- This topic has 81 replies, 40 voices, and was last updated 1 hour, 11 minutes ago by
.
-
Posts
-
Thanks, Andrew, for this interesting challenge. I’ve been wanting to practise vibrato to the point where it becomes automatic when I’m playing, but so far, just getting my fingers on the right frets and strings at the right time has required all my focus. So this month I’m going to concentrate on vibrato. When I mentioned to my dearest that I needed a song with long, drawn-out notes, he said, “What about the song from Lady and the Tramp where they’re eating the meatballs?” Right away I knew what he meant – when I was ten or so, I got a piano book with songs from Disney movies, and I used to love playing and singing along to Bella Notte.
I’m not sure which key to play it in – I’m still noodling around with that, as I want to avoid too many open strings on the long notes.
Execution: I haven’t yet developed a vibrato technique, so I want to concentrate on using vibrato where the songs I’m playing seem to call for it. I would like vibrato to become an automatic response.
Application: Watch Andrew’s lesson on vibrato and use the exercises every day as part of my warm-up. Arrange a fairly simple version of Bella Notte so I can concentrate on using vibrato on the drawn-out notes, to add feeling to the melody.
Evaluation: Record myself at the end of each week, to see how I’m progressing; submit a final recording at the end of the month.
@grannieannie very sweet of you to say. Thank you. I always celebrate the winter solstice with days getting longer, it’s a good thing.
Exciting you have picked a challenge. I too should work on vibrato. It always catches my eye when Andrew, Stephen and Matt all do it. Good one to work on.
OK so I have gotten this far with EP017 Parrot Head Blues. This is the first part of the solo. It’s not refined but after 3 days thought I’d post this much. So many H/O and P/O’s and slides too.
The second half is maybe more difficult so hopefully I get through it to post a final. All was at 75%Happy New Year to All! So I’ve wasted a good amount of time just trying to figure out what to work on this month. I think I finally found something that will be worthwhile.
Execution – Originally, I started playing the uke as I liked the uke sound in the time period of the early to mid-1900’s, including Hawaiian themed, Tin Pan Alley, George Formby, etc. Other than some minor melodies, to date, I really haven’t learned any pieces from that era. This month’s challenge gives me the opportunity, and hopefully the time, to start to learn one of those music styles. Reviewing the Hawaiian songs taught on RockClass101 that I hoped my intermediate beginner (at best) level is capable of, I chose Hone A Ka Wai. I will consider this to be a good accomplishment if I can learn to play it fairly well by month’s end, so that is my goal.
I plan to accomplish this by closely following and learning from Christopher’s lesson, taking notes on the tab sheets. I will practice at least an hour most days, although a week away from home later in the month will not help. I expect it will take at least a week to memorize the music and the fingerings and the rest of the month to play so that it sounds somewhat like it is supposed to.
Application – Going forward, I hope to learn more songs in this style and this first piece will start me on that journey. As a side benefit, I will be learning the Campanella technique which is present throughout this song. For the most part, this is the first time I am learning Campanella. Once I can play this acceptably, I will be in a better position to use this technique in the future.
Evaluation- As Andrew suggests, I will evaluate my playing at least weekly. I will record myself at the end of each week to help monitor progress.
Hi,
My update — I’ve printed up the sheetmusic/tab in a size I can read (I’m nearsighted) and worked through the fingering. I’ve memorized all but the ending and am working on solidifying that and getting speed up reasonably. I’ll work on the ending portion soon and then start working on the macbook part.
Linda
Allright, so here’s my very first raga I’ve learned to play on the Ukulele. As mentioned earlier, the tricky part here is really to get the ornamentations (slides and slurs) down, which are the one thing that make it sound like Indian music. What makes it hard is that there are so many of them, and they have to be played accurately, i.e. in the correct tempo and starting and ending at the correct fret, to make them not sound off. And it can get really challenging when you have ghost-note-type slurs, which have to be played very quickly, and quarter- or eighth-note slides, which have to be played in the correct tempo, in quick succession. Takes some focus to avoid mixing them up. Plus there are no chromatic steps in the Indian scales, so all slides and slurs cross at least two, sometimes even three frets, which takes some practice to get down accurately. Ultimately there’s no one single part that’s technically really difficult or new to us western uke players, it’s really just the combination of everything together which takes some patience to master.
Anyway, here is my very first attempt. I’ll try to learn a couple more until the end of the month.Fun challenge as always!
1) Execution: I would love to delve deeper into jazz and Bossa nova with more complex jazzy chords/new shapes and syncopated rhythms. I will start by learning the chord sequence and shapes, then learn the syncopated rhythm, and last build up speed until I can play it in the adequate tempo.
2) Application: I will apply this to Bossa Nova – EP008. I might play the rhythm accompanied by the lead, or choose to do both if I feel adventurous enough and ready/capable.
