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@brettboy, thank you so much for explaining that!! That makes sense. It’s almost a baritone uke, but not quite with those two extra strings, dang. Well, maybe I can make it work (probably not)!! Anyway, thank ye! 🙂
@grannieannie, haha, ohhhhhhhhh, you’ll see!! Muahahahahahahaha! …Ha! I wish it were the bagpipes. I do think those are cool, but my fragile anxious being can’t handle that level of volume. 😂 So, happy you’re working on Spanish Romance, good golly that arrangement by Steven is so gorgeous! I learned that one a while ago. It’s so satisfying to play. Hope you enjoy it! 🙂Welcome to the beautiful chaos of this group, Sammy, @4stringBoy! So great that you’re here! Yet another crazy good uke player has been assimilated (in a Borg-esque fashion) into Rock Class 101! No one is upset about this! 😂
There are times that I actually hate harmonics, but in that tune, they sound incredible, so good job! 😂
Just making a quick post here because I wrote a reply to everyone else, but it seems to have disappeared somehow! I’ll rewrite it again when I get the chance. Really sad, Andrew did try to look at it and fix it, but the post was lost into the ether somehow. Thanks to everyone else for your kind words for now! 🙂
@Gi_Gi_ love you, too, friend, my endless technological curse continues! 😂Okay, I think I’ve decided what I’m going to work on…
Execution: See if I can add a melodic accompaniment (by ear) to one of my own existing arrangements with a non-ukulele instrument (which shall remain secret – until it’s too late to turn back).
Application: Add a “secret” instrument accompaniment to my ukulele arr. of “Memory” from the musical “Cats” by Andrew Lloyd Webber. For some, this will be an added layer of pain to listen to, for what will already be a detestable sound, but not for me! Love it!
Evaluation: Share the video of the two instruments together by the end of the month with optional check-ins on my progress (if time and my feeble brain allows).
I may create a fun video to go with this – again, if time allows, but I think it will!
Thanks for yet another free-for-all! These are super fun and can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with!! 😀
@otzepeng, thank you, your words mean so much to me and move me a lot! Even though I am shy, I really love people, interacting with and encouraging people. I also love writing a lot, which is why I tend to get carried away “at times.” 😂 That makes me so happy to know that reading through all that was a good chance for you to practice your English, though I agree with @Gi_Gi_ that no one would ever know it was your second language. Thank you for your kind words, I love this community (the teachers and the students alike), and it has meant so much to me in so many ways – helped me grow, not just as a musician, but really as a person, as well, especially with things like my anxiety. Ha, I actually have had the thought of asking Andrew about being a mod here, since I have done that in the past before, but thankfully it doesn’t seem like anything too crazy happens here with spam posts or anything (and everyone actually gets along, lol), so I don’t think he necessarily needs one. Nonetheless, that would be fun. 😂 I also want to say I can tell you have a lot of personality and your posts are always very entertaining to read / watch. Thank you so much again, truly! 😊
@gi_gi_, I’m probably going to cry as I write this, like a weirdo. 😂 Well, to start with, I think in order to add “likes” and things like that to the forum, you might need a completely different hosting site that allows for that. I may be wrong, but I think whatever platform Andrew uses is a pretty simple one as far as that kind of coding, but I’m no expert. I do know someone who might be able to answer that, though – I have some “connections,” lol. Then I could ask Andrew what he thinks of it (if it is possible). 😊Anyway, I can’t even begin to thank you for how much you have encouraged me and shared with me in the time we’ve known each other. You have been a true friend to me. Thank you so much for your kind words, I am truly moved by you saying that. I feel so blessed to have found Rock Class 101 and all the lovely, brilliant people here. I owe the most amazing experiences in my ukulele journey to this group and SO MANY special things have happened to me in my time here and so many of them because of you – such as our amazing, fun, hilarious times on the Open Mics (and our “side commentary” that happens in every context). 😂 I never would’ve tried that without you, I’m sure of it. And you yourself are such an inspiring musician – I want to be more like you in your elegant way of playing and singing.
