Participate in the October 2022 Member Challenge – WIN $6,000 Kanile’a

[lynnzo]

Thanks Andrew

[Andrew]

Here’s everyone on page 9.

@debb1985 – Beautiful performance, Debb! You captured the haunting vibe perfectly 🙂

@dermango – Gorgeous interpretation with fantastic playing. Well done, Marko! 👏

@jody_hendrickson – Excellent performance! Everything was great: timing, fingerpicking, the strum build up. Well done! At this point the only thing I’d work on is increasing tempo. Keep up the great work!

@jbmills07 – Wow, Justin that was a beautiful performance! I’m impressed, keep up the great work! And I’m sorry to hear about your loss.

@annemarie – Fantastic take and you nailed the spooky vibe!

@robinboyd – Bravo, Robin! I thought you did an excellent job in light of the hand injury. One thing that I do want to hear is more consistency in the clarity of the fingerpicking. To achieve this, practice at a slower tempo and listen to make sure each note is ringing crystal clear and connecting/sustaining with an even tempo.

@tim0721 – Excellent fingerpicking Tim! One thing I noticed is that you kept the tempo pretty steady throughout. You may want to experiment with rubato. I think it adds a really cool coloring to a piece like this.

For example, if you listen to Stephens performance in measure 8, he starts to slow down. Doing so helps to build the tension/climax in the ending of that build up section.

@digbybare – I’ll embed a video I made for another member a couple years ago on how to hold the uke. Additionally, here is another lesson and one more covering this topic that I recommend reviewing.

Fingerpicking sounds great! And if you just started, it’s really impressive how far you’ve come! Check out this lesson on proper left hand form. When you switch to the E minor chord (like at 29 seconds in your performance), your wrist bends inwards. We never want to do that. It limits dexterity. You want to be using Form 1 (explained in proper left hand form lesson) to fingerpick out of that shape.

@smudge – Fantastic performance and thank you for the kind words! The rhythm and Melody A was spot-on. You made a couple rhythmic changes for the slide in licks in Melody B, but it worked! I enjoyed watching your performance 🙂

@lbilkie – Great fingerpicking throughout! I’d suggest working on 4 bar sections at a time. Focus on pace and flow. And one of the best ways to work on this is to loop the 4 bar sections and play along with Steven in the tab player. His playing will act as a guide to help you with these two concepts.

[Andrew]

Here’s everyone on page 10.

@zongozongo – Bravo! I’d argue that a lot is polished. For example, excellent job building and resolving tension in the chord build up from bars 5 to 8.

There are a couple spots to double check. First is the first pull-off in a measure 3 and 4. You want to do 8 to 5 on the A string.

Second is bar 12, the fourth note should be 7 on string 4.

Overall, I’d say keep doing what you’re doing. It’s working because your playing sounds great!

@jgillard – Excellent fingerpicking, Jeremy! Your playing expressed the haunting vibes of the piece perfectly too! The one thing I’d suggest working on is transitions as there’s a few hesitations here and there.

I’d go back and listen to your performance and note where it’s happening. Then put the bulk of your practice there. Focus on one melody at a time, instead of trying to tackle all 6 in a practice session.

@terryfallon3 – Awesome playing, Terry! I think you have a great base established. So what I would do is focus on one melody at a time. And put the bulk of your practice in timing and transitions.

Try playing along with the tab player in “synthetic mode” as that will keep the tempo steady. When you can play it perfectly in time (regardless of playing at a fast or slow tempo), go back and add some rubato to taste 🙂

@biancak – Impressive playing considering the injury! It was a beautiful performance with great feel throughout. I hope your fingers heal fast 🙂

@olemartin – Fingerpicking sounds great as was the overall performance! Bravo! I do want to share one idea with you. I noticed that the majority of your chord hits were done using the arpeggiated plucking method.

Which is really cool, but when you use the same approach a lot, it loses a little bit of its appeal. Check out this video that I made a few years ago for another member on this song. It talks about how you can use multiple strum approaches to add color and variation.

@richo_uke – Your rhythms were perfect! Bravo! That was the hardest aspect of this song as so many were unorthodox or syncopated. I’m really impressed! Excellent work this month!

