Here’s another blog from my little series on Ukulele Expectations vs. Reality. I feel like there’s quite some misconceptions out there about the ukulele so I wanted to share my point of view on these topics.
Today: It’s magical.
I know all of you have heard that before:
The ukulele, a magical instrument.
The unicorn of instruments.
The most joyful instrument in the world.
…
Okay, I’ve never actually heard someone say unicorn, but that’s how it sometimes feels. People act like it’s so rare and weird that they play ukulele and since it’s SOOO magical, I always get that unicorn impression.
When I play the ukulele, I don’t always feel the magic tbh. Not because playing doesn’t give me joy, but because the sounds I make with it aren’t always that beautiful and magical. But here’s the thing. I don’t believe that people actually mean the playing part when they say that it’s “magical”. I believe they are mostly referring to everything that surrounds ukulele.
They refer to the community aspects of the ukulele. Because that’s a part that probably is kind of magical, compared to what’s going on in most peoples “real” lives. The ukulele community is very welcoming, open minded and cheering for everyone that’s part of it. Those are things that most people don’t find in their everyday lives. So ukulele can be a great escape into a magical world that offers us love and warmth that we might not get to that extent otherwise.
So I do believe that the ukulele community has some magical aspects. However, the music itself can of course have some magical aspects as well. Sometimes I do create sounds, that are so beautiful that I get chills, and sometimes I listen to other people play and I get this feeling. But that’s not something that’s only restricted to ukulele. It’s the magic of music itself.
xoxo Nikky