After 6 months of practice and playing along here on UU+, I got my first real test. On a vacation to the Caribbean, I took along a Ukulele (my Bruce Wei Mahogany tenor) to pass the quiet time. It served a dual purpose, something to play and practice on, and as a gift to my hosts.

A couple of days in, we had a beach outing (all of 100 yards from the house we were staying at). Ours was a large group; 8 guys and a dozen girls. More than half spoke very little English, so my rusty Spanish was put to the test.

I was able to play my dozen or so ‘stock’ songs which I’ve been adding to my portfolio. They went over well. The real surprise was when I was able to take requests, look them up online and play. Until that time I hadn’t realized how far I’d come in terms of improved strumming and dynamics. The difference between where I was 6 months ago and now was extremely obvious, at least to me. Ryan has been teasing me on the open mic sessions about how much my playing keeps getting better, but I hadn’t really noticed. Not until the beach day.

After a few of the Spanish songs, Besame Mucho, Cielito Lindo, and Despacito, I had the rapt attention of my local audience. I was able to improvise, using a wide variety of dynamics, slowing down, speeding up, adjusting volume, modifying strum patterns. All the effort spent transposing songs over the last several months to suit my vocals paid off as well. All in all, it was everything I’d hoped to accomplish and then some. To say that I was pleased with my experience would be a huge understatement.

I know that everyone’s experience will vary, but for me, this has been an extremely well spent half a year, and I’m looking forward to where the next 6 months will take me. Thanks Aldrine & Team. Definitely couldn’t have done it without you. And thanks to Ryan and the Open Mic crowd. Would never have had the cojones to pull out a ukulele and play in public without your support and patience. You guys rock!