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Practicing harmonics while the football game plays in the background (and nursing a miserable head cold)……happen to compare @Andrew ‘s version of ‘Amazing Grace’ and Evan’s…..and noticed the harmonic (C) chord in Evan’s version….in the 10th measure. How do you do that? Also, in measure 12 it looks like the first note is a double harmonic?…….how do you that? Thanks in advance😁
@dianna – Hi Dianna, hope you feel better soon!
The C chord actually comes in at measure 9, since the tune starts with a pickup measure. That part is explained in the lesson video if you want to revisit it.
The double harmonic happens one measure later than you mentioned in Evan’s version, at bar 12. It’s played by barring at the 12th fret while plucking natural harmonics on the top two strings.
That was fast….thanks😁….and I see the first ‘’measure’ is a pick-up….👍
The C chord in your version, explained in the video has the one harmonic at the top of chord 3 (15)…..it looks like Evan’s has 3 harmonics in the chord? 3(15)/4(16)/5(17)? Maybe I missed something…..
Sorry, I missed that. He plucks each note of the triad in rapid succession using this method. It’s very hard to do, which is why I simplified it 😅
Hello again!
I’m being a bit of an Eager Ellen with this challenge and tried to record a take of the new version – with the 3 themes: Major, Minor, Major. But I was getting so frustrated, if I’m being honest. Frustrated with the tech especially and that I still continue to struggle with that aspect of recording, but also – everything else, feeling like I was doing a terrible job with the playing and other issues of feeling bad about myself. Someone (cough, professional) has told me recently that I am a perfectionist, and I guess I am more than I realized. But, then, after taking a breather, I realized this specific take is better than I thought and only has a few small mistakes, so I thought I would share it for a morale boost hopefully. This take is almost good enough to be in a video with the tabs on screen, but I have to at least be playing all the right notes – guess that’s the point. 😂 I also realized something else with my recording. That the way I play when I’m NOT recording is completely different from how I play when I am. Usually, I am ultra casual and relaxed when I play for my own enjoyment, but when I record, it becomes this stressful and uncomfortable experience, not even just because of the anxiety. So, I really want to work on that this year and see if I can make recording more streamlined and less stressful with the tech. Sorry for this stream-of-consciousness paragraph of doom, but I’ll share the best take I have so far:
If anyone also wouldn’t mind letting me know if the sound quality sounds better, that’d be really helpful! I recorded this on my new phone which is still an android phone, but at least the video quality is better. Not sure about the sound. I also wanted to say, I am pretty happy with the arrangement itself, especially considering I just created the minor theme arrangement; just frustrated on how much I was messing up and the tech issues. 😂 Thank you again for this fun challenge, I might just be hangry, lol! 😂
Thanks @Andrew….I re-listened to Evan’s version and could hear the notes in succession ….Wow! Beautiful and impressive😁
Wow @The_Bumble_Bard that’s so good!!!
@dianna, thank you SO much, friend! That’s so encouraging. 😊 I think maybe the mistakes are more noticeable to me, perhaps. I probably could get away with using that take for the video with the tabs on screen. No one would notice the mistakes, right? Lol. They would. 😉 I may try again this week coming up and see if I can get the “perfect” take. Looking forward to seeing what you do with the harmonics! Those are starting to grow on me a bit, in general. I see the value in them, especially seeing some of the stuff that Sammy 4SB creates. Pretty amazing stuff! 🙂
Hi, Happy New Year!
The last quarter of 2025 was hectic, and I wasn’t able to play the ukulele much. My goal for the first couple of months of 2026 is to get back to where I was and then build momentum from there.
Following Matt’s suggestion of “3 goals to set for 2026,” here is my plan:
1. Execution
• Establish a core routine: 5 minutes play, 5 minutes progress, 5 minutes push
• Focus on less
• Record myself regularly
2. Application
• Play: Re-learn “Daybreak” as my primary focus song
• Progress: Review forgotten techniques from the Definitive Beginner’s Guide
• Push: Repeatedly practice the techniques I tend to avoid until they feel comfortable
3. Evaluation
• Record “Daybreak” and post two recordings: one during the week of the 18th and another by the 31stThanks!
It’s been a very hectic month…!
I am focusing on harmonics this month as it is not a forte of mine.Execution: I will work through the harmonics course. I have never tried the tapping so that will be interesting…
Application: I will then apply it to Amazing Grace hopefully.
Evaluation: As I go through the course, I will be trying to improve on the cleanliness and success/hit of the natural harmonics, relearn the artificial ones as I had only tried those once before and then aim to learn the tapping ones which seem unreachable right now 😅
Nicely done @The_Bumble_Bard!
Hi everyone, this is my first challenge!
1) Execution – I’m going to work on the Christmas Carol (ready for next year!!) O Come all Ye Faithful. I’ve been playing it now for a few weeks and can play along to the recording at 50% speed. I’d like to increase the speed with clarity of sound, fluidity of hand movement and a sense of enjoyment rather than stressing to keep up!
2) Application – I love the work with the minor chords along the fret board so want to be able to do that without looking at my fingers. Also, I want to become more proficient at the few bar chords as I’m still having trouble getting a clear sound on them.
3) Evaluation – I am checking in week by week as I play, increasing the speed will also be a marker.
Here’s to practice!
Happy New Year, RC101!
@TheBumbleBard — fantastic arrangement and beautifully played. It sounds wonderful on your uke, and I’d love to learn your arrangement one day!
My 1st post for this month’s challenge:
1) Execution
My goal is to improve my ability to play in an ensemble setting.2) Application
I really love Adrian’s composition for The Aching Waltz. I’ll be learning Andrew’s version and practicing both the lead and rhythm parts against the backing track, aiming for 75% speed.3) Evaluation
I’ll be heavily leveraging the Tab Play-Along for practice and looping, and will record my playing every 12–16 bars for review, working toward memorizing and performing the entire piece.@The_Bumble_Bard: Great challenge for yourself, and it’s obvious you’re putting a lot of effort into this arrangement – you’ve got some intricate finger movement there, and going to the highest place you can go on the fretboard! That still intimidates me. I share your “camera anxiety,” but you’d never know it, looking at this take. I’ll look forward to seeing your tabs.
I didn’t post many comments last month, but I did want to thank @Katazumiri for taking us through the Christmas market – you always do something creative with your submissions. I’d love to see other people’s surroundings. And welcome to the new members!This is such a great way to learn, and this forum is full of friendly, supportive people.
@marianne, thank you so much for that! That means extra coming from you! 🥰😊
@nelsonlin2021, thank you so kindly for that! I’m so encouraged by your kind words. That piece of music is especially meaningful to me because I’ve literally known it most of my life on piano, but now a version exists on uke that I created myself, so it makes me emotional that I was able to do that, but means so much that you like it enough that you’d like to learn it! Well, now the tabs exist if you ever want to try it! 😅 Thank you again, looking forward to your entry, that tune is really cool from what I remember! 🥰☺️🎼Looking forward to everyone’s entries this month, it’ll be so fun to see how they all turn out! ☺️
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