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Here is everyone on page 15
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houmar, nice job! Glad that you joined us and hope you participate in more challenges 🙂
I liked the accents that you made such as, hitting some notes harder than others, doing things like that really helps to add to the feel of the music.
Now I also noticed that you struggled a little bit getting to the second chord, and if you watch the video, you’ll see that your entire body re-positions to grab it. This can be avoided if we fix how you are holding the ukulele. Check out this lesson and this one for our guide. But overall keep up the great work!
john21403, great job! Timing and Clarity of the notes sounds great! What I would work on though is trying to add some of the Dynamics that were taught throughout the lesson; because right now everything sounds very straight and rigid – now don’t take this too negative, because on the other hand it shows that you put a lot of work into practicing the piece. But here’s a good lesson for you to check out, as it opens up the thought process into how we should perform the music.
ourmaninjapan, loved it, well done! Great use of building and decaying dynamics! And super happy to hear that you enjoyed learning the new technique. Picado is super useful!
becky7777, great tone and I like the Reverb 🙂 Your playing sounds great, practicing paid off! What I would focus on moving forward, is adding Dynamics to your performance. This is a really great piece where we can build sections up, as in a crescendo, or the opposite. Go back in the lesson to check out some ideas for Dynamics and try and incorporate them into your playing. Keep rocking!
toastedbrains, great job! I like your use of Dynamics, it had a pulsating feel with you playing 2 patterns strong and then 2 patterns lighter. The one area that I would focus on though is timing. The first chord was a bit faster than the second and the third, try to even the tempo out. But overall, keep up the great work!
ukukelley1, that was awesome Sheryl! I really think that was some of your best playing that I have seen. What was your practicing like? Def sounds like you put a lot of work into it!
So a few things I do want to point out; first two I think we’ve talked about before, which is the slight Bend of the right hand wrist and playing notes with the first joint of the left hand finger bent. So friendly reminder on those two areas.
But you had a comment about turning the camera on and it sounding less like music. It definitely sounded like music, so no worries there! But I think I know what you’re hinting at and it is timing. So all the pieces are there and your playing is great, we just want to work on your flow – getting it a little bit more steady.
Try and take a 4 or 8 bar phrase and play along with the on-screen tab viewer or metronome. This will help keep you in check with timing, after that it’s just looping. But try and start at the tempo you’re at right now. I think it’s a good starting point for you to work on. Don’t worry about trying to play the entire thing in time, just focus on one phrase at a time. Keep up the excellent work!
der-binni, well played! Excellent picking form! My suggestion for you would be the same feedback I left for becky7777.
lyndallk, I love your groove and that muted accent hit that you have throughout, that’s like the icing on the cake, love it! I’ve got to share this on our facebook page at some point, it was too good not to! I look forward to hearing you rendition on, “Moon”. But feel bad that you have to practice on high G, sorry to your ears LOL!
peropata, great job! You’ve got some speed! But definitely do slow it down a notch so you can focus on cleaning up the transitions. Also, take a look at the advice I left for becky7777 about Dynamics.
stevenflautner, well done! Actually we’ve had a few submissions for Bad Moon Rising, which is super cool to see! I thought you did really well on the overall feel and getting the rhythms down. That’s definitely the hardest aspect of this tune. But what I work on is your left hand form. There are few things that we need to fix:
1) notice how your pinky sticks straight out a lot of the time. It should always remain curved, relative to the other fingers, this way it’s in position ready to be engaged.
2) on the G chord, your index finger bends in at the first joint, we want to keep that curved and on the fingertip. Now you probably did this because it has the awkward stretch to the 5th fret on string one, check out this lesson for help with increasing reach.
3) you pulled the string(s) down sometimes when fretting a chord. for example, the third string at 55 sec. Again the reason is probably the same as above, but try to keep the strings parallel, because if you do pull one or more down, they will go sharp, and the chord will sound out of tune.
But overall I thought you did Super well, keep up the great work!
