloads I’ve got… not even once!
When you actually invest in yourself and pay for online lessons, a course, or a membership, you’ll get the commitment to actually use them because you worked hard for that money, and you want that money to be used properly. I’ve got more than 50 free song sheets on Youtube and never used them. I paid for online lessons, and I learned to do a lot of stuff in that process!
In Uke Like The Pros, we offer a wide range of options for you to consider once you decide to invest in yourself. You can either buy only one course and commit to it or buy the Premium or Platinum memberships that can offer you not only the courses but more challenges, giveaways, and even online weekly calls to guide you during this learning process.
Get a better sound
Sometimes, the horrible sound that comes from a cheap instrument makes us feel bad about our playing, and we think we’re not good at playing the ukulele. Maybe it’s the uke itself, or maybe the strings are weak, or maybe your tuner doesn’t work, and your ukulele is never in tune… Those things just gave me the chills!
Read more: 5 reasons NOT to buy your Ukulele on Amazon
But for a problem, there’s always a solution: Get a new ukulele, a new set of strings, and a new tuner that allows you to be in tune. Actually, you can just get a complete package at the #1 music store, Terry Carter Music Store, where you can find the perfect package that fits your needs and budget. Trust me, once you get a better sound, you’ll hear angels singing again, and that new sound will encourage you to play more and better each day.
Be part of the Community
Don’t do this alone. One of the most important things to have during the learning process is the support of the other ukulele players! Sure, you can learn one or two chords by yourself, and that’s cool, but when you enter the Ukulele Community and see how people support each other, you’ll get the boost of courage and love we all need to accomplish everything.
We actually have our own Ukulele community called The ULTP Nation, with hundreds of members from all over the world, all supporting each other in our challenges and courses, having fun in our weekly online calls, and being there for one another. This is, for sure, the best win about being part of this ukulele journey.
So… There you go!
I just gave you the 5 best ukulele secrets for 2023. Take this as a sign for you to be better, to learn more, to start from scratch, to have goals, to achieve those goals, to have more friends, and, more than everything, to be able to play your ukulele as a master!
Take care and Happy New Year!
2 comments
You just put fun into playing the uke, inspiring, exciting, makes me want to get with the program.
Oh! Thank you so much, Richard! We really appreciate your kind words… well received!! Happy new year! Go on and rock that uke! 🙂