[Andrew]

@musiclover – Very beautifully played, Mary! Double check bar 6. There’s one extra open A on the & of 2 that you left out.

So timing (i.e. keeping a steady tempo) for this tune is a bit of give and take. Because it’s a perfect tune for experimenting with rubato. Which is how Matt chose to play it. I think your comment on timing may have meant transitions. Like, connecting one phrase to the next without pause.

Try listening back to your performance and note the areas where you paused. Target those spots in your practicing.

@mepasha – Excellent fingerpicking and I dig the ending!

@jebergeron – I like the quicker tempo! Love seeing y’all take it and make it your own! Excellent work this month, JP.

@bunny2311 – Bravo on tackling both parts! It was beautifully played and I’ll be sharing it in tomorrow’s newsletter 🙂

[Andrew]

@jbmills07 – Nicely done!

[Andrew]

@jbmills07 – Another performance with great feel! Well done, Justin! I have one suggestion. Since you’re keeping the tempo steady, when you come to the end of the B Melody, hit that triplet strum exactly on beat 2, keeping the tempo steady. That way the entire melody stays uniform. Which I think would give it a stronger ending than slowing down or adding a little rubato pause.

@hawaiihaze – Excellent strumming Austin! Only thing I’d work on is to gradually increase the tempo. Keep up the good work! I’ll be rooting for you! If you win, we’ll be expecting some sweet factory tour pics 🙂

[Andrew]

@billypancakes – That was awesome, Will! You did an excellent job showcasing all 3 dynamic changes. Well done!

[Andrew]

@muzikmama – Both takes were beautifully played! I really liked your interpretation and pacing of the piece. An excellent first post(s) for the month! 🙂

@deadbuggy – Such a fun take, Sara! Always a pleasure to get to share your performances in our newsletter 🙂

[Andrew]

Wow! 68 members joined us for this month’s challenge! Watching everyone’s performance has been a pleasure for Stephen and I. BIG thanks to each of you who participated and bravo on a job well done!

Our June Challenge is LIVE and the theme is: Mini Lessons! I hope each of you joins us again.

Below, I will post a list of members who participated in the May challenge for your second chance to win the Kanile’a Ukulele. Please let me know if there are any discrepancies.

—-

gstriph
gstriph
billypancakes
billypancakes
rgillof
rgillof
johanna2509
johanna2509
mark1256
mark1256
mroman99x
mroman99x
joe150
joe150
rafaela
rafaela
leb397
leb397
lisadmh
lisadmh
rebeca
rebeca
muzikmama
anyon1
anyon1
lhamilton
lhamilton
dividedsky
dividedsky
lyndallk
lyndallk
annemarie
annemarie
kaski85
kaski85
jbmills07
jbmills07
leslieb
leslieb
jody_hendrickson
jody_hendrickson
The_Bumble_Bard
The_Bumble_Bard
katazumiri
katazumiri
shmu88
shmu88
smokealot
smokealot
jebergeron
jebergeron
lynettejd
lynettejd
peiching
brettboy
brettboy
ldarrow
ldarrow
joannetala
joannetala
ccwuke
ccwuke
patdrehu
patdrehu
barbecueblack
barbecueblack
lynnzo
lynnzo
bibilele
bibilele
moonshoes
moonshoes
clempek
clempek
suekulele
suekulele
kdeacon7
kdeacon7
misterbones
misterbones
lbilkie
lbilkie
dorabr
jgillard
jgillard
richard_siegert
richard_siegert
karenj
karenj
june2020
june2020
ukulelee
ukulelee
morrieuke1
morrieuke1
dianna
dianna
janaq1
janaq1
akukes73
akukes73
zongozongo
zongozongo
richo_uke
richo_uke
robinl
denisedistefano
denisedistefano
riley_ukulele
riley_ukulele
concan
concan
lmdlinda
riffyk
riffyk
mlarson
mlarson
yukalele
yukalele
addilein
addilein
omaon4
omaon4
maryjanew
maryjanew

[Andrew]

@ksapp92 – Rhythm playing sounded great! Well done, Kelby! Unfortunately, you just missed our cutoff time for an entry! I tried to give everyone a friendly reminder on the 31st. Luckily, we still have our June challenge! Hope to see you there 🙂

@casadot349 – That rocked, Tyler! Great groove and impressive tempo! Unfortunately, we’ve been pretty strict on deadlines for the last couple years. So I won’t be able to give you an entry this month. I tried to give everyone a friendly reminder on the 31st. Luckily, we still have our June challenge! Hope to see you there 🙂

[Andrew]

Here’s everyone on page 8.

