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@shmu88, that was a very lovely play through of that tune!! Really perfect! 😊
@leb397, there have definitely been tunes here that I’ve felt that way about. One really memorable one was the tune Always With Me from Spirited Away that Steven created. So beautiful, but I had soooo much trouble memorizing that one because it was so long and intricate. The tune you’re learning seems the same sort of thing.My method for practicing RC101 tunes has changed since I started here. I used to start at the beginning of the month but now I sometimes start practicing a week or two before the end of the month, or sometimes the same day I record. 😅😅😅😂😂 But it depends on how tricky the tune is and also how much mental energy I have to spare for the challenge. Everyone has a “challenge quota” each month. The last year or so it’s been harder to pick challenging tunes because life has been so insane.
That said, I picked Marianne’s tune this month which is advanced difficulty and………………… haven’t even started practicing, but that’s where brazen and misplaced overconfidence comes in! 😉😂
Here is Duality, playing both melody and lead. It was a bit tricky having to find ways around the super extended reaches on the baritone, and I could have slowed it down a bit but I got carried away! 😂 Very sweet composition @Andrew!
@The_Bumble_Bard thank you, I very much look forward to your performance 😊@marianne – Very beautifully played, Marianne! And TY so much for the kind words 🙂
thanks @Andrew 😊😊
@shumu88 and @anyon1: You learned The Dock of the Bay so quickly and played it so effortlessly! I’m working on that now, but with a week of travel intervening, my practice time is shortened. I like watching how you play it.
@marianne: I always look forward to listening to your entries. You play with such feeling and grace.
@leb397 and @dianna: My learning curve follows the same pattern each month: I go through the fingering and transitions and muddle my way through, all the while thinking, “How does this make sense?” Then it starts to make sense and the patterns created by the fingering (I’m a visual learner) stick in my brain. Then I realize I’ve remembered those patterns and it’s a matter of practising over and over, never quite (not yet, anyway) reaching 100% speed. Optimum speed is, of course, determined by the most difficult part of the song.I AM A PREMIUM MEMBER.
I wanted to share my progress on Contemplations so far, just in case I don’t get a chance to do another recording later this month. It’s been an incredible journey learning this beautiful piece.
First off, I have to give a huge shoutout to Marianne for composing such a beautiful melody, and to RC101 for teaching it so well. I also have to mention that this is my very first experience with a low G uke – an amazing prize from the February challenge! Huge thanks to RC101 and UkeRepublic for making that happen—I’m absolutely loving it!
As I watch my recording, I can definitely spot some areas I want to work on. The Fm/G chord has been particularly challenging, and I’m trying to get those notes to ring out smoothly from one bar to the next. I’m also focusing on rolling the chords and maintaining even pressure across all four strings. It’s definitely a work in progress, but I’m enjoying the journey!
Looking forward to any tips or feedback!
Decided to play my 100+ yr banjo Ukulele for Sittin on Dock of Bay. Still not consistent with the pattern Matt used but he did say, keep your hand moving 😁. As I mention in earlier post and @the_bumble_bard and @grannieannie @dianna responded, we all work at different pace and practice. Three weeks ago I would not have bet a nickel- especially after @shmu88 played so well, that I would have gotten this far. Point being- practice does make (you better) 😆
@marianne, so pretty.👏👏. Louisa
Thanks AndrewPs @the_bumble_bard , I can’t believe you can wait so long and then tackle a song. I admire that. Sure hope your dental situation has improved
I AM A PREMIUM MEMBER
I was excited to see an arrangement for solo U-Bass in the mix this month, and such a cool one at that, so it was a no-brainer to go with the Star Wars theme. It was a lot trickier than it sounded at first, especially for someone still new to bass playing. The biggest challenge was to avoid unwanted noises of all sorts and mute everything all the time that was not supposed to vibrate at that exact moment. And I had real issues with string noises, which you can still hear in the video. So there’s still a long way to go until I get a nice clean bass sound, but practicing this one definitely helped getting closer.
Just wanted to leave a few replies to the entries so far! Hopefully I remember all the ones I listened to (roughly in order). 😂
@marianne, truly gorgeous performance as always! You are an inspiring musician. Really impeccable playing. I’m so honored to try playing your song this month, hopefully I can manage it and do it justice. 🥰
@nelsonlin2021, very beautiful play through of that tune! I especially loved the parts with the tremolo but the feeling throughout was lovely. I’m trying that one and listening to your performance I realized I forgot how the rhythm goes to the second melody (the non -tremolo part). Anyway, very lovely! 😊
@deadbuggy, such a lovely performance, you really bring extra life to all the music you play! Beautiful! 😊
@misterbones, that was perfect!! That really sounds amazing. Did you add a bit of the Imperial March to the end, or was that in the lesson? 😂 Always look forward to hearing your performances and that one didn’t disappoint! 😊
@leb397, I saved your reply for last because of the high rambling potential on my part! 😂 I loved that performance so much, that was really perfect and sounded so good on your antique banjolele! Some songs don’t always translate well to the banjo uke but that worked perfectly! Thought it sounded great start to finish! I oddly was thinking of starting a topic about practice on here just as you asked that question because I’m so curious what others do with that. 😅 I’ll say that my approach of waiting to the very last second possible has backfired a few times, but shockingly goes pretty well most of the time. I can usually tell by listening to the song / watching the lesson play through if I can get away with that. I know that some techniques and styles are way harder for me to learn, for instance, like strumming. I may never learn strumming, I guess that’s fine. I haven’t fully given up yet. 😂😂😅 You “strumpt” so beautifully in that tune! I’ve already rambled a lot, but let’s just say things have gotten much, much worse since I wrote about that. 😂 It’s all okay and with each issue, I’m so blessed to have so much emotional and practical support from those around me. I might write about it in the thread I started about my new kitty cat here. Anyway, lovely work, friend! 🥰❤️@leb397: I wondered when we would get to hear your vintage banjo uke! Well played, and doesn’t it just fit that song?
@The_Bumble_Bard: Thanks! No, that was not in the lesson, but I couldn’t resist. No Star Wars tribute, no matter how small, would be complete without the Imperial March 🙂
@grannieannie and @the_bumble_bard thank you. I’ve been playing it much more lately. I started playing, Dock of Bay, with my concert but the last week I switched thinking how much I liked it.
I get to play it more at our ukulele group and some older songs sound great. It is loud. Really fun to pick and practice claw hammer.
Thinking of your kitty this morning 🫶🐱
@nelsonlin2021 – Bravo Nelson! Your picking technique on the intro/outro looks and sounds great! I think you nailed the feel and pacing of the piece too. It’s great to hear the new uke and I’m glad you now have a low G too 🙂
The clip-on mic is pretty cool! Maybe try placing it higher up on the strap? I think it might be touching the plastic end piece of the strap, which is making it pick up some unwanted noise.
@deadbuggy – You played it so beautifully Sara! I just shared it on our socials 🙂
@leb397 – Your strumming technique looks and sounds great, Louisa! Very impressive playing overall, you rocked it!
@misterbones – That was awesome Michael! And I loved the ending. Stephen has mentioned (ok, complained, lol) many times about the string noise with U-Bass. So it’s not just you! From what he’s said to me, I think it’s the nature of the beast. I’ll show him your performance and if he has any tips on reducing string noise, I’ll let you know!
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