A Ukulele or a Round of Drinks? Another Odd Post About Something I Can't Do

I want to buy a ukulele.

A strange desire from one so musically challenged, wouldn't you say?

My relationship with making music has been a patchy one at best. There have been a few highlights: winning a medal as part of a brass quartet at a schools championship and performing 'You'll be in my Heart' as a solo in front of a packed theatre.

Fast forward a decade and a half, and the only connection I have with the sounds of Tarzan is that my singing resembles his swinging wail.

My cornet (read squashed trumpet) has long since been hung up and the recorder was never going to get me any hits on YouTube. So why this desire to buy a uke then? Yes, of course I know the lingo already.

Well first of all I walk past one every day on my way to work. I should point out it's in a shop, not just busking itself on the street - although that would make a lot of money, much like a talking dog. No it's front and centre in a music shop window and only cost about £25. 'You cannae get a round eh drinks for that in Edinburgh', as they say.

The second point is a recurring theme on this blog. So many posts have been 'I wish I' or 'I want to' posts and this is no different. 'I wish I could play the guitar', I'm sure I once wrote. At least by buying the guitar's smaller brother I would be managing my own expectations.

And I suppose that's the final point. Twenty five pounds is still £25 (no matter how you write it) but it's not going to break the bank. And then if the strings of this lowly desire were to break, then at least it's easy to store. 

Finally (I know, I lied) I've been holding back on the real drive behind this half cooked uke dream: I want to be able to play George Formby's 'When I'm Cleaning Windows' - who wouldn't?

That reminds me: my windows could use a clean.

As always, we'll see. Maybe I should just go a different way to work; possibly past a modern languages school. Oh please no...not that again!

Auf Wiedersehen.