I miss quite a few things in life. I'm a little prone to ultra-focusing on things and when I remember to stick my head in on real life I realize I've no idea what's going on anymore. Among my various "Where the heck did that come from?" moments was the ukulele obsession. I'll add this to the list of RPGs and SteamPunk. I'm totally out of the loop here, there, and everywhere. I literally had to Google 'Ukulele Day' just to write this post. But never fear, there is rhyme to my reason. While I missed the boat on ukulele, I'm not without my four-stringed prowess. I prefer my instruments from the guitar family to be a little heartier. You see, I'm a chick bass player. (Geek out over that...)
Please meet my Yamaha RBX170 in silver, an electric bass guitar. The blue swirls are my own addition. Note of interest: they are actually puffy scrapbook stickers. They don't affect my playing as long as I place them carefully and since the instrument is electric, they don't affect the sound either. They remove easily with no residue. Every few months I switch them out just for funsies. Its not a top of the line model but it doesn't need to be. It has a good, round, pure sound and just felt right when I slung its strap over my shoulder.
I picked up the bass out of pure need about six months ago. I had never played the bass, either electric or upright. In fact I'd never seriously attempted to play a stringed instrument at all until that point. However the worship band at church needed a bass player and I was already a vocalist for them. I figured my hands were free and I needed a new hobby. Might as well give it a shot. I had no idea what I was doing. But isn't that the case every time you try something new?
That doesn't mean I was without my musical talent. In fact music was among my first geek passions. (Not my actual first, mind you, but among the first.) I started singing when I was four, mostly just at church. It wouldn't be until junior high when I started taking it seriously. I learned musical theory (how to read & write music), began vocal lessons, discovered I have absolute pitch (this is a rare and good thing), and began singing competitively. By the time I graduated high school I had performed in Carnegie Hall with my award winning choir, been named in the top 1% of vocalists in my region, and been formally trained in opera. Yes, I'm a trained opera singer. No, I won't sing opera for you. I was 18 then. I'm not 18 now. I left most of my vocal career in college, partially as a result of burn-out and partially as a result of practicality. I might have been talented, but I liked getting paid too. Few musicians, especially opera-y ones, have guaranteed paychecks.
Fast-forward *mumbly mumbles* years and you have grown up Jenn with the ability to read music and free hands. So I started learning the ukulele's grown up cousin. I'm decent at best and definitely still learning but I've got a serious appreciation for the instrument. My one little silver bass has reinvigorated a once abandoned musical skill, forcing me not only to pull out long forgotten theory and sight-reading skills, but to expand my musical grasp and repertoire.
When I heard about Ukulele Day, (thanks fellow GeekMoms), I contacted a friend of mine who owns a ukulele. I had to cheat and look at a chord chart as a uke's strings aren't quite tuned like my bass, but close and miniaturized. I gave it my best shot but those little tiny strings hurt like nobody's business. My fingers are calloused for big, giant, woman-with-some-curves strings. Those dainty little things felt positively breakable at first, but the longer I went I realized they were trying their best to break me, or at least my skin. I did really enjoy the warm little tones I could make. I wasn't ready to drop my resounding, cool-toned, reverberating bass for it, but it was definitely fun. I have a new appreciation for you Uke-Geeks, but I'll not present any competition for your spot in the Uke-Band. Now if you need a good, solid bass line, I'd be happy to oblige. They are cousins, after all.
