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Hahaha! Immediately my brain started going off the rails with the possibilities but then I realized there were stipulations to the arr. Oh okay, I guess it’s fair to be realistic and not ridiculous. But immediately had some pretty hilarious ideas. So excited!!! Matt is praying now that I don’t win. 😂😂😅
No, I know that isn’t true… probably.
So I guess that rules out original tunes then since the song has to be well known? Can’t wait to see what happens with this one! 😂🎉🎊
Also congrats on 100 challenges! That’s so special! 🥰
I once again blew up the forum with my posts, but oh well – I’m going through ukulele / ukulele community withdrawals after the last week of insanity. I did so much cooking and party-prepping, I don’t even know how I got it done… 😂
@grannieannie, I know what you mean! There are definitely just some songs where they are not as “natural” to play for whatever reason – maybe just because you play in a different kind of style or approach. I definitely have experienced that. Also, that’s really lovely that you have so much natural beauty around you that can’t be tampered with! 😊
@leslieb, that sounds very lovely! @Andrew left you some great advice just for keeping the pace, but your playing sounded very beautiful! 😊
@gi_gi_ absolutely gorgeous, friend!! 😍 I love the feel behind your playing so much and how you really “dug in” to the groove (as Andrew likes to say) and really drew so much feeling out of that one! I like that you really let the notes breathe and sound out in all their beauty and pizazz (?). Haha! Yes, it gets to a point where you start thinking “oh, gosh, I can’t mess up now” near the end of the song, or else I’ll start over. 😂😂 But you played absolutely perfectly! Yay!! Also that sigh at the end – that moment where you realize you were holding your breath through the whole song! 😂 I also have screencapped Andrew’s comments before because countless times they have made my day and lifted my spirits when I was feeling bad about my playing – and indeed to look back on when you’re struggling. Ha, yes!
@johanna2509, oh, okay, that makes perfect sense with the outdoor recording that you’d “dub over” it later! I also would like to get one of those pick up things, but it seems all of my technology is too outdated. Some day, lol. Thank you so much about Free Fallin’, that was such a huge deal for me to get over that fear of strumming. So much of the time, the only thing holding us back is our own self-imposed limitations (fear, self-doubt, etc.) – that was the case there, I think. Haha!! See, this whole time, all I needed to do was glue googly eyes to myself and I was able to break freeeeee! 😂
@kanique, such lovely playing! Really a flawless performance with such beautiful feeling / style! 😊 Wait, what? That one is by George Gershwin? How did I not know that…?! 😂
@anyon1, I think I missed your entry earlier, but wow, that was a lovely take on Free Fallin’! Absolutely perfect. Very clear and apparently you have a much better sense of rhythm because you seemed to sense the beat enough to not have to do the non-stop up’s and down’s with strumming. For me, that’s the only way I can strum remotely on time. 😂 Haha!! I should really trademark that somehow. You know, I have mailed googly eyes to more than one person in the uke community at this point, but I have other “targets” in mind for that. As always, TMI, but thank you so much, I was so thrilled and amused that actually worked!! 😂
@lhamilton, beautiful take on that one! I also had that exact same struggle with the high section – you do have to hit those strums somewhat exactly because otherwise you miss the melody notes. But it sounded very lovely! 😊
@bibilele, so beautiful! A really perfect performance! I also love the settings you always choose for your videos – very interesting! 😊The End. Looking forward to more tunes in The Final Countdown of this challenge!! 😊
@heilene, that is so, so lovely and magical! I loved the effect you created with the song overall – with the voice effects (reverb? I know nothing, lol) and what sounds like layers in certain parts. But the song itself is just beautiful. Not sure why, but it gives me Lana Del Rey vibes, which is definitely a good thing! It’s clear you have a talent for songwriting. Would be very interested to hear what Andrew says when he gets a chance! But thank you so much for sharing! Would love to hear more! 😊
Aww, dang, really? I just looked. His YouTube channel is indeed gone. It looks like he has all (?) of his songs on this website, though:
Not sure if he transitioned everything to there, or if something happened to his YouTube channel? I’ve heard that YouTube is getting stricter about its copyright restrictions and things like that. So, sadly, not sure what happened there. :/
@heilene, I completely understand all of that! When I first started out here, I was terrified of almost everything – being on camera (in general), playing on camera, even just interacting with anyone (because I am also very shy and nervous at first in certain situations). I got such anxiety whenever I was recording, but now that has gotten much, much better with time and practice. But what really helped with all of that is just learning how incredibly kind, lovely, and supportive everyone here is and no one is judging you at all; it’s the opposite, that everyone only wants to help, let you know how great you’re doing, and enjoy your music! 😊
