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Robin, it decreases movement if you keep your thumb in position to play string 4, instead of dropping down multiple strings, then going back up to 4.
Thanks to all who asked a question(s)! Really looking forward to reading through each of them 🙂 Stay tuned for the Q&A video with Joe!
Hi Dante, looks like your video upload was unsuccessful. The upload feature on the site only supports file sizes up to 5 MB and is only meant for photos. I’d encourage you to share a video link via a YouTube Account. If you do not have an account, you can create one here (it’s free!): https://www.youtube.com/create_channel.
No tips other than being aware of tense/looseness while playing. Eventually it becomes second nature to be relaxed.
Lisa, I’ll keep that in mind for next year, but both songs for this year’s holiday season have already been picked. They’ll be taught by other instructors as I’m trying to devote more time to finish the upcoming reading course. Fingers crossed, I’m shooting for a December release. We’ll see though, as I’m working on it, it’s becoming more detailed than I initially planned… which is a good thing!
lol, yes Rickey! I’m working on the reading course, which will be entirely beginner friendly and will have 5 performance tunes 🙂 But, we are planning to have our Holiday songs at a much easier level this year too!
Oh, and I’d bring the position of the right hand picking back, more-so over the sound hole. Check out this lesson for 2 suggestions on placement: https://rockclass101.com/proper-right-hand-ukulele-form/
Sounds great! Great tone 🙂 Couple things, if you scroll back through the feedback I left for others, you’ll see some videos on thumb placement. I’d bring the thumb down a notch, so that it is slightly above the middle of the neck, as opposed to extending beyond it.
Great job on the barre chord’s left hand form! And for the last chord of the tune, try not to bend-in at the first joint with the index finger. But overall it sounds like you’ve been practicing!
Curly, unfortunately your video and another member’s posts were not working. Yours displayed as:
I’d be happy to offer feedback if you want to re-post.
jakeypoo, truly amazing job for one day of learning! You have a great feel and I’d love to hear what it would sound like with more days under your belt. Keep up the great work!
deadbuggy, big improvements over the first video! Your feel is much better. I think if you were to slow it down, you could target your practice more towards strengthening muscle memory (smoother transitions) and getting the overall vibe of the piece consistent. I’d love to hear where you are at with it at the end of the month 🙂
I love the intro you came up with for The Walking Dead! Maybe I’ll start sending you my arrangements before I release them so I can steal your ideas, lol!
The delay and the slower pace really makes the etude sound much creepier! And there’s also the Dragon!
flora-, awesome job on the transitions and timing! This piece is such great practice for left hand dexterity, as some of the chords have very unique fingerings.
So here’s what I would work on moving forward, try to throw a little bit of dynamics (volume changes) into the mix. Maybe play one bar louder than the other, one softer. In the lesson video, I give some pointers on where and how to do this 🙂
kmelton, Kevin that rocked! And thank you so much for the kind words. I’m very impressed with where you are at in your playing for just one year. So I’ve got some feedback for you, but I’m going to put it in a video. And for those watching his feedback video, here is the practice guide I touched on briefly.
WOW, overall we had 51 members participate this month! Amazing job to each of you! Stephen and I thoroughly enjoyed watching everyone’s performances! 🙂
So without further ado, the winner of this month’s challenge is:
Our October challenge is LIVE! It’s Halloween Themed and it’s the first chance to win an $1800 Kanile’a! Check out the challenge here: https://rockclass101.com/win-1800-kanilea-first-chance
Finally, I’ve left feedback for everyone on page 9 below. 🙂 Thanks again to everyone who participated! We crushed this challenge!
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rillke, well done on the rhythm, that was a great performance! My suggestion for you is to now turn your focus on increasing the tempo. Try gradual increases, 5 BPM at a time.
hzhuodie, lovely playing, well done! 🙂
rpina61, I really enjoyed your take. This is definitely a song that works very well in free time and I love the vibe that that creates over strictly adhering to a solid tempo. Everything else looked great, including picking form and tone (sweet).
zdubnoff, great job! How long have you been playing? I’d encourage you to check out our practice guide; the guide shows you the most efficient way to tackle learning a song section by section. So moving forward, I would focus on getting one section down, cleanly and in time, before trying to tackle the entire tune. Overall, you are doing very well, keep up the great work!
zukulele, excellent playing Zion! Great feel and tone! The only thing I want to point out is that pull-off on the A string (frets 3 to 2 to 0), the last note – the open A should be a quarter note, not an 8th. Other than that, brilliant performance 🙂
ukuleleloo, love your relaxed vibe! That vibe gives the music a very different feel, I really like it! Everything looks and sounds great, form is great and there is not tension in your wrist/forearm during the busy rhythm strumming sections; which is vital for playing complex rhythms.
