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@andrew Oh great! Thank you, for sure I will read the newletter this Friday.
@The_Bumble_Bard Haha, I think you actually do a better job at finishing things than you realize! I really enjoyed that “I’ll Be Seeing You” cover you posted on YouTube—tabs and all. By the way, how fluent is Ukubert in Spanish? Or does he only know “hola”?
I was supposed to upload videos weekly to my own channel, but I got derailed in December because of the holidays, and then I injured my foot pretty badly in January. I ended up resting for about two weeks almost no walking. On top of that, I think I will need to buy a proper audio interface to record with because where I live, there are so many motorcycles roaring around that it’s impossible to get a clean take without all the buzzing in the background, definitely frustrating! But I’m excited to get back into it, and I can’t wait to see what you come up with next. Keep us posted!
@andrew Yes, those quarter note triplets are definitely challenging, especially after playing so many eighth note triplets in the lead-up. I keep finding myself slipping back into that faster groove! I’ll definitely take your advice and practice with the metronome and tab player in synthetic mode to really nail those rhythms. Thank you so much for the guidance!
By the way I think maybe my email is not getting the newsletter, I check in the spam carpet and there is no newsletter do I need to sign up in somewhere to get those emails?
@gi_gi_ Thank you for your words, strumming is really fun 🥳
@leb397 Ya its going to be almost one year since I got it and its a super good instrument I am really enjoying playing this ukulele, I do want to get another one for a low g setting but think It will be till next year cause they do not import them to Mexico, so I will have to go to buy it outside of Mexico.@The_Bumble_Bard Thank you so much for your kind words! It’s amazing how the same piece can resonate differently with each of us. By the way, when you finish your Beatles arrangement, I really hope you post it I’m looking forward to hearing how the bridge sounds once you figure out that tremolo!
@stephencox Thank you so much for the kind words! I really appreciate the feedback. That 1st fret mini-barre with the stretch to the 7th fret definitely took some practice, I been doing some excercises for that as part of my daily routine so I can make those barre chords without putting so much tension on my hand. Tho I had to remember myself to always go slow and do not go fast, I tend to like to go fast and need to control myself.
@abster Thank you so much@marianne What a lovely way to play! I really need to get myself a proper low G ukuleLE! Looks like I’ll have to start saving up for it soon.
Oh, how time flies! I’m revisiting one of the very first songs I attempted to learn on Rock Class 101 back when I was also learning “Zelda’s Lullaby” and “Toss a Coin to Your Witcher” nearly five years ago! I remember being totally overwhelmed by the tricky strumming patterns and those pesky triplets at the end. Eventually, I put the song aside because it just felt too difficult.
Fast-forward to now, and I’m so excited to share that I can finally play it in a passable way. I still have some fret noise to smooth out and those final triplets to tighten up, but it’s incredibly satisfying to see how you can use all the lessons and songs posted in Rock Class 101 and how they can help you and guide you along your ukulele journey. If any of you are working on your strumming technique, I highly recommend giving this piece and the accompanying course a try—it’s super fun and really helpful.
Happy strumming, everyone, and best of luck in this month’s challenge! Keep practicing, keep pushing through the tough spots, and you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve with time. See you all in next month’s challenge!
Time’s up! Here’s how this month went…
I can now confidently play the chord with 1st fret on the G string, 1st fret on the C string, open E string, and 7th fret on the A string. Still tons of room for improvement, though! My harmonics aren’t always consistent, and I want my position shifts to feel smoother and sound softer.
That said, this challenge has been really fun and a great way to train my left hand to reach and form positions I don’t normally play. Definitely stepping out of my comfort zone!
Thank you so much, @nat-uke! 😊 It’s such a timeless song, isn’t it? I’m really putting my heart into it—glad to hear it’s one of your favorites too! 🎶💖
Thank you so much, @dianna! I completely understand why it holds a special place in your heart. 😊
Yes, there are tabs for this version! You can find the sheet music here: https://www.mymusicsheet.com/video/16534.
I really appreciate your encouragement—it means a lot!🎶
Hello all, I hope everyone has a really happy New Year’s Eve! 🎉✨
Challenge: Smooth and Seamless Chord Changes
Execution:
I’ve been practicing “Can’t Help Falling in Love” for almost a year. My goal is to master a smooth transition into a challenging position: fret 1 on the high G string, C string also on fret 1, E string 0, and A string 7. I’ll also focus on improving my chord shift changes of this song by practicing super slowly and gradually building up speed.Application:
This song holds a lot of personal meaning, and I planed earlier this year to have the A and B parts ready to perform for someone special by Valentine’s Day of 2025. While I’m still far from finishing it, my focus this month will be on these key technical areas: tricky shifts, smooth chord changes, and perfecting the harmonics. I’ll work section by section and may tweak the arrangement to suit my current skills while keeping the essence of the song intact.Evaluation:
By the end of the challenge, I aim to:
Transition smoothly into the tricky position without pauses.
