[The_Bumble_Bard]

@Andrew, thank you so much! I’ve said it before but it seriously means so much when you like changes like that. I felt like I had to compensate for my uke not being low G somehow because that makes such a difference with the sound. 😅

Haha! Well, the melody has been in my head since I heard it and I thought it went really well with how Mowgli plays, which is very sweet and spirited, like the music. 😊

Thank you about the dental issues, I won’t lie to you, it’s incredibly stressful on multiple levels. 😅 Unfortunately it’s also very painful at times (like it is again now) while I’m trying to sort out everything. So praying I can get an appointment very soon. But yes thank you so much for your kind words, Andrew, they mean a lot! 😊

[The_Bumble_Bard]

Hello uke friends! 😁

Here is my take on “April Smiles” with my special little guest, Mowgli! I love her. 😉 😂

This tune is so dang lovely. Andrew, you have a way with writing melodies that are very memorable, unique, sweet, and uplifting. I really enjoyed this one and the challenge of recording with the backing track (I didn’t record the rhythm part myself). I also am extremely pleased that I managed to learn this is in basically two days. That’s why there are still a few pauses because I kept forgetting what came next, but still. I also am missing the 14th and 15th fret and the low G string, but I feel like I made it work reasonably well for high G. 😂 I did try a clawhammer version and it is promising but didn’t get to finish it. Plus, it is fully a different song, then, with that technique and I wanted to experience the beauty of the original. 😊

Side note, I have been having some somewhat serious dental issues the last two weeks that still are not yet resolved (though I’m working on it – it’s hard to get appointments these days, which is very unfortunate) so I didn’t know if I’d get to record this or not. Thankfully the pain isn’t that bad right now and I was able to learn it / record this tune pretty efficiently. 😊

This might be my favorite video that I’ve gotten to make for RC101. 😂😂😂

I also want to say thank you so much for the lovely comments people left for me last month that I didn’t get to reply to. I always appreciate that so much, but the last couple of months have been absolutely insane for me.

Now I get to go back and listen to all the entries I missed! No doubt they are all amazing with this lot! Much love to all and a belated Happy Easter! 😍

[The_Bumble_Bard]

@jbmills07, thank you so much, Justin! She definitely will appear, but maybe not as aerobatically / epically (?) as Ziggy does! 😂 Mowgli is a very sweet and cuddly kitty. 🥰

I saw your take on Lacrimosa last month but for some reason when you first posted it, YouTube wouldn’t let me open it / comment on it. But that was very beautiful and moving. I also saw your take on April Smiles, so very beautiful! You have a way of drawing out the beauty of music even more. 😊

I’m also working on April Smiles and was pretty worried because I hadn’t gotten to start it until today but playing through it tonight it’s not as bad as I thought as far as difficulty. The tricky part will be layering the parts for me. 😂

Anyway thank you for appreciating my new feline friend! I love her. 😂😻

[The_Bumble_Bard]

Here’s a more recent version of “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” though it’s still not perfect, lots of mistakes.

I think I literally made some decisions in the moment while recording and it’s pretty obvious if you know what to look for. 😂

A while ago, I finally finished this version with the bridge but didn’t share it because I still wasn’t happy with it (except with a few other uke friends). But listening back now, I like it a bit more than I remembered. I hope to polish this one even more though.

Thank you to anyone who gives it a listen!! 😊

[The_Bumble_Bard]

@johanna2509, thank you so much for that! That makes me so happy that you think that, too! She is so precious and cuddly but now the mischievous / hyper / playful side of her is really starting to come out! 😂😳 She loves to have her tummy pet and it’s as wonderfully fluffy as it looks! 😂😻 She also loves to be brushed which not every cat does, but that’s helpful to keep the fur under control a bit! I love those terms sooooooo much!! Oh my. “Paw pillows” is my favorite!! Thank you for sharing that! 😂😻

@grannieannie, thank you so much for your encouragement! 😊😻 It has been waaaaaaay more of an adjustment than I ever imagined having a kitty; it has already been a journey, but it’s been so worthwhile to have a little friend. She is so sweet. Thank you, just as you say that, she has started to have “zoomies” more now! 😂 I also try to play with her every day, usually a few times per day if I can to get some of her energy out. I’m so sorry to hear about the kitties you had that passed that way. 😟 That’s why I wouldn’t let her out especially where I live where it isn’t as rural as her previous home. But even there, she had a brother who also was an outdoor kitty who was hit by a car. After he was gone, she became very desperate for attention and lonely and that’s another reason I took her in so she could get more cuddles and attention than they could give her. So yes, every aspect of having her has been extremely emotional, yet beautiful and special. I sorely underestimated all of it but I’m glad to have her. 😂😻😥

