Participate in the November 2024 Member Challenge – WIN $3,100 Kanile’a

[rickgrant2025]

Here is my november submission for the Fall Challenge. Finger Picking Etude #4.
Thanks.
Rick Grant

[marianne]

I know I already submitted No. 26, but I had to lear No. 35! Too groovy and addicting! and the bridge is exquisite. Thanks @Andrew for these beautiful compositions.

[mickan88]

Hi! Here comes my submission for November and the fall challenge! Fingerpicking Etude no. 36. Regards! Michaela 🤗 aka ItsUkuLovely

[The_Bumble_Bard]

I finally got a chance to listen through some of the entries today. They are all amazing, just wanted to comment on a few. 😊 It may not be in the order they were shared. 😅

@lyndallk, so, so beautiful! I love the triplet picking technique so much and you did so well with it. I don’t know if I’ve heard that one here, but you played it so majestically! 😊

@jgillard, very, very nice! You really captured the happy spirit of that song so beautifully. 😊

@leb397, your performance of that Etude in E was absolutely gorgeous! Sorry that it wasn’t on the list of options, thankfully there are some ‘Tudes that are pretty easy and quick to learn! And thank you so, so much for your encouragement about my entry. 😊💕 That recording was not fully planned, tbh, how I did it that time. I did a fleshed out version of each technique, but that version was shortened and combined the two techniques. 😅

Happy Thanksgiving to you and all who celebrate!! 😊💕

@johanna2509, very beautiful, friend! 😊 That one has a kind of “Beatles” sound to it, you played it very lovely-ily indeed! 😊💕

@marianne, absolutely gorgeous playing! Your performances always having such feeling behind them. 😁

Everyone did absolutely amazingly well as always! 😊💕

Just wanted to say thank you to @Andrew again for creating all these amazing pieces and all the work and love you put into these challenges! 😊

• This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by The_Bumble_Bard.

[ukefinlandgirl]

Yes.

You all are amazing.😄😁😊

[robinboyd]

I AM A PREMIUM MEMBER

[leb397]

TAKE TWO 😉
I AM A PREMIUM MEMBER

I selected Etude #5. I believe I did this entry two years ago but still needed to “learn” it again. Love Travis picking so this was fun to do again.
HAPPY FRIENDS-GIVING EVERYONE!!!!!
Louisa

And thank you Andrew and RC for all that you do to support this community. Not sure what I’d do if you were not here…. Let the sleigh bells ring!!

[akukes73]

I AM A PREMIUM MEMBER

I chose ‘Slides’ etude no 25. It’s a bit slower than Andrew’s as I liked the restful, laid back sound. An achievement for me was I actually memorised it (I hope!).

I’ve played it on my tenor which has Pepe Romero’s Baby Baritone strings on it – tuned DGBE. I don’t have a baritone to compare it with but it seems to have worked quite well and sounds good. Thought it might be of interest to those not wanting to get a baritone but want to try the different tuning.

PS I have been having the same problem with YouTube including the tab player not playing as the video won’t load – though choosing the synth option plays it.

[karenj]

I AM A PREMIUM MEMBER

Here is my November Challenge submission of Fingerpicking Etude #5: Travis Picking. I was drawn to this in a recent challenge so was happy for a reason to spend some more time on this fun picking technique and great tune.

I am thankful for the Rock Class 101 community and for all of the joy that ukulele brings to people around the world. Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate.

Take Care
Karen

[rw1950merritt]

I am a premium member

I am really enjoying everyone’s submissions.

[anyon1]

Hi All,

I am a premium member.

I chose Etude 30 this month to work on hammer ons and pull offs. Even though the title of the Etude has “speed” in it, I couldn’t quite get this one up to speed! Luckily, I think it still sounds nice played slowly too.

[morrieuke1]

I AM A PREMIUM MEMBER

I always thought if there is a repertoire of etudes for ukulele, Andrew’s Fingerpicking Etudes are a staple among them! Each having a specific focus, they are also great stand alone pieces. Here is Fingerpicking Etude No.17, which I found very relaxing to play. I concentrated on softer dynamics, going for a chill performance.

[grannieannie]

Oh, @leb397, I feel your pain! But you came back strong with another submission right away. I think I bit off more than I can chew with Etude #17, but I wanted something I could play on my brand new low-G Kala, thanks to the generosity of Uke Republic. I didn’t realize it would have such finger-tangles toward the end, so I’m going to have to crawl through it at a snail’s pace and submit it at the last minute – I hope Andrew has an extra half hour to listen to it!

