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@gracme2 – Great playing Carmen! I have a few tips for you.
First, try to keep the rhythm as steady 8ths in bar 5 and 6. Second, during the walk down in bar 11 to 12, try to keep finger pressure held down so the melody note sustains instead of lifting pressure off which makes it sound staccato-y. Here’s a sound sample of staccato vs sustained:
Third, check out this lesson for help with playing the triplet strum. Matt teaches a few ways to do it. Try them all and stick with the one you like the most 🙂
@patdrehu – Great playing, Patrice! Double check bar 4, I’m hearing it cut short a few notes. Playing wise, I’d target the transitions where you pause a little bit. See if you can get those smoother so we keep the tempo steady.I’d also like to hear more emphasis on the dynamic changes. So softer fingerpicking, louder strumming, and more a more dynamic cresc./decresc. at the end.
@ukulelee – Wow, this is my fav performance from you to date Leone. You aced it! Phenomenal playing! And we can call the last chord a jazz hit lol! 🙂
@dividedsky – Bravo Jane! Beautiful duet! Great playing and perfect timing 👏And TY for the kind words. I’ve really enjoyed writing these mini lessons this year 🙂
@uku_on – I always fear someone will think the April challenge is an April fools joke! I hate that happened with you, Caleb. But I promise, we wouldn’t joke about giveaways. Only silly things like this video 😂Your performance was awesome! Excellent strumming technique. And the feel of the piece was spot on. Well done!
@concan – Beautifully played with great feel! And awesome job on getting it memorized. That helps so much as it allows you to focus 100% on your playing . Well done this month! 🙂
@akukes73 – Fantastic playing! Excellent timing too!
@mlarson – Great playing! It was a lovely performance 🙂I’d recommend working on your left hand form. I’m seeing incorrect form throughout the piece. For example, in the first 10 seconds of the video, your palm is supporting the underside of the neck. That’s something we don’t want to do as it limits finger dexterity. Form 2 is best to use throughout this tune. Form 2 uses your index to help support the neck. The video lesson at the bottom of the page demos/explains this technique.
Another area to work on is to keep your fingers curved at the first joint. For example, 13 seconds into the video you play a C chord and if you look at your ring finger, you’ll see it’s straight. We always want to fret notes with the fingertip while being curved at the first joint.
Check out this lesson for help with playing the triplet strum.
@joe150 – Fantastic take, Joe! Well done this month! My only suggestion is to memorize it 🙂
@lynnzo – Well done on the 1 finger etude! Playing sounds great! I’d continue working towards boosting tempo (gradually).Watch out for tugging the strings too. If you pause your video at 43 seconds, you can see that you’re pulling the C string down a bit. That makes the note go sharp. Try to keep the string as parallel as possible.
Awesome to see you tackle the blues tune too! Pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone is one of the best ways to grow!
@riffyk – No for fingerpicking. And I don’t think so either for strumming. I would only recommend to loosed up, try to relax your right hand more as you strum.@lbilkie – Beautifully played! Keep in mind, the first bar gets repeated twice 😉
@marlongas – Excellent job showcasing all 3 dynamic changes, Carlos! Well done 👏
@riffyk – Great playing, Kahn! So this piece is an advanced level tune. I think it might be a little more than you’re ready for right now. I’d recommend working on beginner and intermediate pieces. Set a goal to memorize them and before you know it, you’ll be ready for advanced tunes 🙂
@coffeemug – Great strumming! You’ve got the rhythm down, but you did play the pattern once more than necessary. Just a heads up in case you play it with others, they’ll be done one bar before you.
@johanna2509 – Pacing and feel was very nice. You’ve got a great touch w/ fingerpicking and the triplet strum. Well done, Johanna!
@dorabr – Fingerpicking sounds great! And the triplet strum was well done, great technique! The one thing I’d recommend working on is tempo/timing. Right now, I’m hearing a pause after many bars and some notes that sound like sets of 3.Try to play everything as steady 8th notes before experimenting with rubato. You can practice this with a metronome or using the tab player in “synthetic” mode with the metronome activated.
@riffyk – Your iCloud video has sound. I will watch that one. Looking forward to it 🙂
@bibilele – I like the tempo you’re at, Bianca! You played it with such great feel, it was very enjoyable to listen to 🙂
@karenj – Wonderfully played, Karen! You showcased all 3 dynamic changes perfectly! My only suggestion is to keep the tempo steady going into that last section (cresc./decresc.).