Here’s everyone on page 14:
timstacks – Awesome job getting through the whole arrangement! It’s a tough one for sure! After listening to your version and Evan’s back to back, I noticed how much faster you are playing it! I would recommend slowing down a bit for the relaxed feel, but also to get to the notes (especially in measure 37-38) in a bit easier. You are off to an excellent start, it will just take a little bit of extra slowing down and isolating in a few key spots to get it even better! Thanks for entering the challenge!
shortman – The look of excitement at the end is the reason I love these challenges and Ukulele in general! There’s no better feeling than executing a great take after working on something for a long time! You did an excellent job of staying in time and getting the fingerpicking down! Even the strum was right in time with the rest of it! Now you can go back in and add more dynamics and expression and think of it like telling a story. Keep working on getting the alternate finger picking as smooth as possible on the A string to really make the notes sustain and sing! Great work, and I hope to hear many more from you!
cyberloh – I understand the frustration! It’s hard to get those transitions smooth! You are doing a great job on it, though…it just takes work. I notice a little bit of tension in your left wrist. Try relaxing that hand a little bit more to avoid injury! Besides just a little bit more slow practice isolating certain parts, I would recommend working on holding the pinky note on the first phrase out a little bit longer and focus on making it sustain just a tad bit longer to add a lyrical element to that section. Great job on the dynamics, and I hope November’s challenge is slightly less frustrating!
cconuku – The first part was very clean! I think you got very good at that section! Some of the finger picking patterns in the second and third sections are a bit tougher, but you are getting there! The part in measure 9 is certainly a tricky section, and I feel like using the thumb this quickly might be new to you. Work slowly to evenly space the notes plucked with the thumb, and the song will flow a bit smoother. Try isolating the section from measure 9 to 13. You have a wonderful start! Thank you!
hlglazi – You are doing awesome, especially for your first finger style piece! A few things I noticed to make it even better: Now that you have the patterns down, try playing each measure (square of music) back to back with no extra space at the end. Each note in each section of this song should be evenly spaced (with very few exceptions). At 0:55 into your video, I noticed that you played the chord as an up strum, but it’s actually supposed to be a down strum with your fingernails hitting the strings. I hope this helps you understand how this works:
lynettejd – You’ve got the notes down, and it sounds very evenly spaced within the sections! Now that you have that part out of the way, add to it by trying to hold each fretting hand finger down longer to let each note ring out longer. This will make the whole song sound more lyrical, and less choppy. This is especially hard with the pinky on the first section, but you can do it! Great job on each section! Thank you for being part of the challenge!
bklynsoul – While I appreciate the Walking Dead pun, your performance was not lifeless! You did a great job using the dynamics and getting a smooth lyrical quality out of each note! The finger picking pattern at measure 9 might need a little more practice, but it’s a tough pattern, especially with the seemingly backwards finger order! You are doing great, and I hope to hear you more in the challenges to come!
edward – I love the reverb you added! Was that an effect, or are you recording from a cave? Spooky either way! You’ve got the notes down, it just takes a little work to get them a bit more evenly spaced. Fingerpicking is tricky, but you are off to a wonderful start! I hope life lets you play more Uke! Thank you for making the time to enter!
karenj – Very fast and smooth fingerpicking! You certainly have the patterns in each section down very smoothly! The transition to the chord at measure 5 is super close! Just isolate measure 4 to 5 slowly for a bit to really master sliding to the Abm chord! Measure 8 is the other challenge left to go, I would say play it slowly over and over and you will get there! And you are right…there’s something about that record button that makes everything more of a challenge! Awesome job, and thank you for your submission!
In reply to: Waiting in Vein Uke cover
Nice Rick, 🙂 love your ukulele too both for sound and looks. The dark striping down near the bottom is beautiful, it reminds me of trees or kelp.
After researching different woods I’m guessing that’s mango? If I can ever afford one i’m so dreaming of getting a solid mango soundboard uke or a spaulted mango laminate ukulele. (I’m guessing the spaulted mango isn’t strong enough to hold up to being an instrument by itself since it’s beginning to rot? Donno.)
