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Search Results
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Here’s everyone on page 16:
marni11 – Awesome job on this one! There were very few hesitations, and with a slightly slower tempo, I don’t think those would have even been there! My only concern is your right wrist and the angle it’s bent at. Try holding the ukulele at a slightly different angle to be able to straighten that wrist out a bit. Look at the beginner course module 2: how to hold the ukulele on this site. You are doing very well, keep it up! Thank you for your entry!
gaevdl – You are off to a great start! Try looping measures that give you trouble, and just play them over and over to get the chord transitions smooth. Do this on measures 22-23 and 24-26. Then instead of worrying about these sections, they will become your comfort zone. Keep up the great work! Thank you for joining the challenge!
kellyblackburn – Excellent! You’re playing this one very fast! Every now and then you are hesitating on chord changes (in sections like measure 22-23), and I think just playing at 3/4 of your current speed, you would be able to to keep a consistent tempo. However, it still sounds wonderful how you are playing it currently! Thank you for your entry, and for being a long time member of the site!
mac1984 – Your timing is incredible! I like that you never sacrificed the tempo for any chords or notes, and only slowed down intentionally for the ending. That’s one of the hardest skills but best practices you can have! While there were a few mistakes, most were just due to some chord transitions taking you a bit more time than the tempo allowed. I would recommend practicing at a slightly slower tempo until you have it consistently before playing at this speed. Wonderful job, and thank you for entering the challenge!
jonathan_gabel – Overall this was great! Your timing is 99% percent spot on, with just a slightly different rhythm at measure 31. The second note in that measure should start on the up beat after beat one instead of on the down beat on beat 2. Aside from this and a few small mistakes that seem like simple errors, not truly sections to work super hard on, there’s only one technique related thing: your plucking hand wrist has slightly more of an angle than necessary, and it seems like you’re fingers are plucking a little harder than they need to. Try holding the ukulele at a little bit more of an angle (45 degree if possible), to help straighten that wrist. Great job again, and thank you for joining this challenge!
lisotta – You are doing a great job! I think this one was a bit challenging because of all chord transitions! I recommend going through and just practicing transitioning the chord shapes from measure to measure and not worrying about the plucking the melody at the moment. Use the chord diagrams above the tab for this, and just practice shifting from one to the next. If a particular transition is harder than the others, just practice switching between the chord that’s hard to get to in time from the one immediately before it. Practice just those two chords until you can get the transition comfortably. This way you will build muscle memory for the chord shapes and not have to think as hard while performing the piece. Keep up the good work! Thank you for your entry!
cyberloh – Nicely done! On the strumming section, you play it with the correct rhythm at 0:53, but then you add an extra strum each time that pattern comes around again. If this is intentional, it works and it sounds cool, but I just want to make sure you know that it’s an addition. Also, rhythmically: in measure 31, the second note happens on the upbeat after beat one, rather than on the downbeat of beat 2. All in all, you are well on your way! Great work, and thank you for taking part in the challenge!
isabelm – I love the costume and the fact that you have a Toto to go with it! On measures 22 through 29, I would work on all of the chord transitions like I recommended to lisotta (2 entries above). This way you aren’t having to think about the melody and the chords at the same time as you develop the muscle memory of the chord shapes. Thank you for re-submitting your entry, it turned out great!
oldan_ – You are doing a wonderful job, especially on the melody and fingerpicking sections. This is excellent for you first video submission! The only thing holding you back is those chord transitions. Each time there’s a tricky transition, isolate the measure before and after the chord change, and practice getting just those measures up to the speed you would like to play the song at. Measures 22 through 29 are a great place to work on in this manner. Excellent job, keep up the great work! Thank you for your entry!
My first try on the bass ukulele that I found 2nd hand on Market Place. It seems easy to play at first until you amplify the thing. The strings are humming non stop. I have no clue if I am holding it right. If I should pluck above the sound hole or next to it. But I very much like the sound.
Also my first try to make a multiple screen video on I Movie. I didn’t know I skew.
This lesson is great for low and high G string ukulele. The G string is untouched.In reply to: Who is your favorite ukulele artist and why?
Bill Tapia is my favorite ukulele player. He makes every song his own and I feel like every note he hits is deliberate and necessary.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWDctmj1awo&w=560&h=315%5D
Another great is Lyle Ritz. He was a professional bass player earlier in his career, but later was known for his ukulele work.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLIr2jp6dMc&w=560&h=315%5D
Both these Legends have since passed on, but their music holds a place in my heart.
In reply to: Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue
Thank you Holly. You pointed out I can probably crochet a strap pretty quick. I’ve been taking my strap off and moving it as needed. 😫 (I want to tablet weave one at some point though.)