As for that verse, this starts to get very deep, but when I have been very depressed, there have been times I cried out to God, inside and outside, and I felt like He didn’t hear me. So, it’s so beautiful and poignant that you share that specific verse. I know He did hear me, but in the moment, feelings can lie. This is a sign that I need to spend some time reading the Psalms. 😂
Thank you again so much, my friend! Your encouragement has helped me so much over the years. You are the best. 🥰
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Welp, that’s it for tonight, I guess! 😂 Oopsies, I got very carried away. I’ll try to keep the next replies shorter, but this is the way (for me). Thank you all again! 😂
Oh golly, coming back to this, I realize the Tear Factory is going to be in full swing as I reply to this, 😂 but I’ll start with replying to the people who posted after my initial post (for July’s challenge), for the sake of thoroughness:
@jbmills07, oh man, that was absolutely amazing with Shake It Off! I can see what Andrew was saying about the rhythm at the beginning of the tune, but other than that tiny thing, that was true perfection! Beautiful, friend! Always good to see you join the challenges, even though you’ve already won two kanile’as. 😉 😂 That’s probably my favorite T-Swift song, though. Perfectly played! 😊
@ruthie-roo, absolutely beautiful playing, Ruthie! So sorry you’re going through that pain, but you haven’t let it hold you back from playing so beautifully. I really, really love that tune by Andrew. The only reason I didn’t try it is because I don’t have a low G uke. Anyway, lovely playing! 😊
@nat-uke, magical performance! I want to hear the singing, lol! Very beautiful performance! You really can’t go wrong with that tune. I also really like the look of your video – looks very professional. 😊
@xerxes, I actually think that sounded great! All you need to do is increase the speed and I think it’ll sound perfect! I also like the snapping, lol.
@jody_hendrickson, sounds very lovely, your take on the Severence theme! I feel a bit of FOMO over not being in on this inside joke, but that’s what I get for never watching TV by myself. All I know is I hope I’m invited to that dang melon party! 😂 (Probably not, lol.) Sounded really amazing! 🙂
@rgillof, your Summertime Blues sounded so lovely! 🙂
@jobarjo454, wow, that was crazy good!! Hope you share more around here. Really magical performance, and really perfectly played! 🙂Okay, I’ll reply (in a separate post) to as many of the rest of the posts as I can tonight. I just want to give each one my full attention just because everyone wrote such incredibly kind things that I still feel overwhelmed by. 😂
CONGRATS, @deadbuggy!! It will be really fun to see what you pick and what Matt does with it! Can’t wait! I’m so jealous! 😂
Also really enjoyed reading / watching through all of @Andrew ‘s feedback! That’s still one of my favorite parts of these challenges and I learn a lot from reading it. It’s obvious that so much thought, care, and heart goes into it, and it’s so insightful and helpful to read! Thank you for that, Andrew! 😊
@leb397, thank you so much, my friend, that really means a lot!! I feel like I have definitely improved my singing over the last “however long” that I started trying to work on it, but I don’t always feel like I have complete control over what’s happening. It also took me so long to get a feel for how I wanted my voice to sound, as I realized I naturally would fall into impersonating whatever singer I was singing with (in fact I still unconsciously do that and I’m still working on “how my voice sounds,” lol). I think singing also has so much to do with confidence and it’s hard to maintain that, of course. Thank you, I’m always fighting against the current of my natural shyness, though it may not seem like it. 😂 Hehe, thank you, using the puppets actually helps *a lot* because (in this case) then I’m not worried about what my face is doing or how I look, and can just focus on how it sounds. 😂 Thank you again so much!! 😍So fun to hear everyone’s goals this month so far! Although it’s really weird to not hear from @Andrew, very glad he can have a break after 100 challenges in a row! 😊
@robinboyd, really nice to see you, friend! So sorry to hear of your struggles with osteoporosis. That’s so stressful and awful, and so sorry you’re going through that. The video you shared was so beautiful, though – hope that goes well for you this month relearning it. 😊
@brettboy, I literally can’t wait to hear you playing that one! I realized I technically could learn how to play that on guitar, right? Because isn’t barring the 5th fret of a guitar a baritone ukulele? I should know this by now, lol, but I’m not good at “learning things,” try as I might ‘n’ may. Someone gave me a guitar a week or so ago. Anyway, really looking forward to hearing that! 😊I have no idea what I’m going to do still, lol. Really good sign! 😂 I was thinking of being extra bold and trying something else with singing. Gotta figure it out good ‘n’ quick! Hopefully in the next couple days… As far as working on my own stuff, I haven’t been feeling as inspired lately, but this year has been a lot for me. The ukulele love is still there always, though – just gotta tap into it. 😊