Anyway been watching a lot of your stuff and you’re playing is always enjoyable.
robinboyd – Great playing! I enjoyed the dynamics, you fingerpicked smoothly with the pattern Andrew taught, and you stayed in time even on the tough transitions! I would work on getting a slower strum or even a fan strum in at 0:23 to add a little flare to it, and then the only challenge is keeping the fret buzz out of the entire song (You did so well on this for the first 3/4 of the song…I think you just lost focus right towards the end). Over all, this is one of the best submissions of this song I’ve seen yet! Keep it up!
frenchfries54 – Great job on each section! You played very well, now you just need to isolate where the left hand shifts to different chords (by playing one measure before and one measure after each transition). It’s super tricky! But if you practice slowly with a metronome and focus on getting to each shape in time, then gradually speed up, you will get there! The metronome or the slowed down tab player will give you a way to gauge your improvement! Thank you for joining the challenge!
vidafntn – It sounds pretty good so far! To make it sound less mechanical, one secret is to sustain some of the notes a little bit longer (not cutting them short). Another thing that might help is to jam with a drummer!
This backing track is a little bit slower, which might help you lock in with the groove more. Just try to match the drummer’s vibe, and it should help! Thank you for your submission.
casadot349 – The notes sound great! I can tell you spent a lot of time on this! The hardest part of this arrangement is to maintain the relaxed swing feel while playing the difficult passages! Try playing with the drum track I suggested for vidafntn…sometimes jamming with a drummer helps to lock in with that feel. Great work, thank you for being a part of the challenge!
ultramom – You’re off to a wonderful start! You almost have the transitions in time! I would isolate the tough spots and play them with a metronome slowly. Also, at the beginning, holding the pinky down a bit longer before lifting it for the next note will help the song flow smoother. Very well done overall! Thank you for entering!
cinichol – The shorter version still has all the parts, so that’s a great way to do it! I like that you worked on getting the transitions in time! Keep working on strengthening the pinky, you will get there! Thanks for participating!
mr_moltes – I like your use of dynamics! Great playing and flow on most of the sections! The only trouble spot seems to be getting to the chord at 0:26 in. If you just work on that shift, you’ve got the whole thing down! Thanks for entering the challenge!
zukulele – Wow! That was super fast! All of the transitions were in time, too! Great work! My only suggestion would be to work on using the pinky a bit smoother. It’s possible that it’s the fingerpicking on the same string, too and not the pinky…but one or the other is causing the first section to sound slightly less smooth than the other parts. It’s a small detail, but it will help the song flow even better! Super job!
poopsies – I think you did an excellent job! What you are saying about the first chord change is very slight, and you stayed in time through it! There’s just a tiny spot at the end to clean up (string noise and a slight hiccup in the timing, but nothing big), but judging by how smoothly you played the first part, that should be a piece of cake for you! Thank you for joining the challenge!
rpina61 – This etude is super challenging! You are off to a wonderful start! The hammer on-pull off combinations at the beginning require a lot of dexterity, but if you have the time to spend, you can get there! That technique seems to be the only thing giving you any trouble—great fingerpicking! Just isolate ever section with hammer ons and pull offs and you’ve got it!
suzums – Very great job! I love the tone of your ukulele as well! Such a warm and mellow sound! I think you’re doing most of the transitions super well, just a touch more work on a couple of them and it will sound wonderful. You can experiment with accenting (hitting certain notes/strums a bit harder) to give the song contrast, but it already sounds wonderful! Thank you for participating!
kanae926 – You are doing a wonderful job! It’s so tough not to overthink things while playing, so I totally understand the “deeper into my own head” part. It’s ok, everyone does it! You’re playing is great, it’s just the same transitions that are giving almost everyone a really tough time on this challenge. Isolate those spots instead of just playing through the whole piece, and then you can trust yourself to nail them every time on the full play through because that practice will give you confidence! I enjoyed the video effect and the themed T-shirt, too! Thank you for taking part in this!
kellyblackburn – Great job on this! I think it’s the first “Bad Moon Rising” I’ve seen thus far! You have a very relaxed feel on this. I can’t think of anything to add to it. Awesome!