@The_Bumble_Bard, congratulations for putting three different styles together, and so seamlessly!

Love hearing everyone’s entries – so much talent in this group.

[Andrew]

@nachtz – Wow, that was incredible! Have you played an instrument before? Your form and tone are excellent. Beautifully played J C 👏

@corey_mclean – That was an impressive performance Corey! You played it so clean for such a fast tempo! Great feel too, and I didn’t hear anything un-natural sounding after the ritardandos. Well done!

@lhamilton – Playing sounded great Linda, but it does sound like you in the red was ahead of you in the purple. Maybe check the alignment in the editor? Sounds like it is off by a little.

@jedart – Playing sounds great Jed! You nailed the vibe of the piece too. The only suggestion I have is to work on the transitions where you hesitated a little. Overall, very well played!

@lyndallk – Great phrasing and pacing Lyndall! The only suggestion I have is to watch out for note clarity with the index and middle plucks. Sometimes they blend into one a little too much. Try practicing at a slower tempo and listening out for that.

@jgillard – I thought you played it very cleanly! The only thing I can point out is there’s a few minor pauses in some of the transitions. And that’s me trying to nitpick, lol. That was really well played Jeremy, and great job on the tempo! It’s really impressive how clean you played it for how fast the tune is.

@ccwuke – Aced it! Great performance Chris! One thing I did notice though, it looked like you were pushing down with a lot of pressure on the slides on string 2. Try those, but push only enough to get the slide to ring clearly, and compare that to how much force you usually use. I suspect you might notice you are pushing down more than you need to.

@johanna2509 – Beautifully played Johanna! What do you use to record? Sometimes certain recording setups can amplify string noise, making it seem worst than it actually is.

Glad to hear you enjoyed the theory side of the lesson. That was a fun one for Evan and I 🙂

@rickgrant2025 – Great playing, Rick! The one thing I’d suggest working on is lightening your right hand attack when fingerpicking and strumming. This is a concept I demo-d and explained in this video a few years back for another member who was learning this song. You can ignore the comments on the left hand in that video.

So if we pull an example from your performance, watch how you come down with the strum at 36 seconds. It’s a pretty strong strum and that makes the chord sound loud, and a bit shrill. I’d describe Etude #4 as a “pretty song,” so using a lighter attack will produce a softer, sweeter tone. Let me know if you have any questions.

@marianne – Another stellar performance, Marianne! Just a stylistic thought – this piece might groove even more at a slightly slower tempo. Maybe give it a try and see how it feels?

@mickan88 – Wow, Michaela! What a beautiful first post! Excellent playing and feel. I look forward to hearing more from you!

P.S. Don’t forget to add the “premium” tag for K giveaways 😉

@robinboyd – You nailed the vibe and feel of the piece, Robin! Excellent playing!

@leb397 – Sounds like you picked it right back up Louisa! Beautifully played 🙂

@akukes73 – You nailed the feel of the piece Ash! Really well played! The only thing I’d suggest is using 2 fingers for the 7th fret and 8th fret notes on string 2 in the opening 6 bars. That’ll smooth out those notes and make them sound more legato-y.

Thanks for letting me know about the YT issue. I reported it to YouTube and Google. Hopefully they can sort out the issues.

@karenj – Beautifully played Karen! Well done!

@rw1950merritt – Beautifully played, Bob! An excellent first post! I look forward to hearing more from you.

@anyon1 – I agree with you, it sounds great at a slower pace! You played it wonderfully, great job on all the H/O, P/O, and slide techniques! The only one I’d suggest targeting in your practice is the 32nd to 16th note H/O, P/O in the opening bar. I’d like to hear that one with a little more clarity. It’s def a tricky one since it’s so fast! Try looping the last half of the bar with the metronome activated at 50% speed. That’ll be a great way to practice it.

@morrieuke1 – You nailed the chill vibe, Michael! The only thing I’d work on is cleaning up the fast runs in Theme 5 and getting them up to tempo. I remember having to work on those a lot! They were tough!

And I appreciate the kind words! Means a lot!

[barbecueblack]

Hi Rockclass

Thanks to Rockclass, I get to learn to play the uke through lovely songs.

This is my version of Fingerpicking Etude 32. I am a PREMIUM member.

Cheers

[Author]

Posts