Ukulele playing as a habit

I have now been playing Harvey (ukulele) for between two and three years. It was one of those things
I've always wanted to do, play an instrument not in particular the uke.  Getting some advice from someone who knew about these things he suggested the uke. It had been playing on my conscience for about a year where I didn't actually get one.  The I told Sparkling I wanted a uke and she got me Bertha for Christmas.  Bertha was my first uke. I've only got the two, but Bertha has pride of place as the first, she is a sexy fat looking soprano, black and glossed.  After a mad few months of playing Bertha the finger tips on my left hand developed callouses and I lost some feeling because of it. It didn't matter because I enjoyed playing her.  In the first days I was picking her up and playing serious periods of time between five and eight hours.  There was just so much to learn and there still is so much to learn.  But I am settled into an understanding this is something which will take time and I will get there and get to the standard I want to be.  I still can not read music, but am not worried too much as my belief is to get real practice and real play time first. It will all eventually come together, I've tipped my toes into the waters of reading tabalature which is a little like real music but not quite there.

So now, if I can most evenings I will try and get about one  hours' play on Harvey. There are some days where I don't get to practice and there are other days where I get more than an hour worth of practice, but I'm still guessing to average an hour or perhaps a little more. Especially considering those early crazy days.  Even now at weekends I will try and fit in more than an hour on Harvey each day.  It is so much fun just playing and also singing along to a song I've listened to and digested from Youtube.  Youtube is great as I watch tutorials put on there from people who know a lot more than I do. Sometimes I will just trawl other peoples's cover versions of a song to see how they have interpreted them.  Learning to play an instrument and learning to sing with it at the same time is an incredibly difficult feat, especially if you have no experience of it before.  Talk about rubbing my tummy and patting my head.  It has been more like rubbing my tummy, patting my head, walking a tight rope and watching milk while it is on the boil.  There is so much to understand about timing and getting the lyrics right.  About understanding the strum pattern how it might change in a song or how not to strum.  Sometimes it is about not strumming or killing the music, just for a moment so you can move on.

As for the brain well, playing a musical instrument is the most demanding and exciting thing a brain can do. Apparently there is a firework of neurons going off when the whole thing is put together. Which sounds like something to beat off the old age senility factor or a 50 plus year old.  My hair may go grow thin and grey, it may even sprout out of my ear holes but at least the brain is still active and working like a finely tuned ukulele.

Playing Harvey has become a habit a wonderful habit I love very much, different from most anything else I have done in my life. Sometimes you just have to do something very different. It makes me feel good and happy as well.  In the very early days I would sit there strumming away and laughing my head off because my vocal tuning was so wrong and timing was ridiculous.  Fortunately slight improvement after slight improvement has meant I can now play a recognisable song.  I might not be laughing at myself as much but I sure do love and enjoy it.

So if you like doing something which gives satisfaction and enjoyment and does not harm other people, then go ahead and do it.  Pick up a uke and a new adventure will begin, oh and it helps if the neighbours don't mind.