Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
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. 🙂
@leb397, hahaha, whoops, sorry about that! I think you’re right. 😂 I usually don’t use my laptop as much either. I am bad at typing on my phone still, which is why I should write my replies on my phone. 😂😂
Thank you so much for that! I have thought about starting a blog, but obviously I’ve made huge progress with that. Yes, time to go “be productive” or something. Have a lovely day! 😂😂@leb397, that’s so stinkin’ presh! 🧡 I also am so glad I found RC101 three years ago this July. Crazy how time flies. This is such a special group of people – students and teachers alike. 🥰
Hahaha!! @leb397, thank you, I’m so glad you found that funny. 😂 I often have thoughts / internal tangents like that about different things. It’s so satisfying when someone else finds them funny. 😂
The final final stage: “I time travelled back to caveman times and taught the first caveman how to sing – thus creating music itself – that means, I learned the RC101 song fastest” (none of that is correct). 😂😂
I also try to guess what the next challenge will be, but sometimes you can somewhat guess based on the songs being released the month before. Also, the newsletter. Also, because I’m super annoying, I have also asked Andrew directly. But even after all that, I still have often been wrong in my guess. 😂
Thank you, that definitely is not true with every song that I can learn it in a few days, but I think one of my skills with music is recognizing patterns (such as chord shapes and stylistic patterns with different players), even if I don’t know what the chord/note name is, and that helps me learn some songs more quickly. It’s also at least 78% moxy that propels me to learn quickly. 😂
Oh yeah, I forgot about Andrew’s slap/chuck! That sounds like a power move in a video game. 😂 Maybe I’ll try that if I can’t get the chuck. I am the same way with strumming, being “scared” of it, and I just have this huge mental block with it. I’ve talked with Matt about that in private lessons but he’s simplified strumming so much for me that it boils down to, “am I going to physically start strumming at any point, or just sit and worry about it?” 😂 I continue to choose the latter… until now (very dramatic).
Thank you, I am feeling better today. 🧡 I am trying to keep myself distracted, seemingly by diving back into the ukulele world once again even more. I still haven’t put any of kitty’s things away. I will keep all of them for a future time if I can get another cat, once I am emotionally and financially able to do so. But it will take time to put away her things, for me. Like her food dish is still out with food in it. So, not completely out of the woods yet with letting go of that, but feeling mentally better today. I do miss her sweet cuddles and pets a lot, though. 🧡
Also, I probably shouldn’t write replies on my laptop because I’m way faster at translating my thoughts into text this way compared to a phone – which is dangerous with my tangential brain. Sorry. 😂
@leb397, that’ll be so lovely for you to play that one again! I think I remember you playing that one before maybe. It’s actually really cool to revisit songs you learned a while ago. I’ve really been meaning to do that with the song Always With Me from Spirited Away that Steven did because that one is so lovely. Just see what it’s like for me now. But that’s more of a random side tangent. 😂 Thank you, I know I’m going to be on the struggle bus with Free Fallin’ but FINALLY I can force myself to work on some strumming. I have a serious mental block with that. That also means I never really learned how to chunk/chuck, so that should be fun. 😂😂 Thank you so much for you confidence, though, maybe you’re right! 😂🧡
@Gi_gi_ I also remember you singing Summertime and it being so gorgeous. That will be really neat with Song of Storms! I really want to do a piano accompaniment with the uke for something, too, at some point, but I guess I need a piano for that. Maybe I can find a free-ish one somewhere. 😂…
I also had kind of a funny, completely unrelated thought that seemed really funny in my mind about last month’s challenge. So, I thought I’d share it here while we’re still in the random conversational stage of this challenge. 😂
Here it is:
After I mentioned that I learned the tune I chose last month in a couple of days, I noticed that a few other people mentioned they learned their tunes around that quickly. So, then I started to think about getting super braggy about how quickly I could learn the tune – “Actually, I learned the tune while I was watching the play through of the song in the lesson then instantly figured out how to play it (I have done that before, but only for parts of songs, lol!!).” But then it gets really extreme: “I guessed which song Andrew was going to pick this month before he even realized it, then figured out who was going to make the arrangement and guessed how he would do it – so I learned the song before it fully existed.” Final stage: “I time travelled into the past and wrote a song that would be picked for a future challenge – so I created the song he picked decades before Rock Class 101 existed.”
