4/2/2019 Challenge #2 - Google Docs

Ava Kuhlman 

Ms. McDermott  

English I Honors (6) 

12 March 2019 

Ava’s Ukulele Tips 

Hey Friends! Welcome back to my blog, Ava’s Ukulele Tips! Today, I’ll be 

writing about some of the struggles I encounter while playing my favorite 

instrument. Then I’ll pass along some suggestions that might help if you come across 

these problems. :) 

Problem #1: Sore Fingers :( 

I came across this issue the very first time I picked up a ukulele. I started 

learning my first song, “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz and after 20 minutes of practicing, 

my fingers had dents in them due to the strings. In order to play the chords, I had to 

hold my fingers on the fingerboard for an extended period of time. This created 

painful marks on my fingers. From what I’ve found, the only way to solve this 

problem is to take a short break. You can always attempt to solve it some other way, 

such as putting bandaids on to soften the pressure. But I’ve discovered it is 

unreasonably di cult to play with those on. I fully recommend taking a 5-10 minute 

break then coming back to continue practicing. :) 

Problem #2: Mental Breakdowns :( 

Now, this may not be physical pain, but it sure does cause me some miserable 

moments. Sometimes I’ll be focussing so hard on a piece of music that I’ll forget all 

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my other responsibilities, such as homework. Unfortunately, these troubles won’t just 

disappear. Eventually, everything will come at me like a train and hit me all at once. 

Knowing this in the back of my mind definitely stresses me out. Another situation 

that worsens my mental state is when I practice and cannot figure out a certain 

chord. It stresses me out when I’m not able to do something. Packed on top of 

everything else in my life, sometimes that will be enough to push me over the edge 

into a full-blown mental breakdown. For this situation, I advise you to take a half 

hour break and try to relax by doing something calming. Do this in any way you 

want, whether it’s a nap, watching your favorite show on Netflix, reading a book, or 

just listening to some music and zoning out. Then, plan out a schedule so you’ll have 

time to finish all your obligations and enjoy some with your ukulele. Once your break 

is over, go back to practicing with a clear mind and I promise you’ll enjoy yourself so 

much more. :) 

Problem #3: Distractions :( 

I feel as though I come across an infinite amount of complications while 

playing the ukulele. Many people, things, and commitments constantly demand my 

time and attention, some of the few things I’m not always able to give. One example 

is my phone. All the games and snapchats and Instagram stories just suck me in! I 

also LOVE listening to music which my phone also provides. There are so many things 

you can do on the tiny device so it becomes incredibly easy to get sidetracked. For 

this specific distraction, just take your phone and hide it from yourself. I always put it 

under my pillows on the other side of my room so I can’t even see it or the 

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notifications that relentlessly fill my screen. (Hint: put it farther away from you so if 

you're lazy like me, you’ll be less motivated to grab it). Another distraction (might I 

add, a quite annoying one) is my terrorist of a brother. He constantly has his buddies 

over and they always end up playing something extremely LOUD. Last time it was a 

nerf gun war, where they believed it was mandatory to ambush my room and 

bombard me with those mini foam bullets. Unfortunately for this issue, I have yet to 

find a solution. Good luck! :) 

Playing the ukulele has its’ ups and downs, but overall is still a really cool 

instrument so I will always encourage you to continue practicing. You’ll enjoy it more 

than you think ;). I need advice on how to deal with my delinquent brother so let me 

know in the comments if you have any tips!  

I also want to say a big thank you to @miasukulele she’s been the best help 

and such a great mentor to me. ILYSM Mia! 

#ukulele #playingisfun #loveit #keeppracticing #bestinstrument #fav #ouch 

#mentalbreakdowns #annoyingbrother #distractions #perservere #yessss 

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