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@surferjay, thank you so much, friend! 😁💕
I did arrange it myself! I figure out the melody by ear that goes with the chords I choose somewhat arbitrarily, but I don’t really know what the melody notes are exactly. 😂😅 I know they’re one of the notes in a C or G chord, for instance, and they’re on the A string usually, but I don’t know what the notes are.
I actually didn’t have to look up any chords for this one. I just guessed based on songs I’ve learned before from RC101 and based on the other hymns/songs I’ve arranged. Sometimes I just remember the shapes of chords I know from other songs and try them until they sound right with the melody. 😂🥺 I know the names of just enough chords and their “functions” from playing piano to start most arrangements I’ve tried, but these hymns are pretty simple. There definitely are multiple songs I’ve tried to arrange that I couldn’t figure out this way, though, because the song or the chords are too complicated.
But I basically do these arrangements for fun, and to relax, which is why I haven’t pushed myself super hard to learn all the theory yet, even though I really should. 😅😳
That’s probably too much of an answer but there you have it. 😂😅 Thanks again! 😊💕
Just a few, completely hypothetical questions related to maintaining a ukulele:
1. If someone splashed root beer inside a ukulele, is there any way to get that out, or is that just kind of permanent?
2. If someone were to glue googly eyes–say, 450 of them–onto the surface a ukulele, would that negatively affect the sound at all?
(Two of them are already glued on, so…)
3. If a ukulele’s strings have never been changed since its purchase four years ago, is that bad?
Hopefully this lesson can help “someone.” Thank you! 😂
So beautiful, @lisadmh! Lovely playing. 😊
I prefer an overcast, stone-laden shore–like what you’d find in some places in the UK–to a sunny tropical beach, but I’m kind of a freak. It looks lovely there, though! 😂
@leb397, thank you so much, my friend!! I can’t even say how much all of your support and kind words mean. And from everyone else here, too! 😊💕
I feel like I owe the existence of these lil’ arrangements to all I’ve learned from RC101, and all this encouragement.
Happy Easter to you, too! Hope it was lovely. Mine was, but also a pinch chaotic. 😂🤯💕🐰🐇
@Steven, thank you so much for that! That seriously means so much. I feel far less alone in those anxiety struggles because of the encouragement and solidarity from everyone here. I can’t even say how much that has affected me and touched my heart, to be honest. It means a lot to know that even such incredible musicians like you and the other instructors here–along with most students here–share in that specific struggle, which can be such a heavy and shameful feeling at times. It’s good to know that y’all have flaws, so that I’m less convinced that you’re beings from Greek mythology. 😂😅 But then they’re pretty messed up, lol! ……….. Anyway, thank you! I’ll try to fix that transition that way. 😊
@dianna, congratulations!!! That’s amazing! Really enjoy that beaut of a uke. 😊💕@leb397, thank you so much my friend! Tbh, I never feel cooler than when I’m playing that electric uke. 😂 That was also a part of the struggle though because boy those strings are a little harsher on the fings, than my little plastic (?) stringed soprano uke. And it’s bigger and heavier of course. But thank you! Your take on that one was so lovely despite those challenges. 😊
Yes, the recording jitters may not ever go away. For me it’s just accepting that my hands will shake for the first few takes and that I’ll keep going until that passes. And also really trying to know the song as well as possible helps.
Same! Excited for April’s challenge!! 😁
@dianna, thank you for being so open about sharing your struggles, too! You said all of that so well and I couldn’t agree more. I feel like the mental and emotional side of playing an instrument can be one of the greatest challenges and rewards, as much as learning the music. I feel the same way that playing uke is simultaneously a way to face and soothe anxiety, and the second thing is what helps you hold on when things are really difficult and you want to give up. Or if you feel like you’re not good enough, which I’ve often felt.Thank you again! The encouragement from people here has helped so much. My real hobby is actually crying about ukulele. 😂😉
@leb397, ha, glad to show you a new tech thing for a change! 😅 For many Spanish words, an accent can change the word’s meaning. “Sí” is “yes,” but without an accent, “si” is “if”–if I remember correctly. Accents matter, man! 😅😉
@surferjay, that’s so neat! I’ve thought about getting a fold up keyboard, but I’ve read mixed reviews about them. Apparently that person made it work. 😅 Maybe you should give busking a go! That seriously would be cool. If you do, you should film some of it and share it here. The closest I get to busking is playing outside and hoping no one hears or notices. 😂Hello again, uke friends! (I guess I unconsciously absorbed that phrase from brettboy without realizing it. Whoops! 😅)
Here is my entry. I was originally going to try Swan Lake, but was having some struggles with the technique, and need more time with it. So, I tried Study in B Minor instead. Very lovely chune (tune). That “freaky B chord” tripped me up big time (or rather transitioning from that back to the “sneaky E chord”) but I’ll keep working on this and hopefully can get it smoother.