@pika80019 – First off, very cool fingerpicking approach for the triplets in Melody D. Love the sound that the index finger produces there.

Overall, this was a great performance! The only thing I’d suggest working on is transitions. Take a look at the feedback I left about for @jgillard. It’s got some tips on how to work on this.

@mrskye – Awesome performance! Your fingerpicking sounds great throughout! Couple tips. First, don’t forget to tune up before you record. Second, I noticed sometimes you are pushing directly on the metal fret. You want to scoot your fingertip back a notch and place it as close to the fret, but not on top of it. Just like Matt shows in this video.

@k_ra11 – Excellent performance! You captured the vibes of the show perfectly! 👏

@mueleski – Excellent performance! And I loved the slideshow, those were some of the coolest Halloween photos I’ve ever seen!

@santai – Your performance was great, Marvin! Couple little spots to clean up but moving forward, I’d put the bulk of your practice on increasing tempo. Keep up the great work!

[zongozongo]

@Andrew: thx for your valuable feedback. These mistakes actually sneaked in. After trying the correct notes, I actually prefer my version of bars 3 and 4. sounds more sad :).

[Stephen]

Here’s everyone on page 11:

@concan – You are doing a great job playing the pull offs on this one! The are very clean! Besides working a tiny bit more on the tempo and timing of this one, I have one suggestion: On the 4th fret notes in measure four and where it repeats, hold that note down while playing through the other notes to keep it ringing out through the whole measure. This will help to keep the feel of the whole song as smooth as possible for effect. Keep up the great work!

@sir_anzalot – You played this one with a very nice feel and timing throughout! Great performance!

@mark65536 – That was a very nice rendition at a very quick pace! My only suggestion is to keep the fourth fret held down on meausres like measure 4 to make the song even smoother! I really enjoyed your video effects and lighting!

@janaq1 – You are doing a great job on this one! The timing is very tricky in a few spots like measures 7-8. On the strums at the end of bar 7, try playing very slowly and counting to make sure the 3rd chord is held out long enough before coming back to the finger picking. Keep it up, you’re off to a great start!

@mkstewart67 – You are playing this one very well! You are remaining very legato and keeping a good pace. The pull offs in certain spots near the beginning are tricky to play, and a few of them could benefit from being louder. I would isolate the first 2 or 3 measures and focus on pulling off with just enough force to keep those pull offs as loud as the notes surrounding them. You sound great on this one, keep it up!

@jlbross – Great job on these melodies! They are a bit tricky! As far as your comment about the pinky: I notice that your thumb is sticking way up over the neck on the first melody and that makes it a bit trickier to curve the hand enough to utilize the pinky. It worked to change the fingers up a bit, but having your thumb lower on the back of the neck might allow your fingers to curve enough to get more use out of your pinky in the future. Keep up the good work!

@dividedsky – I think AJ’s melody is beautiful! It’s tricky to play this style of song, because of the subtle nature of the slides and hammer ons. You’re playing this one very well.

One thing that might help it to match his playing style is to slide into the notes just behind the beat rather than right in time or slightly early. This laid back feel on the slides helps the melody have a smooth, floating vibe.

Another thing that AJ is doing to get a warm tone on his ukulele is to pluck with the thumb over the fretboard rather than the body of the ukulele. Have you tried that technique on your ukulele? It might help to achieve a similar warmth and smoothness.

@yukalele – You kept a very steady feel and tempo through most of this. It sounds great in spite of your microphone issues. The hardest part of this one seems to be keeping fingers down to play as smoothly as possible, and to get the pull offs in the first few measures to project as clearly as the other notes. Try breaking down those measures slowly with the goal of having the pull offs project as loud as the other notes. You’re doing a great job so far!

@jayton – You have a very nice tone and consistent sound on the first part of this song. With just a little work on muscle memory on the section from 30 – 45 seconds, you will have the whole song just as smooth! I would isolate that section at a slower-but-steady tempo. Wonderful job, just a little bit more work to go!

@pysanky – Very nicely done! You kept a very steady pulse and the notes were very legato!

In the first couple of measures, I can hear unintentional string noise when you are moving your fingers from one string to another. This one is a hard song to mute while playing: especially in the first measures. Try muting the strings that aren’t ringing out as you play with either extra fingers on your left hand, or even your right hand. You will have to go very slowly to figure out which combination is the most effective, but it might help with the string noise. You are doing an excellent job on this one!

@moonshine – Very nice job on this! You have a very steady tempo, and all of the notes are very well pronounced. There’s just a tiny rhythmic detail on measures 7 and 11 that you may have to count: each of the strums in those measures is a dotted eighth note rhythm, which is just 3 sixteenth notes in length. Basically, each chord is held out just a fraction of a beat less than you are playing them right now. You nailed everything else! Great work!

• This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by Stephen. Reason: reformatting naming

[yukalele]

Hi Andrew,

Thanks for your valuable feedback. You commented on the pull-offs and I do have some problems with these. I will keep working on the lacrimosa, doing what you suggest, because it’s such a nice melody.

Many thanks,
David.

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

[sir_anzalot]

Thank you @Stephen 🙂

[Stephen]

Here’s most of page 12:

@acornjasper – You are playing this one very well! One thing that might make it sound a bit smoother is to play the pull off that happens between the 3rd and 2nd fret on the first string in most of the measures. This means your right hand won’t have to pluck the 2nd fret of that figure any of the times you play this pattern. This will help that part sound smoother.

You are doing a great job on the rhythm! On measure 8, after the strums in measure 7, the plucked note comes in just slightly earlier (a sixteenth note earlier) than you played it here. It’s very slight, but you are so close to having it right, so I know you can do it! Keep up the work, you are very close!

@themccoys – You are off to a great start on these melodies! It sounds like you have them down for the most part, with just a little bit more time spent working on the transition and rhythm change (from 8th notes to 16th notes) in measures 18 and 19 on Witches Brew. You’re doing a great job, keep it up!

@mademoiselleannette – Very nice job, especially for having limited time! I like how you swell dynamically into certain phrases and with the rubato tempo as well. Great playing on this one!

@dal08260 – Nice playing on this one! You have a nice amount of finesse and a great tone. And I love the costume!

@felixhchan – Excellent job on this one, especially the opening! It seems like there are just a few chord shapes that are catching you slightly off guard. Isolate those shifts at a slower tempo until they are smooth, and you’ve got this. You have a wonderful clear sound on this one!

@alysun1 – You were off to a great start! I think just taking one melody at a time and practicing them at a fairly slow but steady tempo is the best thing to do at this point. Thank you for playing through all of them for the challenge. Keep working on it and you’ll get there.

@tessiert – You’re doing a great job on this one! It seems like the only spots where the rhythm/flow of the song had a hiccup was in the bars with 3 strummed chords. Dotted eighth notes are the duration of 3 sixteenth notes, so playing this at a slow enough tempo to count those rhythms might help on those 2 spots. Keep it up, you sound great on this one!

@omaon4 – You are off to a great start on this one! Now that you are playing the right notes, it’s time to memorize sections and tricky transitions between chords. It may help to circle them in your music so you can see the tricky ones coming to look ahead to prepare. Keep up the great work!

P.S. Don’t forget to add the premium member tag 😉

@jeg143 – You are off to a great start! You have the main melody under your fingers, now it’s time to focus on the 2 measures with chord strums and the section between them where the fingerpicking pattern changes. Isolate measure 7 and 8 to practice how long to hold the last strum before returning to fingerpicking (it’s pretty quick!). Then practice measure 9 over and over to get comfortable with the fingerpicking pattern that only happens here. You’re doing great, just a bit more work to have it solid!

@puppylovesuke – Great job on this one! The improvement from the first to the second take was wonderful! The rhythm from measure 7 to 8 is probably the most difficult one, and you nailed it! Very smooth take, and you got the first one in time for the challenge! Way to go!

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

[Andrew]

@ukandoit – Beautiful performance played with fantastic feel throughout, Matthieu! I do see that the video was uploaded to YouTube on the 30th, but unfortunately it does need to be posted on our forum within the deadline.

