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Last month I decided to not shy away from songs I would like to play based on their difficulty. My thought was that by pushing my skill limits, I will improve. I chose ‘Yesterday’, which is definitely beyond my level, but was still fun. I could use several more weeks on this.
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Usually I would have practiced more, but had not much time too. I started with Yellow Submarine, which is a fun song and I had picked out that one initially because I love to play my Lanikai with the high G string set up. However “Yesterday” let me push my self. It’s also a beautiful song to play, but I definitely need to practice more on this song. Which I will do even after the challenge 🙂 Wishing all participants good luck!
akukes73 – Beautiful playing! Great job on the timing, but watch out for the first bar of the verse. I simplified the rhythm of the vocal melody, so if you switch it to the syncopated rhythm that Paul sings, you’ll have to rework the bar so it isn’t cut short.
As you continue to practice, I want you to focus on increasing sustain. Also, check out this video that I made earlier this month for another member. It’ll give you a tip on that hard chord transition in bar 4.
bibilele – Fantastic start! Can’t wait to hear at all 🙂
gstriph – Excellent take, Jerry! Fantastic work this month 🙂
kdeacon7 – Bravo! Incredible performance for your second fingerstyle tune!! So there were moments where your timing was spot-on and then others where it was a little choppy. So I’d suggest practicing with a metronome or with the tab player. And don’t be afraid to do the barre chord for B7. It’ll make that section much easier to play 😉
@ldarrow – Working on songs that are above your playing level is an excellent way to grow your musicianship. I even tell folks it’s okay if you don’t learn the entire song. Because you’re still going to get better in the process no matter how much you tackle.But tackle it you did! Bravo! 2 tips: Watch out for pulling the third string down when fretting chords. It’ll make the note sound sharp (off-key). We always want to try to keep the string as parallel as possible.
Second, the E minor in bar 8. Try to grab that with third (G string), fourth (C string) and middle (E string) fingers. It’ll make the transition after that chord much easier.
@joannetala – Beautiful playing! A lot of the your performance had a beautiful sustain, but there’s a couple sections where it became a bit staccato-y. Mostly the hard measures, like bar 4. Check out the advice and video I left about for @akukes73. It’ll give you some tips for increasing sustain.Dear Rockclass
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Here is my entry for the May challenge. It was really enjoyable and fun to learn this familiar song. Thank you Rockclass!
Cheers
Thanks @marianne !! You’re right, it is a tough one. In my case I was already very familiar with the song — I had learned Cynthia Lin’s version a few years back and kept it up all this time. Learning to sing and play something like that is a slow and steady process, each part needing to be mastered before you can combine them (including learning the lyrics by heart and where they fall within the music). It can take weeks and often months. Don’t give up!
For the record, I prefer your version @Andrew and love how closely it resembles the original 🙂
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All the arrangements this month are fantastic. I was there when the originals came out…!
I chose Blackbird this month and it took the first two weeks just to get the hang of the rhythms. Thank you Andrew for a very comprehensive lesson.
For some reason, I keep wanting to go fast – I think it’s because the original is so familiar, it’s hard to slow it down in your mind. Anyway – here is my effort.
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I aim to memorise the piece by the week before submission. Then I make a recording to see what it sounds like and what the obvious least ready parts are. However, this time I missed that week of polishing. 🙁
In my mind it already sounds good, but the sad reality is that the ringing of the notes is totally random (especially the bar 7-8 type of repeating part, especially when the 3 fingers are jammed), the rhythm is still very wobbly (haven’t even figured out what bar 22 actually is, so I just fought through…) and the whole piece could do with at least 2 more weeks of practice.
I had such a temptation to fall back on Yellow Submarine… but a half ready Let it be it is 🙂
Thanks for the challenge. It is a very nice arrangement!I did just what I tell my students not to do, cram all my practicing into one weekend (complete with camping and Memorial Day parades!) a beautiful song and a beautiful challenge, you’ve gotta love the Beatles on uke! Enjoy, and as always I look forward to hearing everyone else’s performances.
Mike
Thanks so much Andrew! The string noise was really bugging me. I thought about asking for advice but didn’t want to be a nuisance since you have so much feedback to give – figured I’d just check the web for some tips. Looking forward to trying these suggestions out and cleaning up my playing.
I can’t tell you how impressed I am with the quality of the lessons (and personalized help!) I get from this site. If you are ever in need of any type of testimonial, I’d be more than happy to oblige.
Thanks again!
Trace
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