Participate in the August 2018 Member Challenge – "Swing Your Rhythm" Themed!

[rickeymike]

Loved the performance AND the cactus tripod.

[benjamin]

Here is my submission:-

[rillke]

Hello, my August submission is here:

[suzie1]

I almost totally forgot to post this before the month was over. I learned this a few days after it was posted but I dont think I did too good on the swung part. It was very fun to learn and try though. Thanks Andrew for all these fun opportunities!!

[dmcox3]

here is my submission

[ukulelelady]

🙂

[mayaqatsi]

not for the prize but for the challenge, even if I never seem to get to practice enough, but at least the desire to practice is always there, thanks to you, Andrew!

[Andrew]

Wow, we had 30 members participate this month! We absolutely crushed our participation goal, but most importantly everyone did an awesome job and should feel super proud of their work this month!

So without further ado, the winner of our August Challenge is…

Congrats! I hope you enjoy the new uke 🙂

Our September Challenge is LIVE: https://rockclass101.com/september-2018-challenge. We’ve got 2 great fingerpicking songs to choose from and we are giving away an awesome Islander ukulele!

Last but not least, I have left feedback for everyone I hadn’t yet below. Great job again to all who participated this month!

—-

kellyblackburn, great playing Kelly! And it’s awesome to see you enjoying the new uke 🙂 I remember some of the last challenges we were talking about working on timing and playing the correct rhythm, and it totally sounds like you focused on that this month! You did very very well! The only thing I want to point out is the open A note in bar 13, you skipped over it in both videos. Don’t leave out the word, “Bob” lol!

wongbrown, I thought the same thing when I sat down to record an upcoming arrangement earlier this week! It happens to all of us 🙂 So this was kind of interesting, if you read the feedback I left for Kelly above, he left out a note. And I’m hearing the same in your performance; which is the open G in bar 4 (and again in the swung part). But that’s a minor thing, the main thing is that you have a clear understanding of the difference between straight verse swung. Very good job in that regard! Keep practicing to smooth it out and make it flow a little bit better, but that always comes in time. Keep up the great work!

curlyuke, here are two videos with feedback for you 🙂

kayleighb, big improvement Kay! That was super fun to watch! Add a few of these exercises to your warm-up routine, they will help with getting more comfortable with playing stretch phrases. I also have filmed and written a new lesson that contains three warm up exercises. One of them will be really helpful for helping with stretches too. Keep an eye out for it, probably first week of October.

mheiden, my pleasure! Check out this lesson, it explains and demonstrates what picado is: https://rockclass101.com/la-gitanita/.

cornishdpt, congrats on the new uke Cory! I know from Mike, that that is a pretty popular model 🙂 and side note, love the music room! Okay so, if you check out the feedback I left for Curly above, I’m hearing something similar with your playing, in that the swung rhythm isn’t clearly defined enough. It’s definitely there, but I think because both of you played at a quicker tempo, it makes it harder to establish that difference. Try the tips in that video, and let me know if it helps. But, the straight rhythm sounded really great!

brenna, I love the changes you threw in there, very creative! That was a great performance, the only suggestion I have is try it with a little bit more of a laid-back feel. See what you think about that. But, music is always up to the interpreter, which is you. And that was really cool, great job!

annefgodfrey, Great job! Here’s a video with some feedback for you and here’s the lesson I referenced in it: https://rockclass101.com/proper-right-hand-ukulele-form/.

lyndallk, that was lovely! Very well played! And don’t worry about the nerves it happens to all of us 🙂

lygonaceae, love the four finger strum, nice touch! I thought you did very well and demonstrated a clear understanding of the difference between both feels. Well done, keep up the great work! And nice tripod, LOL!

benjamin, awesome job Ben! And I love the “thank you” at the end 🙂 you’re playing sounds great, and your notes are nice and clean. The one big tip I have for you is to make sure that there’s a clear distinction between phrases. So this deals with our timing, we don’t want to rush through the song at times. Let me give you an analogy, imagine your gym teacher says to jog around the track. So you jog half of the track, but run the rest. So you may have finished the race first, but the big takeaway was to jog, not run. So I want you to keep working on this tune, but play along with the on-screen tab viewer. It will act as your guide, and keep you at the jogging pace.

rillke, bravo! That was a superb performance 🙂 very very good job!

suzie1, great job! So the straight rhythm was perfect. And I think you have a good understanding of the difference in swung rhythm, but as I’ve pointed out to Cory and Curly above, sometimes getting a clear distinction is harder if we are going at a quick tempo. So check out the tips that I left for them above, as it should be very helpful for you too 🙂

dmcox3, well done! You’ve got a clear understanding of the differences between the feels! My suggestion for you, is to keep practicing and focus on smoothing out some of the transitions from one phrase to another. Check out our tips on getting the most from your practice sessions here: https://rockclass101.com/practicing-the-correct-way/.

ukulelelady, I love your shirt! Pyromania or Hysteria? Awesome playing on the straight rhythm! Take a look at the feedback I left for suzie1 above. This feedback that I left for her and a couple other members will be very helpful for helping you get a better distinction between the two feels. Let me know if you have any questions 🙂

mayaqatsi, very well done! And I’m glad to hear you enjoy the challenges 🙂 so I have one tip for you, sometimes your performance felt a bit rushed. Try and play along with the on-screen tab viewer, it will act as a guide, keeping you at an even pace, but also helping to better define each phrase. After practicing for a while, try it on your own and record yourself. Listen back and see if you hear a difference, I think you will 🙂

[kanae926]

Congrats on getting the cool new uke, Ukulelelady! One can never have too many (IMHO). 😉

[wongbrown]

Hi Andrew, I only realised that I missed out the open G note when I replayed my YouTube for the 3rd time. You are so true! Thank you so so much for being so observant and patient. I imagine just merely listen to our performances is a tedious job. You not only did it so well, the comments you gave to us is invaluable. I have never encountered a teacher like you. I am very lucky and thankful to you, Andrew. I’ll work on the areas you mentioned. Meantime, I will start the new piece for Sept challenge😬 / Sheila

[kayleighb]

Thanks Andrew!

I don’t actually warm up. I know I should and it’s on my list to build a warm up routine but I knew you had a video coming soon so will hold out for this 😁

[ukulelelady]

kanae926, Thank you!

[ukulelelady]

Andrew,
Its actually Adrenalize 🙂 🙂 Thank you so much for the feedback, I really appreciate it!
🙂

[ukuleleloo]

Hey Andrew,

Thought I uploaded by video the other but I guess I didn’t. Here’s my entry a few days late. I playing Sponge Bob Square Pants, I’ve played this before in a previous challenge. I’m traveling and didn’t have enough room to bring my ukulele. I’m borrowing a tenor in this video. Having a little trouble reaching notes with my pinky.

[Andrew]

My pleasure, Sheila! And no worries, Lucinda. That was a great performance! Stretches didn’t look like they were too hard, maybe more difficult b/c it’s a tenor and isn’t yours. I’ve noticed every new uke I play has a bit of a learning curve to it.

[Author]

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