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Hi Rock Class 101 Community!
This month, we’re celebrating our 100th site member challenge! It’s incredible to think we’ve been running these challenges for over 8 years now. In that time, more than 5,000 members have participated! I just want to say a huge thanks to everyone who’s participated!
BUT – If you’ve sat on the sidelines, please join us for this month’s challenge! Challenges are a fun way to stay motivated and a great way to meet fellow ukulele players who are passionate about learning and becoming better players. And I offer feedback on ALL submissions! 🙂
Please watch the video above and read instructions below carefully for details/instructions on this month’s challenge.
Pick ANY Song in our Ukulele Songs Series.
Note: While the majority of our arrangements are solo fingerstyle pieces, many are arranged as duets or full band jam tracks. If you choose one of these, you MUST perform to the backing track. The backing track requires premium membership to download. Furthermore, while many songs are taught in their entirety for free in the Part 1 YouTube video lesson, some arrangements are split into two lessons. Part 2 lessons require premium membership to view.
** If you need assistance with how to record yourself check out our FREE course on recording audio/video and/or private message me and I will be happy to help you out. **
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GOALS FOR MEMBER CHALLENGE:
1. Beginner to Intermediate Level: Be able to play one of the lessons as shown by Andrew smoothly and in time. Do not worry about trying to play fast; slow and steady wins the race 🙂
2. Intermediate to Advanced Level: Be able to play the lesson as shown by Andrew smoothly, in time, and at or close to the original piece’s tempo.
3. Participation Goal: 50 Rock Class 101 Member Participant Videos/MP3 posted.
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GROUND RULES FOR PARTICIPATION:
1. Post your Youtube, Vimeo, or Soundcloud links of you playing ANY RC101 Ukulele Series song anytime between Tuesday, July 1st till Thursday, July 31st, 11:59pm ET.
The upload feature on the site only supports photos. Members must host their own files. Creating an account is easy and free. Here are the links to create an account:
YouTube (For Video) – https://www.youtube.com/create_channel
SoundCloud (For Audio) – https://soundcloud.com/signin
2. Submit individually, as a reply, IN THIS POST.
3. Feel free to submit more than one video for the challenge, but additional videos will not count as extra entries into the raffle for the prize.
4. Have fun and don’t be intimidated by this challenge!!! Use this challenge to help you set goals and complete them by a deadline. You can also use this as an opportunity to chat with your fellow Rock Class 101 members and share tips or tricks on this challenge that you think are useful.
5. You must perform the entire piece to receive an entry into the prize raffle. Performance must be submitted by the deadline listed (in #1) above to gain an entry in the raffle, as well as, to receive feedback.
* Note: In my opinion, it is better to show progress versus perfection with these challenges. So if you are a beginner and can only play the first couple of measures. That is completely ok. If you play two more measures of the next challenge piece than you did the previous one, you are on track to getting better. This is what these challenges are about… you learning ukulele and getting better. Remember we are all here to support you no matter what your current playing level is.
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COMMON FAQs:
1) The prize and the challenge is open to the entire world!
2) Premium membership is NOT required to participate, but will make participation easier as it gains you complete access to the full video lessons, tabs, and the on-screen tab viewer.
3) Basic membership (free) is required to submit a reply on this forum post. You can sign up for Basic Membership HERE.
4) To post YouTube video links (in which they appear embedded on the forum), simply copy and past the video URL in its own line. For example:
YouTube URL
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Giveaway Rules:
There will be 1 winner, selected by random drawing on August 5th, 2024. To qualify to win, you must submit your audio and/or video links of your playing by the deadline listed above.
Grand Prize:
1) A Custom Ukulele Arrangement by Matt Dahlberg!
The song must meet these 4 criteria:
1) It has to be well known.
As much as we’d love to arrange more obscure tunes, we have to prioritize songs that are widely recognized. For example, Andrew LOVES this song, which has a similar vibe to this one. But in this case, we’d go with the MJ track, since it’s known by millions of people.
2) It has to be doable.
We’d love to tackle a movement from a Beethoven symphony, but some pieces are simply too complex to adapt effectively for ukulele.
3) The arrangement will be abridged.
If you request a 5-minute song, our version will likely be around 2 minutes. We’ll focus on the most memorable and impactful sections.
4) Matt will need to approve it.
Since he’s the one arranging it, the song needs to be something he feels good about and is excited to work on.
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A SPECIAL THANKS TO YOU! Thank you for making 100 Challenges possible! As always, let’s crush this challenge!
@Andrew Such a great giveaway. Excited
@gi_gi_ me too. I immediately began to search in my brain for a song which deserves to be arranged by Matt. But wait …. i’ve got to win …. and wait … i got to choose a song from the WHOLE BUNCH… Aaarrrgggghhhhh! 😅
Hahaha! Immediately my brain started going off the rails with the possibilities but then I realized there were stipulations to the arr. Oh okay, I guess it’s fair to be realistic and not ridiculous. But immediately had some pretty hilarious ideas. So excited!!! Matt is praying now that I don’t win. 😂😂😅
No, I know that isn’t true… probably.
So I guess that rules out original tunes then since the song has to be well known? Can’t wait to see what happens with this one! 😂🎉🎊
Also congrats on 100 challenges! That’s so special! 🥰
@Andrew Where is that forum post where we could suggest a song? I can’t find it now. I’ve suggested songs over there before but can’t find it. Is it gone?
@gi_gi_ – Here it is 🙂
Ooooh….this is fun!…..Decisions, decisions, decisions! Great month!…..And congratulations on 100 challenges….quite an achievement!
Looking forward to this challenge! Don’t think I’ve done a RC101 arrangement on baritone yet so I’ll do that for this month.
This is the most delayed reaction of all time, but I just realized that the example you gave in the challenge video of an excessively elaborate song to pick (for the custom arr. prize) was Beethoven’s 7th Symphony, and I literally asked Matt at one point to create an arrangement of that on his Patreon once. I feel personally attacked. 😉😂😂
LISTEN, I DIDN’T MEAN THE WHOLE THING, JUST PART OF IT. HELLO?!
(Or that could just be an insane coincidence, as happens so much in life. I’m sure it’s that. 😂)I have ideas for less involved tunes in the unlikely chance I win, though. I just found that really funny after the fact. 😉😂
It’s also *so* tricky to pick a tune (to learn) from all the tunes Rock Class 101 has! Looking through them made me realize what an amazing wealth of music is available to learn here. So, thank y’all so much for that! 😊
It has been a busy summer, hope to get an entry in.
@Andrew have a super vacation or “break”@the_bumble_bard I’m pretty sure that comment had you in mind but in a cute way 😂 When he said it I thought of you immediately ☺️ It’s a compliment. You have good taste in music 🥰
@gi_gi_ haha thank you, friend! I think you might be right! 😂 Cuteness is an ongoing theme with RC101 so that would make sense! And thank you, my musical taste lies somewhere in between Beethoven’s 7th Symph and the Backstreet Boys. 😅😂
I did finally pick a tune for this challenge, although I had a few in mind, it’s another of Matt’s arr. that’s related to a series he’s doing on his patreon, but he also did a version for RC101 that’s very similar. I like to try out tunes here before I learn them, but then I just ended up starting to learn the whole thing. I feel like that gives away what I picked for anyone who’s following Matt’s adventures. 😂
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