If you’re still having issues make a video that’s the #1 Fastest easiest way to get help.
Not sure if this will help you. First, if the stretches are hard take your time! (Grats on the coarse btw!) You totally don’t want to hurt your fretting hand.
With chords or finger positions I have a hard time with (but that I can do) I hold it for a bit and just play out of it. Either what im working on or just made up picking patterns, till it starts getting uncomfortable then I rest. Massage my hand etc.
If it’s a hard stretchy shape like the G7(1)? Try the shape up near the 12th fret (small frets) on your concert. Move down a fret until you feel stretchy but not too uncomfortable and see if you can hang out with a couple chord shapes around there.(anything that covers all the strings and maybe helps stretch.) I’m doing that with a hard chord on ukulele right now. It’s moving slowly down towards the nut.
Another option is to look into different fingerings like with G7(1) in 5’2 as an example. If you can, try barring the 4th fret? and it will free up some finger reach.
Anyway ty for the reminder that crochet can make straps too. 💖
In reply to: Love Yourself bar 10
Hey Martin, it’s a hammer-on on the:
&a of 2 (0 to 3 on string 1)
Hold (tie) the last note (C – 3rd fret of string 1) into beat 3.
Also on beat 3, you tap the percussive hit.
Then pull-off to the first fret on the e of beat 4.
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Pull-offs do not have to be picked, followed by an immediate pull-off. They can be executed just by the left hand itself, as this example does.
Does that make sense?
Here’s everyone on page 13:
karenj – I love how you did the background on your video! What a cool idea! You are doing well on this one, and I know those pull offs can be tricky! On the Em chord, I noticed that when you go to play the 3rd fret before pulling off that you aren’t far enough forward on the fret: make sure your middle finger is at least halfway between the metal frets. It’s buzzing before the pull-off due to being back so far on that fret. I know that Em shape makes this difficult to do, but spending a bit of time figuring how to reach that middle finger a little farther forward during that chord will help a lot in the long run!
nitsur – Great job! you have a good sound and feel on this song! There are a few hesitations here and there, and the way I would work through that is playing those spots a bit more until you have what comes next memorized. You could also add a metronome to push you to get to those chords on time. Also, there are just a few dotted half notes in measures 6 and 8 that are getting cut about one beat short. Just make sure to hold these out for the full 3 beats. Thank you for entering the challenge!
ukukelly1 – You are doing well on this! It’s cool that you played this one finger style and with strumming, but have you tried it with the thumb? The thumb will have a softer touch than the fingernails, which creates a more lyrical quality. It sounds great both ways, but it might be something fun to try! Overall you are playing this one great, and I can tell you are reading some sections over having them memorized. My suggestion if you do this is to look just slightly ahead so that new sections don’t catch you off guard and cause hesitations. It’s a bit tricky to remember where to look further ahead, but it’s a great skill to have! Also, on Melody C, I would just spend a bit more time playing this part slowly to get all of those tricky shifts! Great work, and thank you for participating!
becky7777 – This one’s a bit tricky, but you are doing a good job! The hardest part is to get the transitions between sections smoother: 0:21, 0:29, and just getting the last chord right at the end. It seems like you are actually playing those sections fine, but you are hesitating right before the transition like you are preparing for something big. The secret here is to stay relaxed and act as if those are the easy sections. From what you were saying about grinding your teeth, I think if you are recording and you feel like that, take a break, take a few breaths, and come back to it in 5 minutes. It’s hard to relax when recording take after take. Keep up the great work! Thank you for your entry!
timolnz – Nicely done! The notes and the rhythm sound very clean! I would lighten the strums a little bit, and go back and include the timing. The main thing that I notice is that all of the dotted half notes are getting cut short! Just make sure to count to three before moving on to the next chord on these, and the song will breathe better! This also gives you time to remember to pluck/strum lighter. You’re well on your way! Thank you for joining the challenge!
lauracg – You sound great on this one! But the video seems to cut off before the last half of the song! Was this by mistake or are you still working on that section? I imagine by your playing on the first half that this was just an upload/editing error. Great job either way! Thank you for participating!
mheiden – You have a really nice feel/touch on this one! My main suggestion is to play this one to a metronome a few times to get the rhythm a little stronger, and to see where you are hesitating before the chord strums (here and there). On the rhythm: Make sure to hold the dotted half notes out for 3 beats, and the dotted quarter notes for a beat and a half (count: one and two). If this is confusing, go through the reading course section on rhythm to get the concepts down. Excellent job on getting a nice sound out of your ukulele! Thank you for entering the challenge!
