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@dianna, yay, I’m so happy that you took something away from this and that you enjoy these more candid videos!! 😁😂 That’s why I thought it would be helpful to film it because I don’t always fully realize how I’m arriving at certain results, because my technical knowledge is still a work in progress (hence I almost forgot what the brush stroke was called in the video 😂). I feel less nervous if I can be freer in my playing, allowing for mistakes, and without too much of a set plan.
You’re exactly right that the idea is to start with a very simple melody, or chord melody arrangement, then experiment, by trial and error, using the clawhammer pattern “over” the arrangement. It doesn’t always work, or might take many different approaches to get the song sounding right. And again sometimes it just doesn’t work at all (like with Matt’s Moonlight Sonata arrangement, for instance). 😅😂 Etude No. 5 may not have been the best example because it’s more complicated, like you pointed out, but it was the first one that popped into my head that I haven’t already tried to clawhammer. 😂
It might be fun to do the same thing with Drunken Sailor, make a video explaining how I created that clawhammered version. Honestly it’s just as helpful for me to make these videos because it helps me try to process what I’m doing when I’m not thinking about it, which is pretty much always. 😅😂
But it seems like you also enjoy the idea of trying to play more by feel and in a more experimental way, which is how I love to play music as well.
Anyway, thank you so much for inspiring this video, it was really fun to make! 😁💕
@dianna, hahaha, those puns, you can’t escape them! 😂 By the way, I posted a video showing how I turn a tune into clawhammer in the “uke talk” forum if you want to see it. 😅
@ldarrow, that’s a really good strategy, especially with the logic of having another week to incorporate the feedback before the next challenge starts. Clever, indeed. I also try not to wait until the last minute because of the recording anxiety, but I like your logic. Thank you! I love the melody of S(tr)ummer Nights a lot. You have fun with Summertime Swing, that one is also very lovely! 😊@ldarrow, I am the exact same way, much, much prefer fingerpicking over strumming and have therefore successfully avoided progressing much at all with strumming, even though that was one of my goals the beginning of the year. But after learning the three strumming parts for Matt’s Drunken Sailor at an excruciatingly slow tempo, I do think I can strum better than a capuchin monkey, which was technically my goal. 😅
But you’re right, that’s a really good idea to go through that course. Thank you for that! Maybe that will be my goal this month, along with learning Strummer Nights. 😉😅
Side note, your performance of Cielito Lindo last month was lovely! 😊
NGL, that little blue uke is pretty cute! For some reason the texture of the light blue with the wood grain is giving me Van Gogh vibes, but it’s great. 😅
And I love the “mini” challenges! I already started working on Summer Nights and tried to find a way to escape the strumming aspect of it, but it seems like it’s necessary for the song to sound right. It is a pretty tune. Most of the “modifications” I’ve ever made to songs were to escape Matt’s strummin’ because it’s so tricky if you haven’t done it a lot, but I’m pushing through this time, man. 😂😭
@nelsonlin2021, awww, wow, thanks so much for that! That’s so nice of you to say. That seriously means a lot. I feel like I learn just as much from the interactions here, and have been so encouraged. So, I’m very glad it’s helpful for you, too. 😊
Yay, congrats, @nelsonlin2021! I agree with Andrew that your performance had so much feeling behind it. Very lovely indeed! 😊
Thank you for all you put into the feedback each month, @Andrew! It’s always so encouraging and very informative as well. And entertaining frankly. 😅😂 The Stev/phens offer great feedback as well, but I feel like you especially notice every person and set the tone of kind support that everyone here follows. So thank ya! 😊
@gi_gi_, that is an amazing list! You sure do have some beefy songs on that list, wow, some real tricky ones. Very impressive indeed! 😊
A Fifth of Beethoven, that one is so crazy, such a cool, unique combo of funk and classical. I also really wanted a straight arrangement of that song too, Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, because the little bits Evan played during it were so good. I love the mashup though. Did you post a video of you playing that one here at some point?
I love Malagueña and Crossing Hemispheres, too. I especially want to learn the second one.
Great list, though, thank you for sharing! It’s cool that you’re going to work on that this month. 😁
Also, I need to update my list. 😅
Gah, thank you so much, @gi_gi_! It’s so kind that you say that. My YouTube channel is also The Bumble Bard. 😅 The video in this thread is connected to it, but it’s: https://m.youtube.com/@thebumblebard
I’m pretty sure it only has songs I’ve also posted on Rock Class right now, though. 😅
Thank you again! 😊
@leb397, thank you so much, my friend! 😊 Stage one is normalizing having my uke with me; stage two is actually playing it, which I’m starting to do more. 😅 I’ve started by just randomly fingerpicking when no one is listening and also having “secret concerts” with my mom where we go off into a room where no one else is and I play for just her. My hands still shake, but it’s less scary. Then she plays her ocarina tunes for me. 😅 I feel like it helps, if you want to play in front of others, to start by playing in front of one person you really trust to be kind.