@rgillof – Can I be honest with you? That was beautifully played. I don’t read what folks write until after I watch/listen so I’m not influenced when listening. After I watched, I read what you wrote and re-watched it. I’d have to be really nitpicking to say there were a couple starting notes that didn’t ring as loudly as I’d like. But that’s pushing it.I think you’re probably in the same headspace I’m in after I practice a lot and go to record. Often times, I’m too deep into how I think it sounds. So when I listen back I automatically say “that’s bad.” Luckily, I’ve had the benefit of recording hundreds of performances and that experience has taught me to send it to a friend for fresh-ear feedback. And more times than not, they say “dude, it sounds good.” 🙂
@gstriph – Melody A and the the triplet strum were very well played, Jerry! Sounds like Melody B needs just a little more practice to smooth out. Overall, it was great!
@moonshoes – One Finger Etude was beautiful played! I actually wrote it on baritone, so I agree with you! The deepness of that instrument pairs well with the piece.The strumming piece sounds great too! I asked Matt to review your form and he recommends you “turn your [index] nail towards the strings and try to strike parallel to the 14th fret.”
Check out Matt’s intro to strumming lesson here. It’ll provide more clarity to see the exactly how he strums.
@morrieuke1 – Excellent job showcasing all 3 dynamic changes and bravo on keeping a rock-solid tempo!P.S. Don’t forget the premium tag 😉
@leb397 – Well done, Louisa! All 3 dynamic changes were showcased very well! As for the string noise, if you have a wound low G, then it’s unavoidable. The only way to get rid of it is to swap it for an unwound.The only thing I’d suggest working on is cleaning up the chord work. I’m not hearing each note ring, mainly the C string. Try to widen the arch of your ring finger so it’s not touching the C string (which mutes it).
@ukukelley1 – Beautifully played, Sheryl! Triplet strums sounded wonderful. You have excellent technique.@denisedistefano – Excellent fingerpicking, Denise! One suggestion, try a little bit of a lighter attack on the triplet strum. Overall, well done this month!
@kdeacon7 – Bravo y’all! Fantastic duet and I loved the outtakes 🙂
@abster – Another incredible performance, Abhay! 👏👏@ccwuke – Excellent strumming, Chris!
@jody_hendrickson – You aced both tunes, Jody! Well done 👏And TY for the kind words! 🙂
@clempek – Great take, Clem! Feel and vibe was spot on!@richo_uke – Love the last hit 😂
Both times through sound great! Well done on the timing and locking into the groove with AJ!
@lhamilton – Great playing and feel, Linda! 🙂
@leslieb – I think it sounds just as good sans the chunks. Great strumming Leslie! One tip, try to minimize your hand movement as you switch between the first two chords. Try this: keep the ring anchored and slide down a half step as such:
You can see only the index and middle move, in a flip-flop fashion.
@rebeca – You’ve got the muted strum technique down, but it sounds like you added a little swing feel and changed the pattern. I dig it tho! Sounds really good 🙂
@jedart – Beautifully played, Jed!
@rafaela – Bravo on both tunes! Excellent playing all around!
@ukandrea – Love it! I’m gonna share your performance in our newsletter this Friday 🙂
@shmu88 – Excellent playing as always, Sam! Great feel and energy in this performance. The only thing I can critique is sometimes I see some of the strings are getting pulled down when fretting/playing notes which causes the note(s) to go a bit sharp. Try to keep the strings as parallel as possible.Most of this is prob due to the size of the uke. Try playing this tune on a tenor or baritone. That prob would fix most of what I’m seeing/hearing.
@otzepeng – Beautifully played! Glad to hear you are able to play again 🙂
@katazumiri – Another awesome interpretation, Lena! Love it!
@The_Bumble_Bard – 1 finger etude sounds great! Check out Matt’s lesson on the triplet strum. He teaches a few ways to do it. Give them all a try and pick the one you like best 🙂I love your fingerstyle take on the strumming tune. Great adaptation!
@laurakarr12 – Excellent playing, Laura!
@anyon1 – Woah! You got some crazy speed, well done Adriana!Hi Steve, that lesson is part of our “Mini Lessons” Series. You can access Mini Lessons by clicking “Ukulele Songs” or “Concept Lessons” in the main menu. Next, click “Mini Lessons” in the blue banner at the top of the page:
Click the image to enlarge it.
When searching for tunes on the site, each series has its own content. For ex, if you’re looking for a “Mini Lesson”, you’ll have to use the search bar on the “Mini Lesson” page. If you use the search bar on the “Ukulele Songs” page, it will not give you a result for “Mini Lessons.” The only way to get around this is to click any lesson on the site and use the search bar on the right-hand side of the lesson page. That search bar searches the entire site.
Here’s a video showing this. If I search “ML013” on the “Ukulele Songs” page, I get no results. But if I click a lesson, such as the first one on the “Ukulele Songs” page (“12th Street Rag”), I can use the search bar there to find “ML013.”
I’d also recommend watching the second video on this page. It’ll give you a complete overview on how to navigate the site: https://rockclass101.com/learning-paths/