Here’s everyone on page 11:
holly1 – You have a great sound and a great feel on this one! My main suggestion to make it sound even better is to focus on the rhythm just a bit at the beginning of the piece. The first chord of measures 1 and 2 are dotted half notes, which get held out for 3 beats instead of just two. Try playing the song with a metronome just to make sure your rhythms stay in 4/4. Aside from this small detail, the whole thing sounded great! If you wanted to add even more to it, you could experiment with dynamics (volume swells into certain sections: try starting piano and build up to forte by melody B, then bringing it back down a bit for Melody C). This is just a suggestion, as you can add your own touch this way. Thank you for your entry!
benita – You did a great job in spite of having no AC! Sweaty hands during recording is the bane of my existence, so I totally understand! The main section to spend a little bit of extra time on is measure 4 through measure six. The trick is waiting for three beats after the first chord in measure 4, and then holding the dotted quarter notes out in measure 5, and knowing which notes are short. If you need help understanding those rhythms, check out the rhythm portion of Andrew’s reading course, or play along with Matt until you can get the rhythm by ear. You sound great, keep it up!
iyers408 – You are doing a good job on the notes, now it’s time to focus on the rhythm. Try taking each phrase of no more than 4 measures at a time, and break down the rhythms (use the Reading course if you need help understanding how) until you can practice along with a metronome at a slower tempo. Then gradually speed it up, only raising the tempo when you are confident you are in time and accurate at the slower speeds.
sprintingyogini – The little spongebob on your thumb is a nice touch…and so is the pineapple ukulele! 0:36 to 0:47 is the only spot that might benefit from a little bit of extra finger-picking practice working with the metronome to get that section up to the speed you play the rest at. The other option for a performance is to slow down the whole piece to the tempo you can play the difficult sections at comfortably. It’s either that, or that Spongebob is slowing your thumb down slightly! You are doing a wonderful job! Thank you for your entry!
mfaske – Great job on this one! Even though it’s a finger-twister, it sounds like you were up to the challenge! The rhythm sounds very close, and the notes sound correct. Throughout the video, I noticed that your fretting hand wrist is almost at a 90 degree angle several times. Try to lessen that angle by keeping your wrist almost straight or with a much more gradual angle. This will help your hand relax a bit as you play, and will prevent your wrist from getting sore when you play for longer periods of time. In addition to this, just keep working to keep your pull offs and hammer ons in time by practicing slowly with a metronome to build up the strength while staying as relaxed as possible. Thank you for entering this challenge!
cyukug – You have a very nice sound and relaxed feel on this one! My main suggestion to make it even more like the original is to hold out the dotted half note rhythms (like the first chord in the song as well as several others) for a full three beats. When you listen to Matt, even though he plays the song slightly rubato…with a very natural flow, he’s hovering around a set tempo. I think playing this song to a metronome to see how long those notes really are will help the song to breathe a bit more when you are performing. Then it’s just a matter of getting melody C a little stronger with just a bit more practice. Great work! Thank you for taking part in this month’s challenge!
tastyshrimp – You are off to an excellent start after only 3 days! There are several sections you are hesitating on right now, so the best way to tackle these is one at a time. For instance: Start with the first 4 measures of the song, and play this phrase until you can get each shift smoothly and in time. Then try the next 4, and then put those 8 measures together. You’re on the right track, it just takes a bit more time to smooth out those transitions! Keep up the great work!
ripley – I was very impressed with your sense of rhythm on this one! Even though you are playing it at a comfortable tempo for you, you are sticking to it very well, and I can tell that you know the rhythm of the song. Most of the transitions were very smooth! Melody C is the hardest part of the song to play smoothly, but you are on the right track! To get the transition smoother from the 3rd fret to the 10th fret, try sliding up to the 10th fret as a glissando (push down as you slide) to create a connection between the notes, or just practice jumping from 3 to 10 while focusing on not cutting the 3rd fret note short. Awesome job! Thank you for your entry.
willymac – You did an excellent job on this! I noticed that you are playing a low G ukulele, which in general works well on this song, but I have a suggestion or two to keep the melody notes from being split into 2 different octaves: The last note of measure 6 is a 5th fret on the G string…on your ukulele, replace this note with the 8th fret on the E string to get the same note up one octave. This way all of the melody notes remain in the higher octave like they would on the standard tuned ukuleles. Great job on already fixing melody C to keep the melody notes away from the open low G string! I also noticed that you changed one chord in measure 9 (on beat 3, you changed the 0 to a 2nd fret), but I like the way this change sounds. Did you do this one on purpose? You seem to have some knowledge on how to arrange and move notes around and a good ear. Once again, awesome job! Thank you for participating in the challenge!