akshxd – Great work! You’ve got most of the transitions down, it seems like it’s just the first chord change that you can work on getting to a touch quicker. Thank you for submitting!
hotmilkjtea – That was a very good rendition! I liked the dynamics (volume swells), tempo changes, and you nailed the fingerpicking with a very subtle finesse! My only advice would be to get to each new chord shape just a bit faster to interrupt the flow just a little less, although you made each change flow very well! It works how you are playing it, but with having to stop less between each new shape, you could focus even more on the other musical elements! Very haunting, and thank you for joining the challenge!
gstriph – Very nice job on the fingerpicking patterns and fretting hand notes! You definitely paid attention to detail! To add to what you’re doing, try to hold each note out longer…leaving less space between each picked note. This will make each phrase sound smoother. Then you can add in volume swells to add emotion to the piece, and isolate where the chord shapes change (2-4 measures at a time). Practicing these transitions will also make it easier to play smoothly! Great work, keep it up!
brenna – Awesome! I can tell you practiced this a ton—your timing and feel was great! There seemed to be only one or two spots that gave you any challenge at all! The ending just needs a little bit more work: Make it sound emotional by really treating each note as a heartfelt journey. I would exaggerate slowing down on the last few notes before the harmonics instead of rushing through them. But this is a very minor detail…overall that was one of the best submissions so far! Keep them coming! Thanks for being a part of the challenge!
lyndallk – Wonderful! Was that really your first take?! I think the only thing to do to make this better is to practice the song a bit more…it seems like a few of the transitions caught you off guard, but that you knew each section really well! I enjoyed it! Thank you for your entry!
hondamom – You nailed it! It’s very hard to get all of the transitions in time, but you managed to do them very well! I enjoyed the dynamics as well! There was a little bit of fret buzz on one of the transitions, so a tiny bit of work on transitioning seemlessly might add to it, but it’s a super slight detail, and it’s super hard to get the transitions in time at all, and you did it great! Thank you for participating!
mycb3tm3n – I’m so sorry to hear about your Ukulele! It sounded fine even having been stepped on! Wonderful playing…it’s hard to believe you’re only 11! My only advice would be to play a bit lighter on some of the melody notes with your right hand. They sing better with just a tiny bit less attack. Way to go on picking the harder song, you did VERY well! You have a very bright Ukulele future ahead of you 🙂
andracass – Very good under the time constraint! The chord transitions are the hardest part for almost everyone, and it sounds like a bit of work on that and the finger picking pattern would smooth out the rest of it! Thank you for participating!
arbuscula – Nicely done! You played great, the finger-picking was on point, and there was only one slight hesitation going into the last section (where the chord is strummed). It worked well even with the slight pause (sounded intentional)! 0:16 seconds in, I would just be careful with the angle you have on the fretting hand wrist in this section, as playing for an extended time with the wrist bent this way can cause wrist pain. Instead, try to play it in a way that allows you to keep a straighter wrist. However, it was only on this section, so it’s probably fine, just worth noting so you don’t injure yourself in the future! 🙂 Great playing!
coffeeemug – Great playing! The transitions are tough, for sure! Looping is the right idea, it just takes lots of practice and patience! Have you tried smaller loops (two measures at a time right with the tricky spot in the middle of the two measures)? If so, then you’re doing it right…just practice slowly enough to get it in time at the slow tempo, and work up to full speed. On your fingerpicking hand, have you tried curving your fingers in a “C” shape as you play? It might help just a bit. Thanks for submitting this, and you did great!
mycaptain – Your playing sounds great! It sounds to me like one of your strings are out of tune on the recording! If you do a video (if you haven’t already…), make sure to tune to make it sound even better! Then it’s just a matter of working on a couple of those tough transitions between sections (mentioned to others above). Great job! Thanks for participating!
annefgodfrey – You’re doing great! I love the skull mask! A very creepy, but nice touch! I hope your husband is feeling even better than before! You sound like you are working through the sections and getting more comfortable with each section as you go! On your finger picking hand, try making smaller motions with the fingertips to have more control, and pick over the sound hole to get a slightly louder sound with less effort! Thank you for participating in spite of such a busy and hectic month! 🙂
In reply to: Hitting the bottom string when you come back up
Okay, so the above will hold true based off that price point. Unfortunately, I’m unfamiliar with them and can’t comment on their brand/quality.