@robinl – Excellent rhythm playing! The only thing I’d work on is getting the ending lick rhythm to be a little bit closer to what I played/taught. Jump to 20 minutes in the lesson and try playing the lick along with me to match the timing/feel.

@denisedistefano – Bravo! It’s very impressive how fast you’re progressing. I certainly couldn’t do half of what you’re doing in only 4 months of playing!! So def keep doing what you’re doing, it’s working!

Good catch on spotting the fretting position. Watch out for that as you play. We want to be super close to the neighboring fret, but not on it.

One thing I noticed is that you have a lot less tension in your right hand when playing the first half of the tune vs. the second half. I want you to go back and watch your video when you repeat bar 13 to 14 three times. Watch only your right hand.

Then watch me play that part. Again, watch only my right hand. Notice how I’m picking lighter and there’s less movement in my picking hand. Try to copy that. Here’s a short video showing both. The first time I play the passage, I’m using too much movement and too much force when plucking. The second time I play the passage is more on par with where we want it to be.

@riley_ukulele – You aced it! Good luck with your studies 🙂

@concan – Your playing has a great feel! And you showcased all of the changes 🙂

I would just work on memorizing it, so you can focus 100% on your playing. Also try working on one section at a time w/ a focus on keeping it steady.

@lmdlinda – Very well played, Linda! That’s a performance you can be proud of 🙂

Rhythm playing was excellent throughout and I like the slight change you added to the lick at the end. It worked really well!

@riffyk – Great job, Kahn! I think you’ve got a great base established. But, there are issues with the form being incorrect in the first half, as well as, some of the rhythmic variations were missing in the second half.

When you do have internet, I’d recommend working section by section with me in the video lesson. That’ll help tighten up the loose ends.

@mlarson – Bravo! Excellent rhythm playing!

@yukalele – That was awesome David! Nice tight playing and groove. I think this is my fav performance of yours to date!

@addilein – Very well played! I only have a few suggestions. First is to memorize it, so you can focus 100% on your playing. Second, work on getting the rasgueado strum a little cleaner. Third, don’t forget about the triplet strum. That’s a very cool technique to add to your playing repertoire.

@omaon4 – Great job, Helga! I think you’ve got a great base established. So from here, I’d recommend working on one section at time. Focus on memorization and working towards gradually boosting the tempo.

@maryjanew – Way to go MJ! Rhythm playing was spot on in the blues tune! Great feel/energy throughout too! That ending lick is tough because that note on the 1st fret of C happens right after the A7 strum. Keep practicing that transition. It’s a toughy!

I was very impressed w/ your playing on the other tune too! Target your practice from bar 18 to the end. Everything before that you’re rockin’!

[Andrew]

@denisedistefano – No worries, you’ll get two entries for this month 🙂

[Andrew]

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

[Andrew]

@lhamilton – Tempo is already sounding more steady! Well done!

—-

Here’s everyone on page 5 I hadn’t gotten to yet.

@brettboy – Bravo, Brett! Riffs were tight. Excellent job jamming with the band!

For the solo, playing wise, it was very impressive! But, watch out for the timing. You started the first phrase perfectly on beat 2. But the second phrase, you started early on beat 1. The next 3 phrases were also early. You got back on time with the double stops.

@ldarrow – Well done! Wonderful playing with a great feel throughout! I have two suggestions as you continue to practice. First, try to get a little cleaner on the rasgueado and triplet strum techniques.

Second, try to keep the tempo a little more steady. Specifically in the first time through the form (bars 1 – 16).

@joannetala – Bravo, Joanne! Excellent take all around. Well done on showcasing all of the variations. And great timing & feel throughout! 👏

[Andrew]

@lhamilton – Try playing with the tab player with the metronome activated. Tap along as you go. This ones a toughy with so many syncopated licks.

[Andrew]

@peiching – Your chunk technique sounds great! Well done 👏

[Andrew]

@smokealot – Very well played, Ulli! Try to get a little cleaner on the rasgueado and triplet strum. Those are the only things I heard that could use targeted practice.

@jebergeron – Excellent performance, Jean-Philippe! Only tip I have is for the lick at the end. Try to pluck the 1st fret on C on the & of 1 instead of beat 2. Holding that note for a dotted quarter gives it that cliche jazzy-rhythmic ending sound.

