Participate in the January 2025 Member Challenge – You Decide What To Work On!

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Viewing 15 posts - 181 through 195 (of 208 total)
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  • #65482
    leb397
    Participant

    @jbmills07 , Justin – Im so sad for you. Words can’t express. I’m sure she heard you. You are a special person. 🦋🎼🌈

    #65483
    jody_hendrickson
    Participant

    This month I worked on left hand/arm position and reducing tension. It worked well when I was practicing and could really focus, not so well when trying to play through–too many things to think about! I will keep working on it to make it habitual.

    I chose La Gitanita for the manageable left hand work, and because it’s really fun to play.

    So interesting and inspiring to see what everyone chose to work on!

    #65484
    nelsonlin2021
    Participant

    @andrew @gi_gi I appreciate your kind words and encouragements.

    Here’s my performance of Mr. Sandman, my super stretched goal this month and final application of tapping harmonics technique. Looking back, it’s amazing to see how the structured online courses and a passionate community support makes learning fun and interesting. I feel like I have achieved my goal this month. Now I am gonna take a breather to relax and catch up with all of the amazing entries submitted this month. Thank you Rockclass!

    #65485
    markmdive
    Participant

    Worked on A Thousand Years for timing, counting and strumming. Did not go great, but I learned a lot.

    #65486
    maryjanew
    Participant

    @jbmills07 – dear Justin, my 💔heart breaks 💔for you. 😭😿 I’m so sorry for your loss but thankful you got to play that for her. I am pretty sure she heard you. When I got home from work today, I was ready to make a recording of my song and I saw your post but I knew I couldn’t watch it before I recorded my song- because I never would have got thru it. After I did my song, I went out to dinner with my family. I just now watched your video upon returning home. 😭 I love your heart man! May God hold Regina in his hands, relieve her pain. May God hold your heart 💔 as you grieve her.

    #65487
    The_Bumble_Bard
    Participant

    @jbmills07, so very sorry that you are going through this, friend. 😟❤️ Your performance was so beautiful and heartbreaking, and touched the soul. No question that Regina heard you sing and play for her. Sending comforting thoughts, prayers, and hugs your way. 😟❤️

    #65488
    abster
    Participant

    @jbmills07 sending you love and hugs. May God give you strength.

    #65489
    abster
    Participant

    @emiliano beautiful… loved it

    • This reply was modified 6 days, 16 hours ago by abster.
    #65491
    yukalele
    Participant

    @jbmills07

    Justin, my heart goes out to you in your sorrow. This community is with you to help you share your pain. Thank you for posting your beautiful song.

    #65492
    dianna
    Participant

    @jbmills07

    Dear Justin,
    What a beautiful gift to Regina….. your song. I have no doubt she heard you….because it was coming from your heart. How could we not cry….as your witness in such a moment…..Thank-you for sharing with us and allowing us to extend our support thru this forum. May you find peace, love and strength to carry-on thru these trying times.

    #65493
    morrieuke1
    Participant

    @dianna thanks, I really enjoyed your banjolele, sounded great on a challenging song!

    #65494
    The_Bumble_Bard
    Participant

    @lhamilton, thank you for explaining that! That’s really interesting. I’d like to try the u-bass at some point because it’s cool to add more depth to songs, it seems like, or even just to play by itself like that – sounds so lovely.


    @dianna
    , thank you so much about my tremolo playing! I hope you do get to try it, it’s very tricky, but it can sound majestic if you get it right. I’m still working on it though and will continue to. If you listen to how Marianne plays it, it is much faster than how I was playing it, which is another reason her playing is hashtag ukulele goals. 😂 I loved your take on five foot two (completely blanked out on the songs name) and it did sound amazing on the banjolele!! I think I get what Andrew was saying about the swing feel.


    @yukulele
    , that’s sounding really good! That’s just how you start with any technique is nice and slow, but it’s already sounding great! You just gotta keep going with it and you’ll get more and more comfortable with the odd feel of clawhammer. Also congrats!!


    @emiliano
    , that was absolutely gorgeous! What an amazing arrangement and you played it exquisitely! I still love that song, but I think it means something different to me with my experience of love, I guess. Anyway, very, very beautiful!


    @mickan88
    , That was so lovely! I always have loved that song because of its nostalgia and the hopeful feeling of bringing in the New Year. You played it beautifully!


    @bibilele
    , that sounded very pretty! Those techniques are interesting, a very different sound and very tricky! I talked about tapping with Matt at one point in a lesson, very fun, but a huge learning curve! Lovely work!! 😁


    @janaq1
    amazing arrangement! Writing down songs in tab is soooo very difficult, congrats on successfully doing that! I also struggle with that so much, especially with rhythm, but it is a helpful exercise. Beautiful work!!


    @leslieb
    , that’s sounding very lovely!! You made a ton of progress smoothing that out! It can be crazy how long sometimes it can take to feel comfortable with a song. I feel that! Beautiful job!


    @jgillard
    so, so beautiful! I really love that song and especially Andrew’s version of it. You played it majestically. You make me want to try it, even though it looks really difficult. Lovely!

    I’m so sorry that I didn’t get to everyone, but tbh, I’m feeling so hungry that I can’t continue (once I realized I missed some on a previous page, lol). 😂😅 Of course @Andrew’s feedback is the best and also others, @dianna especially, have left lovely feedback. But just know that I’ll listen to the rest and I already know they will be great! Amazing work by all!! What an incredible month!! 😁

    (I forgot to add in my first two comments in reply to @dianna and @lhamilton earlier. 😂)

    #65498
    maryjanew
    Participant

    @The_Bumble_Bard I appreciate all your encouragement to everyone! I am not that vocal. I really enjoy watching every entry as I’m able, but don’t take the time to comment. I’ll try to be more vocal. I really enjoy your entry, you made leaps and bounds of improvement in playing and confidence!
    M.J. 😍

    • This reply was modified 6 days, 6 hours ago by maryjanew.
    #65501
    stephencox
    Participant

    Here’s everyone from halfway down page 11 through page 13:


    @morrieuke1
    -That was an excellent composition! Your hammer-ons and pull offs added a lot melodically, and the harmony was very nice as well! The section at 0:34 has some interesting challenges with the barre chords and pull-off combinations. Try slightly different angles on the hand/fingers to see if it makes that section any easier to play through. I really like the composition, and my cat enjoyed it enough to stick around, too!


    @joe150
    – You’re doing a great job, and I think I recognize that segment of Moonlight Sonata. It sounds like you have are getting to the changes, so what might be a good next step is to slow down the finger picking to match the tempo you change the chords at. The goal of doing this would be to play the passage while keeping the timing and flow of the piece. You are doing a great job so far, keep it up!


    @rgillof
    – I think you achieved your goal. It looks like you have all of the notes memorized, and you are playing them with a good sound. The next step from here is to slow down the tempo a bit, and use a metronome to encourage your hands to “think” ahead. Some of those shifts are tricky, and practicing them slowly and evenly will help. Then after getting the song under your fingers with the metronome, you can go back to a less rigid interpretation of the tempo, but now the phrases will connect all the way through to the high notes smoothly. Keep it up, you are doing great!


    @grannieannie
    – What a cool song to pick! Due to the particular chords, getting a clean vibrato is hard on this song! You are off to a great start, and I can hear it as well as see the vibrato! It may be nice to find a song with single notes or double stops (two notes at a time) instead of full chords while you develop this technique, as right now it’s more about making the motion feel more natural. Once you have a strong and natural vibrato on something simpler, it will translate much easier to something like this that is more challenging. Still, you are doing a great job in spite of the challenge!


    @akukes73
    – Very nicely done! This is a tough piece to tackle in just a month, and you are doing a great job! Keep working on melodies 7 and 8 at a slower speed, and keep a steady tempo through this section no matter how slow you need to go. You’re doing a wonderful job, keep it up!


    @jbmills07
    – This was very heartfelt, and you did a wonderful job of singing and playing. I’m so sorry for what Regina has gone through, but I know that she loved that you played and sang for her. You did great with the muscle memory and coordination, and you have a great voice. I hope to hear you sing more in the future, your voice has a very peaceful quality to it. I’m sure that was soothing for her, I feel certain she heard it.


    @yukalele
    – Congratulations on your grandson! Your clawhammer technique is sounding great to me! Just a tiny bit more work on accuracy of not hitting more than one string and then it’s time to work it up to speed! Keep working at it, you are doing great!