If you do upgrade in the future, consider Islander ukuleles. Affordable and great quality 🙂
andracass, Great playing! I like the tone you get out of the Ukulele! The two finger picking approach works and sounds great, but you can benefit from using three if you spend the time slowly going through the lesson focusing on the right hand. It sounds like you have the main melody under control, but I recommend focusing on the part at measure 7 (starting on the A9 chord) and working through it slowly until it feels more comfortable. Transitioning between sections is also a bit tough, so isolate them by playing the measure before a new section through the measure after the new section starts so that you don’t pause between sections.
poopsies, That sounded great! Your tone is excellent, and you played fairly consistently even at the fast tempo! If you played just a tiny bit slower, I bet you could have played it with zero mistakes! My only recommendation would be to practice with a metronome at a slower speed and work up to the tempo you played it a bit more gradually. Thank you for participating!
suzums, Wow! Very impressive! Very consistent tempo, technique sounds awesome! The only advice I have is practicing slowly to make sure every note is at a consistent volume as well…but honestly they almost are already. Great performance!
wongbrown, My favorite part was the chord at the end: all the notes rang out clearly and the thumb played through each string with finesse! The only advice I have for you is to play along with a metronome to get the spacing of the finger picked notes right in time. Practicing slowly with one note per click will help your accuracy and tempo. The notes sound great! Thank you!
benjamin, Excellent job on learning the notes! I like the rhythm you are playing, and think it’s very cool like that, but it is a different rhythm than written. If you want to learn it with the correct rhythm, I would recommend playing along with the tab player slowly and gradually speed it up (50%, then 75%, then full speed), matching the notes in time. Thank you for playing my song!
ellbo99, I love the idea of swinging this etude! It sounds great! You did an awesome job, not really much to say to add to it. Thank you for participating!
twizzler, You sound good! I would recommend working on measure 9 and 10 a little bit slowly, just to get it more consistent. Slow practice helps. Have you tried the finger picking pattern Andrew does on this section? Yours works great, too (one finger assigned to one string only), but try using the thumb for the G and C string. My only other advice is to play the chord at the very end of the song lighter, maybe strum lightly with the thumb instead of plucking? Great work!
Kayleighhb
nggnmm, Great playing, great job on the finger picking pattern! You’ve got it down! I would work on relaxing your right hand and playing more fluidly. Pick lighter and hold each fretted note a little bit longer before the next one (leave less space between notes). This will make your playing sound more flowing. If you feel like you are already doing this…it may be that your long sleeve is muting the notes a bit! Maybe roll it back? 🙂 Awesome job! Thanks for participating in the challenge!
In reply to: Use of Baritone Uke. Chords differ.
Hi 7denning, I sent out a survey in December asking if members where interested in low G lessons and baritone. There was a huge interest in low G, but not so much for baritone. So low G lessons are coming NEXT month 🙂 But, baritone is on hold, probably for another year or 2 as I’d like to build up low G content for awhile.
I’d recommend using a High G ukulele for our lessons as they were written to take advantage of that tuning. Playing them on a baritone will sound “off” at times. You will be able to play our Low G lessons on Baritone, although you will always be in a different key.
Kayleigh, I’m with you on that. It happens to me every single time I try and record! Well played, I like the way you hold your ukulele, it’s very Bill Wyman.
In reply to: left hand form
Hi Pascale, check out our guidelines on proper holding technique in these lessons:
Overview from our Beginner’s Course
Proper Left Hand Form – Please watch the video at the bottom of page too.
Give those ideas a shot and let me know how it goes 🙂
In reply to: How To – Download Courses + La Malagueña
Hi Al, sorry to hear about your condition. I def plan to do that song, but am holding off until I get my low G ukulele, as it will be much better suited for that tuning.