@lynettejd – Bravo! Well done! 👏

@The_Bumble_Bard – 🙂

[Andrew]

@lisadmh – Excellent performance, Lisa! First half was perfect!

In the second half, you did a great job showcasing all of the variations. Although I did not see one of them, the rasgueado strum. Don’t forget to add that one in and if you need a little help with it, check out Matt’s lesson from our Next Level Strumming Course.

The last advice I have is to keep working on boosting the tempo of the second half to match the first. But overall, impressive work this month!

@rebeca – Beautifully played! 👏

@muzikmama – Great playing! I thought you did a great job showcasing all of the changes! The one rhythmic variation I would focus on is the first, the fingerpicking section. I’m not hearing the correct rhythm being played there. I’d recommend re-reviewing the lesson and playing along with me in the playthrough.

Also, it sounds like your uke is tuned down a whole step. Just a heads up if you weren’t aware.

@anyon1 – Great rhythm playing, timing, and feel throughout! Only tip I have is for the lick at the end. Try to pluck the 1st fret on C on the & of 1 instead of beat 2. Holding that note for a dotted quarter gives it that cliche jazzy-rhythmic ending sound.

@lhamilton – Great job this month Linda! I thought you did really well on the timing. But I’d like to see if we can get it locked in even tighter. One thing I like to do is tap my foot along. And you can hear it in this short video below, as well as, in the background of the original performance.

Give that a try, and you can go one step further too by adding a metronome. Focus on getting the muted strums locked in. That’s what I’m hearing needs more work than the notes.

@dividedsky – Great job, Jane! I think you’ve got a great base established, so I’d keep working on each section, individually, to smooth them out before connecting it all together.

Also, try to memorize it. There’s a lot going on with the right hand, but also the left with this tune. Memorizing will help you as you can focus solely on the changes.

@lyndallk – Wow! That solo was 🔥!! I’m very impressed overall. Great playing and you were tightly locked in with the band! Well done!

I only have one minor suggestion, which is to try to do a little less of a bend. We want it to be more of an “accent” then an actual bend. Technically, they call it a micro bend, since it falls somewhere in between the fretted note and a half-step up.

@annemarie – Great playing! And well done showcasing all of the changes! My only suggestion is to try a slower tempo. Focus on keeping it nice and steady. Then, gradually work towards boosting the tempo to where you recorded at. Everything is there, I just feel like you’re going a little faster than you’re ready for atm.

@kaski85 – Bravo! I will be showcasing your performance in tomorrow’s newsletter 🙂

@jbmills07 – Great strumming and rhythm playing, Justin! I noticed you added a few extra bars to the 12 bar blues form. Double check the form, cuz if you ever play with someone else, you’ll be the only one playing the 16 Bar Blues LOL.

@leslieb – I love the facial expression at 1:25 LOL! Great playing overall! You showcased all of the changes very well! From here, I’d focus on boosting tempo while keeping it steady.

@jody_hendrickson – Excellent performance! Very well played! I think the “lifeless” thing you are hearing is the audio quality. It sounds like it got compressed to a low quality. Which is why it sounds a little tinny. I can tell just by listening to how you played it, that in real life, that performance had a beautiful tone! Well done this month 👏

@The_Bumble_Bard – This has to be the first midway uke change I’ve ever seen in one of our monthly performances 😂

I loved it, very creative way to compensate for the lack of frets. It’s very cool to see you tackle this toughy of a tune. When we push ourselves, that’s how we grow! Keep at it! It’s been awesome watching your journey so far 🙂

@katazumiri – Great rhythm playing on the 1st video. Nice and tightly locked in with the band!

Second video was amazing! Again, tight & locked in playing on the melody, rhythm, and solo! You even nailed that crazy run in the middle of the solo. Bravo! 👏

@shmu88 – As always, playing was great Sam! 100% speed sounds like it might be a hair too fast for where you’re at right now. I know you said you didn’t have enough time to practice, but, it did make me think of a good suggestion for you. Check out Transcribe.

This is an awesome program that is similar to the on-screen tab viewer on our site. Basically, it allows you to slow down and loop audio or video files. It even has a feature that tells you what notes and chords are played and surprisingly it’s very accurate!

But as it relates to this song, put the 100% speed backing track in it and you’ll be able to slow it down by 1% increments. You can then bounce an mp3 at any speed or play along to it in transcribe.

It’s a great tool to help you gradually work your way up to 100%.

[Author]

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