And yes, there is a HUGE range of skill here on Rock Class 101, from very, very beginners who just started playing ukulele to………… maybe professionals? 🤣 When I first started here, I knew almost nothing about playing ukulele and now I am creating my own arrangements – a good part due to learning/recording songs here, talking with people here, and all the support that encouraged me to continue. It actually makes me really emotional because this group of people helped me become more the uke player I wanted to be. So yes, I can’t say enough good things about everyone here. 💗
I also simultaneously started following Matt Dahlberg at the same time I joined RC101! He is a magical person on this earth – such a brilliant musician and teacher. I’ve taken private lessons with him, almost ten once I can afford my next one. He also was instrumental on my uke journey. 🤣
Haha!! Same! It’s the lowest pressure challenge ever. All you have to do is learn the whole song and no one is perfect at all. It’s also one of the most fun things I’ve done playing ukulele is learn songs here and try to join in every challenge for almost 3 years straight in July (others have been going for even longer than that!). But yes, everyone here is amazing and I’m very excited that you’re here, too! Can’t wait to listen to your originals! 😊
– Rachael
@heilene, hello and welcome!! Glad to see you pop in to say hello! Would really love to see you join one of the challenges coming up, there’s still time to join the current one, but otherwise you could join for July’s challenge!! They are so much fun and everyone is so encouraging. 🙂 But the one for this month will give you extra entries to win the Kanile’a in December! But you can still have a chance to win the Kanile’a ukulele if you join in the Fall challenges later on this year! 😀
You might already know all that, but just in case you didn’t, now you do! 🙂
Oh, and agreed with Andrew, everyone here would love to hear your original tunes, too! 😀
@grannieannie, that was so lovely!! Only the tiniest of hiccups and you didn’t let that interfere with the flow of your playing! Like @Andrew said, we are all our own worst critics and that’s so true! I think that mentality can apply to all of life that everything we experience, how we experience it is just a matter of interpretation and perspective – if we look for the good, we’ll see the good. Not to get super cheesy, but that really is so true! Really loved seeing your sweet, surprise doggos and the beautiful woods, as well! 😀
@shmu88 and @brettboy, those were some super sweet Summertimes! Such different, but equally incredible, performances of that tune! Really amazing! 🙂@Andrew, thank you soooooooo much for your kind words! Your encouragement really means the world to me. It’s always a huge bonus when you are impressed by something. I feel like I earned a special gold star this day! 😂 I really do want to try more strumming tunes, but it may not be every challenge because learning those takes up about 100% of my brain’s CPU (and I don’t have much to spare…). 😂 Anyway, thank you again so much!! 😊
@grannieannie, thank you so much for that! I kind of want to cry from all this encouragement. I don’t know how repeatedly everyone here practices certain passages of music, but I probably played the chorus of the song… more times than I can count before I got it that far. And the “break,” oh my word. The verses weren’t too hard, but incorporating the tapping was very tricky. I also love that about RC101 tunes – that they are incredible pieces of music and truly fulfilling to learn and play, but also teach something valuable in the process. And you’re right that it’s very subtle, which is part of the brilliance of it. That really isn’t always true for all ukulele tutorials. You can just see that all the teachers here put their hearts into what they create – Andrew being one of the best examples, in that he never cuts corners and always strives for perfection (none of the teachers cut corners, but just saying – the love and dedication to quality put into these tunes carries through). I try to put the love I feel, the emotional expression, into playing them – for me that’s my main objective with music.Haha, I really wanted Andrew to notice the eye-tapping, but I’m not sure if he did! Lol!! My goal is to eventually get it where I “don’t miss a beat” taking the googly eye on and off. 😂
I just can’t compute that you find strumming easier to play! That’s really awesome, though. I think that for all the reasons previously listed, I find every aspect of strumming difficult. It also has to do with physical comfort, kind of, which is hard to explain. But I agree – I also just love fingerpicking so much, and it is that “classical” effect that you can get and all the beautiful techniques you can experience while fingerpicking. There are a lot of techniques with strumming, too, but imo, they are way more difficult. Thank you for the lovely reply! 😊
