Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
@misterbones, you captured the feeling of that one so well! Such a tricky arrangement and you nailed it! 😊
@rebeca, thank you so much! To me, it’s easier to take a simpler arrangement and modify it than it is to learn an intermediate arrangement “as is.” I don’t know if other people feel that way. I think that makes sense because it’s the difference between having to learn exact notes in an exact way versus just making something up, the latter of which I feel like I’m better at, but more so I just love doing it and it’s exciting to me. But I also really love all the arrangements on RC101 as they are; they are amazing, they’re just harder for me to learn by following the tabs exactly. 😅 The beginner arrangements are so well constructed that it makes it easier to modify them because you know the material you’re working with is already really good.
So sorry to hear about your finger! That’s so sad. I hope it heals more quickly than you think. 😟💕
@anyon1, thank you so much, so glad you liked it! 😁 And very happy that it’s inspired you. You should definitely look at the course and give it a try, clawhammer is so much fun. 😊@Andrew, thank you so much! I appreciate you letting me share these things. 😁
@dianna, haha, thank you! This has become a thing I like to try with almost every song I learn, a symptom of my CCTS, Compulsive Clawhammer Transformation Syndrome. 😂😅 There might be a better acronym for that. I love doing that though; yes, I think almost any beginner song I could do that with now, which is so strange. 😅@muzikmama, I think that’s something else, when you strike the soundboard, I’m drawing a blank for what that’s called, other than some kind of percussion, obvs. 😅 Clawhammer is so much fun, Rock Class 101 has a whole course teaching it and I think it is also a banjo-playing technique. Haha that’s so peculiar, but I guess if no one’s sleeping up there that makes sense to use it. 😅😂
Agreed, @katazumiri always has such cool interpretations and that one is no exception! So cool. 😁
@muzikmama, that stinks, but it makes sense that it would break like that from that height! You stored it on the top bunk of a bed? 😅 Haha thank you for saying my voice isn’t goofy. 😂 Even though it’s weird because it’s my own voice, I still notice the accent.
I did manage to snag a recording. It’s not perfectly smooth yet, still some hesitations, but I think it worked pretty well, lol. It’s only the first section.
Clawhammer is a technique of playing uke where you keep your playing hand in a “claw” shape and “hammer” onto the strings, kinda bouncing your nails off the strings like four cute lil’ trampolines. Then, it sounds bluegrassy. That’s a technical explanation… 😂😳
@dianna, I’ll have to post the clawhammer version here, since it won’t count as an entry. I don’t want to lose steam with Always With Me by being already “safe” having an entry with Path of the Wind. 😂 I might be able to post that later today. And I agree about voices. Although I’ve realized how bad my Wisconsin accent is now that I’ve been recording myself more (in my ears at least). Arguably one of the goofier American accents. 😂 Yes, @jbmills07 and also all the Rock Class instructors have very pleasant voices and agreed it’s nice to have that more human element to videos. 😊
@muzikmama, I see what you mean. True, it’s not a big deal if you forget a song. All you have to do is go back and relearn it and it’s way easier picking it back up then. Also, sorry to hear about your uke being broken! It’s kind of crazy that the whole headstock (?) broke off? My main uke has been through some things with me, having been dropped, smacked and spilled on countless times so it’s crazy that yours got so damaged. Sorry about that!
@anyon1, really lovely playing there!! 😊@leb397, that’s a really good list! Angels We Have Heard On High would sound lovely on uke. I think Rock Class 101 did an arr of that one maybe?
I do also like a few modern Christmas songs, like Jingle Bell Rock, but I think I just associate a lot of those with annoying Christmas ads and things. 😅 Some are fun though.
