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Hi everyone,
This month I chose Magic Waltz. Clearly this is too difficult for me, but I just fell in love with the tune – particularly after looking at several versions on YouTube, and here.
The first problem is that I just can’t remember it well enough to play the whole way through – so I’ve cheated and stitched together separate attempts at each melody to make one video. The joins are fairly obvious! (If that disqualifies me from the competition, that’s OK too.)
Second problem – it’s just too darn fast! OK, so I’ll try at 75% speed, but even then some of the changes defeated me.
Oh well, you gotta try these things…
@andrew thanks for the feedback and kind words, and Great job on your performances everyone!
Hello RC101. So many great entries this month. Here’s my rendition of Magic Ukulele Waltz. Appreciate any feedback. Thank you 🙏😊
Hello friends, Here is my rather slow and plodding version of 12th Street Rag. I love this piece and it’s so fun to play. I hope to one day be able to play it at speed!
JodyHere is my version of “Daybreak” by Andrew H. I really like this song with the open chords and playing technique but I will need more time on it!
I only had the last week or two to work on this due to my daughter having a baby
and he had to be in NICU for almost 2 weeks! He has been home and thriving for a week now🥰
This strumming song with the individual notes is challenging. After spending an hour or 2
trying to get a clean take using the thumb to pick and strum and holding on the body of the uke like Andrew showed, my best take ended up NOT being one where I held the body! So I didn’t get as many isolated up notes on the “A” string but I think I kept a steady beat with only a couple of gaps. I’m still having trouble getting back up to the 9th fret 🙄
Thanks Andrew and RockClass 101!
I did Aura Lee for the February 2025 Challenge. I told myself when I joined I would participate this year, I know I need to start and finish much earlier.
Heyho Rockclass,
i’d running out of time but i worked hard to get this wonderful tune down and i want to share it. It’s definitly not in my League but absolute fun to play! 😃
I’m very thankful to be introduced to the wonderful cosmos of Roy Smeck.Andrew …. If i see the actual march-challenge ( … i know, what to choose for ) and imagine you do this again in one year i definitly would return to the future with this song.
I was flashed about all the great entries last month – you all did it great!
…..and how many challenged this Waltz – Respect!Here’s everyone on page 7 that I had not gotten to yet.
@rgillof – It’s sounding SO musical now, BIG improvement! Way to go Rich! Def keep at it and keep doing what you’re doing, it’s working! I’d also suggest taking a lesson with Chris. I’m sure he’d have extra tips for you too 🙂
@frederic – Your playing sounds beautiful and TY so much for the kind words. I agree, I think you’re at the polishing stage, so I would just focus on note/chord clarity in the sections where they aren’t ringing crystal clear. Your strumming and timing sounds great overall!
@wackywabbit – This was an excellent first post, David! Fingerpicking, timing, and your form/technique looks and sounds great! Well done! 👏
@dbvirago – Everything I said above for @wackywabbit’s feedback, I’d say the same to you. The only suggestion I have is to try not to stick your left-hand thumb over the neck as much. Try placing your thumb slightly above the middle of the neck, though for this song, having it stick out a little is okay. This adjustment will help improve your fretting dexterity. Check out this lesson, it talks in more detail about thumb placement as it relates to proper left hand form.
@bibilele – Wow Bianca! You aced it! Amazing playing! 👏
@johanna2509 – Beautifully played, Johanna!
@henri0 – That was awesome, Rhian! The only thing I would work on is polishing up the ending section, but overall it was an absolute pleasure to listen to. Great playing! 🙂
@1481632_m – That is the correct term and your roll technique sounds great Megan! Very beautifully played overall. And a great job on the tempo! The only thing I’d work on from here, is increasing the tempo. Keep up the great work!
@Kasia – That was very beautifully played Kasia! Well done!Here is everyone on page 8.
@yukalele – To me, this piece sounds great played fast or slow. It’s just such a lovely tune and you played it beautifully David! Try adding it to your warm up routine. The more you play it, the more it will help with memorizing.
@nelsonlin2021 – That was awesome Nelson! The thing I’m hearing that I would recommend you work on is keeping the tempo steady. I’m hearing phrases that are fast followed by phrases the slow down. So I’d suggest working on one section at a time. Start at a slower tempo than you are playing at now. And play along with a metronome. Gradually work to boost the tempo over time. I think that approach will yield the best results.
@jody_hendrickson – Your rhythm technique is amazing, Jody! Great feel throughout, too. I’d say you aced all of the techniques in this piece. The main thing I’d focus on is bringing the sections where you slowed down up to the speed of the rest of the piece. Once that feels solid, you can start working on increasing the overall tempo. But again, well done, impressive work!
@maryjanew – Congrats to your daughter! You played it beautifully, MJ! I think it’s totally fine to use a floating hand strum technique if that feels more natural for you. What stood out to me was how nicely the piece flowed. Fluidity is super important in this tune, and your performance had it in spades, along with great sustain. For the A string notes that occasionally didn’t ring out, double-check that your left hand isn’t accidentally touching the string when fretting those higher chords around the 9th and 7th frets. Well done this month!
@xerxes – Hi Milo, below is a video with feedback for you. And here is a quick video that I made for another member a few years ago on how to hold the uke. If you’d like to dive further, here is another lesson and one more covering this topic in more detail.
@leihali – Here is my feedback for you 🙂
@otzepeng – You played it wonderfully! Unfortunately, you submitted past our deadline for February, but you can def revisit it for the March challenge 🙂WOW! We had 42 members participate this month! This challenge was a lot of fun! I thoroughly enjoyed watching everyone’s performances. Bravo to each of you who participated on a job well done!
This month’s winner gets to choose from one of 4 colors of the Holo Holo by Kanile’a (Travel Concert Ukulele) as their prize! We’re excited to see what you select! So without further ado, the winner is:
Our March Challenge is LIVE: https://rockclass101.com/march-2025-challenge
Our March Challenge is your first chance to WIN a Kanile’a Ukulele! Hope to see everyone in the challenge!
Congratulations @nelsonlin2021 that’s a cool looking ukulele to add to you winnings!!!
Congratulations, @nelsonlin2021!
Thank you very very much RockClass 🙏 I feel very lucky to win this month and it will be my first Holo Holo Kanile’a in my prize collection. My previous winnings had bodies made from bamboos or wood but never plastic. I cant wait to get my hands on it.
Drum rolls 🥁 the color I am going for is black as a new black 😂
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