I’ll probably end up uploading more pictures of her here because I’ve taken “a few” since I’ve had her. 😅 I send them to my sister a few times per week because she’s also obsessed with cats. 😂😅 But I think you’ll see her in my videos for sure! 😊

[The_Bumble_Bard]

@johanna2509, thank you so much, she is so beautiful and sweet and cuddly! She’s also a lil’ wild cat! Still adjusting to that part. 😂 I feel the same way, but this one I get to keep and not just look at! 😂 I think you will see her for sure. Every time I sit down she wants to cuddle. 😻

@leb397, thank you so much, friend! 😊🥰 Adopting her and adjusting to her being here has been an incredibly emotional experience, if I’m being honest. Like I said, she was an outdoor kitty before, so I was very worried about that and if it would be stressful for her. It is a huge adjustment for her, but praying it continues to go well. There have been a few times where she seemed anxious but I guess that makes sense. Having her here is really so comforting and having her greet me when I get home is very special indeed! 😊 She thanks you for your welcome! 😂😻

Here are just a few more:

MowgsTrueBeauty

MowgsBeansAndTumtum

MowgsFeetz

Oh I forgot to mention. The family members who had her would always put a towel on their laps when they pet her due to allergies. But now those are her “cuddle/comfort towels” that they gave me and I think that helped a lot with the transition for her. She still loves to lay on them, so presh. 😂😻😥

• This reply was modified 1 year, 2 months ago by The_Bumble_Bard.

[The_Bumble_Bard]

Hello friends! 😊

I know there are so many amazing entries already, I haven’t gotten to listen to all of them, but fully plan to go back and comment in a “mega post” before the full flood of entries come in, lol (though I’ve gotten to read a lot of what people said and Andrew’s lovely feedback).

Oh my, Lacrimosa. This was quite insightful to relearn. I have so many thoughts and mixed feelings about this. I went through the stages of grief relearning this (fittingly). 😂😅 I felt so confident at first but turns out it was hubris. 😂

Well, I’ll write my thoughts out in a list:

– Relearning this helped me realize that I have a way of playing that I’m now most comfortable with and Steven’s style of playing is very, very different from mine now (also he’s an incredible musician, so there’s that 😂). One thing is playing melody notes with h/o’s and p/o’s on low G. Being 99% a high G player now, I’ve grown accustomed to avoid playing melody notes that way (and instead finding them on separate strings) because I do not enjoy that technique (though Steven plays that way so beautifully). 😂 Nonetheless, I did better with them this time around than the first, I think.
– This helped me realize that so much of playing has to do with confidence… and practice (I didn’t start relearning this a week or so ago or anything…). There are times when I’m so comfortable with a song that I feel extremely confident and times like this that I still feel overwhelmed and like I’m back to square one with my anxiety with recording (as this took about 25 takes to get – and this one still had a “false start” which I left in on purpose). Everyone has moments where they get inside their head and get stuck in a negativity spiral. That’s what happened with this for sure. Still, I’m so happy I relearned this and will try to remember this one this time and get it even smoother. 😊
– Also, this arr. is still incredibly difficult in places, that hasn’t changed, but I do think I smoothed out the second half a lot more than the first time.

That wasn’t even a list, still really rambling, oh well. 😂 Here ’tis:

Thank you for this amazing challenge, Andrew! 😊

[The_Bumble_Bard]

@janaq1, thank you so much! She truly is purrfect, I got so lucky adopting the sweetest little friend! 😻 She was half an outdoor cat so the fact that she’s adapting pretty well to being inside is such a good thing! It’s only been a few days so hopefully she’ll only continue to feel more and more comfy here! Although I have been devising plans to take her outside, perhaps on a leash or in a cat stroller, I don’t even care anymore “if” I look crazy! 😂 But actually I’ve definitely seen other people around here walking their cats, anyway. Thank you, I’m sure she’ll be making cameos pretty often, even if it’s with her melodic chirps! 😉😂😻

[The_Bumble_Bard]

SooooooooooooOooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOoooo excited to hear everyone’s entries this month and what happens with the Back To the Future Takes of all these songs! Such a crazy wide array of songs that people have chosen! 😊

I am nervous about Lacrimosa because that was so tricky the first time around, but hopefully it’ll be easier this time!! Surely it will be…! 😂😳

Looking forward to seeing how this challenge unfolds! 😊

[The_Bumble_Bard]

Oh my, I am flippin’ pumped for this challenge! I really love this idear a lot!! 🥰

I also find it kind of funny that I accidentally did this exact thing for February with Aura Lee. That was the first RC101 song I learned, but that’s not what I’m doing for this challenge.