Sorry to blow up this thread. That’s all for now. Have a lovely weekend everyone. 😅
@gi_gi_, that’s so funny, there is nothing more beautiful than toting a uke somewhere where it “isn’t suppose to be,” like an airport. I have normalized bringing my uke with me everywhere to my friend’s and family’s houses, but in public that’s way more entertaining. 😂
Also, your submission was so pretty that I teared up a bit, confession. 😂
@leb397, well… the first step is learning clawhammer to begin with which is what RC101 is for and then also learning the regular arrangement, also what RC101 is for. 😅 I thought it might be funny to just show how I merge those two things, but in order to do that you need an existing arrangement and again to know clawhammer. 😅😂 The arrangements I have created myself, in part were so that I could just mess around with the simple framework, which I really love to do. So, I wouldn’t consider it a lesson, just me being a total spaz on camera, as usual. 😅And that still makes me emotional to think about how they included clawhammer Drunken Sailor in the live lesson. The instructors and students here are so beyond talented that I felt so honored by that. I’m in love with Rock Class. 😂😅😳😭
Agreed, special thanks to @Andrew for tolerating, even encouraging, so much tomfoolery. 😅
@gi_gi_, that was absolutely beautiful!! Such feeling behind that. You have a beautiful voice and really lovely playing! 😊
@dianna, thank you so much for that! That really means a lot, and I really appreciate it. 💕 Clawhammer is so much fun, it is really awesome that a bunch of people tried it this month and did so great and love it too, yourself included!! I actually thought about making a video showing how I turn a regular tune into clawhammer but it would be super off the books, as in haphazard beyond belief, which is how I do that. 😅 Anyway, thank you! 😊@leb397, that was so lovely!! That sounded very pretty with your humming. Really well done with that. I didn’t try that one but I do love how it sounds and I really like the style of Steven’s arrangements. They’re difficult, but you did a great job with that. 😁💕
Thank you so much for your kind words! 😊 I feel a little bad about not being able to learn BMBTW. I feel like I’m pretty good with the clawhammer technique, but felt really overwhelmed by the length and complexity of that song for some reason. I may try again to learn the solo part at least. I think I’m just in an awkward place where the beginner songs are getting pretty easy (and I love to mess around with them a lot 😅) but the intermediate often feel still too difficult.
But I need to be brave like @dianna and others and just go for it. 😅 @dianna, that was amazing! I loved that you pushed through even if you did have a little bumbles in the ditty; 😂 that’s how you do it. Really well done though!
Everyone else has truly done an amazing job, as well! I want to comment on all of them. Agreed, good luck to all!
@misterbones, that’s so true about clawhammer uke! It is addicting, and indeed once you get the technique down, you’ll find yourself just hammering random chords or whatever because it’s just so satisfying. I do that, too. 😅 It’s like your fingers are just bouncing on four little trampolines. 😅 Your performance was really good and @karenj your performance was so lovely!
@samash07, thank you! I’ll have to look for that. 😊 I can’t even say how much I wish someone from Rock Class would do an arr. of “Take On Me,” the slow version, too.
Ha, see, case in point, I have no idea what’s going on with games, unless my brother tells me. 😅
@surferjay, that was so cool!! Thank you for sharing that. I love how jazzy it sounds, very original take. He has a really nice voice, too. I did notice that maybe his uke was a bit out of tune or something, or maybe that was intentional dissonance in the song? Either way that was awesome! 😊💕Hellloooo again!
I wanted to also try “Bury Me Beneath The Willow” this month just for fun, but it proved way more intimidating than I expected. I’m not even sure why, but I hit an anxiety wall trying to learn and memorize this one, even though I really love how it sounds.
I wanted to play it and play it with the melody throughout, so I took small pieces of the arrangement and did a simplified version.
I’ve started to realize that it’s way easier for me sometimes to modify a song or play it by ear than learning the notes verbatim. Not sure if that makes sense or not.
This is a “real take,” kind of what I do when trying to get a good take. 😅 “The good part” starts at 37 seconds if you don’t want to watch me struggle, big time. 😂 This one was after ten-ish takes with the banjolele.
I still haven’t given up trying to learn the actual version, but it may take a long time to work through that.
Thanks for listening / reading! 😅