I think there’s a chance that there might be a “special guest” who will haunt everyone dreams, though… since Andrew will not necessarily hear and be tormented by it, LOL! That will be a surprise, no matter what tune I choose. 😂
That video was so neat ‘n’ sweet!! Such a fun, casual challenge, this group loves a free-for-all! 😅 So glad you can have a little break, Andrew! Well deserved indeed! 😊
Oh my, I am in tears from all your kind and encouraging words, especially that verse, @gi_gi_, you have no idea how hard that hits right now. But all of the kind words everyone shared here means so much – this is a very special group of people. I feel like Andrew sets that example for this community and that’s why it’s the way it is, and I only hope to contribute to that. I’m just so grateful. I’ve just been so down and that all means so much. 😂😭
I have more to say later (and also to reply to the other entries that were posted after I shared this), hopefully at some point this weekend, but otherwise early next week. Thank you all so much!! 🥰😭❤️😊
Heller again everyone!! I created a separate topic with a reply to every person in this challenge thread! Here is the link to it (if you click that text or you could just go find it in Uke Talk). I hope that’s okay. I explain a bit more in the thread, but didn’t want to clog up this challenge thread. 😂
Edit: Somehow this post created a phantom 8th page with nothing on it. Sorry about that! 😂
@gi_gi_ thank you so much, my friend!! 🥰 It means a lot that you say that since your voice is so beautiful. Haha!! Hurry up!!!! Posting this late is too stressful for me usually, but this month has been several more layers of chaos. 😂 I’m over this year TBH… 😂😭
@Andrew, thank you so much! So glad you loved them. I was very nervous to share the singing video, it means a lot that you liked them both. 😊 Oh I was going to try to play and sing but just ran out of time. Also I’ve barely ever done that before… 😅I think tomorrow I’ll finally have some time to breathe and listen through a bunch of the entries I missed. Really looking forward to seeing what happens with the prize for this challenge. Should be quite entertaining! 😅😊
Hello, dear ukulele friends! 😊
I haven’t gotten to listen through many of the entries this month due to “even more insanity” unfolding in my life (my car died, but I was blessed to find a new one very quickly) and my brain has not being so good, but I saw a bunch of the titles of the songs from all the talented people here and know without even listening that they are amazing – I’ll finally get to listen through some tomorrow, I think. 😊
Now, I’ll share my feeble and strange entries that I scraped together last second – as usual. 😂
Oh one last thing before I jump in. I DID work on House of the Rising Sun and liked the first part and was starting to like the strumming, but then the chaos of life took over and I lost my momentum with it. I may still share that one later, though. 🙂
Onto the entries! Way too much lead in (as usual).
The first one I am not very happy with, tbh. I just really don’t like how it sounds (and I think you can even tell in the video). When you’re not in a great headspace in your brain, it can be even harder to play well. I feel like I can play this one slightly better than this, but this is what we’re going with because we’re in the eleventh hour of this challenge now. 😂
So, I recorded that and wasn’t feeling very good at all about it, but I also have been practicing singing lately (with my sister a lot of the time, but also on my own in the car). It’s something I always wanted to get better at and be able to do and I’ve been practicing every day for some time – though there’s still a lot I don’t know about singing. I thought I would be extra bold and share this little “bonus” cover of this song that I’ve been trying to practice, share it here in the “safe space” of Rock Class 101. After I recorded this, I started to feel better, even though I was so terrified someone would hear me. It helped me to use the puppets. I feel like I definitely have improved my singing for sure, though it’s still far from perfect. It’s really a matter of confidence and that’s the hardest part to maintain for me. I hope you find it entertaining at least. 😂
Thank you all so much! I didn’t want to miss this challenge, it was a great one! 🙂
@leb397, I should write a song about that, it would be quite a mournful one. 😅 That actually is exactly what the cop said, too. He was handing me the ticket and I said in the saddest voice possible, “it’s my birthday today…” and his reply, “I understand, ma’am.” That could be the title of the song. It could be a mournful bluegrass tune. 😂 Uh, anyway, thank you, I really look forward to hearing your performance, too, Louisa!! 😊
@brettboy, haha!! That is so amazing. I’ve never seen the show, I just know that I really want a melon party!! You know, it’s funny that this year my birthday fell on Mother’s Day, so it’s almost like I was part of that melon party!! 😂😯
(But in reality I got my first ever traffic ticket as my birthday present… 😂😒)
Also I’m not going to comment on the previous post, assuming that’s something from the show but… Hmmm. 😂😂😅