Unfortunately, no. Courses require internet access to view the video/article content. Thanks for the kind words, glad to hear you enjoy the site 🙂
In reply to: New Ukulele!
It’s nice the variety of ukes he compared (a whole gamut of woods/prices), but boy, he had a HEAVY plucking/strumming style. 😂
Rickey, if you have a ukulele store or instrument store with a decent stock to try, you should hold some to see what you like. Videos can give you specs and sound samples, but it won’t be the same as trying them in person.
Thanks, Andrew!
So…DILEMMA. I have always had this problem where I don’t know how to hold the ukulele properly. I promise, I read that module more than once in the Beginner’s Course (lol). To explain – I use Form 2 on my left hand because Form 1 feels super awkward and unbalanced (as in, some chords and fretting positions may be easier to play on Form 1, but the neck falls while I try to transition from Form 2 to 1, taking the rest of the ukulele with it). I don’t know how to hold it up unless I’m using Form 2 and I haven’t figured out how YOUR ukulele seems to defy gravity. So in order not to pause, I have been avoiding using Form 1 (*cringe* I know, shame on me).
BUT since you gave me that feedback, I have been practicing Form 1 and it is getting a bit more comfortable. I’ve also been working on my fluidity in the piece and I *think* it’s improving. I’ll post another video in the next couple of days to show you my progress on both points. 🙂
In reply to: What size…
Hello, everyone!
I just stepped into the world of ukulele about one month ago.
What I have now are a Kala KA-S (which is a soprano) and a concert ukulele.
I’m still not sure what size I like more, maybe concert one.
I tried different sizes at a ukulele store a few days ago.
And what I found is I like Tenor ones most when I sit down.
But when I stand up and I have difficulties to hold a Tenor ukulele. I feel like the body of Tenor ukulele is too big to hold it.
What the salesman told me is that a strap can help you with this problem. (but honestly, I would prefer playing ukulele without a strap so I would feel free somehow. Like, I don’t have to play ukulele depend on it. I can play my ukulele whenever I want.)
I’ll post two pictures of myself holding two different sizes ukulele, can you guys give me some recommendations?
Thanks!
Hannah, that was amazing! I’m going to share this on our Facebook page today 🙂 I can’t believe you’ve only played 2 months, have you played another instrument like guitar before?
Let’s knock out some of these questions. Usually if someone struggles with strumming and having a “natural” feel, it’s because they are very tense or tight in their strumming arm/wrist. None of this applies to you. So I think it comes down to time. What does that mean? The longer that you play and the more music that you listen to, the more you develop your ear and a sense of playing with feeling. So what I would do if I was you, is really hone in and listen to the feel that I perform this song with and try to match it. You can use the same approach with whoever your favorite players are and whatever songs or pieces you are learning. Check out this lesson, which is all about this approach. But the thing is, for 2 months of playing you are doing so so well! You’ll get there in time.
One other thing, sometimes I notice your finger curve in at the first joint. Make sure that it stays curved and on the fingertip.
As for Question 2, Here is a great article on properly holding the ukulele from our Beginner’s Course.
jaan_beriso, well done! Was there a rooster in the background or am I just hearing things, lol! I think you did extremely well on the second Melody, which is the strumming chords section. Timing and transitions sounds great there. What I would work on if I was you is getting the timing a little bit smoother for the first and third Melody. The best way to do that is to follow the suggestions from our practice guide, which includes working on a couple bars at a time, looping them and mastering that before tackling the entire piece. I enjoyed listening to your performance, keep up the great work!
gahanby, great feel in your playing! I think you nailed the swung, laid-back vibe 🙂 a couple bars could use a little touching up, but based off what I heard I know you know how to approach practicing that. Do watch out for the triplet strum section, as I did not hear 8th note triplet rhythm. Check out this lesson for help on that.
hafeez, Big Improvement! It’s awesome to see you incorporate the feedback in this tune and in the other one, and wow you really are getting it down! All the hard work you put into it is paying off 🙂