Thanks to everyone who was kind and supportive in this thread earlier about the struggles I was having. Recording anxiety is real, as is feeling overwhelmed learning new techniques. But the course is wonderful and the songs in it are beautiful and everyone’s entries this month were amazing.
Thanks to Andrew and Steven and co. for all you do!
@leb397, that was perfection! Very lovely indeed. 😊 You captured the feel of that chune / tune very beautifully. All the entries have been amazing, especially all the Adelitas. Well done, all!
Haha! Google translate is a thing of beauty. 😅 De nads / nada! 😅
Did you know you can make a tilde, the accent that goes over the n in certain Spanish words, by holding down the n letter on your phone? Ñ
Ha that would be pretty amazing to busk flamenco guitar! I feel like you could do that now with ukulele and make some coins. 😅
Anyway thanks for sharing friend! 😊💕
@gi_gi_ of course! You did a beautiful job with it. It sounds and looks like a difficult tune, but you did a lovely job with those tricky techniques; I look forward to learning it too when I’m ready. 😊
@aukritesp01, you’re welcs (welcome)!! 😊@surferjay, that was really amazing! Pretty much a flawless performance. I love that style of music and you really nailed all those crazy techniques and the feeling of it. Well done! 😊
@leb397, thank you so much! It seriously is so encouraging to hear that. Thank you. 😊 I have How Great Thou Art pretty much done but it may actually be too simple even for me, so I may have to do something else with it. Be Thou My Vision is close to done, too, and I’m pretty happy with it so far, but I’m pretty bad at playing it. 😅😂 That’s the part that takes me the longest, is smoothing things out with my playing. But once I can get close to that point is my favorite part because then it’s easier to play with feeling, like with It Is Well With My Soul.
Oh my, yes. Sigh, yes I definitely have recorded that many takes before and played until my hands are sore. There have been times when I played uke almost all day, but then realized, uh oh, I should probably eat and not take things that far. I look forward to hearing you play that one. 😊
I am also incredibly bad with chords and notes. 😅 Knowing what individual notes are being played. I know the most basic chords, like C, G, F, etc., but once it starts getting too far beyond that, it’s hard for me to comprehend. Straight up, with these arrangements I try to do (apart from the most basic chords), I just guess what the chord is based on sound, shape, and chords/chord shapes I’ve seen in the arrangements here and elsewhere, but couldn’t tell you most of the chords names, which I know is terrible. 😕😅 So yes… I feel that. 😅
But do you have to know all the chords to play the song? Do you mean the chords written above the tab? Sometimes I will look at those chords, but I thought those were just for reference in the tabs, not necessarily something you had to know. Are you suppose to look at that? ……… 😂😳
Haha will do, friend! Will do! 🥶🤢😵😫😩😣😖🤯😳😲😯😮😮😦 Okay that’s enough. 😅
@aukritesp01, this is so good! I also love the backbeat you added. Never heard this song but I really like it.
Side note, @gi_gi_ I loved your work on Adelita in the challenge! Very well done. 😊
@leb397, ha, I’m glad. My friends, family, and I all use a lot of smiles when we’re texting so it’s sort of a habit. 😅🤯😕😟😅🍟🥰😂💕😉😊🍦😭😳🥺😡😤🌮😻☕😁🍖🧁🚀♟️🙂😪🎉🎁🎈🎊😯😯🎀🍄🤐🍔 (those are my actual most frequently used smilies) 😂
I love both those hymns, too. Overall, I really prefer those traditional hymns most. I may have figured out How Great Thou Art (though it’s even simpler than the other arrangements I’ve tried) and started Be Thou My Vision after you first mentioned it a week ago. Be Thou My Vision is definitely much trickier though for sure, but so lovely indeed. 😊
I was too nervous to play for Matt, but he definitely understood. He seems to be a very kind and empathetic human, like all the instructors here. Playing for someone in person is extremely difficult for me, too, especially because a few times I’ve tried people have been mean or sarcastic. That sort of deepens the fear when that happens. 😟 Now I know who I can and can’t play in front of because two people I know are kind and encouraging. It just has to be someone you trust to not be judgey or mean. 😕
Ha, I should get a used keyboard, that’s a good idear! 😅 It just has to be lightweight for moving. But yes, maybe once I get more comfortable with uke I’ll do that, although pianos can be useful tools to have around for learning uke as well. Because I’m more used to having the notes laid out that way and still get confused by the fretboard often.
You’re also working on Study in B Minor for the challenge? That’s the one I’m working on as well. I was going to go for Swan Lake but my brain is struggling with that technique for some reason.
I really want to learn Adelita, too, but I want to take my time and work through the course first because I want to learn it after imbibing all the course material.
Okay, that’s all my thoughts and reactions. 😂 Here’s a snippet of A Mighty Fortress Is Our God that I have so far: