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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. 😂😂😅
Everything about that melon bar looks pretty great! 😂 The premise of that show seems interesting. Also for some reason the site unsubscribed me from this thread…
Really looking forward to catching up on the entries so far and hopefully getting my own recorded this weekend! I changed songs mid-challenge but I’ll still post what progress I made on HOTRS. Please enjoy this stream-of-consciousness post. 😅
Such a magical topic! So excited for this one! I hope other people chime in with their ukulele superpowers! 😀
And that clip was definitely worth watching!
Steve Vai:
“The level of achievement that we have at anything is a reflection of how well we were able to focus on it. Because the only thing holding you back, is the way you’re thinking.”
This is 100% fact. Our thoughts can hold us back from so many things in life, the thoughts we have about ourselves, “I can’t do this” or “I can’t do that.” Those are only stories we tell ourselves. Only if we believe them, will they become true. The power of our own thoughts cannot be underestimated. I say this from my heart based on so many things I’ve experienced in life, but this is also so true in any creative venture.
My ukulele superpower is turning (almost) any song into a clawhammer song. It makes absolutely no sense that I acquired this power, so it must be that I was bitten by a many-eyed ukulele and that’s where it came from. 😂
I really can’t wait for this lesson! Thank you all so much! 🙂
@gi_gi_ ha that’s fair, I was being unnecessarily cryptic about it! I picked House of the Rising Sun to continue my pursuit of strumming. If I can get the strumming section to 50% speed, I’d be elated! Right now, it’s about at 15%, max speed. 😅😂🥺
I can’t wait to hear your Lagrima, that’s such a beautiful tune and I know you’ll capture the feeling of it! 🥰
Today is my “Rock Class 101 Birthday,” the day I joined up here 3 years ago, if I’ve got that right! What a special journey it’s been! 😊❤️🥰🎁🎉🌮🎊🦝🐰🐰🐄🦊🦋🍿🍳🥓😯😤🌲🌳
@gi_gi_ haha thank you, friend! I think you might be right! 😂 Cuteness is an ongoing theme with RC101 so that would make sense! And thank you, my musical taste lies somewhere in between Beethoven’s 7th Symph and the Backstreet Boys. 😅😂
I did finally pick a tune for this challenge, although I had a few in mind, it’s another of Matt’s arr. that’s related to a series he’s doing on his patreon, but he also did a version for RC101 that’s very similar. I like to try out tunes here before I learn them, but then I just ended up starting to learn the whole thing. I feel like that gives away what I picked for anyone who’s following Matt’s adventures. 😂
@heilene, thank you so much for the lovely reply! And I also noticed you subscribed to my lil’ YouTubes (plural) channel, so thank you for that! I subscribed back, though it might not show that. 😊😂
I think you and I are really similar with our experience in life in social situations. I really love people a lot, but am naturally very shy, nervous, and introverted, so I’ve had to work extra hard to begin to “overcome” that, but really it’s just learning to embrace that part of yourself. Shyness, nervousness – these can be labeled as negative things at times, but really they are a beautiful part of who you are. It would be a rather boring world if everyone were the same. The other thing is, so many people experience social anxiety, so I think it’s a really good thing to be more open about that. To this day, it’s still something I struggle with, being able to choose to go into certain social situations of my own accord, but I have come a long way with that. Also, yes, the self-isolation – it got to a point with that with me at the end of last year that I needed to talk to someone about that because there were certain places in public that I couldn’t go anymore because of my anxiety and tendency to want to be alone (which again, can be a really good thing and there’s nothing wrong with that – but you do have to leave the house sometimes 😂). If you are someone who enjoys being alone a lot, it takes extra effort to leave your “comfort space.” But yes, I also have so many creative hobbies that occupy me when I am alone, like ukulele for instance. So, I completely empathize with your experience! 😂
So cool! I am so excited you found Rock Class 101 and are giving it a try! Look forward to all you can share here with us. July’s challenge is to pick ANY song from all of Rock Class 101’s songs and the prize is a custom arr. from Matt Dahlberg, so I feel like that could be perfect for you – also to explore all the amazing tunes on RC101, if you’d like. 😊
Did you share Sea of Storms in June’s challenge? I’m going to have to go look for that.
I couldn’t agree more about the challenges here! They are so much fun and such a great way to find extra motivation to learn tunes you may not choose otherwise (such as in different styles, techniques, and genres that you would not normally choose). And just the community here is so fun and encouraging – it has meant a lot to me in learning ukulele and also led me to do other things I never thought I could ever do – such as play on Open Mics with my ukulele. And just the friends I’ve made here are so special to me. 😊🥰
Hoppin’ aboard the TMI train, but thank you so much for the reply and hope you have a lovely weekend and week ahead!! 😁
Rachael
This is the most delayed reaction of all time, but I just realized that the example you gave in the challenge video of an excessively elaborate song to pick (for the custom arr. prize) was Beethoven’s 7th Symphony, and I literally asked Matt at one point to create an arrangement of that on his Patreon once. I feel personally attacked. 😉😂😂
LISTEN, I DIDN’T MEAN THE WHOLE THING, JUST PART OF IT. HELLO?!
(Or that could just be an insane coincidence, as happens so much in life. I’m sure it’s that. 😂)I have ideas for less involved tunes in the unlikely chance I win, though. I just found that really funny after the fact. 😉😂
It’s also *so* tricky to pick a tune (to learn) from all the tunes Rock Class 101 has! Looking through them made me realize what an amazing wealth of music is available to learn here. So, thank y’all so much for that! 😊
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. :/