Here is everyone on page 12. (Stephen’s working on page 11 and will post it soon.)
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kellyblackburn – Kelly, that was awesome! Great feel and tone. There are two things that I would work on:
1) Transitions. Notice how you pause between phrases (bars). Practice the end of one bar into the intro of the next. That will help you eliminate the gaps.
2) Bar 12 – the second note is a half note. Double check the rhythm here and make sure you hold it out for the entire length.
morrieuke1 – Michael, wow! You put a lot of work into this one; so much fun to watch! So the first thing I noticed was that in the 4th bar, the second note, you played it as an open A, it should be a B. Double-check the music there.
I think you absolutely nailed the feel of the first, second, and fourth melody. What I would work on is the third. This section has a real drawn-out feel, and one way we can get that sound is to slow the tempo and use a little bit of rubato. But overall, killer month! Keep up the great work 🙂
kelsey91 – Great job! I made a video for you. Here is the live lesson to check out.
Here is the video I mentioned on Sustain that I made for another member this month and our lesson on increasing left hand reach.
Lastly, double check the first bar of Melody B (which repeats), the 3rd beat is played incorrectly.
riley_ukulele – Well done, and no worries on the intro. Check out this video that I made for another member. This is the same feedback I would leave for your performance.
tiff27 – Hey Tiffany, that was awesome! Great sustain! 2 things that I’d work on:
1) Memorize it. This way you can focus completely on how you are playing it. I’m sure you’ve seen this, but for others reading this feedback, this is why.
2) The last Melody, try to boost the tempo of it so it keeps with the flow of the rest of the piece.
coffeemug – Definitely not a mangle, you play very beautifully. But I think what you want to work on is the feel. Check out this feedback that I left for another member earlier this month. Try to incorporate that laid-back feel into your performance.
akshxd – Great performance! Your uke sounds like it was a little bit out of tune, so friendly reminder to tune up before recording. 🙂 Other than that, great job on the subtleties, like a tasteful vamp of the intro and middle chord and a natural sounding fade out.
rufio0 – Great job, your fingerpicking has a wonderful tone! So there’s one note that you want to substitute, you play the open A in the walk up at the end of bar 2 and again when it walks down at the end of bar 4. That note should be a B. Also, double check the form, it was incorrect in some spots.
I’d also target the tricky sections (and their transitions – i.e. the bar going into it and coming out of it) and loop those in your practicing, for example the plucked chords. Work on keeping the flow a little bit more steady.
Here is everyone on page 16.
marni11 – You aced the ending lick, that was awesome! I thought you did really well overall. But, let’s talk about a couple of things to work on:
1) check out your thumb when you’re playing the C chord section. It looks like it’s bent at the joint. We always want to keep it straight, aim for placement that is slightly above the middle of the neck. Check out this guide to see exactly where that is.
2) watch the timing during the melody. I also heard a few notes here and there that were not played cleanly. So slow it down a bit and focus on both of those aspects.
3) the percussive rhythm section has been hard for a lot of folks. I’d recommend simplifying it for now. Practice counting the rhythm as you play to a metronome. Check out this post for ideas on simplifying it.
rufio0 – Oh my gosh the ending was hilarious. And dang, your wife is quite the accomplished kazoo player. 🙂 So your playing is quite nice, which means that we need to focus on the subtleties. Let me list a few things that I heard and you can let me know what you think.
1) Triplet strum – rhythm sounds correct, but I’m not hearing enough separation with each of the three strums. I’d like you to try a few different approaches for strumming, check out this post to learn them. See if one of them helps you hear more separation in each strum.
2) a little bit more practice will help with pauses, like the one at 30 seconds. An interesting way to work on this (and to help memorization) is to start the piece from a random bar. Most of the time when we practice, we always start at the beginning of the song or at the beginning of a section, such as bar 1 of the chorus. Try and start on bar 3 instead.
3) For Melody B, work on sustaining the chords and notes more. Check out this video for help with that.
timolnz – Well done! The big thing that I would work on is lightening up your right hand attack (picking and strumming). Check out last month’s live lesson for help with that.
