The Day B Minor Felt Easy

🌺 Part of the Essays series

There’s a moment when you realize you’re not starting from the beginning anymore.

When I play—usually while practicing or recording—I notice it in small ways. I’m more aware of finger placement, of how clean the strumming feels. I can hear things I wasn’t able to play a year ago.

Certain chords are easier to get to. I’m looking at my left hand less and less.

For me, not starting from the beginning means something tangible. I can hear it. I can feel it.

I can see how I’ve improved my playing.

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I didn’t notice it happening at the time, of course, but I trusted it would. I believed I would be able to handle B minor someday.

And then it happened in the middle of a song I used to avoid playing—the kind with B minors all the way through. Someone requested it, and I played it.

I felt strong. Confident. Leveled Up.

That was new.

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Repetition has a way of doing that. It doesn’t always feel like progress while you’re in it, but over time, it adds up. The learning curve gets steeper, not because it’s harder, but because things start to connect.

That’s part of the premise behind the 100 Days of Ukulele project, started by Cynthia Lin—playing just five minutes a day, consistently, to see what kind of growth and connection can happen over time.

It turns out, quite a bit.