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Hi @wongbrown – I don’t know if you are doing the same as me, but I thought this style would be great on my banjolele.
It has a really lovely rolling motion when going fast, and my thumb always picks and clears the string before using middle and pointer on string 1.
This video shows what I am doing, slowly…
Hi Miztaken, yes I am doing Taimane’s triplet as well. My problem is when I want to do the triplet faster, my thumb hit the string above. I guess I just have to practice more. Thanks for your advice.
Cheers, Sheila
I love this challenge! I dont think that i will get around to participate in the given time but i am really inspired by all your ideas and what you want to work on. There is just so much to learn and so much you can do. Its a bit overwhelming too to pick one thing out of all the things i dont know how to do yet :p I probably should pick something to practice on. Tempo, a back beat, a Kind of strum.. But now that there are some who are trying to do their own arrangement, it really got me motivated to try and do the same 🙂
As i said, i probably wont be able to do it as a part of this month challenge. I dont know how much time its gonna take, how my approach will be or even if i will succed and actually do a full arrangement. But i really want to try, thanks to you all!
I will follow this challenge though. Im really looking forward to all your results! (Especially the greatest showman tune 😉 )
My intent was to record and post my first video yesterday, never got time to record. I’ll try to post a quick take of progress audio by the 14th if nothing else…
🙁 I know only two posts are required, but I was really hoping to have more of a record of my progress.Anyway,
Miztaken- Good job so far on Chopsticks it cleaned up remarkably from the beginning post. I can’t explain it well but you really started tuning into the feel of the waltz between week 1 and this week. You’re going to knock it out of the park come final performance day!
gahanby- You can pick whatever you’re working on right now if you wish. If you’re short on time pick something that you can work on in that time, you just need to outline it before the 14th? (Would need to look again to be sure) It doesn’t need to be something crazy hard like arranging, just something you feel you need to work on. I’m just meaning to encourage you. No one needs be left out this month!!!
Execution: I am working on gaining speed and accuracy with moving up/down the neck. I am somewhere between seasoned beginner and intermediate, hoping to solidify the intermediate title over the next few months. I plan to accomplish my goal of better movement by studying and mastering Etude no. 13. I will practice for 25 minutes at least twice a day.
Application: I will apply what I’ve learned by learning Chopsticks, hopefully playing it at full speed by the end of the month.
Evaluation: So far so good! In week 1 I watched the lessons for Etude no. 13 and Chopsticks. I focused on learning Etude no. 13, using the tab viewer to repeat bars until mastered. Some transitions (from one bar to the next) are a bit of a struggle still, as well as correctly playing the final chord, but overall I can play the whole song by heart with few mistakes at 80% speed. Next week I will start focusing on Chopsticks.
2019 January Rock101 Challenge — first post
execution
I want to explore using pentatonic scales for improvisation.
I have been playing ukulele for 7 years and can use movable chord shapes and finger pick.
By the end of the month I want to be comfortable with the C/Am pentatonic from the nut to the body. I will start with C/Am scale exercises each morning, then use the pentatonic patterns. I will start ‘horizontally’: The first few days just first & second position, then adding a ‘position’ until I get to the repeat pattern. Then I will go ‘vertical’: play the pattern up each string. Along the way I will improvise with backing tracks.
application
I will add some improvisational solos to some songs that my jam groups do.
evaluation
I will see how much of the entire pattern I learn, and see how effective it is on improvisation.
I want to see how many questions I generate. That is, how much more work I have to do!1. Execution – I am at a post beginner level and currently learning fingerpicking and alternate chords. My goal is to work through the “Fingerpicking Ukulele Course” as well as daily run through of learning alternate chords by the end of the month. Early mornings are my best practise time, and I am typically up by 5:30 am and practise ukulele, switching through the above challenges until about 7:30 am. If I am home during the day, I keep my uke close by, and fit in 5-10 minutes throughout the day. Some days will slip in guitar practise as well.
2a. Application Fingerpicking – Learn “Thumb Etude”, and if time “Fingerpicking Etude no. 5.
2b. Application alternate chords – learning “Edelweiss” which is a fingerpicking piece given to me by Jake Peters, a luthier from Didsbury, Alberta, Canada. Check out his website… he builds amazing ukuleles as well as other instruments!! (https://www.jakepeters.ca)3. I have gone through Module 1 and 2 and now starting “Thumb Etude” and working on “Edelweiss”. Have learned the basics and now just need to practise, practise, practise using a metronome! Will keep you posted on further progress.
