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This month’s challenge is an original piece; I was trying for a kind of Celtic dance thing, with clawhammer/Travis style picking. There are A and B sections with some repetition and I’m not entirely happy with this, but it’s the best of many tries!
@leb397, that was so magical, so cute, I loved that! You had some real bluesy style with that tune. 😂😎 I loved the ukulele grandma part, agreed with @annemarie. Fantastic my friend! The only thing I was a little sad about was that I couldn’t hear all the lyrics more because some of them were hard to hear, but still loved all that I could hear. 😊😅 Thank you for sharing that! 😊💕
@karenj, that was really lovely, you captured that tune perfectly! 😊 @swissconsinboy, that was quite magical, loved the sound of that one a lot, a different sounding tune/technique! Really cool! 😊@jedart – The picking pattern sounds great Jed! The only suggestion I have is to keep your middle finger anchored on the G string for the A minor chord in bar 14 so the bass note rings throughout the measure.
@misterbones – I love it Michael! Sounds like something we’d hear in a Tim Burton film!
@The_Bumble_Bard – It’s a very beautiful tune, Rachael. I also really like how the clawhammer technique gives it a driving rhythmic feel. And the switch to fingerpicking at the end gives it a very soft and sweet resolution. 🙂
@karenj – Very beautifully played, Karen. Well done!
@leb397 – This def counts Louisa! I love the blues and yours has a fun lyric with great rhythm and licks! And TY so much for the kind words, I really appreciate it!
@swissconsinboy – I really enjoyed your song, Gregory. It has a fun, upbeat feel and had me tapping my foot while groovin’ in my chair! 🙂@Andrew thank you so much. Very appreciated. @the_bumble_bard Thank YOU! So glad you liked it and appreciate your comments. As you know, it’s hard to “put yourself out there” and feel vulnerable.
@annemarie thank you. I’m going to list the lyrics here because they are cute. I need to search how to record with better sound. What a great Challenge. Impressive how so many tried an original.The G-ma Rock Class Blues
I decided to write the words, to this 12 bar blues
I put my pen to the paper and grabbed my Uke to tune
Rock Class gave us this challenge, what have I got to lose.I’m a Uke lovin Grandma, Rock Class taught me to play
If I couldn’t play my Uke, those blues would get in my way
I’m a Uke lovin Grandma, that’s all I’ve got to say.Thank you Andrew, both Steven’s, Matt Mika and Evan too
All great teachers at Rock Class, This community grew
We’re a supporting group of Ukers, I just love you so.I was gifted a Uke, about five years ago
I searched the Net for a site that taught finger picking to show –
That you didn’t have to sing – this is an exception – ya knowI’m a Uke lovin Grandma…. (Repeat)
@leb397: That was excelent and very creative. Lovely voice. I also Love the lyrics and the triplet strum Pattern, really well executed!
@swissconsinboy; What a charming and optimistic melody. Love it!@Andrew, thank you so much! 😊 It always means so much and makes me so happy when you like a tune I try to create. It’s like an extra special stamp of approval. 😂 I’m really happy that you liked the blending of clawhammer and fingerpicking; for some reason I really like the idea of trying to do that, but it can be tricky to switch mid-song without it seeming abrupt, which is why I tried to modify the clawhammer pattern so it sounds more like fingerpicking and emulates other patterns to make that transition smoother. The original melody was inspired by some of your tunes and “melodic movements” (?) you like to use in your songs that I’ve noticed. Thank you again so much! 😊🤍
@leb397, those lyrics are so magical and so cute! 😁😅 I’m so happy you decided to put yourself out there. That can be so scary especially when it’s something like singing. But you did beautifully! 😊💕Hello!
I was a member here a couple years ago, but I cycle through my hobbies a lot and so I took a break from the uke for a bit, but I’m happy to be back! This is the ukulele I won when I was here last time!Thanks again @the_bumble_bard . I should rerecord it but another time. It was fun thinking of words. Also thank you @rebeca appreciate the kudos. Welcome back @kittycatlan
My first original piece is called “A Medley of Minor and Major Distraction” (or The Abner and Lelee Song)…..inspired by my 72 (people years) year old cat – who fancies himself the James Bond of cats (and takes his prowling and mousing duties very seriously)…..and my 100 year old dog who whiles away her days seeking out sun puddles to lay her weary bones and dream her dog dreams.
These 2 have been with me for years….always in the background of my life…..a constant, lovely distraction with their sweet antics……they are pure love ❤️I was attempting to create 2 voices that co-existed in the same tune. The cat is represented by an E minor voice and the Dog is C major. I used Miko’s suggestion of finding melody in the picking pattern of the chords….but rather than using Travis picking, I used clawhammer-style on a low-G uke. Then I included a strumming pattern that helped to pull it all together establishing melody, harmony and rhythm. Tune structure is circular and repetitive toggling between the two voices, with the Em Cat voice first, and the Cmajor Dog voice second until the end where the 2 voices merge.
One more thing……timing……it is supposed to start slow and build up speed a bit as the tune progresses………
there are a few flubs…..had the same issues recording…..not perfect, but it was time to post…..
Finally, what a great challenge…..Thank-you @Andrew! I am so impressed with the creativity and talent within our group……so much fun! Uke-On♥️.
Please do not include me in the draw this month.
……and one more thing🤪……I agree with @misterbones…….(by the way, loved your ‘original’)….my ‘original’ medley sounds like cliched snippets glued together…..so maybe it’s just best to call it a first attempt😁
@dianna, that was so magical! I love everything about that, the style, the techniques (o’ course, I lorve the clawrhammer), and the story, very magical. 😊😅 It also has an almost bluesy sound to the harmony. I listened to it a few times and I had a hard time telling which parts were minor or major; I couldn’t tell them apart. To me overall it had a bluesy sound throughout but maybe you or Andrew can explain why that is. 😂😅 The theory side of music is by far my weakest point.
I’m still trying to wrap my mind around what a musical cliché is or if there is anything wrong with that because talking to Matt about this, he’s always said that there is no music that’s fully original. Maybe there are some things that if used are so obvious or so simple that they’re boring, they can get boring if too predictable, but as long as it’s interesting and “sounds good, you’re doing it right,” again quoting Matt. 😅 I really agree with his philosophy about music which is why I’m referencing that right now. But I also think that some of the best music ever created is just a directly modified version or reimagining of something that already exists. Sorry I have a lot of thoughts about this topic and the concept of creating music which is why I wrote more than even usual in this challenge but it’s just so exciting to see what everyone created and to ponder. Anyway thank so much, Dianna, that was lovely! 😊😅
@kittycatlin – Welcome back Cat, it sounds like you haven’t missed a beat! Beautiful performance! 🙂
@dianna – I love the story behind the song, Dianna! Great writing and performance! 🙂@leb397 Wow Louisa that is amazing! The uke playing Grandma rocks 🎸 I loved it so much. Your new Anuenue Mahogany uke is gorgeous… loved your triplet strumming too.
@swissconsinboy That was fun to listen to. Really nice.
@kittycatlin That was nice. Welcome back. Pretty uke. What brand is it?
@dianna Wow what creativity…nice@shelle – Beautifully played, Shelle! A fantastic first post! Hope to hear more from you 🙂
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