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Hello, my dear ukulele friends!! 😁
So, I wanted to reply to just a few of the entries in the challenge, but then as I was going, I realized I wanted to reply to all of them – so I did. 😂 But I also didn’t want to clog up the challenge thread, so I’m posting them here and going to link to this in the challenge thread.
Because it’s Rock Class 101’s 100th challenge, I thought it would be fun / special to reply to everyone, also so I can reconnect to this group that has meant so much to me over these last few years. This month, I’ve been having some real struggles with depression on and off, so it really brightened my spirits to take some time to watch through every entry and reply to each one, and just marvel at the amazing talent in this group – both from those who created these songs (the teachers here, @Andrew leading them all) and from the students who put their hearts into these challenges every month, and share so much love and encouragement to everyone. So yes, that’s what this is, if anyone wants to read it. I think I replied to everyone. 😂
So, thank you all just for being you and for all the beautiful things you’ve shared, and just how much you’ve encouraged me and meant to me in my uke journey. And some of us have really become friends, both on the forum and outside of the forum, which is so special. 😍 This makes me really emotional to talk about every time. But thank you! 😂😭
Okay! Here are the replies (in order)!!
***
@isabelm, such a beautiful play through of White Sandy Beach! I really love that one. It sounds very beautiful on the baritone. 😊
@deadbuggy, haha, nice take on “Take Me Out”! It sounds particularly lovely on the uke. 😊 I know nothing about sports, though, other than the Brewers is Wisconsin’s team – and I went to two games ever and only remember the food (I was in high school at the time). Nonetheless, I admire your spirit and that sounded great! 😂
@katazumiri, VERY beautiful cover of “Clocks”! It’s always so much fun to see what kind of “band of one” that you put together! So impressive. Even when I’ve tried to overlay two instruments or play with a backing track here, it’s so tricky, and your timing is always perfect! Thank you for sharing! 😊
@malku2603, really lovely playing with that blues tune! It can be so tricky to get that feel and you did very well with it!! 😀 All your play throughs of the forms were so good! 🙂 And you picked up the speed so well, such impressive progress!! 😀 I watched all your videos in order that you posted them, that’s why this reply is so disjointed, lol. Really love your enthusiasm while you’re playing, too! 😊
@otzepeng, ohhhh, your video was very dramatic! Very beautiful playing! Matt always captures the emotions of tunes like that so beautifully, and you captured that feel with your playing so well! Beautifully done! 😊
@misterbones, so amazing! You capture the groove of songs so stinkin’ well! That one is so insane and you did such an amazing job of it! So many of Andrew’s tunes I listen to and think, “wow, that’s amazing to listen to and watch him play,” but for me it changes the way I think of songs when I learn them so I don’t always want to learn songs for that reason (and also they’re too hard, lol). Sometimes it can take away the magic for me, but in your case, I think you *added* to the magic A LOT! Good golly that sounds great! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
@akukes73, so very beautiful! I really love that version of Can’t Help Falling In Love and you truly captured the beauty of it! That’s one of my favorite songs, though it means something different to me than probably to most people. I feel like you really captured the emotion of the song so beautifully. It kind of made me want to cry. 😂 Lovely! 😊
@grannieannie, finally got to listen to your performance, so very lovely! Such an incredibly tricky tune and you nailed it! Sounds so beautiful. I also sometimes try to do that with tunes – only do one take and use it. It’s a very good exercise. Whenever I’ve recorded myself singing, I only ever do one take because I don’t want my neighbors to hear, lol. But that actually can be very beneficial. Oh, I wanted to say about your comments about the cop ticketing me – ha, he did not care whatsoever that it was Mother’s Day, my birthday, OR that I’ve never even been pulled over before. Pretty pricey ticket AND I had to take a stupid class (still have to, cough). That is my favorite thing to whine about this year, lol. Anyway, beautifully playing!! 😂
@brettboy, also finally got to listen to your performance of the Severence theme! Perfect, as always! Love the drama you added to it. So, never having watch the show, I love the idea of the melon party, but I feel like something horrible happens to that goat, doesn’t it? Don’t tell me. 😂 I can smell dystopian sci-fi from a mile away. Anyway, magical playing as always! 😊 Lol, the ending of your video!