I did try to give everyone a friendly reminder on the 31st. But the good news is there are 2 more chances to win! Hope you join us in November and December 🙂

@seoulkim – Great job! As you continue practicing, focus on playing the notes with a steady 16th note rhythm. Some sound a little cut short at times. Try playing with the tab player in “synthetic mode” with the metronome activated. That’s a great way to work on this.

Unfortunately, you submitted past our deadline so we won’t be able to give you an entry for the prize. I tried to give everyone a friendly reminder on the 31st. But the good news is there are 2 more chances to win! Hope you join us in November and December 🙂

@puppylovesuke – Love the shirt and excellent performance, David!

[mark65536]

Thanks for the feedback @Stephen – I’ll try out your suggestion for making it smoother.

[Andrew]

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED THIS MONTH! WE HAD 93 MEMBERS PARTICIPATE! YOU GUYS ROCK!

Stephen and I were BLOWN AWAY by how amazing everyone did! Big round of applause to everyone who participated this month. 🙂

Hope to see y’all in our November Challenge!

Here is a list of everyone who earned an entry for the giveaway. Please let me know if there are any discrepancies.

—-

shmu88
shmu88
rebeca
rebeca
jbmills07
jbmills07
deadbuggy
deadbuggy
marlongas
marlongas
lyndallk
lyndallk
clempek
clempek
rafaela
rafaela
gmflin8
gmflin8
lisadmh
lisadmh
didyyh_guitar
jebergeron
jebergeron
misterbones
misterbones
suekulele
suekulele
brettboy
brettboy
kidelozzi
kidelozzi
leb397
leb397
madz_about_uke
madz_about_uke
katazumiri
katazumiri
joannetala
joannetala
johanna2509
johanna2509
jedart
jedart
mark1256
mark1256
lhamilton
lhamilton
mark65536
mark65536
dianna
dianna
june2020
june2020
karenj
karenj
richarde
richarde
joe150
joe150
samash07
samash07
bibilele
bibilele
addilein
addilein
gisele
gisele
nelsonlin2021
nelsonlin2021
krajisunny
lynettejd
lynettejd
ukulelee
ukulelee
gstriph
gstriph
erin99
erin99
ukealori
ukealori
maryjanew
maryjanew
ccwuke
ccwuke
riley_ukulele
riley_ukulele
madhuri
akukes73
akukes73
kdeacon7
kdeacon7
ldarrow
ldarrow
lynnzo
lynnzo
just-in
just-in
debb1985
debb1985
dermango
dermango
jody_hendrickson
jody_hendrickson
annemarie
annemarie
robinboyd
robinboyd
tim0721
tim0721
digbybare
digbybare
smudge
smudge
lbilkie
lbilkie
zongozongo
zongozongo
jgillard
jgillard
terryfallon3
terryfallon3
biancak
biancak
olemartin
olemartin
richo_uke
richo_uke
pika80019
pika80019
mrskye
k_ra11
k_ra11
mueleski
mueleski
santai
santai
concan
concan
sir_anzalot
sir_anzalot
janaq1
janaq1
mkstewart67
mkstewart67
jlbross
jlbross
dividedsky
dividedsky
yukalele
yukalele
jayton
jayton
pysanky
pysanky
moonshine
moonshine
acornjasper
acornjasper
themccoys
themccoys
mademoiselleannette
dal08260
dal08260
felixhchan
felixhchan
alysun1
tessiert
tessiert
omaon4
omaon4
jeg143
jeg143
puppylovesuke
puppylovesuke

[tessiert]

Thanks @Stephen – I give that a try!

[The_Bumble_Bard]

Thanks to @Andrew and @Stephen for taking the time to write out such great, detailed feedback! It’s one of the best parts about these challenges to me. So many insightful nuggets o’ info to be had!

Also, the influx of entries the last few days of this challenge was crazy to behold, lol. Never been part of one of these Kanile’a challenges before.

Anyway, just wanted to say thanks for all of the thoughtful feedback and encouragement! YOU guys rock! 🙂

[mueleski]

@Andrew – Thanks Andrew.

[Author]

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