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This is very cool. I’ll continue with my strum slap pluck thing. I’ll also try very hard to memorize the song from August (W Blues) so I can apply the technique better and actually play the song less horrendously. I’m not happy with that”performance”.
Here is my plan, Andrew; please comment or give some advice maybe? thanks.
1) Execution – Learn Canon in D rock class101 version. By end of month, hope I could do it in a smooth play; Understand more chord progression in different position with notes made up not only by memorizing it;
schedule: 1st week, get familiar with music; play along?
2nd, work on hard part and mistakes
3rd, working on chord and hear different notes within chord;
4th, do the performance.2) Application – warm up using chord progression in canon D with basic rythem strumming or fingerstyle for 15 mins; sing along with similar chord progression but in different position on the fret; working on the piece.
3) Evaluation – try to do a video each week to see how those point to be applied.
Hi ser_ser, it sounds great to me! Although, I would suggest to start working on understanding/memorizing the notes in week 1, as it takes awhile for this information to “sink in”. Luckily, that song only has 5 chords, so it’s a great introduction piece for working on that theory aspect. Looking forward to watching your progress throughout the month 🙂
This challenge is a good one for me, because I’m at the stage where I’ve become very unfocussed, just playing with many different songs and techniques, not getting good with any of them. To focus on one thing in a disciplined way would be smart.
I’m going to follow your suggestion for the technique to work on; the back beat/slap.
At this point, I’ve messed with it a couple of times, but it’s still at the strum, pause, slap, pluck, pause, pick, change chord, repeat phase, thinking about where and what to do next.I’m going to put 10 minutes/day into just that technique, and when it works easily without having to stop and think about it, I’ll apply it to the 12 bar blues that you mentioned.
By the end of the month, I hope to play the 12 bar blues cleanly, with the back beat, up to tempo at a level that I’d play in performance at my local “pickin’ night” gathering
After e-mail consultation with Andrew, I’m updating my September plan…
1. Execution – I will learn the CAGFD method chord shapes and practice them up the neck in order to improve my finger strength and ability with barre chords, as well as to improve my music theory knowledge of the ukulele.
2. Application – I will follow the steps in the CAGFD module of the Intro to Music Theory Course and repeat each shape up and back down the neck twice per practice session.
3. Evaluation – I will play Aloha Oe musically and record/post it. I will begin work on the Harmonizing in C performance piece in the lesson. (I say just begin, because I also really want to spend some time on the Magic Ukulele Waltz in this weeks lesson!)Happy practices everyone!
Sherylokay, my challenge to myself is dual. I’m trying to learn Hallelujah. (I really love your uke arrangement.) My focus is to improve shifting from chords to barre chords smoothly. The arrangement also works up the neck, which I really need practice with moving smoothly.
Execution: moving smoothing through barre chords and shifting up the fret board. My current level of playing: I feel I hesitate and lose the rhythm and feel of the music when I fumble to move up the uke. I can make my way, haltingly, through the first fourteen bars of the piece but I don’t really know the music beyond that.
Application: learning the chords through the pre-chorus and practicing shifting between them to move more smoothly and gain finger strength so the notes ring instead of thud. My day to day practice will be working through those chords.
Evaluation: I’ll try and post a video shortly of my current ability on this piece and update it at the end of the week and then at the end of the month. I will add weekly comments on trouble or success (hopefully more of the later!)
-carrie
thanks Andrew.
I think my problem is that I could play along with Tab in front of me, just follow the tab and play.
if I am not with tab, I am pretty much don’t know how to play unless I have the muscle memory. I understand basic of music theory and could just figure out the notes on each fret. fairly understand chord of made up by which note. but if it comes to chord in the song, I am lost. I guess as the piece is made of Melody, rythem and chord progression. I know it is all coming down to practice but is there a step by step or some specific exercise to get this clear and improve in a long term ? thanks
so here is my first recorded practice. It is not the actual first day of sitting down and trying to learn the song. The timing is way off but I’m still working on having my fingers in the correct places. I am doing slightly different fingering than the original lesson. I’m staying in the barre form from measure 2 through 5. I can feel the strain in trying to hold that form so hopefully that practice adds strength. The timing on measure 12 really gives me trouble even when I’m counting it out loud. The pull off in measure 13 is weak on the open A but I think that will sound better with more speed….and yeh, I need a lot of speed.
so that is my first self critic..obviously I have a lot of work to do.
