A couple of weeks ago I spent some three days at a seminar in Bregenz (at the other end of Austria). It was beautiful there and I had a really great time. However, one evening we had a bonfire to celebrate together and well, I guess you know what kind of story is coming now…
So the day before the bonfire they asked if anyone would be able to play some music. I was super excited and screamed out that I did of course have a ukulele with me and I would love to play. So the day arrived and I was already a bit worried about what would happen. The bonfire started and I was really unsure as to what to do. Then someone else asked if they could play my ukulele. You all know how attached I am to my ukes, but I didn’t want to be a party pooper so I gave it to him. And of course, he knew how to play the uke perfectly and sang perfectly and what not.
Then I played some of my own songs, but since no one else but me can sing to those, they don’t really start the party. I then tried to play some songs that people could actually sing to. Ugh, it was awful. I sucked. I hated it. Then someone else grabbed my uke and again, played perfectly on it. I felt like shit.
Now of course I was aware, that the sing-along songs are not my forte. I just didn’t expect to suck that much at it, and I didn’t expect that everyone else there would be able to play ukulele so much better than me. I felt completely defeated and like a worthless piece of shit. Just writing about it now brings back the tears.
I told my lovely friend Prudence about it, and she made this great comic about it:
Now with a little distance and thought after the incident, I know that I was probably not as bad as it felt. Again, I know that the sing-along songs are not my strong suit and you know what – that’s perfectly fine. I am not someone who plays the songs everyone knows. I’d rather play my own songs or songs that are special to me. That might not be suited for the bonfire situation, but it’s what brings me joy. So next time I’ll just voice that I don’t really do the sing-along playing, but if anyone is interested in some of my material I’d be happy to play it.
And you know what, the originals that I did play at that bonfire did really resonate with some of the participants. I got some amazing feedback for “Monkey Monkey Elephant” and that was totally worth it.
xoxo Nikky
Ps: If you love Prudence work as much as I do, you can support her on Patreon.