One Day I’ll Master It! – Learning New Skills

I wish I knew how to do that! I think sometimes to myself. Like, when I have a bottle of wine and no opener. Or when I watch people jamming… See, I went through my childhood and adolescence without any musical education. My schedule was already filled with other activities (mainly with sport, sport, sport, and sport again) to be learning new skills.

Somehow, I always thought it would be cool to know how to play something. Be that one person at the bonfire who comes to save the day with their guitar skills, or start a band with my friends and become world-famous and filthy rich… But no one in my family was into music (they were into sports though) and then suddenly I was a grown-up, and who will force you to do your violin practice, if not your folks? Maybe that ship has sailed? Clearly, I can live without knowing how to play an instrument.

Throughout my life, I had millions of ideas of what to do or not do with my free time. Some never led anywhere and some stayed seeded, until one day I actually acted on them – when both the motives and resources aligned in the right constellation.

“One day, or day one. You decide.”

I believe that when we’re naturally drawn to something, we subconsciously (if not consciously) create opportunities to learn more about the subject of our interest. I love live music and I find myself in a constant search for open mics, jam sessions, busking and other music performances that are unpretentious and generally free of charge. And my boyfriend is a musician (although we met at a sporting event). 

On his travels, Alex collects curious musical instruments and they randomly decorate our apartment. He also owns two acoustic guitars. And he routinely grabs one of them and plays a couple of songs on our couch. And I sing along. Over time we developed a playlist of our faves and we usually finish our sing-along session with Alex performing ‘The Elephant Gun’ by Beirut. I just listen because I don’t see my added value as a singer there.

The other day Alex asked as usual, “So what will be the last song?” We both knew which song was the last one. I got up and headed for a high-sitting shelf, where there was a ukulele hiding among our plants. I took it down, sat back on the couch next to Alex, and said, “And now you’ll teach me to play ‘The Elephant Gun’.”

“Hold the vision, trust the process.”

I wasn’t even sure if the head of the ukulele goes right or left. Alex didn’t laugh… Not out loud at least. I would. Not in a mean way. But come on! I was a complete dummy. He came up with some little exercises to get me started. So I grabbed the ukulele (with the head on the correct side) and made it cry like Jimi Hendrix. Well… in the movie version of my life, I would. Back on Earth, I didn’t discover that I had a long-hidden talent or that I’m a musical prodigy – a ukulele genius. 

I told my index finger to press down across a fret and that bitch didn’t cooperate. Any way I positioned it, it just wouldn’t press all the strings down. And don’t get me started on how my right hand misbehaved, if I concentrated too much on the left one. Attention whore… On top of that, I lost my ability to sing along. “Wow, it feels like I suddenly went mute,” I complained to Alex, “I never knew how much coordination it requires to play an instrument.” My brain wouldn’t play ball. Not yet.

The next day, the ukulele was provocatively looking at me from the shelf. Try me. I did. Suddenly, my hands and fingers were much less bitchy than the day before. It kept me coming for more each day. Ok, I will practice for five minutes. I will press all the strings this time. Half an hour later I’d realize I’m having too much fun to practice just for five minutes. It’s over five weeks now and I haven’t missed a day to grab the ukulele.

“Show up authentically and synergy will meet you there.”

“Lásko, look! Look!” Sometimes I manage to show off to Alex my inconsistent ability to press the index finger over the strings in the D7 chord, as it is necessary for playing The Elephant Gun. Rest assured I will be there to turn it into a consistent ability. The same way I show up for myself to improve my writing skills… Although even after almost two years of having this blog, my posts are still sometimes crap, I feel it’s always a bit less crappy. And sometimes it’s great! So I will be there. And then I will be there for the next thing that is on the top of the list of skills I want to learn.

What’s something you always wanted to learn? What’s your process like? What motivates you to stick with your practice? What do you enjoy about learning?

Write me a message on my Facebook Page or join the conversation there! And here something on top:

Unipony’s Tip

Expats were one of the groups most affected by the coronavirus crisis. Many teachers had to move out of their homes and return to their countries of origin due to a lack of students. However, there are still plenty of ways to hone our skills and learn about things that are on our list of priorities, from those who stayed.

This week I joined Maarten Crefcoeur’s online music course. Maarten and I also sat down and talked about what it’s like to teach music here in Prague and you will be able to read the interview with him in the next 14 days. I recommend contacting him about his lessons https://maarten.crefcoeur.nl/ or look into other courses according to your preference. Now is a great time to learn something new (and help someone in the process). 

Search for the Ultimate Game! – was the topic of the last month. Next week, I’ll close it, and if you still have anything to add to it join the conversation on my Facebook Page.

Thanks for reading! If you don’t wanna miss the next post, subscribe below, and hope to see you soon!