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Hi Rock Class 101 Community!
We are back with site member challenge #78! WOW, there has now been over 4,000+ members participating in our challenges! If you’ve sat on the sidelines, please join us for this month’s challenge! Challenges are a fun way to stay motivated and a great way to meet fellow ukulele players who are passionate about learning and becoming better players. 🙂
And I offer feedback on ALL submissions!
Please watch the video above and read instructions below carefully for details/instructions on this month’s challenge.
Pick 1 from the following 6 RC101 Mini Lessons:
1) Blues Rock Riff – ML012 * – Learn a blues rock riff that will improve your single-note picking skills.
* Taught in its entirety for FREE!
Note: Performing to the backing track is optional. The backing track requires premium membership to download.
2) Double Stops – ML013 * – Practice playing two notes at once in this etude inspired by Bill Wither’s hit song, “Lean On Me.”
* Taught in its entirety for FREE!
3) Syncopated Speed Picking – ML014 * – This single-note melody helps you develop picking speed while strengthening your ability to play syncopated rhythms.
* Taught in its entirety for FREE!
Note: Performing to the backing track is optional. The backing track requires premium membership to download.
4) Summer Nights – ML015 * – This ukulele melody captures the magic of summer!
* Taught in its entirety for FREE!
Note: This mini lesson requires Low G ukulele.
5) Minor Blues Jam – ML016 * – Learn to play a minor 12 bar blues!
* Taught in its entirety for FREE!
Note 1: This mini lesson requires Low G ukulele.
Note 2: Performing to the backing track is optional. The backing track requires premium membership to download.
6) Summertime Swing – ML017 * – This cute-sounding song expresses the joy of summer!
* Taught in its entirety for FREE!
** If you need assistance with how to record yourself check out our FREE course on recording audio/video and/or private message me and I will be happy to help you out. **
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GOALS FOR MEMBER CHALLENGE:
1. Intermediate Level: Be able to play one of the lessons as shown by Andrew smoothly and in time. Do not worry about trying to play fast; slow and steady wins the race.
Recommended Piece: ML012, ML013, ML015, ML016, ML017
2. Advanced Level: Be able to play the lesson as shown by Andrew smoothly, in time, and at or close to the original piece’s tempo.
Recommended Pieces: ML014
3. Participation Goal: 40 Rock Class 101 Member Participant Videos/MP3 posted.
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GROUND RULES FOR PARTICIPATION:
1. Post your Youtube, Vimeo, or Soundcloud links of you playing 1 of the 6 RC101 pieces anytime between Friday, September 1st until Saturday, September 30th, 11:59pm ET.
The upload feature on the site only supports photos. Members must host their own files. Creating an account is easy and free 🙂 Here are the links to create an account:
YouTube (For Video) – https://www.youtube.com/create_channel
SoundCloud (For Audio) – https://soundcloud.com/signin
2. Submit individually, as a reply, IN THIS POST.
3. Feel free to submit more than one video for the challenge, but additional videos will not count as extra entries into the raffle for the prize.
4. Have fun and don’t be intimidated by this challenge!!! Use this challenge to help you set goals and complete them by a deadline. You can also use this as an opportunity to chat with your fellow Rock Class 101 members and share tips or tricks on this challenge that you think are useful.
5. You must perform the entire piece to receive an entry into the prize raffle. Performance must be submitted by the deadline listed (in #1) above to gain an entry in the raffle, as well as, to receive feedback.
* Note: In my opinion, it is better to show progress versus perfection with these challenges. So if you are a beginner and can only play the first couple of measures. That is completely ok. If you play two more measures of the next challenge piece than you did the previous one, you are on track to getting better. This is what these challenges are about… you learning ukulele and getting better. Remember we are all here to support you no matter what your current playing level is.
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COMMON FAQs:
1) The prize and the challenge is open to the entire world!
2) Premium membership is NOT required to participate, but will make participation easier as it gains you complete access to the full video lessons, tabs, and the on-screen tab viewer.
3) Basic membership (free) is required to submit a reply on this forum post. You can sign up for Basic Membership HERE.
4) To post YouTube video links (in which they appear embedded on the forum), simply copy and past the video URL in its own line. For example:
YouTube URL
5) If you live in the Continental U.S., we will ship the giveaway ukulele to you for FREE! If you live outside of the Continental U.S., there will be a shipping fee ranging between $40 USD to $80 USD. This fee will be collected by Uke Republic. You are also responsible for any custom fees or duties.