@johanna2509, such a beautiful performance! I love that idea of one take as if it was on stage! It worked out very well for you – really perfect, honestly! I have felt the sheer terror of that since I’ve started playing on Open Mics with Gi Gi. There is no feeling like it if you have stage fright, but in that case you really do only have one take, but thankfully everyone in the group we play with is so incredibly kind if you mess up – which I have multiple times, lol. It’s still such a good exercise, even if it isn’t in front of people. Thank you for sharing that! Beautifully done! Also, I think it’s my turn with the email, sorry for that, life has been insane! 😂😊
@mickan88, wow, what a beautiful video and such beautiful playing! That was really perfect! Andrew’s tunes are so beautiful and you really captured that so well! Thank you! 😊
@alojzy_bomba, hahaha, that was really amazing! What a fun performance, really amazing! Wowzers! The Pink Panther cartoon is definitely a core memory from when I was a small kid. 😂 Thanks for sharing! 😊
@nelsonlin2021, so very beautifully played! I almost picked that one, Canon in D, but I didn’t want to play on a uke with higher frets – I wanted to play on my little 12-fret, soprano, googly-eyed orange uke, lol. That’s my comfort uke. You played that amazingly well! 😊
@lhamilton, very beautiful playing! Love that tune. It never gets old, even though I’ve played Fur Elise on piano a lot. Sounded really perfect, maybe even slightly better on uke! :O 😂
@ccwuke, I was so confused at first. It sounded like Moonlight Sonata. Am I confused? Probably, lol. Very beautifully played! That’s one of my favorite songs, Hallelujah. Really perfect performance, honestly! 😊
@henri0, very beautiful performance of that tune! You captured the feel of it so well. Lovely! 😊
@anyon1, amazing!! That sounded so dang good! Such a tricky tune and you played it so beautifully! Your rhythm sounded perfect. 😊
@leb397, wow, that was amazing! I absolutely love the way those kind of tunes sound – rags – but I’ve never been brave enough to attempt one, also because I don’t like strumming very much. That sounded so dang good – all those different rhythmic patterns, so tricky, but you nailed them all – well done, friend!! 😊
@marianne, oh my word, that was so majestic! I knew it would be because it’s you, but boy was that lovely. Absolutely stunning performance. Holy crud. I’m seriously blown away by that. Now I’m wondering how forgot that arrangement existed? Or maybe I missed it somehow? lol. So, I have heard Moonlight Sonata countless times of course and played it myself on piano, but how Evan modified it is so, so amazing. And you brought it to life so incredibly. So inspiring, thank you so much! Also the story that @Andrew told about how Evan created it is even more mind-blowing. Okay, geniuses, WHATEVER. 😉 😂
@leslieb, so very beautiful! I love Hawaiian tunes in general and a good waltz, but the combination is so lovely. Very pretty performance! It also is so nice to see how you’re enjoying it as you play it. 😊
@rw1950merritt, “you offered us a performance we can’t refuse.” Okay, that didn’t quite work, oh well. Very lovely play through of that beautiful theme! 😊
@janaq1, so very beautiful! Always look forward to your performances and this one didn’t disappoint. Lovely performance, capturing the feeling so perfectly! I also love that tune, too. 😊
@karenj, that was so, so magical! That made me smile so much! Cripple Creek is the only traditional clawhammer tune I know, but a different version. Chris’ is way trickier and you captured the fun and spirit of it so well! 😀
@jedart, very nicely done! I actually wanted to try that one but I thought the uke part was too tricky for me. 😂 Very beautiful performance with your playing and singing! 😊
@riley_ukulele, that was so, so amazing! Honestly incredible, beautifully played, really perfect – start to finish! A joy to listen to, thank you! 😊
@ldarrow, very gorgeous playing!! I love that style of tunes on uke and you capture the feel very beautifully! I still haven’t had the courage to try one of Evan’s arrangements, maybe next month, lol. Well done, you! 😊
@leihali, now listening to this again (ccwuke played Hallelujah as well), I see this version just has a different opening. 😂 Very beautiful performance!! I love that you really let the notes breathe in all their beauty and how much emotion you imparted into your playing. Very beautifully done! 😊
@terryfallon3, so, so beautiful! I love that tune so much and your performance was so lovely! I think that’s the same tune as Loch Lomond? Well, I guess they share the same melody (I looked it up). Anyway, lovely to listen to, thank you! 😊
@gi_gi_ so stinkin’ beautiful, my friend! Your playing is so inspiring to me, your playing and singing, but your expressiveness carries into your instrumentals as well. I learned a song that Andrew created based on this tune (I think), called Classical Etude, and it’s so satisfying to play. But this one is so lovely. So glad you made it in time!! 😂 I didn’t want to wait until the last day because so much has been crazy this month and I couldn’t handle any mroe stress. 😂 Anyway, so beautiful, my friend! <3
@tessiert, so gorgeous! I really loved this tune when it came out and you capture the beauty of it perfectly. 😊
@bibilele, so very lovely and moving! Beautiful playing. I also love that song. Very pretty feel and sound. So tricky and intricate, but you played it perfectly! 😊
@dianna, that was so magical! Really glad you got a performance in and it sounded so amazing!! Well done, friend!! 😀
@abster, so very magical! You’re so talented and we’re all amazed by it!! I love me some clawhammer and you just nailed it!! That made me smile so much! Perfect! 😊***
Okay, I think that’s all for now!! I hope this is okay that I did this, just to show that I appreciate y’alls so much. Thank you!! 😍
Heyho Bumblebard,
what a incredible idea to reply to all of the entries ….but you always seems to like to talk and write much, so it suites you perfectly. Thank you for all of the work you put in it and the ability to heaving friendly and respectful word’s for all. Now i’m Not just heard all of the entries – i also read all of your replies and got another chance to improve my english in word and writing.
