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@concan – Very beautifully played with great feel! I hear a couple minor hesitations which seem to be mostly from reading the sheet music while you play. So my main suggestion would be to memorize the piece so you can focus 100% on playing it. The only spot I’d like to call to your attention would be bar 7 and 8. Let those chords ring out a little more (as half notes). Overall it was a lovely take 🙂
@marthad – Excellent playing Martha! My only suggestion would be to play along with me in the tab player which is a great way to practice keeping the tempo steady. TY so much for your generous donation, it is really appreciated!P.S. Don’t forget the premium member tag for the Kanile’a challenges 😉
@leslieb – Very nicely done, Leslie. I think you’ve got a great base established, so from here I would practice one section a day to strengthen it before Christmas. 🎅
@karenj – Very beautifully played Karen and TY so much for your donation.I AM A PREMIUM MEMBER
Donation of $20 to the Ukulele Kids ClubThis Month I worked on Matt’s lovely arrangement of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. I wish all my Uke friends here a Happy and Joyous Holiday season, and as always Thanks to all at Rock Class 101 for all that you do.
I AM A PREMIUM MEMBER
Hello everyone,
for this month I chose Steven’s arrangement of “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas”.
Bars 13 – 16 are still difficult for me. So many recordings went to waste… 😉Andrew, thank you for all the beautiful song arrangements and advice you and your Rockclass101 team give us. It’s a pleasure to be a part of this community.
I wish you all happy holidays!
I am a premium member (who would need much more time for this months challenge 🫤)
DONATION of $20 to the Kids Ukulele Club (forgot to notate that this was from RC101 but hope that this is fine anyway)
Hello everybody,
not just the end of this month‘s challenge but also the end of the year.
I’ve been working really hard to perform a song every month. Unfortunately, this song of all things, which I like so much and which marks the end of this year for me at RC, really failed. It’s sooooo sad – but it can’t be helped now.
Thank you to the whole team for a year full of wonderful tunes.
I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a great New Year.
I also wish all members much success on the ukulele path.Best regards
RiciI’M A PREMIUM MEMBER
hey,
This month I didn’t want to pick a difficult song because december is a very busy month so I pick AURA LEE.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the whole Rock Class team who give us a motivation to practice the ukulele throughout the year. And thank you also to the community that is one of the most caring I know
I wish you a happy New Year
Joyeux NOEL !
I AM A PREMIUM MEMBER
Here is my entry – Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (using thumb throughout was challenging). I decided to set a limit of 5 recording attempts but am not sure that this approached worked as after take 3 it all started to fall apart; anyway here is take 3!
Happy Christmas and New Year to all
I donated $25 to UKC
I am a PREMIUM MEMBER.
Christmas for me really is the most wonderful time of the year, so I am always looking forward to the December challenge 🎄 It was very hard for me to pick a song haha, but in the end there was no way I could not pick “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”. My favourite version of that song is the one by Bing Crosby, which is why I especially loved this jazzy arrangement! I am still working on 100% speed, but for now here is my recording of the song at 75% speed.
I also would like to take the opportunity to thank you, Andrew, and all the other wonderful teachers for yet another great year at RC101 – I’ve learnt so much and I am looking forward to many great songs and lessons next year 😊 And I am also looking forward to seeing and listening to many more great submissions as well, this community is just the best! 🤭
Wishing you all a merry Christmas and a happy and healthy new year 2024! 🎆
Rafaela@dianna – Beautifully played, Dianna. I’ve noticed some of your performances are played with a lot of expression. One thing I’d like you to try is a “less is more” approach. Here’s a couple changes you can try with this song. First, keep the tempo steady throughout, except in one or tow phrased where you’d like to add rubato (slowing down – for effect). Second, some of your down strums where a little slow, giving them an arpeggiated effect, but it in a way that loses the tempo. Perhaps switching to a 4 finger roll attack could give you a similar effect but at a quicker pace to keep the tempo more consistent.