Looking forward to hearing a bunch more tunes this month!! 😀
@gi_gi_ thank you so much, my friend!! It was such a big deal for me personally to get over that hurdle of avoiding strumming by learning this song. Haha do most people prefer strumming? Thank you so much, can’t wait to hear your entry!! 🥰😊
I AM A PREMIUM MEMBER
Hello again ukulele friendos!! 😁
I’ve already rambled a lot about Free Fallin’, but boy it has been such a journey learning this tune! I never really thought I could overcome my strummophobia, but this ended up being the tune that helped me break through! Not even exaggerating, this was the hardest tune I have ever learned on Rock Class 101 because it caused me to face every single aspect of music (and playing ukulele) that I struggle with – strumming, chucking, sensing rhythm, (now) tapping, and my apparent dyslexia with chord numbers and shapes (where I constantly switch them around which makes it extremely difficult to read tab and learn songs – especially in the chorus of this tune; so if the number is 0889, I would constantly read/play it as 0899). Each section of this tune had so many challenges for me and each part took multiple days to learn, and I’m still working on it! All that said, I am so happy and proud with how far I came with this tune that I want to cry right now. 😂 I’m just so happy that I finally got over this mental block I had with strumming, even though learning this was incredibly challenging for me. I want to try to go back and learn some of RC101’s amazing strumming tunes that I was too scared to try before, even though it will be challenging for a while to learn tunes like that!! Okay, thank you so much, Andrew and Matt for creating this tune, hosting these challenges, and being so encouraging and lovely always! 🙂
One last very important note, is that even before I cut my nails I couldn’t get a solid “tap” sound during the tapping sections, so mid-way through the tune I stuck a googly eye onto the side of my thumb and used that to create a louder tap! Then, I removed it for the chorus (because it would get in the way of the chucks!). It ended up also sounding like a little tambourine. Ha!! 😂
Here ’tis:
(I also was going to post that tune to my YouTube channel, but then I couldn’t fix the sound, so it’s only shared here now.)Thank you all again for sharing such incredible tunes this month and for being such an amazing group! 💕😊
@johanna2509, very beautifully played! Agreed with everyone else that the scenery is so beautiful! The thought of cold fingers right now seems pretty great, just because the heat index is 105F in Wisconsin. 😂😭 But things like that can really effect anyone’s playing for sure! So, you record the audio and the video separately? Somehow I never noticed that, so good job! 😂 Beautifully done with that one! 😊
@janaq1, very beautiful playing!! Your performances are always something to behold with your mad skills. Very lovely! 😊
@katazumiri, loved that so much! The slower tempo does give that an even more chill feel. Really magical with the whole “band” (you are the band)! 😊Haha!! Yes? I think that’s what snow monkeys are? Clearly I have a strong grasp of what they are even now. But yes, I think they’re monkeys in Japan that bathe in the hot springs? So many questions marks. I don’t know why but that cracked me up all over again. 😂😂😅😅 I’m crying… Well, when my brother-in-law casually mentioned snow monkeys randomly, I thought he was just making it up as he sometimes does to troll me, but then it became this whole thing in my family. That does make me feel better that I wasn’t the only one who didn’t know they existed. 😂
I was hoping to record my take of Free Fallin’ this weekend. I may have to even though there’s a heat wave here and I might have to turn the AC off for that for the sound, and I might melt. I am weak. We’ll see what happens. 😂
Just wanted to reply to a few of the entries and also update on what’s been happening with me with Free Fallin’!
***
@dianna (very delayed reaction) So true! Pets are family. Her passing was definitely the hardest passing of a cat that I’ve ever been through. It will take me a long time to work through the grief of that – I am still feeling it and it’s still very hard to talk about with anyone. Thank you for your kind words, though, I really appreciate it! 😊🧡Also, totally agree that RC101 is a treasure trove for any kind of tune or technique you’re interested in! Thank you about Free Fallin’, hopefully I can get through the whole thing! 😊😂
@alojzy_bomba, absolutely perfect take of that one! Loved listening to it and agreed that the scenery is also beautiful! Thank you! 😊
@misterbones – Gorgeous! you always capture the feel of tunes so very well, no matter the style. And technically so clean. Beautifully done! 😊
@mickan88 I loved that so much, a really magical performance by you both! It sounded pretty perfect to me! 😊 Also, I love the aesthetic of the room you’re in a lot with the wallpaper and the ukes on the wall! I am going to copy that room’s design one day, 100%. ;)😂 Anyway, beautifully played!
