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I AM A PREMIUM MEMBER
I’ve been for a Sleep Walk too
Really high quality entries this month, have enjoyed them all. Thanks everyone.
Hi @June2020
I might be able to help with your low G question.
Yes, it’s a common issue. Because the string is heavier than the others, it is louder. There are a few ways to mitigate this.
1. Some strings are louder and boomier than others. Wound strings are particularly loud, especially Aquila wound strings. A way to mitigate this is to get an unwound low G string. The issue with this is that often unwound strings don’t sit cleanly in the nut slot and create intonation issues. A good compromise is to use the Aquila red unwound single low G string (AQ72U), which will sit in most nut slots but is not as boomy as wound strings. Note: I do not use this string. I mostly use option 2 and I use Fremont Soloist wound low G strings.
2. Adjust your strumming attack. The attack means the angle at which you hit the strings. If you hit all of the strings at the same angle and with the same force, the G string will be loudest. It will be even louder if it is the first string you hit. A way around this is to strike the strings at an angle so that your finger barely brushes the G string and hits the other 3 harder. This isn’t easy. If you are fingerpicking, you would just make sure that you don’t pluck the G string as hard as the other strings.
Another thing to pay attention to is that using a low G affects the voicing of chords. Voicing means the order in which notes are stacked on top of each other. For example E minor comprises the notes, E, G, and B. Put those notes in any order and it will still be an E minor chord, but the voicing will be different. On the Ukulele, the standard way of playing E minor is 0432. With a high G string, in order of lowest note to highest note, this is EGGB (the G is doubled and it is at the same pitch). If you play the same chord with a low G, it will be GEGB. This is still an E minor chord, so you don’t need to change anything, but the lowest note is now a G, so the voicing is different and might sound a bit odd.
I hope that helped.
Robin
I am a premium member
Rock
around the clock
I found this song quite difficult and only managed to get up to 30% speed but love this golden oldie song🥰I am a premium member.
I have chosen Sleepwalk too like many of you. I am pretty happy that this time I can keep up with the tempo. Yes, still glitches here and there though 🙂
Cheers, Sheila@qiuyan – Nice job on the triplet strum! Performance was great overall! Looks like some of the transitions were a little bit tricky. Target your practice there and make sure you have it memorized so you can focus on building muscle memory with your hands.
But for real, great job this month! Keep up the great work 🙂
@andrewvh – It’s a pretty night and day difference between the two videos! I’m very impressed with how much progress you’ve made, Andrew!So here’s an interesting thing I picked up on the new take. If you watch your performance all the way through, take note of how you’re playing lighter/softer in the beg to middle and then towards the end you are plucking very strongly. Sometimes this happens when we play songs that are lengthy and/or challenging. Just something for you to be aware of.
What size is your Uke? I think it’s a concert? I wonder if you tried it on a larger size, you’d find this song easier to play because of the larger frets. If you find yourself at a music store, maybe cycle through this song and see what you think.
@debb1985 – Fantastic feel. You aced the vibe! I want you to work on the 4th bar of Melody B. See if you can grab that last chord a little bit quicker so the tempo stays a bit more steady. That’s the only thing I can nitpick lol. Keep up the great work!
@june2020 – Bravo, June! That’s really amazing for such short playing time. Your form for both hands looks great. The best advice I can give for you is to try to memorize the piece, that way you can focus on just playing it. Start with four bar sections at a time. Play while reading the music, and then turn the music around and try without it. Don’t move on to the next four bars until you can play by memory. That’s always been the way that worked the best for me.And totally normal for the low G to be pronounced. It’s the thickest string and will ring the loudest. So while you’re playing, just be aware of how hard you’re plucking/strumming it.
@ccwuke – Beautifully played, Chris! Keep up the great work 🙂
@bomarkt – Well done, Bo! So the big thing I’d suggest working on is lightening up your attack. Here’s a video I made awhile back for another member that touches on this subject. While it references a different song, everything I mentioned can be applied towards this song or playing in general.
@wongbrown – I think this is your best performance to date. Beautifully played, excellent job!@andrew
thank you, trying the softer approach.This month marks one year since I first started playing the ukulele! I learned Rock Around the Clock, I think it may be the most difficult song I’ve learned yet, but I am happy with my progress so far 🙂
@robinl
that’s awesome 👍welldone@Andrew Thanks for the helpful feedback 😀
@robinl – You nailed the feel good vibe! Well done!
@gstriph – Great job, Jerry! For the triplet strum, try practicing with a metronome. You can even subdivide the beat like this video shows. Working on it this way is essentially looping – which will help you get the motion and timing down so that you nail it each time.Furthermore, I’d work on 4 back sections with the goal of playing it steady in time. Don’t worry about speed, just focus on note/chord clarity and timing.
You’re too generous Andrew! LOL.
Thanks for the video tip – I hadn’t noticed that video before and there’s lots of interesting stuff on it.
Jerry
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