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@akukes73 thank you for sharing. So soothing and melodic. Very pretty song. Once again I’ve learned another new instrument on RC101.
Great month everybody 👏🎼👏🎼👏🎼What an inspiring month! I used it as a review month. Often, friends/family will say play something on the uke and I will freeze, because I can’t remember anything….it’s very frustrating. So, this month besides continuing to work on Freight Train (which still needs practice) I pulled out Blue Moon, Five-Foot Two, Summertime (just did that last month) and Sittin’ By The Dock of the Bay….It didn’t take much to remember them, and I’m not playing to perfection….but to my surprise….they are still with me! It is my goal to add more tunes to that list, also so that I play less ‘mechanically’ and more ‘intuitively’…..or naturally….and of course, so when I am asked to play I have something at my fingertips that might also be recognizable.
Enough about me! There were 22 of us who posted and I have no doubt there were many others who worked on their own projects. Posting is a whole other beast…..I was impressed with those like @leb397 who posted after under 5 takes using a technique (clawhammer) that was new to her…..and it sounded great! I’m still chasing after that elusive ‘perfect’ take….which after too much time, I realize doesn’t exist and will often post one of the earlier takes…..
So here goes:
@Henri0 – you have wonderful command of the instrument….no pauses, no hesitations, beautiful flow in both cases you nailed the feeling of the pieces. With Frolic you have created a fun light-heartedness and Suicide is Painless – with gorgeous sustain and movement up and down the fretboard – it is fraught with emotion. Well done….
@malku2603 – thank-you for opening up a whole new genre of Uke playing and introducing us to Dotora Indian Folk style of playing…..absolutely love it! Loved watching your progress…..sounds great…..and absolutely inspiring!
@leihali – beautiful sound….love the gentle touch and clear tone….beautiful.
@johanna2509 – I have always thought of the (kalimba) as a toy….(like many think of the ukulele)….you have changed my mind…..what a lovely sounding instrument and you did it justice…beautiful playing….thanks for sharing.
@Misterbones – always love watching your posts….and you did not disappoint this month….so many cool components to your post…..impressive multi-instrumental improv….just too cool for school…..the in-sync merging of three videos… and the actual recording….loved the sound and I’m thinking you were using something other than your I-phone to record….sounds great!
@anyon1 – Gorgeous, clear and uplifting….great feel and love the rhythmic tapping….sounds like fun!
@rw1950merritt love that classic piece….a good one to keep in the repretoire because it’s so recognizable……slow and steady….you’ve got it down!
@nat-uke – L-O-V-E it…….what a beautiful gift….this one choked me up…so well done…and the technology was seamless….to the point that as a viewer you don’t even notice it….I’m so drawn in…..so joyful! Great one!
@lhamilton – Wow! You are so talented! Your whistling is ethereal and otherworldly….haunting….and then to whistle like that and play the Uke at the same time….just Wow! You gave me the chills with your performance.
@jasdel – love the slide….nailed the Blues!
@marianne – As always absolutely beautiful……I love the way you emote through the Uke…..you always take our humble little instrument to a different level……inspiring us all.
@karenj – I love that piece….and have been wanting to make my way thru the course…….nice job!
@katazumiri – first of all love the choice of tune……and the multi-instrumentation – just so Kooooool! And the fact that you are playing them all…..just wow! You blew me away! You must have a musical labratory…….always playing with sound…….thanks for sharing…..I feel lucky to get to listen to your creations!
@leb397 – love that tune and love the clawhammer…….I played that piece awhile ago….so I know it’s tricky, but you did an outstanding job first time clawhammering and posting a first-ish take…..love that banjo uke too……they are so much fun to play……..
@grannieannie – Great job on Spanish Romance – lovely…….and the sound of the dogs joining you warmed my heart……mine just passed last month….and I miss those sounds.
@brettboy – loved that piece…..and you have done it justice…..gorgeous….as always! Also, you are playing on a baritone……is this a new instrument for you…..if so I couldn’t tell……just amazing!
@akukes73……..Wow…..just picking up the guitalele? Sounds lovely…….not sure what the difference is between that and an actual guitar…….but very impressed at your ability to just pick up an instrument and play something…..fun!
@taylor22jane – keep playing……you are very good!
@janaq1 – Wow! Great job! Love that piece!And now onto September! Hope to see ya all next month…..
And again thanks to Rockclass101 and all the teachers for this great program!-
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@leb397: Kudos on such as great job with Cripple Creek! I know it isn’t for everyone, but I must say that I love the banjo sound. Thanks for the shout out, and I certainly recognize this song is harder than it seems. Your hard work paid off and you nailed it.
@brettboy: Love the fun jig!
@marianne: I love how you seem s o relaxed and play with such emotion.
@dianna: How thoughtful of you to take the time for all of your comments.Thanks to all in this wonderful RC 101 community. Happy Labor Day weekend to those in the USA.