The only thing I’d suggest to work on is to smooth out some of the hammer-on & pull-off licks… actually the very last set that ends the tune, you played very well! Just want to make the other ones match that. And maybe one more suggestion, a good challenge for you, try to gradually increase the tempo, with a focus on keeping it as clean as you currently are.
acpursley, nicely played! You have a nice tone to your playing. Here’s the big thing I would work on, timing. Try and play along with the on-screen tab viewer. It will act as a guide and keep you locked into the pocket. Also at 0:22, make sure you don’t bend at the first joint, a good rule of thumb is to keep the joint curved and the finger placement on the fingertip.
crazihippichic, the other day in the other post, I thought you meant that you had not posted it; missing by a couple minutes is not a big deal. I guess it really only matters if it’s like a day or two later, lol.
That was really impressive for learning in one day! I really don’t have any advice except for continue practicing and it will smooth out. But very good job for such short time!
lygonaceae, well done! Timing was great considering the brisk tempo. I’m with you in thinking that it is a song that is better suited for a slower, more relaxed pace. And definitely put the low G back on! Low G lessons launch October 26th!
Here is everyone on Page 8 🙂
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cindy_le, welcome back! Here’s a video with some tips for you on improving left hand form.
yenting, great job! Here is a short video with some tips for left hand form for the last chord.
vidafntn, very creative adjusting the piece for your instrument. I saw your note on sustain and I thought the same thing before I read it, and I think it comes down to the adjustments you made, which unfortunately make the piece far more difficult than it is on high G. Playing wise, well done!
Ahh, so just watched the second one and boom! You figured out a better way (position) to play it in to increase sustain! So the big takeaway is that the new way is much simpler on both hands. I was watching a lesson video from one of my favorite guitarists, Joe Pass, and if there’s ever a guy that knows a billion chords in all kinds of inversions and voicings, it’s him! What was interesting was, he said that he does not play any chord changes or phrases that require difficult fingerings. And this points shines true in your second adaption. Great work, I’m impressed by your ingenuity.
lamaestramendez, nicely done! Here is a video with some tips on playing the rhythm straight verse swung, and here is our lesson on the difference between the two. Also, here is our lesson on the importance of memorizing a piece.
ambera, great job! Here is a video with tips on timing and fixing your wrist position on the right hand.
mayaqatsi, super solid take! Very well done. So as you pointed out, you just want to touch up here and there on timing, but I think the big thing and it’s hard to see as your right forearm is completely cut out of the shot… but do you feel when the strumming gets intense, that you are tensing up in the right forearm and hand? Some of the intense strumming sounded like you struggled there, while other parts of the tune seemed very easy for you… Which is a telltale sign of tightness. Try to relieve all tension and it should make the intense parts easier.
kristiansdraguns, well done! I love hearing that you guys put a lot of practice into these pieces 🙂 So one thing I would work on is trying to relax a little bit more, as it looks like you are very focused and that comes across in your playing as sounding rigid. One thing you can do is to ease up on the attack of the right hand, a softer attack produces a sweeter tone. Check out this lesson, as it talks about what emotions and dynamics we should instill in a piece that we perform. Also, double check the last chord.
ukulelesam04, awesome job on both songs Sam! I shared this on our Facebook page and it got over 500 likes 🙂 One thing that I thought you did very well on was the strumming rhythms in Etude 14, really good job!
One helpful tip, if you look at some of the feedback I left for other members earlier this month, you’ll see that I pointed out their position of the thumb on the left hand, behind the neck. I’m seeing a pattern in which some members are over-extending the left hand thumb (coming up over the neck), when it should be placed (more-so) slightly above the middle of the neck. So for example, if you reposition it to that place on the neck, the pull-off licks (frets 1-3) in etude 14 would be much much easier to play. Check out this lesson for more tips on thumb placement.
peropata, well played, sounds great! The only tip I have is the same advice I left for ambera above, in correcting the posture of the right hand wrist. Be sure to check that advice out and let me know if you have any questions 🙂
iuiuma, great job! The only feedback I have for you is to watch the timing as sometimes there may be pauses between phrases or you cut the rhythm of a section short. But the playing sounds great, keep up the good work!