    @emiliano
    – You are doing a wonderful job on this! Those harmonics are a wonderful touch, and I’m very impressed with how cleanly you are getting that 1st fret mini-barre with the stretch to the 7th fret while keeping the E string open. Phenomenal work and progress on this one!


    @mickan88
    – You played this song very well! All of the notes were clean, and the thumb technique was consistent. My only suggestion is to count how long you are holding out certain chords before moving to the next section. At 0:21, that chord should be held out for 3 beats before the next chord, but I noticed you came in after 2 beats…it’s possible that a dotted half note is being mistaken for a plain half note there. It’s a small detail, you did a great job on this one!


    @bibilele
    – Very nice job with the harmonics! I could hear them all very clearly. Great job on meeting your goal for the challenge!


    @janaq1
    – Your arrangement is very nice, and so is your playing! You have a great feel on this, and the triplet strums are a nice touch! Great job on this one, and your timing was strong throughout!


    @leslieb
    – Great work on this! Your Bb chords are sounding good, and it was nice to hear them in two different contexts. In Stand By Me you got into the first one cleanly in time! Now it’s just a bit more repetition so that it becomes second nature. You made a lot of progress on this!


    @jgillard
    – I like your interpretation on this one with a more rubato tempo than Andrew’s original. You sound like you have a pretty good grasp on this one. Well done! If you are wanting a less rubato interpretation, just play along with the tab player at a slightly slower tempo. If you choose to keep the rubato tempo, might I suggest adding dynamics of your own to swell with the tempo? Great work on this one!


    @leihali
    – Great progress on this one! The left hand is looking great. I’m glad Andrew’s advice is working for you. The only other suggestion I have is to practice the transition into measure 20. That barre chord is a bit difficult, just make sure you don’t mute the open G string while focusing on the rest of the chord. Keep it up, you are playing this wonderfully!


    @maryjanew
    – I’m very impressed by the progress you made since the last post! You seem a lot more comfortable while playing, and you are keeping a good rhythm and flow with the piece. I hope you have fun at the open mic! One thing that might help is to practice this in different locations in your house…standing and sitting so that a different environment doesn’t affect the way you play. Awesome job on this challenge!


    @jody_hendrickson
    – Your technique looks great and very relaxed. This should be an ongoing goal for every instrumentalist. Wrist and arm injuries affect so many of us. I often find myself having to remember to relax. It may help to just have that word somewhere in front of you in your practice space. Keep it up, and I hope your tennis elbow heals.


    @nelsonlin2021
    – Great work on your goals this month! Since this last goal is specific to tapped harmonics, I have a few suggestions on that one part of Mr. Sandman: make sure that when you tap, you immediately bounce your right hand finger off of the string. Even leaving it on the string just slightly too long will mute the harmonic. Secondly, tap directly over the metal fretwire rather than the area you would normally push down when fretting a note. Andrew covers this in great detail at 7:20 into the premium video on that section of the course. You have the basic idea, but getting the bounce off of the string while hitting lightly over the fretwire does take time to master. Keep up the great work!


    @markmdive
    – You have a very nice sound on this, and your tone is great! Your ukulele has a warmer tone to it, which does make it a bit tougher for the melody notes to ring out. Keep working on plucking the melody notes a bit harder to have them stand out from the rest of the piece. I think the rhythm is coming along, it’s just about working out the hesitations on certain slides and shifts. Practice those in time slowly so that you are able to keep the rhythm/flow even when the left and right hands are playing difficult passages. Keep it up, you’re doing a great job!

    #65506
    Andrew
    Keymaster

    We had 34 members participate this month! Stephen and I enjoyed watching everyone’s performances! The amount of creativity and originality in y’all’s posts made this month’s challenge one for the books! 🙂

    Without further ado, the two winners of this month’s challenge are ** drumroll **

    null

    null

    null

    Our February Challenge is LIVE: https://rockclass101.com/february-2025-challenge

    You can choose either a fingerpicking or a strumming song! There are six options—three of each—at beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels.

    We’re also giving away a brand-new ukulele that was just released this year! Made by Kanile’a, it’s designed to be the perfect travel companion. Hope to see everyone in the challenge!

Viewing 15 posts - 181 through 195 (of 208 total)
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