Take care,
KarenHi everyone,
here is my video of “The Sound of Silence”. Still with a few hick-ups and hesitations – I have the feeling that whether the songs are getting longer or my memory is getting shorter. 😅
Anyway, please enjoy! Looking forward to the September challenge. 😊@dianna: Thanks a lot! Yes, the easiest way to record multiple instrumental tracks is using an audio interface, and that’s what I did, pretty much exactly as described here: https://rockclass101.com/ultimate-guide-recording-ukulele/
This is particularly easy when the instruments have a pickup, so instead of using a mike, I can plug them directly into the audio interface. Then I can record each additional track directly by playing it live to what I’ve recorded before, without the need to use headphones. And the audio interface also allows me to add a metronome click, which is of course not audible in the final recording. I was actually shocked how bad I was at just holding a steady beat, just by listening back to my recording along with the click. Definitely a very good practice routine to improve timing.
Proceeding like this means all the audio is already in sync automatically, then I just have to sync it up with the video recorded separately via the phone.Thanks, @dianna!
Heyho Rockclass,
her i am with my very first try of arranging a chordmelody. First i was on fire, spend many hours by pointing out the right notes, write the Tabs, try to play it and then the worklife ( i had to return to :/ ) overwhelmed me and i did’nt worked on it more thank two weeks. At friday i was not sure about the whole idea and struggled … Do i post something or just apologize ?
Nevermind .. this evening I gave me a kick in the a** and here it is. I hope it will do justice to the original.And now it’s time for me to share some warm words. What a great month with all of you! So much heart, ideas, talent. The unbelievable @katazumiri – onewomanband just flashed me with a song i never took seriously – till now, @brettboy just wowed me and @marianne delivered so much feeling. @jasdel: such a great blues: i ordered me a slide-tube immediately. And i took out my old Kalimba because of @johanna2509: it sounded just dreamy how you played harmony and melody. I not named you all but my hugs fly out to everyone who took part!
Markus
What an amazing month of performances by so many people! Well done to all! As I posted at the beginning of the month, I picked Sound of Silence to work on this month. Still not 100% happy with the fluidity of the performance, but glad I picked this song as a challenge because I have always wished I could play it!
Unfortunately, my healing was not smooth, so it still hurts to hold a ukulele and I haven’t been able to practice much. This is the best I could do.
Hello ukulele friends!! 😊
I wish I could share all that I’ve been through this month, but it’s been so heavy for me. I am only now just starting to feel more like myself, with my mental and physical health. I rambled about it in more depth in the thread I created in “Uke Talk,” but let’s just say, whew! – August, 2025, she’s been a real doozy! Understatement of the century… I still have a ways to go, but trying to be hopeful that things will keep getting better.
I am so excited to look through all of what everyone’s shared so far – and so happy to see, as always, everyone here is being so lovely and supportive to each other – so creative and talented. Very beautiful indeed! 😊
All that said, boy did I need some comic relief and I got it tonight! 😂
So, with everything I had going on, I barely, barely got to practice at all. I knew the uke part of the arr. because I made the arr. – “Memory” from the musical Cats. But then I wanted to overlay the BEAUTIFUL vocal stylings of my little friend – the gudetama otamatone. His name is Eggenezer Snooze (because “gudetama” in Japanese literally means “lazy egg,” which is what he is). 😂
I was struggling with the tech stuff as always, so I was having trouble getting the song to play so I could listen to it and play over it with my little friend – so I just recorded separately with no reference to the uke part. Just one take and I didn’t even play it through before that, just guessed! Considering, it could be much worse, but boy did I laugh heartily when I listened to it back – and I kept it just the way it was for the sheer hilarity of it all, in my eyes. It’s so stinkin’ bad! I hope you enjoy it and find it funny! 😂
Hopefully, it’s not too quiet. I saw some other people here had new mics and I had already been considering getting a lapel mic. Let me know if it’s crushingly quiet, please!
Thank you all for all you share here! 😍
I don’t know if we are still supposed to say “I AM A PREMIUM MEMBER”, but I’m just writing just in case.
Hi,
This month’s challenge was harder than I thought I could manage. My play is far from what I expected, but this is what I am at. I wanted to post something better, but my fingers are hurting and it’s only getting worse if I try playing more.
Because the song is long, I shortened it by skipping here and there but still try to show different parts of the song.
Admittedly, the video here is very simple and the song shortened, but achieves my goal of using the CAGFD method to change the voicing of Don’t Worry Be Happy, playing higher up the neck. I play the intro first with the standard chords, then immediately with the higher chords. Then I play the first verse with standard chords, and the second verse with the higher. The “standard” chords from Daily Ukulele of C, Dm and F I refigured using the G shape for the C, and Dm and D shape for the F chord. (The melody is whistled, not sung, admittedly not near as good as lhamilton. Also, not the accomplishment of all the other great posts this month, but it advanced my skills a bit.)
Post #2
After completing the RC101 course “How to Write a Song on Ukulele” I was inspired to capture the energy and joy of one of the best summers I’ve ever had. I chose a swung feel in G Major to match that upbeat, carefree vibe.
I originally planned to write a full 12-bar chord melody, but I only made it to 8 bars — and honestly, that felt like a win. This was my first attempt at composing a tune, and while it was exciting, it was also surprisingly challenging. I spent a lot of time noodling and second-guessing myself. Turns out, writing music demands a kind of creativity I’m still learning to tap into. I appreciate any feedback and pointers on getting better at song writing. Cheers!
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