The Inspiration Station - Jake Shimabukuro

January 15th rolled around once again. That, my friends is my birthday and I hit 34 this year. Normally i'm not one for getting that excited about my birthday unlike Lotti, who insists everyone dedicates an entire week to celebrating her birth but this year I got an awesome birthday present, a Ukulele!

I've always been in love with the idea of being able to play a musical instrument. I've flirted with learning to play the guitar over the years, nothing beats the sound of a single acoustic guitar played by someone with real talent. I even played well enough back in primary school to lead the assembly sing-a-longs, not exactly O2 arena but I felt like a rockstar. My problem is that I'm really impatient and have a short attention span, Yep i'm a product of the information generation. As a result of my inability to follow through, today, I can't play a single note. My goldfish like attention is something I'm working on, in my old age i've realised that anything worth doing requires work putting in before you get something of real worth out. Amongst other things I'm going to learn to play a Ukulele. A little bizarre I know but it's an instrument i've been fascinated about for a few years now. There's something about this cheeky little instrument I've always found to be really charming.

As I do with any new 'interest' I have, and i've had a few, I got straight to the internet. After a quick google search I came across a guy call Jake Shimabukuro playing one of my favourite Queen songs Bohemian Rhapsody on a Ukulele for a TED talk. After hearing him play I thought 3 things:

1. Ukulele's are cool and I now want to play one more than ever
2. This is how I would love to be playing one of these
3. I will never be that good I should give up now  

This guys was fantastic, I literally watched him play with my mouth open, I had no idea a Ukulele could even sound like this. I was immediately sucked in by this little instrument played by this awesome guy with so much talent. Have a watch bellow of him in action. 

...How good is Jake? 

I've listened to a fair few of his songs now, my favourite are his version of 'While my guitar gently weeps' by George Harrison and a song written for his son 'Gentlemandolin' and if you want to learn more about him and hear more songs have a watched of his talk at google here

Needless to say I'm completely inspired by this guy, I hope you are too, not necessarily to play the Ukulele but watching him do what he clearly love to do more than anything else in the world I hope it makes you go out and find that thing for you.

I'll keep you posted on my progress as a learn but don't expect miracles too soon. 

Remember...

Ukulele's are cool

G