@Marianne, such a lovely take of that one! That tune sounds very lovely on the baritone and you played it perfectly, as usual! 😊Just wanted to say that Free Fallin’ is sloooooooooooowwwwwwly coming along for me! I actually can’t believe that there are parts of it that I am doing okay with, but the rhythm is so stinkin’ difficult for me. I’ve talked with Matt about this a few times, but I also struggle to “sense” or “feel” rhythm (like he says he’s struggled with) so it can be so frustrating at times, but I am still really happy with how this is coming along – using the tips from the lesson and that I’ve learned over the years about strumming that I am *finally* attempting. 😂 There are just so many moving parts of that tune – the rhythm, the chucking, the tapping, and then – the chorus! Boy is that part difficult. 😂 I think it’s also that for some reason I’m having trouble hearing the melody in that section and distinguishing that from the harmony, which I don’t normally have that issue as much. One last thing is that I learned the verse with “thumb picking” (including the part with tapping) then when I re-watched the lesson I realized Matt plays it with four-finger picking. Whoops! Maybe I’ll re-learn that, maybe not, lol! I may share an “in progress” version of where I’m at with that one, but even though it’s extremely difficult, I am so happy to be learning this one! Thank you! 😊
(Also I got to rambling once again, but no one is surprised about that with me at this point, but sorry. 😂)
Edit: oh snap!! This post is the 16,000th post in this forum!! I am easily excited by things like that… How many of those were mine? 😂🤐
Such a great topic, can’t wait for this one!!
I don’t know anything about “playing ukulele like a pro” (not being a pro) but I have gained some insight into performing – from playing on some virtual Open Mics the last few months – something I never thought I could do, but my friend Gi Gi convinced me to. Thanks to her.
Here are just a few things I learned:
– As you like to say, Matt, the fear of performing never really goes away, but you do get better at being terrified – if you have performance anxiety. It’s so important to learn that you can be terrified, but still keep going and experience the fear.
– Even when I thought I absolutely bombed in my performances, when I watched them back, they were actually way better than I thought. A lot of the time, they were actually pretty good. When you mess up, it probably isn’t as bad as you think.
– The audience’s perception might be completely different from your perception. Even if you mess up, the likelihood that they will notice or care is slim to none. The audience wants you to do well and isn’t focusing on your mistakes.
There’s so much more I’ve learned besides that, but the most important thing about performing is to JUST DO IT. That’s the only way you’ll get better at it. But start small, maybe by just going to an Open Mic to watch. That’s what I did. But I also am fully convinced I never would’ve been able to do those Open Mics without all the practice playing and recording my playing through RC101.
These are just my thoughts as someone who just started learning to perform live for others. I hope it’s okay that I shared this. Really looking forward to this lesson! 🙂
@gi_gi_ hahaha!! I love the way you think, but I also remember your rendition of that one being very beautiful. 😂
@katazumiri, I love trying to guess things like that. However, I feel like Andrew has gotten much more tricksy with his challenge choices, so now I’m more often wrong in my guesses. 😂😂 Even if I am guessing, I’m also still so excited for each song release and each challenge, as much as the first one. So special. It is like Christmas morning (imagine that yelled in a little British child’s voice)! 😂 Oh man, I am extra delulu right now. You know, there’s so much I could say about “education gaps” as someone who was home schooled (not a fact I often admit due to social stigma). That’s a running joke in my family because my bro, sis, and I were all home schooled until high school, so there are some (mostly social) knowledge gaps we still have, such as the existence of snow monkeys. 😂 But I think you mean “education gap” in a different way? Nonetheless, I like that. 😀
@dianna, thank you so much for that. I know I’ve talked about it here a lot, but I really loved that sweet little meow (synecdoche). She was so precious and sweet and I miss her so much every day. Today was a little rougher because I was looking at some pictures. I know it will get better, it was only a week ago. Thank you, though. 🥰About learning songs, I feel like every person learns every song differently. Think about all the different struggles each person has – how everyone can be playing the same songs, but each person has different challenges with those songs. I think it’s just what you focus on. For example, Free Fallin’ is going to be crushingly difficult for me because of how I’ve managed to barely strum at all in all the years I’ve been playing uke. That’s my special talent is avoiding strumming. 😂😂 It’s because I focused so much on fingerpicking and loved that so much, but felt very uncomfortable with strumming and still do. So, I think it just depends on the song and what you’ve focused on in your playing that decides how long it takes and how difficult a song is to learn. Like I don’t think I’ll learn Free Fallin’ in a month in a way that sounds good… 😂
Thank you, @Andrew, for all the amazing work you put into these challenges and for all the thoughtful feedback you always give for everyone! I enjoy reading through it, too (even if it’s not for my songs), and learn a lot from it. 🙂
