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This is awesome news!!! I have loved Matt’s work with Ukulele Underground. He is an great instructor. His lesson for Jingle Bell rock is one of my favorite Christmas song lessons and a blast to play.
Is there a certain price range that you are looking for? One ukulele that I found I really like was a Kala with a solid spruce stop. I ended up buying a clamp on tuner and then went to a local shop and tried out everything they had hanging on the wall – all of them were out of tune so thats why I brought my tuner along. I actually brought my old Ukulele along with me too (Kala Pacific Walnut – which is also a pretty decent uke) so I could compare. It was a challenge for me because I am left handed and all the ukes were strung for right handed players but after almost an hour of trying out about everything could get my hands on I ended up with a solid spruce top – sounded a lot better than the Pacific Walnut uke I had been using – it was a Tenor though and cost $240. I think a solid spruce top with mahogany sides Concert is about $160 or so. I am not a Kala nut but seems like all the shops around me only carry Kala so thats what I ended up with.
I have to admit though – that Islander looks really nice. There is a guy on youtube who reviews a ton of ukes too – gotaukulele or something like that
I have song request – its a song I would like to learn to play for my wife. She loves Winnie the Pooh so I would really like to learn to play House at Pooh Corner by Kenny Loggins. Hope to surprise her by playing some day. All the tab I find on the internet are not interesting and don’t involve any finger picking – I would like something a little more ‘Andrew-fied’ and interesting.
What is a cool intermediate or advanced playing technique that can be used to spice up about any ukulele song.
Could be 2 answers if you wanted to break it out into a strumming technique and a picking technique.
I would love a strumming technique that could be used with a typical stemmed song and make it all fancy n stuff 🙂
I have not tried that many strings but have found that I really cant stand the feel of fluorocarbon \ fishing line like strings. I dont like the thin feeling.
Not long ago I was trying out some different strings and put some Aquila red strings on and love them. I like the sound and the feeling. I think they may be worth a try too. I tried the Lava strings as well but like the reds better.
I just figured it out as I went though the tutorial. it allows us to keep the same plucking pattern while playing the song. I am a dork 🙂
Was hoping to try Fur Elise but was having trouble finding time so I tried First Song instead. I fumbled a bit – then forgot where I was and paused while trying to remember where I was. Was also using a new uke that was given to me as a present and have not added the fret marks (they dont seem to make very many cool ukes in left handed so I string right handed ones upside down and then have to had the fret marks on the edge). I did have a bit of sticky note stuck to the 10th fret so that helped.
Here is – ‘Our First Song’
Awesome Andrew, thanks a bunch. Its funny you mention my picking and how I am attacking it because my 13 year old daughter was telling me the same thing just a couple days ago. I think its a bad habit that I have gotten in to because I dont have finger nails and it feels like I have to claw in there fairly hard to get the string to ring out. I end up being really inconsistent in my plucking. Sometimes I catch strings really heavy and sometimes I barely catch them at all. Not sure what to do about not having fingernails long enough to catch the string ( yes – gross habit of biting them off but I havent been able to stop for 40 years so doubt that will change ever). I have actually considered fake nails trimmed short. I experimented with fingerpicks but that failed.
I will work on picking and different strum styles. Will start in on Ode to Joy and the beatles song too. Will start with Ode.
And thank you for taking the time to record a video with some feedback. I really appreciate it. For me, if I never get the opportunity to have someone with knowledge and skill to provide feedback, then I just end up guessing about what I need to work on and when I get it wrong, I flounder and fail make any progress. Having a few things to work one allows me to focus and get some traction. So thank you for that. I have been through a number of ‘learning the ukulele’ websites and have never had someone take the time and give some personalized direction.
Just made a quick video at my desk at work. Its been a very long day and I am a little loopy and my attention span is flagging so I was struggling. Will try again tomorrow from home and see if my fingers will work correctly. Mental acuity seems to me in short supply this evening.
Here is the youtube video from this evening. Will try something tomorrow when my brain is working again.
And yes, I am VERY left handed. Left handed, left footed, left politically and can only play using left handed strings. (special order from Argentina – made out of Alpaca fur)
Oh – forgot to ask – don’t suppose you have a version of City Of New Orleans. I have sheet music for 2 versions – one is super simple and boring and one sounds awesome but trying to figure it out well beyond me at the moment.
Thanks for the feedback everyone.
I have been working through the finger picking course. Have completed it up through the 3 finger version of Etude. I can play it start to finish and it doesn’t sound to bad. I am not up to full ‘Andrew’ speed but it sounds ok. Maybe I won’t ever reach full speed but will keep trying. I have come up with a condensed version that I use to practice.
On the subject of difficulty, I think one of my original questions may have gotten lost in my babbling.
Yes, I was trying to learn songs that are in that higher difficulty level. There is a reason for that, I am struggling to find songs tagged as ‘beginner’ that are interesting to me. I went through Aura Lee pretty quick. Yes it’s easy to play but it’s not very interesting (to me) and I don’t get much in the way of enjoyment from playing it.
So I was hoping to find versions of level 1-4 songs that were still interesting takes on the original song but targeted for someone like me. I want to be challenged but not broken by the song. If I could find a 4-5 songs like that, that stress different techniques, then I could play them. Right now it seems like I am always practicing but never playing.
Let me try to restate using an example – the song Hallelujah. I can play a version of Hallelujah I found on YouTube with my eyes closed. It’s simple ( version from Learn and Play dude) and has some finger picking and sounds kinda ok.
But there are more versions that are more difficult. (I am actually thinking about trying your version without the intro.) I want a version that is more that the beginner version but not going to make me want to give up after trying it for days. Hopefully one that my family would be willing to sit through. (Right now the fastest way for me to clear the room is to pick up my Uke)
I just checked out Aura Lee and was able to play through it. I will go through it a few more times till I can remember it.
I have not focused as much on the beginning level songs because they are not overly interesting for me. I will set aside some time and go through the finger picking lessons. Will check back after I do that.
So, I decided to try to do the June challenge and learn the ‘Game of Thrones’.
Right away I am having a problem.
The song starts with
Open G
Open C
3rd fret C
Hammer on 5th fret C.The problem I am having is going from open C to 3rd fret often ends up sounding like a hammer on because the open C is still ringing out when I place my finger on the 3rd fret. When I pluck Then It almost sounds like I am hitting it 2 time – it doesn’t sound right to me. It can throw me off a bit to because my brain often tries to interpret it as the played 3rd fret and I end up hammering on the 5th
Am I missing a technique? Do I just practice and try to ignore it/play through it? Should I be trying to mute the string before placing my finger on the 3rd fret? Or do I mute it by placing my finger on the 3rd fret a little less aggressively?
Thanks