I know, I know…what a suck-up, she’s posting early. But not really! I started working on this song about a week before Andrew announced the challenge. And given all the practice hours I’ve put into this, it’s probably the same amount of time everyone else has for the selection/practice aspect of this challenge. So, this rendition of Magic Ukulele Waltz is where I’d be if I had picked the song today — if that makes any sense!
Yes, there are some muffs, clamshells and strings that don’t exactly ring out. And if you listen closely, you can hear the artist laugh at her own mistakes! But the tune is basically there, I memorized the whole darn thing and kept going even as things started to go off the rails. That’s gotta count for something 🙂
This challenge has inspired me to always be working on a Level 4 song. In addition to the monthly challenges, having a ‘stretch objective’ is a great thing for me. Thanks, Andrew!
Hi, I am Immi from germany so excuse me for my not perfect english: I am playing ukulele several years by now but never as intense as in the last month. I can do a lot of strumming patterns and fingerpicking and I got a large variety of chords. I am not able to sing at all, so I think just strumming alone is a little bit boring. This is the reason why:
1. Execution: My goal for January is to study to add drum like percussion to my play like in this video:
These Tutorial Videos from rockclass101 are really nice. Andrew is a genius! I’ve learned a lot of him recently.
This challenge has inspired me to work really hard on this.2. Application: I will watch several tutorial videos on youtube and learn some easy percussion before I’ll try to practice with the video. Every day a little bit until I master it.
3. Evaluation: I will try to comment this threat to update you and myself about my steps going forward. Anyways, will show my results to my flatmates and let them judge if I am getting better or not. I really think, that I can do it but it needs a lot of time.
Great, I am happy to start the challenge!
Have fun all with yours!Hi! I have been playing for about 9 months now and have participated in three challenges. I would say I am an advanced beginner. My goal this month is to work on back beats and be able to play Fly Me to the Moon. I will use Andrews two lessons on slaps and taps, and practice a minimum of one hr per day. I will be applying what I learn to the song FLY ME to the Moon, and I am also going to try to tackle Im Yours. Evaluation will be by recording at the end of each week.
Wish me Luck!Day 1: This evening I had a first try. Learned a little bit to add a backbeat to a melody like in this video from andrew: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTD_h3HAXcU. I know its far from perfekt, but I will work hard on it in the next few days. Hope to show you my further development soon! 🙂
@Andrew Thanks for your advice. I think I mastered it to add backbeat an 2 and 4.Day 2: I practiced to do some percussion style on ukulele. Like base drum, snare and flick.
You can see my progression in this video:@imminside – Sounds great! But I’d recommend adding the hits on beats 2 and 4 only. Give that a shot 🙂
My update is that I’ve made minor tweaks but I think the song is done. I feel good with it but whenever I record there are annoying pauses in random spots. I guess I just keep playing.
I’m trying to finesse it now. I’m adding vibrato, which I’ve never done before and I’m highly prone to getting Jimmy Hendrcks levels of vibrato so I’m working on the vibrato lesson. I’m also trying to add dynamics. I tend to forgetto do it, but I’m trying.
Recordings are always so disappointing though. In my head I have a near Andrew level of finesse, but on the recording its clunk clunk clunk pause clunk.
Anyway, I have a few more weeks. Keep on trucking! Still having fun with it!
Andrew, thank you for helping with volume issues. Your suggestions have been taken to heart. A long way to go but hope this shows some improvement on last month’s Auld Lang Syne.
I always find that Andrew and Stephen’s advices are very valuable, but every new month I am busy with the new challenge and rarely practiced the previous challenge pieces which I think is very pitty. So this month is a wonderful opportunity that I decide to re-visit all the previous challenges and really take into account the advices given every month.
Execution: I am a beginner player who learned Uke for four months. Based on the advices given by Andrew and Stephen, I want to re-visit all the previous challenges and focus mainly on “dynamic” and “chord change”. Also, I want to play all the pieces at the original speed!
Application: I will try to practice all four songs an hour per day
Evaluation: I will post the before and after video at the end of the month.
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