This month I think I’ll revisit Steven’s arr. of Lacrimosa (on my electric uke that I won from here)! 😁😯

I hope I can improve how fluently I play it and remove the pauses that I struggled with the first time I played it. And add more dynamics than the first time. I feel like I should be able to do those things now with a lot more experience through learning songs here. 😊

Here’s my original take:

I’m so excited! I’ve been wanting to revisit this song anyway, but what a great excuse!

GOLDEN TICKET from Drewmpa Loompa Town, here we come!! 😉😂

[The_Bumble_Bard]

@Andrew, thank you so much! Your support and encouragement means so much to me. And all the inspiration I’ve found through the things you create and in this community. It’s been one of the most special things as far as my creative ventures in my life to know and learn from everyone here. 😊🥰

@lhamilton, that makes perf sense! I know that Canada gets hit pretty hard with snow, too, of course! It’s just up Nort’ you can expect a winter wonderland all the way into May sometimes! 😂🌨️❄️

@dianna, thank you so much, my friend! 😊🥰 Haha!!!!!!!!!!!! It’s actually two cats. That image came from a different video I created for these challenges a while ago. I’ll have to find it. It was the Friends theme, but about cats. 😅😅😂 Very annoyingly, your video wouldn’t load for me so I’ll have to listen to it later!! I’m sure it’s amazing! 😂🥺❤️

[The_Bumble_Bard]

I apologize in advance for this gargantuan post! Please enjoy! I thought of creating a separate thread for the “snow” topic because as a Midwesterner in particular, talking about snow and frosty weather is one of our favorite pastimes. 😂😂 But I replied to a few of the entries after my rambling about that (and I just made it worse with this prelude. Why am I this way?). I’ve gotten in trouble at my jobs over the years for talking too much, not even kidding, but no one is surprised by that…

@leb397 Thank you for your kind words. Yes I’ve seen the weather across the country and you are getting battered. Where we are there are a lot from WI, MN and MI. I always wonder if anyone is left home because it is filled with the white haired snowbird brigade. 😁 I can certainly relate to the tuna tundra (ha) When I did our January challenge the weather was so gloomy. I kinda wrote a song I’ll post some day, … maybe. but I knew the brighter days were ahead with our annual migration. 🦅🚗🌞. The feeling of being trapped with a box of almost empty box cereal, piece of bread and maybe some dated milk…. 😩 Well we all have RC101 !!!!
Great entries. I could have practiced a bit more to smooth parts but wasn’t sure about internet and ability to record all the time. Thanks

That was a very crazy week of weather! We basically had a blizzard, around a foot of snow, then the temperatures plummeted to the single digits and one day was -30F with windchill. Hooray! Well, part of me enjoys the cold and the snow, but the lack of sunlight takes its toll after a while and I struggle a lot with that, already being predisposed to … my brain not wanting to work. I think I actually was technically frozen for a week or two. 😂 I am starting to feel better now. Sometimes your soul can also be start to freeze and you don’t realize it at first. Hahaha! Yes, a lot of people from the Midwest migrate to Florida and warmer areas. I’ve heard of that a lot. I enjoy the cold and the snow, but that day was pretty rough; thankfully, I did have food, so that was good! The crazy thing is, today it was in the 50’s and felt so warm and beautiful, but not HOT. That’s the thing I really dislike (though I know I’m a freak and most people love that crud! 😂). That’s how I am with recording, too. Once I start, I just go with what the result is that day because it’s hard to know if you’ll get another chance. I still to this day get anxious about it, but I definitely have come a long way with it. Please share your song if you are up for it, I, and I’m sure others, would love to hear it!! 🥰

@grannieannie Are you still frozen in? We beat our record of being snowbound this year, going twelve days without being able to get down our driveway. Our area doesn’t get that many snowfalls a season, so it’s hopelessly ill-prepared to handle one when it happens. And our road is last on the priority grid, so by the time they get to us, the road is a solid sheet of ice (winding down a hill, with a lake at the bottom).

No, I am thawed out now! 😂 Oh my word, that is crazy! 12 days is insane to be snowbound. Oh my yes, in the Midwest, it’s a joke when you see a steep driveway and say, “that’d be horrible in the winter!” You have to think that way. But in areas like yours (though I’m not sure where you are – I know how that goes), it can be very, very dangerous when a lot of unexpected snow/ ice happens. I hope you also had power and supplies that you needed. It seems like you are finally free now, since you escaped to the liberry? You’re so brave to do that, to record there. 😂

Speaking of that, your entry of Blue Skies was so very pretty! I agree with @Andrew ‘s assessment of it. Such a sweet sound. Even though you weren’t intentionally adding dynamics, the beautiful feeling still came across. Adding dynamics is tricky. It’s my favorite thing about playing music, though, when you can start conveying how the music makes you feel. I hope that makes sense. Very beautifully played, though! 😊

Okay, and now some other replies:

@misterbones, that tune sounded even more magical on the banjolele! Really it’s perfect for that! Perfectly played, as yewsh (usual)! 😊

@katazumiri, also so magical! A very different and cool take on that one! I agree that it definitely seems like it could be played at a variety show / circus! Perfect! 🥰

@lhamilton, very beautifully played on that one, too! That sounded perfect to me! 😊 It’s really hard when you start feeling nervous, though, to push through that. I understand that for sure. Still, beautifully played!