A very alternative Christmas song could be “March of the Toreadors,” because nothing says Christmas like bullfighting and homicidal Chuck E. Cheese monsters. 😂
@jbmills07, ha, thank you so much! That was a good idea, even though I took it in a slightly different direction. 😅 That’s about the speed I start out with harder songs because I want to make sure they’re right as much as possible and also obviously they’re difficult so that slows the learning a bit. For the record, I don’t always narrate or react to what I’m doing out loud, meaning I sometimes do. 😂 As far as scum mode, I swear there are times when I don’t look (as) bedraggled or like I’m at a slumber party, but that’s just how it times out with recording. 😂😅😳 Anyway, look forward to seeing your and everyone else’s Always With Me’s! 😅
Noooo, it seems early for Christmas music, but it really isn’t at all. 😂😭
My top three favorites are:
1. Santa, Baby
2. Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer
3. 85% of Christmas songs they play in grocery storesOh wait, those are actually the songs that instantly fill me with rage when I hear them, got my lists mixed up. 😅😉😒
My real list is:
1. Silent Night
2. O Holy Night
3. Carol of the BellsI guess I am kind of a Scrooge when it comes to Christmas music, sorry for that. Oh well. 😂
@Andrew, thank you so much! 😀 I think next time I try posting two takes, I’ll wait until I can play through the whole thing completely first, then share the first take of that. I think that’s actually what @jbmills07 meant, lol, but that was still fun and I’m glad you thought it was cool. 😀
Side note, I already turned Path of the Wind into clawhammer… I’m not okay, lol. I was pretty proud: I figured out the right notes in the first section by ear except for one chord. That was my backup plan, but I think I’ll be pretty okay with Always With Me eventually. 🙂
@rebeca, that was so good! That’s such a tricky arrangement and you did great with it! 😀@muzikmama, that is so true. Chopin definitely made use of the breadth of the piano, for sure. Some of the things he wrote for piano don’t even seem physically possible to play, but there are plenty of recordings of people playing it, so I guess it is possible. 😅
I love the challenge of trying to cram as many songs as possible on the soprano uke because it’s my favorite to play, but you’re right that there is a limit with it. When I try to arrange songs, I try to position them so there is at least a little room to go down especially with something insane like this one and, like you, like to try to utilize a lot of the uke’s “limited” range. But I’ve seen all the crazy classical pieces that are possible, plenty of which are on RC101, but also John King and Jeff Peterson and people like that I’ve learned of through here–All of them are very inspiring to me for what’s possible to do on uke. 😊
@dianna, I was confused and thought the longer part of your post was directed to me, half asleep still this morning. 😂 @jgillard made some really great points. For me, trying to change my approach and mentality towards recording has at least helped me improve being on camera, including the advice @Andrew gave last month about starting to record as you warm up to play, and for me, NOT stopping recording when I mess up, because then it’s more like it is when you’re relaxed and playing just for yourself. Also, trying to speak more on camera oddly has helped a bit. I think it’s just pushing through the initial anxiety, keep going past that, that can be helpful.
@muzikmama, IMO, only keep in complete memory, and in your regular playing routine, the songs you love to play the most. Then you’ll always want to play them. Otherwise, it will be a chore, which is the last thing anyone wants, more chores. 😅😂 Even if you forget songs, I feel like it is constructive because you learn so much on the process of learning any song that you can carry with you as you learn new songs.
I have thoughts about memorization as well but I’ll let @jgillard answer. I love these kind of discussions. 😂
@dianna, thank you so much for your thoughts! I only have a minute to reply right now but just wanted to clarify that that was literally my first time looking at the sheet music and playing it at all. I hadn’t played through any of the song at all before that or even looked at the tabs (I’m behind). 😅 So maybe somewhat pointless to share, but I just thought it could be interesting and it has been so far. 😂 I’ll reply a bit more later but thank you so much. 😅😂😅
@jgillard, good golly, that was good! That was your first time playing through the whole thing or your first take recording it? So good. It’s really almost perfect now. 😯
……….I’ll keep practicing……… 😂😅🥺😭😳🤯🤢😵
@leb397, ha, it’s good to know that most students here probably sound that way the very first take. 😅 I won’t lie; I was second guessing sharing that one, but I’m glad that it can be a good example hopefully, lol. I’m so glad you didn’t quit but kept going! That is sometimes what it takes, is to move forward, then backtrack again to the part you were struggling with. I haven’t gotten that far yet; I’m a little nervous but it’s encouraging that you pushed through. 😅 Thank you so much, my friend! Am I a musician? Only time will tell. 😂😅😭😳
Oh, I was going to say, normally I watch the video once, fully paying attention and watching then listen to it multiple times. Then I play through the arrangement completely, then watch the video again because there are always things you notice more once you’ve played through it.
And also, @dianna, I really need to watch that! Maybe tonight or tomorrow I can finally. 😅
Okay, and last update for a while. Here is the progress with “theme 2” and “theme 3” (there is much more complexity in there, but this is the simplified way I’m thinking of it for now):
I meant to say that with theme 2, the two disparate rhythms overlapping, the idea of how to approach that was inspired by James Hill’s Billie Jean because in that he combines the chords and baseline in a similar way, playing them both together (as Matt talked about in the live lesson on Favorite ukulele players, I think it was). The way I’m hoping to approach achieving speed with the very fast part was inspired by Andrew’s song based on the Interstellar movie theme, even though I never learned that one fully, I did try it and learned from the lesson.
Okay, that’s all! Thank you for reading. I’m still working on my other projects but I like to work on multiple things at once. 😅
