Tag: tutorial

Learning to play the ukulele

The ukulele… it’s gotta be one of the most portable and entertaining instruments in the world!  I first came across this instrument while listening to Somewhere Over the Rainbow.  The sound just gave off such a positive happy vibe.  Then, a super gifted ukulele player by the name of Jake Shimabukuro caught my eye while scrolling through YouTube.  His rendition of this song was incredible!  I was hooked and just had to learn to play.  So, here’s what I did….

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Beginner Basics:

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Learn how to play:

Resources I’ve bookmarked:

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LearningUkulele.com

Now I’m looking at a new uke:

My uke and accessories:

 

ukulele

Skateboarding: A beginner’s journey

I played around with a skateboard when I was a kid.  I thought it was neat to hang with the boys and skate in the driveway/street.  Well, I didn’t get much street time as the street was paved with loose gravel on tar — which melted in the Texas summers.

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I came across this YouTube vid: https://youtu.be/jdJjW7pknfE and decided I wanted to give it a try.  Why are so many middle agers trying something that kids do often?

Great advice on getting a skateboard and beginner techniques:

Which skateboard to get?

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My current thoughts:

What I got:

What my husband got:

Any suggestions?  What would you get?

Learning to Surf: My newbie thoughts

I have been in southern California for about 5 years. In that time, I’ve only been surfing once. Luckily, I had checked out a Groupon for Surf Diva that offered two afternoons of surfing on a weekend!

Taken from the Surf Diva website.

It was a great introduction to surfing, and I felt it was a safe environment. There were 5 other girls that came out and the surf school outfitted us with foam boards and rashguards. There was one instructor for all of us and they did a great job going through all the details of how to hold and handle the board, popping up, surf stance, surf etiquette, just the basics.

I believe I took that class back in 2012. According to this article, you’re never too old to learn to surf! Fast forward to August 20, 2015, when my bf was eager to help teach me how to surf. We headed out to Swami’s with a longboard, and he helped me catch three waves! I was so excited… as was he! In fact, he may have been more stoked! Because I had such a great time, I’m on a mission to learn as much as I can so we can surf together!

After reading several sites, I think the funboard is the way for me to go. It seems pretty versatile for a beginner board with some room for more maneuverability as I improve. YouTube vid: 4 tips for picking a surfboard (for beginners).

Learn how to read a surf forecast so you can actually go catch some waves!

Websites I found useful:

So you want to get a board…

Getting into surf shape:

Blogs for motivation:

My Equipment:

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My favorite surf places