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@Stephen I think Em is the key Stu from Ukulele Zen likes to play and sing it in. Thanks Stephen.
Here’s everyone on page 12:
@leslieb – Great improvement on the backbeats! You were off to a great start earlier in the month, and now you have a much more natural feel and you are keeping the feel of the strum pattern natural around the “chucks.” The hardest part now is to get all of the back beats to have the same volume. Keep it up, you’re doing a fantastic job!
@mark1256 – Great job on the transcription and continued work on this one! Keep it up, you’ve done a great job on this.
@sarrafina – Very nicely done! That is quite an undertaking to play the whole song! Your notes are very clear and the tone is very pleasant recorded this way. There are a few key themes in the song that might benefit from approaching at a bit slower of a pace with some crescendos and diminuendos to make the song feel like it’s breathing. Fantastic job on the arrangement, playing, editing, and overall sound!
@bibilele – That is a lovely song with a very catchy melody! Great work on writing, recording, and playing this one. Nice use of techniques with the backbeat, fingerpicking, with a nice chord melody in the forefront! I agree that it is an earworm. Keep writing, you have a gift for it!
@brettboy – Nice tapping! It is not an easy technique, especially on ukulele. You’re doing a great job! For me I find that it helps me to slightly pluck out of the tapped note by removing the plucking hand at an angle to get more volume on the tapping without being plugged in. I do the same for pull offs, especially on string 1. You sound great on this, I’m looking forward to hearing what you do next!
@morrieuke1 – Fantastic composition with very nice melodies throughout. The shift from G Major to G minor was a nice one. Your use of different techniques, varieties in your rhythm, and the use of this song form were all combined in a masterful way! I hope to hear more compositions from you in the future!
@nelsonlin2021 – Great improvement on this one! Consistency in tempo is important for these techniques, and this is a good speed. As you continue to practice pieces like this one, your hands will become more relaxed…less tension in the muscles helps each technique to flow more naturally. Keep it up and you will get to the point where it feels natural. You’re doing great!@morrieuke1 – I can’t believe how intricate and detailed your first composition is. Not to mention, you wrote a very catchy A melody with a perfect counterpart in the B melody. My first songs, and the 100 after that, were not anywhere close to this! You def need to keep composing.
@morrieuke1
Loved your playing and the music. I agree I love the Rock Class community… wish I had more time to browse but sadly life is very busy. Lots of love to everyone!@Stephen Thank you so much for your kind words! 🙂
Here’s everyone on page 13.
@joe150 – Wow, Joe! Thank you so much for the kind words. I really appreciate it! I sent the video to Stephen so he can watch it too.Moonlight Sonata was one of the most challenging tunes I’ve ever played, but so worth the effort! You’ve got a great start, keep working on it, and get that button installed. I wanna hear it on the Kanile’a 🙂
@malku2603 – You aced the A Melody, Akansha! Keep up the excellent work and you’ll have the B Melody down in no time!
@wannabgood – Sorry to hear about the setback, Michael. But I gotta say again, that you’ve got the feel and groove down for this genre. This is a challenging tune to play from a fingerstyle perspective, but getting the groove and feel right, is equally as challenging. Bravo!
@lhamilton – This one flows very nicely Linda! And I really like the reverb on this tune. Adds to the mystique of the piece 🙂
@janaq1 – That was awesome Jana! I remember filming this performance. I did a lot of takes LOL. And I remember listening back in my car, to some of the takes, realizing I needed to record to a click, which is what I ended up doing for the final performance. The fact that you kept it as steady as you did on your own is very impressive! Because that certainly kicked my butt 😂In the pre-chorus, see if you can tighten up the rhythm there. Mostly that 16th note lick. Amazing job on that chorus that vamps on the open G. That was the hardest part to play imo, you aced it!
@mysticrick – Sorry to hear about the cramping issue, I’ve been knocked out before with repetitive strain or nerve issues. They are never fun to go through!Big improvement in your fretting on the classical tune. Notes are ring beautifully now! And bravo on the folk tune, you nailed the feel of the piece! Which is equally as hard to do as the fingerstyle playing.
Thanks @Andrew! It felt a lot better this time. My son helped me set up the mic on the uke.
Linda
@gi_gi_ Thanks so much for the feedback! Great singing on Summertime!
@leb397 Thank you! Chucking is fun. I’m glad you enjoyed working on it this month. I often find it hard to hit it correctly in time when trying to fit it in a fingerpicking arrangement. It seems like there is always something to work on!