What I hope to accomplish this week..smoothing the jump between measure 1 and 2 where it initially goes into a barre chord through repetition. (hopefully my timing will improve with the same repetition) and learning the next three measures (up to the chorus) I think those three bars will take the week, they are proving tricky with the bit of picking I’ve tried so far.. so I want to give them a lot of attention.Hi ser_ser, you stated two different things, so let’s break it down. First, if you are only trying to memorize a piece, try to approach it this way: Break it down into sections. Most of the time songs are in 8 bar sections. With the sheet music in front of you, play those eight bars. When you feel like you have a good handle on it, turn your music stand around so you can’t see the sheet music. Try to play those eight bars again. If you can’t, turn it back around and read it some more and then repeat until you are able to play without looking (from memory).
If you want to understand how the three parts of music come together to create a Chord Melody, check out our course: How to Write a Song on the Ukulele: A Beginner’s Guide to Chord Melody. The course deconstructs the three parts to explain how the demo song was written.
Sounds great James, and the local Jam will be a lot of fun to use that technique 🙂
Awesome Sheryl, glad I was able to help you!
Great challenge Carrie! Couple tips, try the same advice I gave above to ser_ser. But with this song, try one bar at a time, and then two bar phrases. For example: Bar 1, bar 2, bar 1-2; and so forth. Memorizing is really important for this song, because it’s such an emotionally expressive tune. This will help you focus on how you’re playing it too, which was the focal point of this lesson 🙂
Hi Everyone,
I was thinking that the August Challenge was very challenging and that I wished we had more than a month to work on the song. So it’s quite fitting for the September challenge to allow us to do that. Yay! So, I would like to continue working on the Waimanolo Blues.
1) Execution – I will be working on smoothing out my transitions, getting a clearer sound on my hammer on’s and pull offs and looking to play the song at an even tempo…hopefully at 75% speed. I will first focus on practicing the sections where my transitions are slow by playing those sections by themselves. Same with the pull offs and hammer ons. Then I will play with the tab play along feature to practice playing the song at an even tempo and then playing at a faster speed. I usually don’t have a set schedule for practicing. I tend to practice during breaks and when I have a few minute of extra time.
2) Application – I will be using the tab play along feature of this website to help with improving my tempo.
3) Evaluation – I will post a video mid September and at the end to evaluate my improvements and playing.
I am a true beginner. I will working on finger plucking (2 at a time) and moving freely up and down the fret board.
To accomplish this, I have chosen Yankee Doodle.
I will devote at least 15 minutes each day. For the first 10 days, I will work on Melody A, one bar at a time. The next 10 days will be the same for Melody B. By September 25, I want to have memorized the song and to have begun my final evaluations and refinements before posting my challenge video.Execution: To take Andrew’s advice to make my playing less choppy. I want my playing to be smooth and clean. I also want increased awareness of excess muscle tension and to release it.
Application: To learn the song Mr Sandman and play it smoothly. Speed is not a priority. I am taking it in sections. So far, I have not had success with tapped artificial harmonics on the baritone uke. I am using a plucking method that I saw in a guitar tutorial. It works OK, but it is tricky not to touch an adjacent string and mute it. I am following a practice schedule similar to that posted by techdojo on Aug. 18.
Evaluation: To post a video of this song by month’s end and play it well. I will also post my completed practice schedule as of the date that the video is posted.
Comment: I find recording videos of my playing and performing for friends to be very difficult. I get the jitters, lots of muscle tension, and the quality of my playing goes down the drain. What is the best strategy to overcome this? Oddly, I have been a church musician for years and am totally relaxed playing for the congregation to sing. The focus is not on me.
Great challenges Rickey and Vida! Let me know if you need help on the plucking Vida. Here are my thoughts on Overcoming Stage Fright.
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