Ohh, just read your comment after I left feedback. I suppose that means I left this same advice for you previously. If you need a little extra help, we do offer one-on-one Skype lessons. That may be the best approach to help since we’ll be able to work with you one-on-one, in real time.
ukukelley1 – Way to go! Here’s a video with two tips for you.
santai – santai – no worries, perhaps for July’s Challenge you’ll be able to do a video. 🙂
Your feel is fantastic. The only advice I can offer is to continue practicing, that should prevent things like the little mess up in the middle.
gardn_gnome – Great job! So couple of suggestions, first I’d recommend the same advice I left about for, timolnz. Second, I’d recommend picking an easier piece. If you join us for July, give “Jurassic Park” a shot 🙂
kanae926 – Hey Kanni! Have you tried this approach: use synthetic mode with the click on, play to that, but only 4 or 8 bars at a time. Then turn a regular metronome on and record yourself playing the same section, but all by yourself. Listen back and see if you stayed in time.
So the point here is that it’s only a crutch if you always play with the guide. But I think this will be a good way for you to practice.
And the metronome is your best friend for developing a sense of timing. But once it’s developed, it’s always best to record and perform without it. Because as you said, robot.
casadot349 – That was awesome, you’ve got some serious speed! But there are a couple things that I would recommend you work on which are fundamental areas.
1) form: Let’s start with left hand form. I’d recommend scooting your thumb down so that it’s slightly above the middle of the neck, and not hanging over the fretboard. Check out this lesson to see the placement.
That lesson also talks about posture and how to hold the ukulele properly. If you watch your performance, you can see that you are slouched over it. You want to sit straight up as you play.
For right hand form, try to keep your wrist parallel and not bent downwards. I’d also recommend moving your hand back so that you are picking and strumming over the sound hole. Check out this lesson to see the placement.
2) Timing: So the melody was fast! But the percussive section was at a slower tempo. Try to make them even.
aquatopaz – Great job! So I would target your practice to focus on the areas that were tricky. Some of those areas that I heard included the transitions; so for example in the melody, one area would be transitioning from C to G.
The other thing I’d recommend is to work on timing. Again focus on small sections at a time. For example, connecting 2 or 4 bars in the percussive section, so that you eliminate pauses. Remember to start slow. Slow and steady always wins the race.
borjez – Awesome playing! I’d experiment with adding accents and dynamics to your playing. For example, in my performance of that song, in bar 14, I really accent (hit hard) the G chord on beat 3. Doing things like that help to add texture to our playing.
Yellowrosescottag – You asked about my ukulele… It’s an Amahi African Burl Concert Ukulele.
It does have an amazing sound quality in my opinion (even when I can’t seem to play it as well as it should be played, lol.) I absolutely love it! It was my first ukulele, purchased about 7 months ago, and I play it everyday, an hour or more at a time. It holds tune beautifully and doesn’t need to be tuned often. I’m starting to consider putting new strings on it but am afraid to mess with it until it really needs it. It’s my baby and I’m not even taking it to the beach with me next month, I bought a Magic Fluke Flea for that trip. oh and I just used my phone to record the video (Samsung Galaxy s7 Edge).And Karenj – I checked out the kazoo you linked to. That’s an interesting shape indeed!
And Kumakuma – e-ukulele, wow! Very cool sounding, and perfect for wipe out.
Hoping I can check out the live youtube stream on the 4th during my lunch break at work to see who wins the Kanile’a. Good luck everyone! : ) Looking forward to July’s challenge and what will be next. Thanks to all at rc101 for keeping us on our toes and practicing!
Holly
My question is about staccato chords, like they happen to be played throughout the current challenge “Tonight You Belong To Me” (G-chord in melody A, and various chords throughout the whole melody B). I don’t know the real name for it, I’m just calling it staccato chords, because in the tabs it’s designated as staccato.
This technique, to stop chords from ringing by relaxing the fingers but still keeping them on the strings, is incredibly useful not just to give the piece character and underline the rhythm, but also to keep my playing tidy and reduce the ringing of strings when changing chords – so I definitely want to incorporate that more into my playing.Now here’s my problem/question: I tend to lose a steady grip on the neck of my ukulele when softening my fingers to dampen the chord and get the slight feeling it might slip – especially when using the U-shaped left-hand form 1 (which I understood should be used for barre chords)… How can I make sure I do still have a good hold on my ukulele while using this technique – even when playing while standing, where I can’t rest the uke on my thigh?
Here is everyone on page 16 that we hadn’t reviewed yet.
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kanae926 – Kanni, that was awesome! So I read the concerns that you wrote, and I don’t think they are concerning at all. Instead what I would focus on is adding a little bit more dynamic to your playing. Start with incorporating accents. Check out this post that I left for another member earlier this month. It will be a great starting point for you.
nitsur – Well done! So one thing I want to point out is in regards to your right hand wrist being bent upwards a little bit. Try to keep it parallel. Check out this lesson to see the form that we recommend using.
