Ever since I went to Yuri's party where we recorded a live Christmas album, where I played his guitar after not having played for quite a long time, I have had a hankering to get out my own instruments. Now that I'm unpacked from storage all I needed was a night home alone, and that night finally came. I first went to the coop and bought ingredients for Abigail's birthday cake, and I got that baking in the oven, making the house smell great. Then I hauled out my ukelele, and tuned it up. (Way up. I had it tuned down a third for some reason.) And I started to play.
I decided to start with the first song I remember ever playing: Ain't She Sweet. (If you just followed that link, I also thoroughly enjoyed listening to their version!) You see, the ukelele was my first instrument. I started playing when I was about four. My dad had a big one, and I had a little one, and we played all his favorite songs on it. My dad was born in 1918, so all his favorite songs were from the 20s and 30s.
Anyhow, I LOVE playing the ukelele, and I spent tons of time playing it when I was a kid, and I rarely play anymore, and so I decided to give it a go. Jackpot! Total joy jackpot! Home alone, cake baking, re-learning how to play an Fm7 chord, and having a time of it.
Which is all part of a trend I've been noticing in myself lately, which is that 10 years after coming to NYC, I'm starting to perform again. I performed a ton before getting to NYC, but a whole range of factors contributed to my taking more back-stage roles. And so now I'm ready to step out front again, a uke in my hand and a song in my .... (what? mouth? lungs? heart? How does this metaphor end?)
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