Starting out

I’ve been playing the ukulele since 2004. Like many people, seeing the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain at Cecil Sharp House in London is what inspired me. My initial reaction to seeing just a handful of microphones on the empty stage was one of disappointment. “That’s not an orchestra!”, I thought.

Of course, as soon as they started up, I was in awe. Two weeks later I found myself in a local music shop buying a cheap ukulele. Once I’d fathomed out how to tune it, I was hooked and haven’t looked back.

SOUP

In 2007, I joined my local club, SOUP, which had recently started up in Enfield, north London. A ukulele club just 20 minutes walk from my home! What were the chances of that?

I don’t think the aim of the club was ever to stray beyond our meeting room and perform but by the end of 2007 we’d notched up our first 3 gigs. 17 years and countless gigs later, SOUP is very much alive and kicking.

Britain’s Got Talent 2010

In 2010, a handful of us entered “Britain’s Got Talent”. Well, one entered and the rest of us had to be cajoled. We got through the initial audition and were invited to Hammersmith Apollo. Somehow we got through in front of Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan and 3500 people in an audience that had largely been baying for blood up to that point! An amazing and surreal feeling. Later that week we returned to discover our fate – we were out just before the live semi-finals. Disappointing but on balance we were pleased we’d had a go. It was a lot of fun.

Ukulele Teaching

A regular spin off from these performances is a request for a ukulele teacher. Here’s where I come in.

I don’t particularly like beginner books and DVDs but of course I had to buy some before I discovered this. Mine are gathering dust and barely touched. What is missing is the human touch, someone to say, “Aha. I can see what’s happening. Just try this…and that should help”. You don’t get this from books and DVDs.

So now I teach the ukulele to beginners, just to get you started. Once the basics are in place, your own enthusiasm and interests will define your ukulele journey.

I gained my PTLLS certificate (Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Sector) in July 2013.

My Motivation

I have gained a lot of pleasure from the ukulele. I’ve met lots of great people and had plenty of fun along the way. My aim is to share what I’ve learnt and encourage beginners to discover the benefits of taking up the instrument no matter what stage of life they are at and regardless of musical knowledge. Age and lack of experience really are no barrier.

What can I offer that maybe some others don’t?

Left or right hand strumming?

I believe that people should play their ukuleles in a way that suits them best – not suit the teacher. This means that you should be encouraged to strum with whichever hand feels most natural to you. This is a particular issue for left-handers, who have come to me complaining that “the teacher made me play right-handed”. It’s your choice, not theirs! After all, we all have a strumming hand and a chord/fretting hand.

I encourage my students to try different ways of playing and leave them to choose what suits them. We all blossom when we feel more comfortable.

Mirror image

I am left-handed and strum the ukulele with my left hand. As approximately 90% of people are right-handed I believe this helps you because you will see a mirror image during your lesson when you sit opposite me. Right-handers have told me they find this helps them. Come and give it a try and see if you agree.