The Accountability Thread – Participate in the September 2017 Member Challenge

[chipkk]

Tessa84, take care. Its smokey just a bit north of you in the Tacoma are too. Not good weather for people with breathing issues.

[tessa84]

Thank you chipkk. I’m just glad my daughter’s school is having their recess inside the gym. You take care also, these fires are bad.

[vidafntn]

Hi, Andrew,
Thanks for your video about tapped harmonics in the song Mr. Sandman. I had a go with what you suggested and still have difficulty. Here is a video of my question. Just how much force and speed are required?

Regards,

Vida Fenton

[Andrew]

Wow Tessa! I hope it passes fast. I’ve driven through those before and they are awful!

Vida, the reason you are having difficulty with this technique is because you are attacking, or hitting, with too much force. Try to tone it down about 90%. So if you watch the video again that I had emailed you, and I’ll paste it below, skip to 1:19. Notice how my attack is much lighter than yours. It’s the same force you would apply if you were sitting at a desk and were so bored that you were tapping your finger on the desk. So if you lighten up and hit directly over the second metal fret, you should be able to create the harmonic.

I would also encourage you to continue doing the plucked harmonics. That is another great technique and is very useful to have in your arsenal. Let me know how it goes 🙂

[vidafntn]

Hi, Andrew,
Thanks for your reply to my video question.
I carefully watched your video demonstrating tapped harmonics and tried a lighter tap. It seems to work reasonably on the open strings. This ukulele has been damaged. The fret board has a slight bend where it meets the body of the instrument. Last December,I had frets 14-18 filed down and the saddle raised about 1/8 inch so that the upper frets would be in tune. If I tap at fret 15, the string will hit frets 14 and 15. If I do the plucked harmonics, this problem does not happen. I can get nice clear notes with more than twice the volume. I know that this uke is a ‘dog’, but it is what I have got. I hope I can work around its deficiencies most of the time.

Regards,

Vida

[Andrew]

Glad I could help Vida. Keep working at it! Perhaps something else could be done to your ukulele. Email Mike at Uke Republic, he should know what to do 🙂

[lyndallk]

Thanks for the challenge Andrew

What I am going to do is develop a long term practice strategy for the ukulele that I can stick to. Its something I’ve wanted to do for a long time but keep procrastinating. I end up just practice things I like and can already play.

1) Execution:
I currently play most days, but then again can go for several days without playing. Sometimes I just play a few favourites late at night, which leaves me no time or attention to do something new, or practice what I’m not good at yet.
Occasionally in an ad hoc fashion I find something I want to learn, and just play it all the time. I do practice songs I play with other people if we’re playing at ukulele club or open mic. That’s a good inspiration.

My goal is to improve a few things, such as:
– Strumming – growing my strumming repertoire
– learning new songs that challenge me
– learning new chord inversions, that I can have at my finger tips (so to speak)
– practicing songs I know, and learn them by heart
– build a good repertoire of sing a long songs

2) Application
This is what I will do :
– I will look at your video on practice again and take on some of the tips.
– I will research other ideas on a practice plan
– I will develop my own practice plan
– I will practice according to the plan

3) Evaluation
– I will see report back on how well its going, where I’m improving

Cheers

[olphart]

Making ok progress on the backbeat now that my social finger has fully recovered from its bandsaw attack. It was pretty sensitive to pressure for a while even after the cut healed. Of course it would help if I didn’t keep stabbing my other fingers with sharp aluminum burrs (building an airplane, very hard on fingers and devastating to fingernails). 8^)
Anyway, I’ve been applying it to the 12 Bar Blues, and it’s coming along nicely. I’ll video it once I’m happy with the performance.

[Andrew]

A lot of people fall into that routine Lynda (including I at times!). I think you have a great plan laid out. I would suggest to flesh out these 5 points in complete detail:

– Strumming – growing my strumming repertoire
– learning new songs that challenge me
– learning new chord inversions, that I can have at my finger tips (so to speak)
– practicing songs I know, and learn them by heart
– build a good repertoire of sing a long songs

For example the first topic, strumming, are you focusing on technique or rhythm? I like to dive “three deep” into topics. Meaning:

Strumming > develop rhythm > practice 5 strum patterns each using a different rhythm > apply strum patterns to songs

Hope this gives you some food for thought 🙂

—-

Glad to hear the finger is healing James. Looking forward to the video!

[kayleighb]

A little late to the party, but have been giving my hands a good old break and my tendonitis has gone 🙂

I want to go back to basics, and spend some time learning technique rather than a specific challenge song so this month’s challenge is perfect!

1) Execution – I’m going to work my way through the 3 finger plucking approach. I primarily only use 2 fingers (thumb and index) so the long term plan is to work up to a 4 finger approach. I’m going to work my way through the 3 finger plucking exercises in the finger style course. 30 minutes each day on technique itself, and 30 minutes (hands permitting) on one of the exercises.

2) Application – I’m going to apply this to the 3 exercises in the finger style course, aiming to master the intermediate level at least by the end of the month. I would like to master the advanced one, but realistically I think intermediate. Long term goal would be to play the performance piece at 100% speed but that is a way of yet.

3) Evaluation – At the end of the month I will post a video of a performance of the intermediate level exercise for feedback on the approach itself before moving onto the advanced, and finally performance piece.

I’ve left it quite simple as I don’t want to overdo it and risk getting swollen tendons again!

[Andrew]

Glad you are feeling better Kay – I know all too much about that and constantly hear my PT in my head yelling at me to “Take breaks” 🙂 Great challenge, well thought out! Looking forward to seeing your progress!

[andracass]

Andrew, my hammer on is always at zero level. In waiamanalo blues I have solved picking the string whit the right thumb, but the problem on hammer on is not solved.

[Andrew]

Hi Mt, here is a short video with some tips and an exercise for hammer-ons and pull-offs. Let me know if you have any questions 🙂

If anyone else is new to this technique, be sure to check out this introduction lesson.

[andracass]

Thank you! I’m trying

[nocnyptak]

I actually work on a few things (+keep improving previous challenge songs) but your Magic Ukulele Waltz made me narrow my asap goals to that one:

1) I’m going to work my way through the Magic Ukulele Waltz and memorize as much as possible for me (and memorizing is a great challenge by itself to me, haha…)

2) This tune is so soothing. It has potential to become my no 1 warming exercise and my last bedtime lullaby. It will take me months to nail all transitions, increase the speed to 100% and express dynamics the way I wish but I will make an effort to play as often as possible and gradually improve all nuances. I’m going to put this tune under long-term care.

3) Last day of the month I will record my performance and see how I am doing. I am disillusioned and don’t expect perfect performance this month – 50%-60% of my expectations will please me though.

What a great challenge!
Thanks, Andrew 🙂

[Author]

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