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Giveaway Rules:
There will be 1 winner, selected by random drawing on October 5th. To qualify to win, you must submit your audio and/or video links of your playing by the deadline listed above.
Grand Prize:
1) $190 Grand Prize: Ortega Stone Washed Solid Bamboo Tenor Ukulele w/ Bag
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THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR!
Uke Republic: https://www.ukerepublic.com/
Let’s crush this challenge!
Wow, look how pretty this blue guy is! I just listened to all 6 options for September. I think I’m going to go with the first one – Blues Rock Riff (ML012). I like the slides, pull off and chance to play with the cool backing track to feel like I’m part of the band 🙂 Let the fun continue!
Yes, that stonewashed Bamboo is so pretty! I am leaving on Sept.10th for cruise in Europe (YAY) so if I can get one of the songs done and in this week, I’d love to enter. I am bringing a ukulele with me but I won’t have the time to record or go online. I may do the minor Blues Jam but I am loving all the other songs as well. The Blues Rock Riff and Summer Nights, especially. But, sadly, I have NO TIME! Have fun and Uke On!!🤙🏼🤘🏻
-MJ@maryjanew – A cruise, how fun! The short time before you leave sounds tough, but maybe you will be able to pull it off! In any case, enjoy cruising with your uke!
@maryjanew Have fun. I felt like a real Musician ☺️ The Security person had to check it and he asked how long I have been playing because he too picked it up during Covid but hadn’t continued.
@protim – Well done, Protim! The thing that I’d work on is tempo/timing. Try taking 2 bars at a time and play them alongside a metronome with a focus on keeping it steady. If you’re a premium member, you could also do this with the on-screen tab player. Try highlighting 2 bars to loop them and slow it down to a speed that’s comfortable for you.
When you can play the first 2 bars steady, do the same with the next 2, then try all 4 together. Continue working through the rest of the song with the same approach.
NGL, that little blue uke is pretty cute! For some reason the texture of the light blue with the wood grain is giving me Van Gogh vibes, but it’s great. 😅
And I love the “mini” challenges! I already started working on Summer Nights and tried to find a way to escape the strumming aspect of it, but it seems like it’s necessary for the song to sound right. It is a pretty tune. Most of the “modifications” I’ve ever made to songs were to escape Matt’s strummin’ because it’s so tricky if you haven’t done it a lot, but I’m pushing through this time, man. 😂😭
@The_Bumble_Bard , I prefer picking to strumming, but at the end of last year I resolved to try to get more comfort with strumming. I have worked through Matt’s course called “Next Level Strumming” and am now working on it’s capstone piece “Crossing Hemispheres” I highly recommend the course if you have the time.
@ldarrow, I am the exact same way, much, much prefer fingerpicking over strumming and have therefore successfully avoided progressing much at all with strumming, even though that was one of my goals the beginning of the year. But after learning the three strumming parts for Matt’s Drunken Sailor at an excruciatingly slow tempo, I do think I can strum better than a capuchin monkey, which was technically my goal. 😅
But you’re right, that’s a really good idea to go through that course. Thank you for that! Maybe that will be my goal this month, along with learning Strummer Nights. 😉😅
Side note, your performance of Cielito Lindo last month was lovely! 😊
My fingers are enjoying “Blues Rock Riff – ML012” more than last months barre chords on Fields of Gold 😆. I’ve figured out there are 2 phrases in ML012 that are the tricky bits for me (and they show up in 5 places). The looping feature of the onscreen player is super helpful in isolating those phrases with the slide followed by a pull-off. I thought I was playing fairly close to tempo, then fired up the player and realized nope…haha. Plenty of time to keep working on it though 😎.
@The_Bumble_Bard thank you for listening to my last month’s submission. I appreciate that and your compliment. Though I always use the whole month to work the challenge, I try to post 1 to 1.5 weeks before the end. Unfortunately, that is not when I am capable of my best performance. But I do that for what is a good reason for me. I hope to get suggestions and tips early enough in the process so that I can use them in the last week or so to optimize my month on the challenge. If I wait until the end, I am getting ready to start a new one, so then I don’t have much time to incorporate tips. An added plus it takes a little bit of pressure on recording anxiety out as I know there is plenty more time to get another recording if I want. Have fun working on summer nights, I have chosen summertime swing this month ( slides in the upper frets are much more difficult than I anticipated)
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