[Andrew]

@deadbuggy – Beautiful composition Sara, I loved it! ❤️

[Andrew]

We did it! We crushed the Spring Challenge!

194 members participated in our last 3 challenges and I have been blown away by everyone’s performances! Thanks to each and everyone of you who participated.

Due to internet issues, we will not have a live stream. Instead, the video announcing the winner of the $2,700 Kanile’a K-1 Baritone and the runner-up, who will receive 10 extra entries for the Fall Challenge, will premiere on July 4th at 2 pm ET. (check your local time zone)

The video link is below:

—-

Here is everyone who participated this month.

sakifelrosa
deadbuggy
deadbuggy
lyndallk
lyndallk
marianne
marianne
anyon1
anyon1
planetfink
planetfink
ccwuke
ccwuke
anikali
anikali
lucauka
jebergeron
jebergeron
emiliano
emiliano
annemarie
annemarie
misterbones
misterbones
willw18
willw18
gi_gi_
gi_gi_
leb397
leb397
clempek
clempek
johanna2509
johanna2509
shmu88
shmu88
The_Bumble_Bard
The_Bumble_Bard
jgillard
jgillard
joe150
joe150
kanique
kanique
andyrose
andyrose
lhamilton
lhamilton
ldarrow
ldarrow
suekulele
suekulele
karenj
karenj
dianna
dianna
madhuri
madhuri
brettboy
brettboy
Nico_uke
Nico_uke
grannieannie
grannieannie
bibilele
bibilele
frederic
frederic
swissconsinboy
swissconsinboy
jedart
jedart
otzepeng
otzepeng
mmoynihan
mmoynihan
lynnzo
lynnzo
hiouke
hiouke
qiuyan
qiuyan
jasdel
jasdel
ramiro
janaq1
janaq1
richard_siegert
richard_siegert
rgillof
rgillof
jenividivici
mark1256
mark1256
potter
potter
coffeemug
coffeemug
abster
abster
rafaela
rafaela
1481632_m
nat-uke
nat-uke
marthad
marthad
terryfallon3
terryfallon3
jody_hendrickson
jody_hendrickson
ukealori
ukealori
morrieuke1
morrieuke1
jlbross
jlbross
mysticrick
mysticrick
sarahd
sarahd
ruthie-roo
ruthie-roo
amilylaw
amilylaw
mmorishige
mmorishige
nelsonlin2021
nelsonlin2021

[Andrew]

Hi Emiliano, unfortunately no. This month is all about writing original music. Maybe you can write a song “in-the-style-of”? That would be cool! Stay safe!

[Andrew]

Here are folks on page 10 and 11.

@terryfallon3 – Great playing Terry! Nice job on nailing the feel and emotion of the piece. My only suggestion would be to play along with the tab player in synthetic mode with the metronome activated. There’s a few rhythms I heard that were cut short or rushed. Playing along with the player a few times should fix that. Overall, really well done!

@jody_hendrickson – I think you nailed your goals! The balance in your rhythm playing between the chunks and the chords was perfect. You did a great job with keeping the tempo steady too. From here, I would focus mostly on getting the chorus to flow a little smoother. That section is def the toughest since some of the bars are syncopated. Try looping that section and playing along with Matt in the tab player.

And TY so much for the kind words! I really appreciate it. 🙂

@ukealori – One of the live lessons Matt did was on tips for memorizing music. I can’t recall what he talked about, TBH. But you can check out the lesson here. But I’d be happy to share what I did in private lessons with my students who had trouble memorizing music. Here’s the method:

1) Play a section, like 4 or 8 bars, while reading the music. Repeat until you feel like you’ve got it down.

2) Then turn the page around so you can’t see it, and play it without reading. If you stumble, turn it back around and play with the music, then try again without.

3) Use this approach section by section.

4) The next day, start your practice by trying to play without the music. If you stumble, repeat the process from the previous day.

This method helps build confidence and memory through repetition and gradual reduction of reliance on the music.

BTW, your performance was great! I hear no issues with your tone, your tone is lovely!

@morrieuke1 – Awesome performance! I’d work on cleaning up the ending, but overall great job Mike!

** For folks who read my feedback for others – Listen to the background, you’ll hear Mike tapping along which helped him keep a steady tempo throughout. Give this method a try if you haven’t before, it really does help your timing! **

@jlbross – I thought your performance was lovely! I would suggest memorizing it so you can focus 100% on your playing and work towards eliminating the pauses that happened in some of the transitions.

@mysticrick – Excellent performance Rick! My suggestion would be to play along with the tab player in synthetic mode with the metronome activated. Sometimes I hear pauses in your playing, and playing along with the tab player will fix that as it forces you to keep a steady beat. Try one section (verse, chorus) at a time. When you feel comfortable playing along with the player, I would go back to playing it solo with a little rubato-ness. But you should notice that your flow is smoother.

@sarahd – I thought you played it really well! Roll strum sounds great too! I would just work on increasing the tempo gradually from here.

@ruthie-roo – Lovely performance! Great fingerpicking and feel throughout, well done! 👏

And TY so much for the kind words, I really appreciate it!

@amilylaw – I thought you did a gret job, Amily! It was a lovely performance. If your fingers are feeling tired, make sure you’re not pressing (fretting) harder than you need to. Try to apply only enough force to make the note(s) ring clear.

@mmorishige – Really nicely played, Mark! Great feel and tone in your fingerpicking. My suggestion would be to play along with the tab player in synthetic mode with the metronome activated. But just for the chorus section, the verses and intro are solid! Playing along with the tab player will help you eliminate some of the pauses in that section as it forces you to keep a steady beat.

@nelsonlin2021 – Nicely played Nelson and great to see you back! I think you’ve got a great base established so from here I’d work on one section at a time. Try a slower tempo and focus on keeping the flow nice and steady.

@maryjanew – Nicely played MJ! I would offer the same advice I left above for Nelson. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to give you an entry for this month as you missed the deadline. I tried to give everyone a friendly reminder yesterday.

[Andrew]

Here are folks on page 9 that I hadn’t gotten to.

@nat-uke – Focus is a really cool feature that the team at SoundSlice introduced recently. They are always improving the player and adding new features. This was a great addition!

Your performance was fantastic, Natalie! Really well played! 👏

@marthad – You mentioned: “I need to keep my left hand fingers close to the fretboard at all times”

Great catch spotting that! This is why I’m a big fan of filming practice sessions. It helps us catch things we wouldn’t notice otherwise.

I thought you did a great job overall and I will def give you entries for the giveaway. For the G chord that is barred, try to keep your index finger straight so that the knuckle does not stick out. Check out this lesson and this one for help with barring.

This is a good exercise that you can run to practice barring:

This will give you something fun to play while also helping to build finger strength. You can switch up the exercise by using different barre chord shapes. The exercise simply involves moving a shape up and down by half or whole steps. 🙂

P.S. Don’t forget to add the premium member tag for Kanile’a giveaway 😉

[Andrew]

@jenividivici – That was a fantastic first post, Amanda! Excellent fingerpicking! Hope to see you in the next challenge. 🙂

@mark1256 – That was awesome, Mark! Keep playing it every time you pick up the uke. It sounds like with a little more practice, you’ll have that riff nailed every time.

@potter – No worries about the form! Your playing was great! I’d suggest tapping your foot along because the opening verse was a bit slower than the rest of the tune when the first chorus started. Tapping will help you stay steady throughout.

@coffeemug – Well played, Mary, and thank you for the kind words. I like your interpretation of this tune. Your pacing was different from Matt’s, and I think the faster phrases you played added a nice feel and emotion to the piece.

@abster – Wow! Way to go Abster! Amazing playing and great job on the timing and groove! Very impressive! 👏

@rafaela – Beautifully played, Rafaela! I really enjoyed listening to your performance. 🙂

@1481632_m – Your performance sounded great Megan! Your fingerpicking was excellent! Working towards playing it as a whole is a great goal, keep up the good work!

[Andrew]

Here’s everyone on page 8.

@jedart – I’m not the biggest fan of the arpeggiated roll in my own playing, probably because I’ve never been great at it lol. That’s why I usually sub it out for the flick/strum technique. That technique adds a bit of color to the chord in a unique way, just like the roll.

I think you’ve got a great foundation with this tune, and your fingerpicking sounds great! I’d recommend focusing on one section at a time and perfecting it before moving on to the next, then piecing it all together.

@otzepeng – Fantastic pacing and feel, well done Markus! 🙂

@mmoynihan – Excellent performance! You nailed the feel of the tune, Matt! My only suggestion is to keep your index finger straight when barring the G chord so that your knuckle does not pop out. Check out this lesson for more info on barring technique.

@lynnzo – Very nicely play! Great feel throughout. I would work on increasing the tempo slightly from here.

@hiouke – Great playing! I would recommend practicing with a metronome, there’s a couple spots where timing varied a little. That click will help keep you locked it throughout. But overall, it was a great take! Keep up the good work!

@qiuyan – Excellent performance! 👏

@malku2603 – Sounding awesome, Akansha! Well done!

@jasdel – Performance sounded great! Keep doing what you’re doing, it’s working! And one tip for the camera nerves, start recording your practicing. That’ll get you used to playing in front of the camera and you get the added benefit of getting to review your sessions 🙂

@ramiro – Great performance, Ramiro! Some of the melody notes sounded like they were delayed for a stylistic touch. In my opinion, it would sound better if you keep the tempo steady throughout. But that’s only my opinion, as the performer, you get to decide how you interpret and perform the piece.

@janaq1 – I thought it was awesome! Solid tempo, great rhythmic chops, and you nailed the upbeat feel. Yea, I’d say that was def awesome Jana!

@richard_siegert – Beautifully played, Richard! You have such great finesse in your notes and chords, which gave the piece a wonderful feel. Keep working on memorizing the ending of the chorus, and you’ll be golden!

@rgillof – That was awesome, Richard! Nice groove and great jamming with the bass!

[Andrew]

Here’s everyone on page 7 that I hadn’t gotten to.

@bibilele – Beautifully played, Bianca! My only suggestion would be to focus your practice on the phrases where you had a little hesitation.

@frederic – I thought your performance was excellent! Flow sounded great to me, very natural.

@swissconsinboy – Awesome performance, Greg! I noticed a couple of spots with a little stumble, but they sound like a bit more practice would easily fix them. My big suggestion is to try down/up strumming instead of all downs when the chorus comes up. That’ll give it a better timbre.

[Andrew]

Friendly Reminder – The deadline for receiving feedback and an entry into the giveaway is tonight at 11:59 PM ET (check your local time zone).

[Andrew]

@grannieannie – Very nicely played Annie! Great feel throughout, well done! 👏

[Andrew]

@madhuri – Beautifully played, Madhuri! My only suggestion is to loop bars 18 to 19 and 22 to 23 in the tab player. I noticed a little bit of rushing in these sections, and playing along with Matt will help you perfect the phrasing. Keep up the great work!

@brettboy & @Nico_uke – Wow, both of you did an incredible job! I’m going make a mash-up and share your performances on our socials today! 🙂

[Andrew]

@dianna – Beautifully played Dianna! And I chuckled at the mystery hand lol 😂

[Andrew]

@suekulele – I like your policy, but I gotta say, when you play a song like this with such beauty, it brings a lot of joy to the listener. I really enjoyed your take on it, Sue ❤️

@karenj – That was awesome Karen! Great groove! 🙂

[Andrew]

@andyrose – Beautifully played Andy! I think you nailed the sustain, each note and chord rang beautifully into the next. My only suggestion would be to memorize the piece so you can focus 100% on your playing.

@lhamilton – Fun to play and equally fun to watch! That was awesome, your rhythmic chops sound great Linda!

@ldarrow – Excellent feel and playing Linda! I have two suggestions: Try looping the chorus and practice the section leading into it to eliminate those pauses. Also, give the same approach a shot for the single note section. Keep up the great work!

[Andrew]

@malku2603 – Yes, it has! Keep up the great work 🙂

@johanna2509 – Beautiful played Johanna! You perfectly captured the feel and emotion of the piece ❤️

@shmu88 – You’re playing, as always, was great! One thing you may want to try is adding more space between phrases. Try to draw it out more, as opposed to be metronomic. That works really well with this tune as it increases the tension/relief.

TY for the kind words on the weekly lessons! We have something different planned for this Friday’s lesson that will relate to our July challenge. The deets will be in this Friday’s email 🙂

@The_Bumble_Bard – Beautifully played, Rachael! Your performance was rich with emotion and perfectly paced.

@jgillard – Jeremy, the tone of your fingerpicking and ukulele is absolutely gorgeous. Such a beautiful rendition!

@joe150 – Excellent job this month, Joe! Really nicely played! I have one suggestion: since you’re playing it on a low G, in verses 1 and 2, you can move single notes on the G string to the first or second string for a more consistent melody. For example, if you see an open G note on the 4th string, play the 3rd fret on the 2nd string instead. Similarly, if you see the 2nd fret on the 4th string, play the open A. This looks like:

@kanique – That was awesome, Dorota! Your sense of timing is great, but I noticed some sections are faster than others. To achieve more consistency throughout, try practicing with a metronome.

[Author]

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