Okay, just to get it out of the way up front, this isn’t a solution about how to actually play the guitar. It’s a solution that may work for some people that get’s you “part of the way” toward playing guitar. Kind of. 🙂

I read the “Random Bits” section on a friend’s blog and saw he wanted to learn guitar but just didn’t have the time. I can totally relate to that. I learned the basics of guitar when I was a kid (when you live on a commune there’s not a lot else to do) and had free time, but as an adult that’s sometimes almost impossible to find.

But all is not lost. I decided to suggest another option to my friend and give him three reasons why it’s “better” than guitar…

Pick Up A Ukulele

1. With only four strings there are fewer things you need to learn in order to start playing.

2. A uke can sit on the corner of your desk and you can grab it and practice something while waiting for a file to download, etc. With a guitar you’re always taking it in or out of the case and it takes up enough room that you can’t just have it at hand. Plus, a ukulele can sit in the passenger seat of your car when you’re running errands and you can grab it and practice a few chords while sitting at stop lights, etc. You just can’t do that with a guitar! 🙂

3. It’s fun and can be more than a “novelty” instrument. I play guitar and ukulele and while I like them both if I had to choose one for the rest of my life, it would be the uke, no question. Look up “Jake Shimabukuro” on YouTube to see how far you can go with a ukulele if you want.

Lots of ukes available but for one that’s kind of mid-range look at the Fluke Uke: Flea Market Music

Coolest thing about the Fluke is the flat bottom so it can sit upright on your desk. Looks cool and is quick to grab and strum a song at any time. 🙂

Like I said at the beginning, it’s not guitar, but for a lot of people it will fill the need to “make music” and is just a better option in a lot of cases, I think.