Participate in the April 2025 Member Challenge – WIN $2,250 Kanile’a Ukulele

[abster]

I am a premier member
Sorry Andrew, Not proud of this one. Did not practice enough. Will do a better job in May. Please accept entry for April challenge: April Smiles

[abster]

@otzepeng: beautiful…divine!

[bohdan]

I am a premium member.

Hi,
Walking bass is my first recording, it still needs a lot of work.

[sarahd]

I AM A PREMIUM MEMBER

I made the mistake this month of picking a song I liked the sound of and forgetting to actually check what level it was! And then trying to play it along with a backing track that I couldn’t really hear cos the speakers on my laptop weren’t really up to it! Seriously, advanced songs should come with a warning in big red letters to save people like me from making this mistake in future. 😛

Anyway, I tried. It’s not very clean, there are plenty of pauses and I go out of time with the track, but the scenery is nice! 🙂

Here’s my version of 50s Rock & Blues…

[frederic]

I am a premium member

Hello!
Here is my take at the 5 strum patterns.

[riley_ukulele]

I AM A PREMIUM MEMBER

Hey everyone,

Here is April Smiles. I had to play it with a high G ukulele as I wasn’t able to get a low G set of strings in time. This was a fun song to learn, and I’m really happy with the sound of the duet version!

Thanks 🙂

[nelsonlin2021]

I AM A PREMIUM MEMBER.

This month, I went with the 12-Bar Jazz Blues – EP009 for the challenge. I’ve always dreamed of playing in a group setting, so this felt like a great step in that direction. The toughest part for me right now is staying in sync with the band—especially during solos. If I mess up and lose the beat, it’s hard to find my way back in. I’d really appreciate any feedback or tips!

[leb397]

@andrew thank you. I’ll work on timing and getting it cleaner. It’s some fast finger work with hammers and pull offs. I’ll have to experiment with Transcribe, don’t know anything about it.
Always appreciate your feedback back. Hopefully I’ll have more time in May. April was crazy for me.
Great entries everyone.

[rw1950merritt]

I am a premium member.

I still can’t believe how hard it is to record something all the way through without a bunch of mistakes.
You all are certainly experts for what you do.

[dividedsky]

I AM A PREMIUM MEMBER

Here is my submission of the 5 Strumming Patterns.
I’m excited to be back doing the challenges. It’s been fun and inspiring to see/hear everyone’s submissions.

~ Jane

[dianna]

@Andrew….thank-you!😁

[alojzy_bomba]

Thank you so much for your kind words @Andrew! I’m really glad you enjoyed my playing, it means a lot. I am looking forward for the next challange.

[xerxes]

I forgot to say. I am a premium member…

[leslieb]

Out of practice, I forgot to say I am a premium member.

Thanks

[Andrew]

Here’s everyone on page 5.

@rgillof – Timing was spot on Rich, great groove too!

@hiouke – Your performance sounded great! I did notice a slight break in the tempo when you play the ghost notes and rasgueado. It’s tough to pinpoint the exact cause just from audio, but if you’re able to share a short video of those two techniques, I’d be happy to take a look and offer any advice I can. 🙂

@richard_siegert – Great job on the chord melody Richard! The only thing I’d work on from here is eliminating the pauses in transitions. Try playing along with Evan in the tab player. Start with 8 bar sections before trying the entire piece.

Duet was perfect! Excellent timing and great strumming tone!

@johanna2509 – That piece sounds really nice on low G and I love how laidback you played it! Excellent job on all 5 patterns.

@leslieb – That cough sounds brutal, hope you are feeling better Leslie!

Nice lead playing! The thing I’d work on first is making sure you understand the rhythm of the licks you’re playing. Try counting and tapping your foot along like this:

Once you feel comfortable with this, then try putting it onto the instrument.

@coffeemug – The first one sounds great! You’re doing well on the other two too, but for those, I would recommend practicing with a click or the tab player. That’ll help you get it locked in (timing wise) and eliminate pauses.

@bibilele – Aced it! Great timing, feel, and groove!

@henri0 – Wow! That was amazing and it felt like I was sitting in a jazz club! Bravo Rhian!

@xerxes – The first 3 patterns were spot on in terms of timing and feel, well done! For the ghost note, it looks like you are plucking it with your thumb. Kinda like you would do in traditional fingerpicking technique. Instead, try to come down keeping the motion of the strum. I filmed this video to explain this better:

@janaq1 – Groovy Jana! I think you’ve got a great base established. I would work on two things moving forward: cleaning up unwanted string noise and timing (keeping it steady). Both will come naturally with a bit more practice b/c you’re a really good player!

@cimarronsailor – Your timing was great, in my opinion! Nothing fell apart, and I never heard you drift beyond an acceptable measure. If you’re feeling any frustration, it’s probably due to the slower tempo. It can be tough to feel the beat at that pace. As you continue practicing this tune, I’d suggest gradually boosting the tempo.

A tool like Transcribe can really help. It lets you adjust the tempo in small increments so you can build up at a pace that feels natural.

[Author]

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