😂😂😂
In my mind, that seemed really funny, but probably no one else will find that funny, but now I feel unburdened… 😂
@marianne, thank you so much for that! It means a lot that you liked how I played your lovely tune. 🥰
Very fun, cute topic! I’m definitely going to attempt Free Fallin’, though it’s likely to be a train wreck because I am bad at literally all the techniques involved. 😂 I probably shouldn’t try to learn that one in two days, that’s a whole month-er for me. Really looking forward to this challenge! 🙂
@leb397, thank you so much, Lousia! I know, I can’t believe that happened. It was so shocking and sudden, even though I knew that could happen at any time – that with congestive heart failure her condition could abruptly worsen – I felt hopeful that I’d have a little longer with her. She was my BFF, that’s so true. Best Feline Forever. She still is. Thank you, I think she was somewhere between the little wolf and the little raccoon. 😻😂 I loved her a lot and really miss her sweet cuddles and pets – that she loved so much, too. 😿 She would literally run if she thought I was going toward our “cuddle spots” and often wait there for me. But I’m also glad her pain is over now and that she didn’t get to the extreme she was when I got to the emergency vet when I was home alone with her. I’m still very much in the grieving stage, but soon I hope I can focus more on the sweet memories I got to have with her. Thank you again! 😻🧡
@grannieannie, thank you so much, Annie! I write this with tears in my eyes, still, because I so appreciate your kind words and the sweet memories I had with her for a short time. 🧡 But everyone who knew her and saw us together could tell she and I had a special connection. And I feel like all the pictures I have capture that. I will cherish that a lot. She also helped me grow as a person because I’m not good at dealing with medical things whatsoever and I went through some of the hardest things ever with her, and learned that I can do those things. Because I was there with her until the moment she died and even after she died, I held and pet her. And now she’s in heaven eating tortilla chips with my other kitty who is eating Cheetos and moths, flying around. 😻
@johanna2509, thank you so much, my friend! It is good to hear from you and that means so much. 🧡 I also still have tears in my eyes because the heartache is so real. Anyone who has had a special connection with an animal knows how devastating their loss is. And I won’t go into detail, but her passing was extremely difficult, but I know she couldn’t feel anything because of the meds. But I am so glad I got to hold her and say goodbye. And yes, still have all the wonderful memories, pictures, videos, her toys, and towels (because she loved to sleep on towels) and I got a little ceramic paw print in lieu of ashes or anything. I hope it’s okay that I share all that, but that’s the reality of it and why the grief and pain is so real. But I’m hoping I’ll soon be able to work through that and focus on the sweet memories I have gotten to have with her. That’s why I’m so glad I have a bunch of videos and pictures of her being adorable and sweet to help me remember that more. Thank you for the lovely comment, it really means a lot! I hope you’re doing well, Johanna. 😻
@janaq1, thank you so much, Jana! It means so much that you say that. I can’t remember if I said, but my family has said that if I had not taken her she might’ve been alone outside when all this happened (because she was an outdoor kitty before I took her). So, I am grateful that I could be there with her and give her as much love as I could in the short time I had her. Thank you, your words mean a lot to me right now. 😻I thought I would share this. I took this video only a couple of days before she went to heaven. I took it on my phone, please excuse the poor video quality.
Thank you all again for your very kind, encouraging comments, they help so much and mean so much. 😻🧡
Hey friends! I just wanted to let all my friends here know who admired my kitty cat, too, that her condition deteriorated suddenly this last Thursday night and we had to put her down. It’s very hard to think about the details of it, but her breathing worsened and she was in critical condition by the time I got her to the emergency vet. I am truly heartbroken by this. She and I had a very special connection instantly and deeply, and even though I didn’t have her long, I loved her so much. It’s so hard to be without her. But she’ll have a special place in my heart forever. 🧡
I’ll share the last picture I got to take of her. It was from the same night she passed, only a few hours earlier.
MowgliPerfectSweetPuff @Andrew, thank you so much for your kind and encouraging words, they mean a lot! So glad you felt I captured the feel of the piece. That’s what I hope most to do when I play music. The beauty of the piece inspires feeling, as well, but I also impart my own feeling into it. That’s what I feel is happening. 😂 For me that’s really true though.
@brettboy, that was truly gorgeous playing!!
