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Hi 7denning, I sent out a survey in December asking if members where interested in low G lessons and baritone. There was a huge interest in low G, but not so much for baritone. So low G lessons are coming NEXT month 🙂 But, baritone is on hold, probably for another year or 2 as I’d like to build up low G content for awhile.
I’d recommend using a High G ukulele for our lessons as they were written to take advantage of that tuning. Playing them on a baritone will sound “off” at times. You will be able to play our Low G lessons on Baritone, although you will always be in a different key.
Roxi, check out our course on home recording: https://rockclass101.com/ultimate-guide-recording-ukulele/
HMT, form looks much better! But, try to not follow through so much with the thumb attack, where it comes down onto the next string. You only need a light pluck to produce sound. Let me know if that makes sense.
Reach out to Mike @ http://www.ukerepublic.com/, he’ll be able to tell you all about the differences in the tones that different woods produce 🙂 Tell him I sent ya!
toastedbrains – LOL, at your username! Well, not what I expected for one week, that was very good! My first thought was that you played before, and I see that you have, but it’s been awhile… The cool thing with music skills is that they stay in embedded, kind of like riding a bike.
The only thing I want to mention to you is the pull-off lick close to the end of the tune, watch the timing/rhythm on that one as you rushed it. But overall, what a stellar return to playing!
rickeymike, I loved it! And your artwork and your T-shirt! Honestly, we should just re-record that with you singing on top of it 🙂
At the music store I taught at, the saxophone teacher would say the same phrase to each of his students as they finished their lesson: “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” practice, practice, practice.
I hear great improvement in the clarity of your notes, the tone that you are producing is sweet and subtle, and you’re picking form is looking great! And fantastic job on the ritardando, very natural sounding! Keep up the good work, Rickey! It’s paying off!
cconuku, well done! I thought that was a great performance! Couple of helpful tips, it looks to me like your right hand is pretty tense. Try to loosen it up a little bit and you should notice an increase in dexterity.
I’d encourage you to check out our lesson on proper left hand form: https://rockclass101.com/proper-left-hand-ukulele-form/. I’d recommend scooting your thumb down until it is slightly above the middle of the neck. This will make playing easier, especially at times, like when you are switching from the melody to the partial barre chord.
felixpitterling, that was really good! Great feel and technique! I’d keep working with a metronome or using the on-screen tab viewer to tighten up some of your timing. But overall, very good job!
suzie1, well played! You guys are rocking it, Stephen’s going to really enjoy watching these performances 🙂 So the suggestion I have for you mirrors Felix’s above, in that you want to focus mainly on timing, as the mechanics behind your playing sounds/looks great.
ultramom, welcome back! That was a great performance! Very good job on the timing. The only thing that I would work on is targeting your practice to get some of the chord transitions a little smoother, without pauses. Hope to see you in the October challenge, we’ve got something very special planned!
timstacks, that was an excellent performance! I tapped along to your performance and there was nothing that concerned me about tempo or timing issues. It’s okay to gravitate faster or slower in a solo performance, the imperfection is what makes us human. If you go back to the song page and put the tab player in synthetic mode, it will play the song back in perfect timing, and it will also sound soulless and rigid.
The only thing I want to point out, is the same advice I left for cconuku about the thumb placement. Check out that advice above and I’d recommend bringing your thumb down a couple notches.
gstriph, great playing Jerry! Your tone sounds wonderful and your right hand picking form looks great. If you don’t mind, for future challenges please position the camera directly in front of the uke so that I can see what’s happening with your left hand better.
But overall, I thought it was a very solid performance! The only suggestion I have is to add a ritardando to the ending 🙂
hotmilktea, amazing! Here is a quick little video with feedback and here is the article I mentioned in the video: https://rockclass101.com/proper-right-hand-ukulele-form/
lizzieswolf, bravo! Let’s start with number 14, absolutely killed it! Great feel, great timing, great playing!
Number 13 was very good too, but check back earlier this month as I left advice for another member… actually, I think I shot a video on this, where I talk about sustaining the melody notes on the A string instead of playing it in a staccato fashion. Other than that, I would personally slow the tempo down, but you are the performer and how you play it is always your decision. Keep up the great work!
Intro sounds much better! Much tighter on rhythm hits! Try and play along with Evan on the melody section with the tab player. That will help you tighten that section up as his playing acts as a guide. You are on the right path, keep up the great work 🙂
Btw, this is one of the choices for the October challenge 🙂 The oct challenge is one you do not want to sit out on *hint, hint*
Great job Sara! Here is a video with some tips on getting the swung feel down for this one. There’s a difference between the feel used in this, which is a dotted eighth vs the feel we covered in our recent lesson, which was on eighth note triplets.
marni11, beautiful playing! I loved your performance 🙂 I only have one suggestion for you, and that is that I noticed your pinky finger sometimes was fretting the note sideways, instead of on the fingertip. So you just want to watch out for that. Actually, I think this was the same point I made for another member earlier in this challenge, if you want to backtrack and read the advice I left for him too.
lyndallk, well done Lyndall! Great groove throughout the performance and an awesome execution of the barrel strum!
ellbo99, I love the progress video Dave! I thought you did very well and I’m sure Stephen would agree! So one thing that stuck out to me, is that sometimes it looks like your attack is very strong, for example: 1:30-1:37. I think the idea behind your playing here is to end strong or on a climax, which is cool! We can alter the dynamic (volume) to add expression. But, it looks like you were getting stiffer in both hands during this section. Try to practice with more looseness in the hands, but still focus on building the dynamic. It should make it easier to play and sound a bit more natural that way.
annefgodfrey, very pretty Anne! I like the lighter touch approach, it’s very subtle and works well for this tune. Your form looks great on both hands, the only thing I would work on is to eliminate some of the pauses between phrases. The best way to do that is to follow our practice advice for the transition bars where you are pausing. But very well done, keep up the great work!
deadbuggy, so cool! Here are my thoughts on your changes 🙂
kmelton, loved it! Great speed and clarity in your notes! Keep up the good work!
strizaldo, very well played, bravo! The only suggestion I have, and this is my opinion b/c the interpretation of music is always up to the performer, you… To me, it sounds like you are prematurely cutting the melody notes on the A string short. And I have no idea how to explain this in text, so here is a video:
vidafntn, great job, Vida! Here is a video with some feedback/help on the syncopated rhythms:
s_nichole, wonderful playing and welcome to our challenges! I thought you did very well and don’t worry about the nervs, we all get it in front of the camera 🙂 So what I would focus on if I was you, would be getting it to flow a little bit smoother. So this comes down to a couple of things, first is timing and the second is connecting all the phrases together without pauses. Check out our practice advice for tips on targeting your practice to focus on these areas. But overall, great job and I hope you join us in more challenges!