The other thing I want to point out, is the same advice I left for another member earlier this month: Here’s my suggestion for you. Play along with Matt. Slow the tab player to 65 or 70% and take an 8 bar section. Try to match his feel. So your goal is to get a little bit more of a relaxed feel.
Heads up for next month’s live lesson. I spoke with Matt yesterday and I asked him to make next month’s topic, “playing with finesse”. This is going to be a great one for everyone to check out because the focal point is: Not only playing the correct notes, but instead, focusing on how you play them.
gardn_gnome – Glad it was helpful. It’s a little difficult to see how you are holding the uke from the angle on this video, feel free to share another with a better angle if you need more guidance.
So I think this song is a little beyond your current level. And this is a downfall of the challenges some months. Sometimes the song selections only cater to the season beginner and above.
But, here’s a good one to work on. Focus on getting the notes clean, ringing out, and keeping the timing steady. Speed isn’t important, slow and steady wins the race. Feel free to post a video if you learn it, happy to review it 🙂
Here’s everyone on page 16:
cyberloh – I enjoyed the way you strummed the repeated Melody A! Very cool and it sounded good! Try swinging the rhythm of the strums and the 8th notes to get a more laid back vibe lie Matt’s. Great rendition, and I liked the add on to the ending as well. It’s easy to miss the part at the top of the sheet music telling you to swing the 8th notes, but the melody is meant to be swung. Thanks for being part of this challenge!
joe150 – You are off to a good start! I know it can be hard to read the tab while playing. I recommend breaking this piece down into 2 measure sections and work out the rhythm on each part with a metronome, and then put each section together so that you end up with 4 measure sections. This way you can get the rhythm down with the notes. Play along with a metronome slowly to gauge how well you’re staying in time. It’s a slow process, but you learn a lot through it! Also, Andrew’s reading course has a section on rhythm that might help as well! Thank you for your submission!
llmairalmiquel – Way to go! That song is not easy…especially on a soprano ukulele! Have you thought about getting a concert or a tenor? You are well on your way on this one. I think slowing it down a bit overall will help you get all the nuances and notes in, but you are doing a great job! It’s hard to tell from the angle of the camera, but try not to put to much of an angle on your right hand wrist when fingerpicking, as this can sometimes lead to wrist pain during long practice sessions. Wonderful job, keep it up! Thank you for your entry.
akshxd – You’re playing this fairly well! I think your ukulele might be out of tune, or it might have an issue with intonation. If that’s not the case, make sure you aren’t bending the strings to much as you push down. You’ve got the right idea, keep it up! Thank you for entering the challenge!
odysseus – Great job on a challenging song! You seem to have the notes an the idea down very well, and a little work with a metronome set to 3/4 will help you get the rest in time. There are just a few spots where you are either adding a beat or jumping ever so slightly ahead. Practicing those trouble spots by starting a measure before and ending a measure after will help you with those transitions. Wonderful job, I’d say you are 95% or more of the way there! Thank you for joining this challenge!
flat-lux – You’ve got the notes down, and the tone sounds great too! I think it’s time to practice with a metronome now to get the rhythm a bit stronger. Since it’s taking you a slight bit longer to get to certain chords, I would pick a tempo slow enough to get to those in time, and then gradually speed it up until you can play it at a faster tempo! Great job, especially for your first challenge!
lisamcc – Great job on this one! You did a great job of pacing yourself on the slower tempo! There is only one spot (that comes up three times in the song)that needs to be a bit slower…in measure 2, each chord gets held for two full beats. This means if you were counting the beats/patting your foot, the chords are strummed on beat one and beat three. Aside from this, everything else sounded great! Thank you for being part of this challenge!
john21403 – It’s a tough transition from strumming to chord melodies for sure! You are doing a great job! Melody B is the tricky part. I would practice that part a few times more than Melody A at this point since it is played less times as you play the whole song. I also noticed that a few of the notes sounded a bit out of tune…it might be that when you are pushing down on the strings that you are bending the string down or up a bit, which can cause the note you are holding to go out of tune. If that’s not the case, double check your tuning. Great job, and thank you for your entry!
