A Drummer Playing the Ukulele

So actually, I am a drummer. I have been playing on and off since I was six, which adds up to something like ten years total.

Drummers have a reputation, mostly deserved, of being the band member who does not really know music. We keep time, we hit things, we try not to think too hard about chords. So when our project kicked off as a ukulele project and the team got a budget to buy a few real ukuleles, I was thrilled for a chance to clear our name.

Turns out the ukulele is a gentle place to be out of your depth. Four strings, soft nylon ones that do not shred your fingertips, and a small friendly neck. Within an afternoon I was stumbling through actual songs, which felt like a cheat code compared to my one previous run at guitar. I tried that for around two months in middle school before putting it down and going back to hitting drums, fully accepting my role as a rhythm guy who does not know music.

The ukulele, though, I kept picking up between work sessions. It was the rare time a project handed me an instrument, a budget, and a good excuse to go learn some songs. Not a bad way to start a project.

Guess now I am an actual musician.