@keeevo, also a very beautiful take! Very soft and smooth performance!

@brettboy, your performances are always so magical and fun to watch! To me it seems like you have total control over your playing, which is pretty amazing (since I definitely don’t always feel like I have that). I like how your uke flew away at the end! 😂 Beautifully played! 😊

@terryfallon3, really great work! That song, for me, I consider actually impossible to play (again, for me), and you did an amazing job with it! Love how it sounds! 😊

Sorry that I didn’t get to reply to everyone, but this is already a megapost! I loved listening to all of them and, as always, amazing work by all! 🥰

Oh my gosh, one more thing. I did try to re-record my take on Aura Lee. I think overall I smoothed it out / sped it up, but I did keep forgetting a few little things and there were a few pauses there, but here it be! I used my favorite image from a previous video here for the thumbnail. 😂😂

(Again, so sorry this is so long, I am the worst… 😂)

[The_Bumble_Bard]

@janaq1, that sounds so amazing! Boy would I love to go on that retreat, on multiple levels. One of these times I really hope to go to a gathering like that to meet some ukulele friends, but probs not for that one. Hope you enjoy it! 😊

[The_Bumble_Bard]

@shmu88, I’d say that was *much* more than okay and very magical! 😊 Very beautifully played, so impressive! The runs at the end of that song are crazy and you played them perfectly! 😊

@willw18, I couldn’t get your entry to play, sadly. 😕

@leb397, so, so beautiful friend! You captured the feeling behind that perfectly. So glad you’re having some warmer, sunnier days – that you “played about” in that song. 🥰 It’s the opposite here. I think I mentioned we had a blizzard over the weekend in Wisconsin. I won’t lie – that was pretty brutal because it’s like I was “trapped” in Valentine’s Day (S.A.D.) and had to work extra hard to find distractions. 😂 Sorry that was a bit of a tangent… Thank you so much for your encouragement with that! It means so much to me. The tremolo is still really challenging but I’ll keep working on it. And nothing will replace my love of clawhammer. 😂😅 Thank you so much, I love everyone in this group, too, and am so inspired by the incredible talent and creativity of everyone here. Along with the support that has meant so much to me. Ha well, in the North of the Midwest it’s still pretty much the frozen tuna… tundra. 😂😂😅 I let autocorrect have its way for a minute. We are kind of frozen tuna here. 😉😂 But I hope by the time you travel it’s warmed up a bit where you are! Thank you again!! 🥰

• This reply was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by The_Bumble_Bard.

[The_Bumble_Bard]

@karenj, really amazing performance of that! So smooth and perfect clarity with each note. That one looks so tricky and complicated, but you play it so seamlessly, really impressive performance! 🥰

@dianna, thank you so much, friend! 🥰 That really means a lot that you say that. I think it’s pretty special how we can all inspire each other here. 😊 You have inspired and encouraged me so many times. I appreciate that so much. I feel like if I have any strengths on uke it’s kind of reinventing already good 😂 existing material, though I think I am (crushingly slowly) getting better at creating my own versions of songs. I think it’s because theory is my greatest weakness with music, so in some ways that does hold me back, maybe. Anyway, thank you again! Looking forward to your entry! 😊🥰

@gi_gi_ thank you so much, my friend!! Haha!! We are actually out of control with the nicknames now. 😂😅 Triple B! 😂😅😂 I know, it’s so crazy how much things can change in a pretty short time. So much has happened since then that I never imagined possible because of this sweet little instrument and the friends I’ve made through it. I’m gonna cry, man! 😂 Thank you so much, I can’t even say how much you’ve inspired and encouraged me to do things I never would’ve ever done before, like the open mic. We have another side quest now with that!! 😂🥰

@grannieannie, I just had to “go rogue” again with that song! Thank you, now I’m trying to apply the tremolo to everything, eventually I’ll get better at it that way! 😂 You play very beautifully from what I’ve gotten to hear, I know you’ll only get better and better, too! 🥰

This is how I’m spending my “love day” 😂 (in part) because the pleasantly distracting plans I had today fell through because of snow (the plans were playing scary video games with my bro and sis which we do semi-quarterly), but I have a lot of love for everyone here, so it works out! 😊🥰

Also maybe can make some progress on Aura Lee today but no update yet. 😉😂

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