Let me know if you have any questions. And TY so much for the donation!
@hiouke – Excellent playing!
@janaq1 – Wow Jana! That was really well played, very impressive. So I’m gonna nitpick, b/c that’s the stage you’re at now.There’s really only one thing I’d listen back for and that’s the times when the tempo/feel got a little off. For ex, the end of the first phrase (bar 2), going into the next phrase (bar 3), is a little rushed. I heard a couple other spots that happen later in the tune that are similar.
Now it could just be nerves, but that’s really all I’m hearing that could use attention. Again, to be at the “fine tuning” point in your performance is an incredible achievement.
@shmu88 – That was awesome Sam! Very nice job on the bridge section!
@richo_uke – That was a lovely performance, Rici. Honestly, just sounds like a little more practice would get it smoothed out to where you want it to be. The great thing about these tunes is that we get to play them every year 🙂TY so much for your donation and congrats on a year of challenges!
@clempek – Very nicely played Clem! Great job on the flick/strum technique too. And TY so much for your kind words, I really appreciate it and am glad you are part of our community 🙂
@akukes73 – I thought you did amazing with the thumb approach! Your notes and chords had a beautiful tone and sustain. Def did not need to do more than 3 takes, it was beautiful! Very well done this month, Ash!
@rafaela – Another brilliant take! And bravo on the solo, you nailed all the syncopated rhythms, very impressive! Keep working on boosting the tempo. If I was you, I’d pick up a copy of Transcribe, which allows you to incrementally change the speed of the backing track. So you can gradually work your way up from 75% to 80% to 85%, etc.BTW – I have to say, I’ve really enjoyed listening to your performances this year. Keep up the great work! 🙂
Thank-you Andrew…..yes….I was taking liberties on purpose that backfired a bit…….there were things that I liked while playing that didn’t sound as good on recording……also, I was trying to just use the thumb for strumming and picking, which made it a little trickier (my other fingers desperately wanted to join in)……
Expression vs./(or as) K.I.S.S. Now this is interesting and fun….great challenge for 2024 – See you then and Happy Holidays!
I AM A PREMIUM MEMBER
I’ve been working on It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas and have it memorized but totally struggled through those bars with the triplets up the neck. Felt a little better when I went back and saw this was an advanced challenge. I just really love the song and wanted to try to play it. I hope someday my fingers will cooperate in those tighter spaces up the neck.
Hello Uke family,
This Christmas marks the 2 year anniversary of the gift of my first ukeklele, from my family. The process of learning to play has enriched my life tremendously, in no small part from being part of this lovely community. Feeling grateful for Andrew and the crew, and my fellow learners here at Rock Class 101. Happy and peaceful holidays to you all, and see you in the New Year!
Here is another “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” leaning a bit into the melancholy of it…
Warmly,
JodyI am a Premium Member.
@annemarie – Very beautifully played, Anne! There’s a couple spots (mostly in the second 8 bars of the tune) where I’m hearing a little hesitation between transitions. So I’d go back and note where they are to target your practice there.
The other suggestion I’d like to make is for the tempo stay a little more consistent throughout. One way to practice this is to play along with the tab player in “synthetic” mode with the metronome activated. Try tapping your foot along as you go.
@anikali – Bravo! I thought you did an awesome job on this tune. It is indeed quite an advanced level song! Do you have a tenor sized uke? That def makes the Bridge section easier to play with larger frets.My suggestion would be to practice at a slower tempo and to only work on one 8 bar section at a time (except for the Bridge, try only 2 bars at a time there). Focus on note/chord clarity, transitions, and keeping the tempo steady throughout. I’d play along with the tab player as Steven’s tempo was solid on this tune, so his playing will act as a guide you can follow.
@jody_hendrickson – Such a beautiful performance, Jody! Your skills and finesse far exceed two years of playing time. TY for the kind words, I really appreciate it 🙂
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