Here’s everyone on page 14.
yellowrosecottag – This is great for your third song! Not an easy one to do for a complete beginner! It sounds like you understand the rhythms and how to play the parts, it’s just a matter of getting more familiar with the chord shapes. Try breaking it down into small 2 measure pieces and practice the chord shifts with a metronome until you can get them in time, then slowly speed it up to the speed you want to play it at. This takes time, I know…but will help you learn every song afterwards a bit easier. Great work again, and thank you for your entry!
ambre_uke92 – That was amazing! There was only a spot or two that seemed anything less than perfect, and I think if you had played the whole song just a touch slower, you would have gotten those sections with ease as well. To add to how awesome it already is, I would exaggerate dynamics to add to the feel. Make the soft parts softer, and the louder parts louder. Excellent job!!! Thank you for sharing this!
iyers408 – You sound great! Slow and steady is much better than fast without rhythm! You did an excellent job on staying in time on Melody A! I think Melody B requires a bit more isolated work to get all of the chords in time, and I feel like this is due to it being played fewer times when you practice the song from start to finish. I recommend isolating this section to get a little bit of extra practice on it until it doesn’t take any extra effort to remember it. Then after doing that, slowly bring the tempo up. Great work! Thank you for entering the challenge.
mfaske – Overall you’re doing an excellent job! Not bad at all for a first public performance! There are a few chords that it seems to take you just slightly longer to get to in measure 4, so practice those slowly with a metronome and you’ve got it! On Melody B, make sure to hold the Eb chords out for a full 2 beats before going on to the next note, and then you’ve got everything you need! Thank you for taking part in this challenge!
skilshaw – I love the way you titled this one…very clever! You play the verse very well, so I imagine if you had more time to spend on the chorus, it would be just as good! I think breaking down the chorus slowly in bite sized pieces and really working hard on the rhythm with a metronome is the way to go. You could also play the whole piece slower to get make the hammer-ons and pull-offs easier to play/stay in time with. Great job, and I’m glad you worked up the courage to post!
evevev – You’ve got the hammer-ons and pull-offs very strong, and you have a great sound on that instrument! I think you’re nerves are making you tense on the right hand, and you played the whole thing a little too fast for where you’re at. I think going back and playing about half that speed with a metronome would help you to get the slaps and all the parts of the song in rhythm. If it’s tough to figure out, try out the rhythm part of Andrew’s reading course. I also noticed your left hand wrist was at almost a 90 degree angle for some of the chords. Try not to bend the wrist that much as you play, as it can lead to injuries when you practice for long periods of time. You’re doing great! Thanks for your submission!
gaevdl – 1,000,000+ takes is a lot! How did you keep track? You did a great job in all seriousness! The chords in the 2nd ending of Melody A are a bit tricky, I recommend practicing those a bit more so they feel just a bit more natural, but you did a great job of getting to each one! Practice each section with a metronome a bit slower and then work it up to full speed, and then you’ve got it (and only by take 1,000,990.5, hopefully). Great work! I hope you join in many more challenges!
aquatopaz – I think you’ve got the notes up to a great point, and with a clear sound! Now it’s time to practice individual sections with a metronome slowly to help force your hands to get to the chord shapes in time. You’re doing a wonderful job! Keep it up! Thank you for being part of this challenge.
Here’s everyone on page 13:
jinajupiter – Wonderful job! It’s hard to believe you’ve only been playing for a month! Your timing is great, and you play the song well! On Melody B, I see that the stretch on the Eb is a bit far, but you’ll get it more comfortably as you go. My only suggestion aside from working more on that stretch is to try not to stop the notes early on Melody B to play the melody as smoothly as possible. The secret here is to not let go of the notes too soon and shift faster with the left hand, and to make sure your plucking hand thumb isn’t stopping the string as you prepare for the next note. You are a very fast learner! Thank you for your entry.
richo_uke – Great work! You got every note with a great tone. I recommend playing the song just a bit slower to give yourself time to get your hand in position for each chord shift so that you don’t end up adding extra space just in front of each chord. Practicing the song with a metronome might help to force your hands to prepare for the chords just slightly quicker as well. You’re doing a great job, keep it up! Thank you for taking part in the challenge!
abaluyot – You are off to a great start! You’re doing a great job playing with the thumb and getting the notes. Some of the rhythms are a bit different than you are playing them…I would recommend going through Andrew’s reading course to learn how to play the rhythm in bar 4 and 5, and then practice that a bit with the metronome (maybe around 70 beats per minute). This will help those measures sound a bit closer to Matt’s version. Keep up the good work! Thank you for participating!
kumakuma – Your timing and feel are excellent! I think Melody B has a few tricky spots that you can isolate and practice repetitively, and then the whole song will flow smoothly. You do a wonderful job hitting all the notes in measure 4 accurately. Thank you for your entry!
lildevil – Great rendition of this! Very relaxing, which means your thumb is very consistent and you have a knack for not getting stuck on the strings! There were a couple of chords that didn’t ring out fully, but by the last Melody A, you had every note sounding clear! I think you know exactly what to do and are doing a great job, it just takes a lot of practice to be consistent on every attempt. Super job! Thank you for taking part in this challenge!