So, thank you again. For the 100th challenge i asume: This is a great platform and forum but it would be half as great without you.
Some day Andrew has to engage you as a mod in here in the forum i guess. 🤗🤙🏼Greetings from vacation,
Markus
@the_bumble_bard That was great. I read all your comments to everyone and that was just wonderful. I asked @Andrew 4 years ago if he could add comments to the site so we could at least heart or thumbs up the performances but it may be too difficult to accomplish. Thank you so much for your encouraging words towards me my dear. You are someone special and just as @otzepeng has stated, this community wouldn’t be as great without you. I remember when you joined. You brought so much light, positivity and unity to Rock Class 101. So glad you’re here. Sorry this month has been tough for you. Ps 22:24 “ For he has not despised nor loathed the suffering of the oppressed one; He has not hidden his face from him. When he cried to him for help, he heard”
@otzepeng By the way, your English is great. Noone would know it wasn’t your mother tongue, as they say.
Any tips on that Hollylark mic? I didnt do anything but put everything in place. It all turned green at once and I pressed play on my phone. Wish I knew how to do noise cancellation.
Miss Bumble, you are a vital cog of this uke community Andrew has created. Your replies are always heartfelt and – most importantly – kind. You’re also a really good player and an inspired performer. Thanks for taking the time to help connect everyone through this magical little instrument.
@The_Bumble_Bard What a lovely thing to do, taking the time to comment on each entry. You are so positive and encouraging, and that comes through every time you post on the forums. Thank you.
I understand your reluctance to sing in front of everyone – I’ve always had trouble letting my voice ring out when others are listening. Why do we feel so vulnerable that way? You have a beautiful singing voice, and I hope we’ll hear more of it. And maybe you’ve inspired others to sing as well. (Great idea to start by letting the puppets do the singing, btw.)
Sorry you’ve had so much to deal with this year, and I’m not alone in hoping that things pick up for you from now on. Take care, my dear.
Oh my, I am in tears from all your kind and encouraging words, especially that verse, @gi_gi_, you have no idea how hard that hits right now. But all of the kind words everyone shared here means so much – this is a very special group of people. I feel like Andrew sets that example for this community and that’s why it’s the way it is, and I only hope to contribute to that. I’m just so grateful. I’ve just been so down and that all means so much. 😂😭
I have more to say later (and also to reply to the other entries that were posted after I shared this), hopefully at some point this weekend, but otherwise early next week. Thank you all so much!! 🥰😭❤️😊
@The_Bumble_Bard, How nice of you for spending time to give each one of us your lovely comment. As I still feel such a beginner player, your comment is so encouraging that I want to practice more and become a better player.💕
@The_Bumble_Bard That is so sweet of you, to write everyone a comment with such kind words. 😊 You are so good at writing, maybe you should start a blog or something like that, I just enjoy reading your posts. 💕
I guess my one-take strategy only worked out so well because I am quite familiar with that tune and I practised it well. 😅 Sadly, it is not a shortcut for fast recordings haha. 😅
That is incredible, that you are playing on Open Mics! 😊 I’d be so nervous if I played on a real stage with an audience. 😅
Your two performances were great, and your singing sounded so confident. I know how it feels to feel kind of vulnerable when sharing your singing voice. RC101 really is a safe space for that kind of thing. I loved the idea with the puppets as well. 😅
Oh, and no worries, take your time with the email.😊Oh golly, coming back to this, I realize the Tear Factory is going to be in full swing as I reply to this, 😂 but I’ll start with replying to the people who posted after my initial post (for July’s challenge), for the sake of thoroughness:
@jbmills07, oh man, that was absolutely amazing with Shake It Off! I can see what Andrew was saying about the rhythm at the beginning of the tune, but other than that tiny thing, that was true perfection! Beautiful, friend! Always good to see you join the challenges, even though you’ve already won two kanile’as. 😉 😂 That’s probably my favorite T-Swift song, though. Perfectly played! 😊
@ruthie-roo, absolutely beautiful playing, Ruthie! So sorry you’re going through that pain, but you haven’t let it hold you back from playing so beautifully. I really, really love that tune by Andrew. The only reason I didn’t try it is because I don’t have a low G uke. Anyway, lovely playing! 😊
@nat-uke, magical performance! I want to hear the singing, lol! Very beautiful performance! You really can’t go wrong with that tune. I also really like the look of your video – looks very professional. 😊
@xerxes, I actually think that sounded great! All you need to do is increase the speed and I think it’ll sound perfect! I also like the snapping, lol.
