Participate in the May 2026 Member Challenge – WIN $2,095 Kanile’a Ukulele

[shmu88]

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Hello all,

Here’s my entry for this month’s challenge: The River Song

Cheers!

[Andrew]

@mickan88 – Very beautifully played, Michaela and the tone of your uke is incredible 🙂

@shmu88 – Nicely played, Sam!

[mickan88]

@Andrew Thank you! I chose tone over speed this time 😉 I wish I had a bit more time to practice this month, but we’re actually traveling to California in a couple of days, for a well needed vacation! And thank you as well for your kind words about my ukulele — yes, she sounds incredible! I’m so in love with her!

[planetfink]

I am a premium member.

Both my kids were born in the 80’s so we listened to a lot of Raffi songs. This is one of my favorites. I decided to get the very shaggy, bored dog waiting patiently for her walk in the background.

[misterbones]

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Give me any selection of songs to choose from, include a classic from the nineteen-twenties, and you can be sure that will be my pick.
Trigger warning: a wire coat hanger was seriously abused during the, ahem, “production” of this video.

[turbopstros]

Hey all, here is my take on “The River Song”.

I’m a beginner and last month I played the “One Finger Etude” but my wife told me it’s too easy and I need some challenge.. so this month’s song was a big challenge. Whole first week I played it only at 30% speed, second week I could speed up to 50%, but on last two days it finally clicked and I was able to play it at original speed.

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[Andrew]

@planetfink – You nailed the feel and fun of the tune! Well done Kathy 👏

@misterbones – Lol, I loved the ending! Def gonna share this in our newsletter this Friday 🙂

@turbopstros – Well done Vlastimil! I have a few tips to share with you. The first is regarding how you are holding the uke. When we sit on a couch, unless it’s a firm couch, it causes us to sink in. In your video, you can see how the uke is pointed upward, instead of facing the camera. That position makes playing more difficult.

If you can, always practice on a firm chair or stool. I’ll go ahead and share a video below that I made for another member with a few tips on proper holding technique. I’ll also paste additional lessons that touch on this topic. Here is the first and second lesson I recommend reviewing.

Second tip, try not to stick your left-hand thumb above the neck as much. Try placing your thumb slightly above the middle of the neck, though for this song, having it stick out a little is okay. This adjustment will help improve your fretting dexterity. Check out this lesson, it talks in more detail about thumb placement as it relates to proper left hand form.

Your notes when you play out of a position or chord have a nice sustain, but the ones you play when moving up the neck sound a little staccato-y. Try to keep finger pressure held down throughout the duration of the notes value to increase sustain.

[misterbones]

Thanks a lot @Andrew

[turbopstros]

Hey @Andrew, wow, thank you so much for the feedback, you have no idea how valuable and appreciated it is!
I was learning only from the app on my phone and never had any teacher who would see what can be done better/proper way.
I’ve already started going through the lessons. Thank you again!

[Andrew]

@turbopstros – My pleasure!

[patizon]

Hello everyone, for the May challenge I chose the beautiful song Lover’s March. It’s a joy to play it, but the triplet section really messed up my head and fingers. There’s still a lot to learn.

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Ondra

[clempek]

I’m a premium member

It’s my participation with brahms lullaby.
I really enjoyed working on it, and I think I’ll keep playing it to make the chord transitions smoother

[rgillof]

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I tried this one a few years ago so I strived for improvement. Still not where I want to be.

[katazumiri]

Hello everyone!

I haven’t seen “The Jerk”. The link Andrew provided leads to a very romantic scene 🎺👄
On YouTube, I found a version of the song performed by Patience and Prudence, dating back to the mid-50s. Judging by the YouTube comments, this version of the song also made it to television screens. The TV series was titled “American Horror Story”
I borrowed several ideas from the Patience and Prudence performance, and I also played a “solo” on a tenor ocarina in D. My version is slower than the original (about 80% of the speed).

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Have a nice day!

[gi_gi_]

I am a Premium Member

Hello everyone. I’ve been missing for a few months but happy to post today. I love Steve’s ‘The River Song’ so I’m attempting it this month. My ears enjoy it a little slower so I played it that way.
Hope that’s ok.

[Author]

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