3) Evaluation: I hope that by the end of the month I can play a whole Bossa nova tune in time, accompanied, with clean formed chords.
@misterbones this is so awesome, now I feel tempted to drop whatever I was practicing and sign up for ragalele 😀 I’m waiting for your next ragas!
Hello all and Happy New Year. Just bought a ukulele about 5 months ago and just joined Rock 101 this month. Seeing a youtube lesson on Canon in D (actually in C) drew me into Rock 101 so that will be my challenge piece (a bit ambitious, I know).
Execution: Moving up and down the neck, hammer-0ns, pull-offs, and slides are all things I need for this piece, but I am particularly intrigued by what Andrew calls an “interesting technique” in the lesson on Aura Lee but I will call a strum-pluck that can be used when you don’t want to strum all four strings. This will be useful in a couple of the variations. I also need to get over my tech phobia and get a youtube or soundcloud account. Last, but not least, I need to get over stage fright and actually post even when it doesn’t sound the way I want it to.
Application: learning to use all these techniques for Canon in D. Memorizing the piece and taking it slow. Find out that getting some means of posting is not as scary as I think it is. I can practice an hour most days.
Evaluation: I can actually give an evaluation for my first week: I do have it pretty well memorized and I have begun to use the tablature to try to smooth it out. Struggling at 30%. I do hope to get to at least 50% by the end of the month. I plan to have some means of posting by the end of next week.Sorry if this is a duplicate post, my recent submission didn’t seem to go through. . .
1) Execution – plan to complete the course on Classical Technique & Style. I had started this course a while ago but never completed it. I plan to start over and complete all units and the capstone. I plan to practice 20+ minutes per day, completing the units by the 3rd week in January so I can have a solid week to work on the capstone piece
2) Application – I will complete the captone piece, Adelita. I expect I will also use the techniques in future challenges that include classical options. It will also be nice to have additional techniques to augment my playing and when just “noodling” around.
3) Evaluation – I will evaluate my progress at the end of each of the units’ performances piece. Although a perfectionist by nature, I will try hard to focus on progress rather than perfection.
Happy New Year everyone!
1) Execution: I just completed the 27 units of the Beginner’s Definitive Guide yesterday. However, I noticed I still have struggle playing some techniques and songs when I go back to the previous units. So, I like to review all the techniques and songs as well as learning the Fingerpicking Etude #1 this month. I just bought ukulele last October and found/joined Rock Class 101 right before the Thanksgiving. Although I’m an accomplished classical pianist, this ukulele is the first string instrument I’ve tried in my life. By the end of the month, I like to be more comfortable with all the techniques and play Fingerpicking Etude seamlessly.
2) Application: I will spend 15 min on techniques, 15 min on those songs in beginner’s units, then 20 to 30 min on Fingerpicking Etude everyday.
3) Evaluation: I will record and post my progress of Fingerpicking Etude.So many amazing things everyone is working on! Loved reading through them all!!
Also really neat that a couple people are working on clawhammer this month! Always fun times! 😂😊
@leb397, really sorry that you’ve been feeling down, friend! I feel that so much, too. I love certain aspects of winter, like I enjoy the cold, but the lack of sunlight at times is really hard. Your brain says, “time for bed!” at 4:00 or 4:30pm, and you have to say, “no, brain! No…” 😂 It actually is extremely helpful to express those kinds of feelings through music, I think. But you’re right that it’s already starting to stay brighter out for longer! Also, your blues tune is sounding very beautiful already!! 😊🥰
@misterbones, that was 100% neat! A very different kind of sound than you often hear on ukulele, I think. It’s sounding really good already! 😊Good luck to everyone with all the exciting things you’re working on!! 😁
…
Okay, I also wanted to update about tremelo picking (am I spelling that wrong…? 😂😳). I decided that the creation of a song with that technique should be secondary or a “bonus” goal, due to my extreme tendency to want to distract from focusing just on the technique. So, my focus has been *just* working on the tremelo, very slowly and methodically every day. I will record a video soon showing my current status but my goal will be to increase the speed while maintaining the clarity of the notes. I know Matt just did a lesson on that and I’ll rewatch the live lesson (I think it was) on the technique here. I already am pretty good at the three finger roll, but I really want to get better at the trems.
Okay so that’s my update. 😂 Thank you for this fun challenge!! 😊
Happy New Year!
As a “mature beginner,” I have a lot to learn and master.
My “on bite at a time” challenge will be smoothly transitioning into and out of Bb.
Execution: find two songs that include the Bb chord.
Application: practice those songs daily and break out four measures at a time.
Evaluation: play the two songs smoothlyThank you. This will be a good exercise.
Life is good,
LeslieI am a premier member!
Happy New Year to you all!
Wish you health, happiness and peace!
I have been learning Evan’s arrangement of Feliz Navidad which has been quite challenging! I hope you enjoy it!
@abster – That was awesome Abster! Way to go 🙂
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.