smudge – Way to challenge yourself…that’s the only way to make huge strides in your playing! You sound great! My main thing to add to where you are is to really work on the hammer-on/pull-offs slowly and build them up to speed. Right now you are rushing those sections just a bit. I would play along slowly with a metronome and work them up to speed. I can tell you’ve worked super hard on this one! Great work, and thanks for entering the challenge!
mheiden – Awesome job! You are playing the notes great, and have a great sound on your ukulele. Most of the song is in time as well! To make it even better, I would isolate measure 7-8 and practice until that part is super comfortable. Then if you want to slow it down to make it slightly dramatic, that’s a nice touch, but I’d recommend adding a little more space after the last note in measure 8 to let the song breathe a bit more. Little things like this and adding some slight dynamics will just add another level of texture to an already complete performance. Thank you for your submission!
casadot349 – Super job! Wow! You play this one wonderfully! When you fingerpick, you play everything smoothly and with a great sound…my only concern is the angle of your wrist: if you play for long periods of time with your plucking hand wrist bent at that much of an angle, it may start to hurt quicker than if you were able to hold the ukulele at more of an angle and straighten the wrist out a bit. Look at Andrew’s courses to find some suggestions on posture. You are an excellent player, so I want you to be able to continue to play without any aches in the wrist. Well done! Thank you for entering the challenge!
santai – I’m so glad you’re enjoying the site so much! The thing I liked most about your submission, is that you know how to practice at the pace you need to go to get the timing as well as all of the notes in. Your sense of timing is great…not everyone can play at slower tempos and keep the feel intact! Melody B sounds like it can use a bit more work, but it’s very close! The bridge of a song is always the least played section, so it makes sense: You play the other melody 3 times every time you play the song, while the bridge (Melody B) is only getting practiced once. For this reason, in most songs with this form, that middle part has to be isolated and practiced more than the rest. Once you do this, you’ll be ready to play it just a little bit faster. Great work, and great use of knowing what tempo to play at!
karenj – I like how you added some strums to fill up measure 8! It sounds very nice with that addition! You’re playing the whole piece very well, and the rhythm is swing, so that’s why you feel like adding it! There are a few spots that would sound even closer by just waiting a little bit longer before hitting the next note: In Melody B, the Eb chords are half notes, so just make sure to hold those chords for two full beats! This will make that section sound more relaxed and less rushed just by pacing those chords. Great work, and I hope you enjoy learning Jurassic Park!
erino7 – Great feel on this one! It’s nice and relaxed like it’s meant to sound! Two things I would add to make it even better: I noticed you slid into the last note of measure 7 (7th fret on the A string). I thought that was a nice touch, and I would practice that a little bit more so that it doesn’t stand out too much from the other notes: pluck that note a bit lighter, and keep the pressure even as you slide to prevent fret buzz. In Melody B, measure 12 has a slightly different rhythm, but you’re super close! Beat 2 (the first fret on the A string) in that measure is just a little bit longer, so wait an extra half of a beat before playing the open C string. If this is confusing, look through Andrew’s reading course on how to play rhythms for help. Excellent job! Thanks for taking part in the challenge!
sratica – I’m so glad you posted this! It’s tough to learn a whole song like this, and I’m glad you broke it down into 2 measure parts to get comfortable with the piece! Your tone sounds great, and you did a great job playing every note! The next step on this piece is to break each section down and really focus on the rhythm slowly. I would look through Andrew’s reading course at the rhythm section for guidance. Great job, and thanks for entering this challenge!
hotmilktea – Wow! That was fantastic! Your feel, notes, and timing were wonderful on this! I can tell you spent a lot of time on this! I only noticed one small thing to change: in measure 22, 24, and anywhere else that measure is the same, you are adding a tiny bit of space after the 10th fret on the A string, right before beat 3. It sounds fine like this, but to make it a little closer to the arrangement, all you have to do is get to beat 3 just a touch quicker. Everything else about the whole entire piece is wonderful! Superb job! Thanks for being part of this challenge!
wongbrown – You are doing great! Those sounds really aren’t very distracting to the listener, but I know what you mean! Sometimes you can mute the strings that are ringing out while you are changing chords with fingers that aren’t being used in the chord. As for when fingers stick to the strings…sometimes it’s a matter of making sure the strings are clean and that your hands are dry (when I try to record U-Bass I have a lot of this issue due to my hands sweating when I record). I hope this helps! Once you get past that, then it’s time to spend a little work with the rhythm, using Andrew’s reading course for guidance. You’re doing well, and I hope that gives you something to try. Thank you!
