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Tony, you’ve got a great ear. This was the same feedback I was going to leave you:
“I’d like to have better control of dynamics, to keep the attack more consistent from one note to the next. I can hear moments where a given note goes soft or jumps out for no good reason.”
I have an idea for you, a challenge just for you. I’d like you to learn this song, it’s easy, but your focus will be on working on the above. If you’re down, post a video and I’ll give you feedback and see if there’s any way I can help get you there.
You definitely need one Lisa! The playing approach and contrast in timbre between the two is so different it’s exciting!
Hi Kay, I’d keep at it until you’re at 100%. But no reason it has to be the only piece you are working on. By the way I’m planning to you do a complete lesson/arrangement on that tune when I get my low G ukulele.
Wow guys, we had 20 members participate this month and I was blown away by how great everyone’s performance was! Really cool to see so many people play “Chopsticks“, it’s such a fun song and a great one to play when someone asks you to play something!
So this month prize was pretty unique, if you haven’t already please check out our review on The Populele. So without further ado, the winner for this month’s challenge is:
Our April Challenge is up and the prize again is super cool as well as the song choices 🙂 Be sure to check it out! And last, I’ve left feedback for everyone who I haven’t yet below. Thanks again to everyone who participated!
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lisamcc – wow Lisa, awesome job! Here’s what I would work on, is actually to slow it down a notch and focus on the overall feel of the piece. To me I hear a playful, upbeat and jolly swung tune. Your performance felt a little rushed to me, but I think if you slowed it down and worked on the above, you’ll get a good match between your awesome speed and a better matching feel. Let me know if that makes sense.
Vida – brilliant! And your adaption, very well-thought-out! I love your staccato and overall feel, keep up the great work!
iris_peterson – absolutely lovely! I didn’t hear any issues with the timing when you went up the neck, I thought it was great. I think it’s cool how your interpretation is very different than Vida’s above, in that it sustains and is drawn out. It’s very cool how you can take the same song and play it in very different ways 🙂
borealis – great job on the first Melody! Keep working on the second half and remember that it’s always better to take a couple bars at a time, loop them, and to start slow and work it up to speed. And also try to memorize it.
andracass – MT, great job on the speed and Clarity for the first half! I think if you do the same approach with practicing the second half, you’ll get it down just as good as the first half. But I’m really impressed, some of your best playing that I’ve heard! Keep up the good work!
awesomestrings – well played! Only thing I can suggest is to watch your timing a little bit as it fluctuates. By the way, I think for the April challenge you should try Fingerpicking etude 11. Will be a good challenge for you!
kmelton – nicely played! And definitely keep working on the other song. One thing I can suggest for this one is to practice performing the piece at an even tempo. I noticed that different sections were at various speeds, so I would start slow and tackle the first Melody throughout, then the next Melody, and then piece it all together.
karenj – I thought you did very well, I always say slow and steady wins the race. Speed comes in time and it’s best to instill proper Rhythm and Clarity in your playing before jumping the gun and playing too fast too soon. Keep up the good work, it’s paying off!
hannah_lee – wow, amazing for 2 weeks of playing! I’m guessing your background is in guitar, correct?
tessa84 – well done! With just a little bit more practice, it will be perfect. I’m always impressed by how well you play 🙂
lisadmh – big improvement! The rhythm is coming along so well and awesome job on the solo! I’m going to share this on our our Facebook page and it’s so cool that you are in Cuba! Chaz, who played drums on that track, is currently in Cuba giving a music tour with his tour company. So so cool!
surfpimp9er – wow Jason, you’ve got some speed! Love it! Great timing and interpretation of the piece!
sandigirl – Sandra, that was such a great performance! You have a wonderful feel in your playing. I absolutely enjoyed watching your performance 🙂
benjamin – Ben, congrats on being one of 2 brave enough to tackle this tune! I thought you did very well! One thing I wanted to point out, is that this song has a swung feel. Check out this lesson, which describes the difference between straight and swung eighth notes. And check out our lesson on the Spongebob Theme, that’s a great song to practice this with.
ukuleleloo – I’m always a big fan of your playing Lucinda 🙂 I love your feel. I think with just a little bit more practice you’ll have it down, keep up the good work!
pup123 – I thought you did very well! To answer your question, always practice the entire piece as if it was a performance. You never want to stop and start again; play through the mistakes, but recognize where they are so that you can go back and practice those sections. A good analogy is to pretend you are playing with a band, if one member makes a mistake does the entire band stop and wait for them to catch up? No, they keep going.
tonydismukes – I thought that was a great take! What are some of the nuances you hear that you are working on improving? And sorry to hear that you were ill, glad you are better now!
edward – nice job Edward! I think you have a great base and what I would work on is some of the tricky sections. So take one phrase and start slow and loop it, then do the same with the next phrase and so on. This way you can piece it together slowly, so you can focus on the timing and transitions.
Wow! We had 175 questions come in! This is going to be an awesome lightning round, thanks to everyone who asked a question! Look for the video and the winner to be announced (in the video) at some point in May 🙂
Welcome Gaby! Glad you found us and it’s awesome to hear you are enjoying playing that tune 🙂 be sure to check out our guide on where to start and what to work on as it will help you with some of the things you pointed out; such as creating a structured practice schedule that works on different areas of playing and to show you where to start with learning beginner music theory: https://rockclass101.com/learning-paths/. Let me know if you have any questions, happy to help!
Welcome Lam! And wow that uke beautiful, congrats! Please share a video of you playing that tune when you get it down. Would love to watch your performance!
Welcome Jackie! That’s awesome that you stuck with it! Ukulele is a ton of fun 🙂 We can definitely help you learn fingerstyle, check out our guide on where to start and what to work on: https://rockclass101.com/learning-paths/. Let me know if you have any questions, happy to help!
Hi Sheila, apple does not allow “full screen” mode on iOS for the type of embedded content that the tob player is. But, the speed control should be working. Can you try with a different browser, like Google Chrome, and let me know if it works.
Cheers,
Andrew
Tomorrow’s lesson on Fingerpicking Etude no. 11 uses the same technique and covers the mechanics behind it in complete detail. Be sure to check out that lesson tomorrow for extra help on this 🙂