@misterbones Wow! Great clawhammer tunes! And singing in the midst of all of that… Hopefully I can be coordinated enough to do that one day!Here’s everyone on page 14.
@nat-uke – Wow, Natalie! Awesome job learning the technique! It’s a completely unique style of playing and you aced it! Lovely sound on the banjolele 🙂
@rgillof – Tremolo technique looks and sounds great, Richard! From here, I’d work on keeping the tempo steady when you transition back and forth from tremolo to the single note section. Try playing along with the backing track to work on that.
@firebladetim – That was awesome Tim! I was really impressed with how relaxed and natural-sounding your rhythm playing is. Tempo sounded good to me, keep working on increasing it gradually. As for switching between the feels, you did it correctly. The song switches from swung to straight in the D section. Maybe put a little more swing coming back into the E section. But honestly, just keep doing what you’re doing, it’s working!
@richo_uke – Your playing always has a great feel to it Rici. For our February challenge, you get to choose any song from our ukulele songs series. Why not continue with this one? You’ve got a great base established and the extra month buys you time to fine tune it 🙂P.S. Nice job on playing all 4 techniques with proper technique!
@mark1256 – It’s such a beautiful tune, Mark! And you played it very well. I did go back and listen to the capo version too. Is there any specific reason why you wanted to avoid using the capo? If it was up to me, I’d continue with the capo version just to avoid having to barre as much. Plus, I love the sound of open strings. The more the better lol.Here’s everyone on page 15.
@henri0 – Amazing performance, Rhian! This song is def one of my favorites I’ve done for RC101 and you did it justice! Beautifully played 👏
@maryjanew – You’re gonna ace it at the event MJ. You’re already playing it so well! I was very impressed with your B Melody. That’s really what’s challenging with this piece and you knocked it outta the park! If you can, play the tune every day until the event and you’ll be fine. Def share a video if someone records it, would love to watch it!
@kelsey91 – Way to go, Kelsey! Your technique looks great, and the harmonics rang beautifully. My only advice would be to keep practicing them every day until it becomes muscle memory, where you don’t have to think or try, and they ring clear each and every time. Add this technique to your warmup routine and you’ll be there before you know it 🙂
@jody_hendrickson – Wow, that’s a big jump in tempo in a short period of time, all while keeping the feel intact. Very impressive, Jody! Keep up the great work!
@akukes73 – Sorry to hear about your shoulder, Ash. Hope you are on the mend! I thought your new goal for campanella is a really cool one to work on. That style of playing is all about creating a beautiful sustain from one note to the next and I can hear just that in the etude and piece. For the Sor tune, my only suggestion would be to work on timing/tempo. Try practicing at a slower tempo and gradually work up to the tempo in the performance you shared.
@denisedistefano – Great fingerpicking Denise and well done on keeping the tempo steady!
@dividedsky – They are sounding and looking WAY better Jane! Very nice improvement and a lovely performance 🙂
@dianna – I remember your performance of this tune from last year, but I did go back to listen to it and see what I had written to you. The big difference I hear in the new take is that it flows WAY better! You’ve really got it sounding lovely now. Well done!Here’s everyone who received an entry. Please let me know if I left you off the list. I’ll pick both winners on Sunday 🙂
The_Bumble_Bard
abster
mysticrick
wannabgood
jedart
marianne
jamieo
ukandrea
lhamilton
gi_gi_
lyndallk
ccwuke
misterbones
leb397
anyon1
leslieb
sarrafina
bibilele
brettboy
morrieuke1
nelsonlin2021
joe150
janaq1
nat-uke
rgillof
firebladetim
richo_uke
henri0
maryjanew
kelsey91
jody_hendrickson
akukes73
denisedistefano
dividedsky
diannaHey @Andrew. I wasn’t meant to be included in this month’s entry. Thanks.
@Andrew, Wow! Thank-you for taking the time to make the comparison between my two submissions. Yes,….Flow! That’s it (though there were a few brain farts and finger-flubs)! So now I am beginning to see/feel/experience the connection between Tempo-Expression and Flow…….finding the Zen…….though it still feels like an obsession, a drive towards improvement (some kind of perfection?).
I love this piece because it sounds deceivingly simple and a bit haunting in its relentless tempo, and because the tempo and expression are so interlinked. It is time to let it rest for a bit though, and later return to it to continue this process.
I will try to keep this one going throughout the year so that it becomes so embedded in muscle memory……cellular!
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