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Seriously challenging song for a simple arrangement. Between the tremolo strum and the timing, I really struggled to get this done. Not a great take, but the best I can do right now. I guess the secret to tremolo strumming is practice, practice, and practice.
Okay… Here is where I’m at with Drunken Sailor, all three levels. Some notes:
– I only played through each level once because I’m at the point with these strummin’ techniques that I’m still playing them excruciatingly slowly. 😅
– I had such trouble using my index finger to strum; that’s so unnatural for me. In fact, there is an overlap between clawhammer style which I’m okay at playing and ghost note strumming that took my brain so long to overcome because my thumb would “catch” and stop on the g string as you do in clawhammer when I was trying to do the ghost notes. So that took a while to break free of that to be more “open” with the strumming.
– I had a lot of trouble with the strumming rhythm, too, which is why they’re so slow. It took close to 100% of my conscious effort to do “all the things” with those strum patterns.
– This is a “real take,” a “beforemance.” I even had a couple of better takes than this but I wanted to show you the real struggle once again.
Okay, that’s all! Thank you so much! So many amazing performances especially by the younglings of RC101. Wonderful job!
Please remove me from the prize drawing, too. Thank you! 😊
Though I tried, I could not get the muted fingering in the third part of Drunken Sailor. Am very impressed with those who have accomplished that. Anyway, because of this I tacked on my own little ending. @Matt and @Anndrew, I hope you don’t mind but thought it might be better than an abrupt ending after part two. Not sure if this will count or not but here is my Drunken Sailor
Very much a work in progress but still an entry for this month’s challenge. Thanks again for the opportunity
@karenj Awesome, I love it! And you seem to enjoy it so much. 🙂 I always stumble when I try to smile while playing. 😀 I also go for Misirlou, I will record in a few days.
Hi all!
Here’s my attempt at Under the Boardwalk. Fun little song I didn’t know about.
Definitely harder than expected to mute only 2 strings haha.Cheers,
Sam
@The_Bumble_Bard That was such an awesome entry. Love the clawhammer technique. Nice job.
@Alexslph Wow your playing is so good. Keep it up.
@gi_gi_ thaaaank you so much! 😁 I really enjoy playing songs that way, in that style. Or rather taking songs that are already well constructed and remixing them in that style. 😅 Thank you!! 😊
Hi,
This month I tried Misirlou. I know I’m far from good on the recording, but you should have heard how bad I was at the start of the month 😀 It’s a fun technique to work on. I tried using a pick for this but found my thumbnail was long enough and felt more natural.
Linda
I am a premium member
Thanks, @annemarie! I love playing that uke. I have an iRig that hooks up from the guitar to my iPad which provides the preamp and can channel the sound to my earphones for practicing and to the amp when I’m ready to share what I’m doing.
Linda
@karenj – Very nice work on this one! Your tremelo picking is sounding great! It’s a tough technique, and you’re getting the hang of it. Watching Matt, he anchors his other fingers on the body of the uke while doing this technique, and it may help you have more consistency with the thumb not getting caught on the strings if you are able to do this. However, not everyone does this while tremelo picking, so it’s up to you, but it’s something to try. You’re doing an awesome job, keep it up!
@brettboy – I enjoyed your rendition! I had no clue you could sing so low at the end. I also like your choice to strum a bit more than fingerpicking. I can’t think of anything to add, you played this very well!
@ukandrea – Very well played on this one! You’ve got the rhythm part down, now it’s time to try the lead part for fun! Keep up the great work.
@alexslph – Awesome job on this one! You have a very promising future on the ukulele if you are able to play this well at age 12! One small thing to work on in this song is the rhythm in measures 6, 7, and 8. These measures may require counting to play comfortably and working up slowly to speed. They are syncopated, which means a lot of the notes are hiding the strong beats. Everything else sounds fantastic, so just focus on these 3 measures and you’re completely solid on this song! Excellent work!
@anyon1 – This was very nicely played. I’m most impressed by your rhythm with this one, as it’s a little bit complicated in places. My only advice is to play all of it with a bit more confidence and at a slightly louder volume on the melody notes. You may also want to use different fingers to fret the intro (pointer and ring for the first 2 chords instead of pointer and middle stretched) as well, though this doesn’t affect the sound. Keep it up, you are sounding great on this one!
@jedart – You are off to a great start on this one, and the tremelo picking is coming along! The rhythm on the first part of the melody is a bit different, though. It might help to sustain the notes without the picking to learn what speed the left hand needs to move between notes, and then add the tremelo picking back in when you have that part down. Even though the tremelo picking is supposed to be at a 16th note speed, it’s better to have the left hand change in time even if you are getting caught up on the strings. Once you get the rhythm down, you will be on your way. Keep up the great work, you’re getting there!
@The_Bumble_Bard – You are doing a great job, this is just a tough thing to get the hang of! My advice is to keep the whole song at the slower tempo so you are practicing the consistency of the timing rather than rushing through one section and then slowing down for the other. Also, it doesn’t sound bad, so try not to judge yourself while you are playing. When you judge while playing, it distracts you from playing at your best. Keep it up, it’s sounding good at the slower tempo, and that’s better than playing it fast (there’s no requirement to play it at full speed in these challenges). You are doing very well, it just takes a lot of practice!
@ldarrow – That was a cool ending! I like how you moved the chord shape around to come up with something. Great work on this one, just keep working on the extra section. You already sound good, it’s just a bit more work before you’ve got the rest!
@dorabr – Very nicely played! You’re ready to try the intermediate and advanced sections soon! Keep up the great work!
@shmu88 – Excellent job on this! I’m most impressed with how you nailed the rhythm and kept a steady tempo throughout the piece in spite of all of the syncopations. There may have been one spot towards the end where you slowed down just a hair for a second, but it was almost perfect in that regard, even at the quick pace of the song. Did you practice counting the rhythm on this? If so, it might be nice for other members to hear your process on that and how much work it took to get the song this solid. Great work on this!
@lhamilton – You are doing a great job on this tough technique! It’s very quick and often requires working the muscles up to speed over a longer period of time. You seem to have the rhythm under control on the melody, it’s just a matter of speed. If you have the ability to, I would slow the backing track down to where you can tremelo pick close to 16th notes in tempo, and then slowly work it up to speed over a longer period of time (it might take a few weeks to a few months) to develop the technique. This might help the ending as well. Keep it up, you’re doing great so far!
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