@jody_hendrickson, sounds very lovely, your take on the Severence theme! I feel a bit of FOMO over not being in on this inside joke, but that’s what I get for never watching TV by myself. All I know is I hope I’m invited to that dang melon party! 😂 (Probably not, lol.) Sounded really amazing! 🙂
@rgillof, your Summertime Blues sounded so lovely! 🙂
@jobarjo454, wow, that was crazy good!! Hope you share more around here. Really magical performance, and really perfectly played! 🙂Okay, I’ll reply (in a separate post) to as many of the rest of the posts as I can tonight. I just want to give each one my full attention just because everyone wrote such incredibly kind things that I still feel overwhelmed by. 😂
@otzepeng, thank you, your words mean so much to me and move me a lot! Even though I am shy, I really love people, interacting with and encouraging people. I also love writing a lot, which is why I tend to get carried away “at times.” 😂 That makes me so happy to know that reading through all that was a good chance for you to practice your English, though I agree with @Gi_Gi_ that no one would ever know it was your second language. Thank you for your kind words, I love this community (the teachers and the students alike), and it has meant so much to me in so many ways – helped me grow, not just as a musician, but really as a person, as well, especially with things like my anxiety. Ha, I actually have had the thought of asking Andrew about being a mod here, since I have done that in the past before, but thankfully it doesn’t seem like anything too crazy happens here with spam posts or anything (and everyone actually gets along, lol), so I don’t think he necessarily needs one. Nonetheless, that would be fun. 😂 I also want to say I can tell you have a lot of personality and your posts are always very entertaining to read / watch. Thank you so much again, truly! 😊
@gi_gi_, I’m probably going to cry as I write this, like a weirdo. 😂 Well, to start with, I think in order to add “likes” and things like that to the forum, you might need a completely different hosting site that allows for that. I may be wrong, but I think whatever platform Andrew uses is a pretty simple one as far as that kind of coding, but I’m no expert. I do know someone who might be able to answer that, though – I have some “connections,” lol. Then I could ask Andrew what he thinks of it (if it is possible). 😊Anyway, I can’t even begin to thank you for how much you have encouraged me and shared with me in the time we’ve known each other. You have been a true friend to me. Thank you so much for your kind words, I am truly moved by you saying that. I feel so blessed to have found Rock Class 101 and all the lovely, brilliant people here. I owe the most amazing experiences in my ukulele journey to this group and SO MANY special things have happened to me in my time here and so many of them because of you – such as our amazing, fun, hilarious times on the Open Mics (and our “side commentary” that happens in every context). 😂 I never would’ve tried that without you, I’m sure of it. And you yourself are such an inspiring musician – I want to be more like you in your elegant way of playing and singing.
As for that verse, this starts to get very deep, but when I have been very depressed, there have been times I cried out to God, inside and outside, and I felt like He didn’t hear me. So, it’s so beautiful and poignant that you share that specific verse. I know He did hear me, but in the moment, feelings can lie. This is a sign that I need to spend some time reading the Psalms. 😂
Thank you again so much, my friend! Your encouragement has helped me so much over the years. You are the best. 🥰
…
Welp, that’s it for tonight, I guess! 😂 Oopsies, I got very carried away. I’ll try to keep the next replies shorter, but this is the way (for me). Thank you all again! 😂
@the_bumble_bard You are the best. Love ya girlie 🥰 Thank you for being you. Like everyone has said, RockClass 101 wouldn’t be the same without you.
Just making a quick post here because I wrote a reply to everyone else, but it seems to have disappeared somehow! I’ll rewrite it again when I get the chance. Really sad, Andrew did try to look at it and fix it, but the post was lost into the ether somehow. Thanks to everyone else for your kind words for now! 🙂
@Gi_Gi_ love you, too, friend, my endless technological curse continues! 😂@The_Bumble_Bard – thanks so much for your kind words. You’re always so encouraging to all. And you put in a lot of effort to listen to and respond thoughtfully to the videos – not just this July challenge, but you comment on many in all the challenges. You’re a gem and I’m glad you’re here!
Hi @The_Bumble_Bard,
thank you for your kind and encouraging words.
It’s true that this community is special — we inspire and motivate each other to keep practising. But thanks to you, the atmosphere here is more vibrant and relaxed.
For myself, I can say that if it weren’t for you, I would express myself here much less. Now I force myself to step out of my comfort zone, write something, translate it into English, and “polish” it so that it makes sense.
So thank you, Rachael! 😉
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