Play through the A and B sections of “Can’t Help Falling in Love” at a steady tempo with clean shifts and clear harmonics.Improve the overall sound quality of my chord transitions so they flow seamlessly.
Even if I don’t reach the song’s final tempo yet, I want to perform these parts confidently for Valentine’s Day.Here is the song I aim to play:
My Ukulele Goals for 2025 🎶
1️⃣ Improve at Writing Notation and Tabs
I want to get faster and more accurate at writing down what I play into notation and tabs. Rhythm is my biggest hurdle—it sometimes takes me ages to figure out! My goal is to make this process smoother and more enjoyable.2️⃣ Dive into Music Theory
I started arranging some video game pieces in 2024, and now I want to learn a little of music theory to make my arrangements better. So I can get more creative and confident with my arrangements.3️⃣ Get Better at Noodling
I’ve been loving Matt’s lesson on noodling! When I’m playing in C major, I feel like I can flow easily, but as soon as I try a different scale, I start stumbling. My goal is to get more comfortable improvising in other keys so I can noodle freely no matter the scale or chord.4️⃣ Explore the Baritone Ukulele
I won a baritone ukulele for 2024 contest last summer and will finally have it in my hands this January! I’m excited to dive into it. I’d love to create some duets that combine the baritone and my high-G uke I think it’ll be amazing to hear how they blend together.Do you have any tips or pointers for improving in these areas? I’d love to hear your advice!
Wishing a fantastic year ahead for the entire Rock 101 community let’s make 2025 an amazing year for music and growth! 🌟🎶
@maryjanew
Haha, yes! I plug my uke in—it has a cable input (not sure what it’s called exactly). Plugging it in makes it super easy to record on my phone. It also has some knobs for adding effects, which is pretty cool! This uke sounds so much better than the plastic one I used to have, but it’s still super comfy to play. Oh, and I didn’t use a backing track for this recording!
@The_Bumble_Bard
Thank you so much! I listened to your version, and yeah, we had such a similar idea—it’s crazy! Lately, I’ve been really into a book called Arpeggio Meditations for Ukulele by Daniel Ward, and I’ve been trying to apply that style to everything, even video game songs! (I actually will share an example of a Genshin Impact song I arranged in that style, haha.) It’s such a fun way to meditate with your ukulele—especially if you live near the beach! I’m lucky to be just an 8-minute walk from the ocean, so it makes for an amazing experience. I hope you have wonderful holidays; it’s my favorite time of year!
@Marianne
I know the holidays can be such a busy time, but if you ever find a moment, you should definitely share your second arpeggio version! I’d love to hear it on baritone—it sounds like it would be amazing!
@leb397
Yes, I think 2025 is going to be such a fun year! By the way, do you have a baritone ukulele too?Oh, nice! I’ll definitely keep an eye out this Friday so I can start learning as soon as it’s released.
For sure, I’ll share it once I get it down. Thanks, Andrew! Wishing you a fantastic December!
Hey everyone! 🎄✨
December is here, and so is my entry for this month’s challenge! I’ve chosen a classic to get into the holiday spirit: O Come, All Ye Faithful. It’s not perfect yet—still need to practice it more—but I tweaked it a little to incorporate open strings, and I’m loving how it sounds on the ukulele.
Also, shoutout to Marianne for that great baritone rendition! 🎶 Next year, I’ll finally have my first baritone ukulele, and your video has me so excited to try it out as soon as it’s in my hands!
I’m also planning to tackle Evan’s arrangement of this piece soon, but I know that will be a big challenge. Wish me luck! 🤞
Hope it brings some festive cheer your way! Happy holidays to all! 🎁✨
(Proud premium member checking in 😉)
Oh, @Stephen, thank you so much for your kind words! I’m not super into music technology, but I do use the Enya reverb that comes with my uke. I’ve already started learning O Come, All Ye Faithful with a few tweaks of my own. I think I’ll have it ready to post this week!
As for Evan’s arrangement, is it Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree? I’ll make sure to hurry up and try learn it too!
Lately, I’ve been busy but super motivated after a recent trip I made. I finally started working on some video game music arrangements I’ve always loved, including creating tabs for them. Tabbing has been really time-consuming, but it’s helping me recognize notes on the staff, which has been both fun and mentally intense, at least for me.
On a brighter note, here’s an update for Andrew: my aunt is visiting in January, and she’s bringing me the baritone ukulele I won in the last contest! Once I get comfortable with it, I plan to create video game music arrangements as duets with both the baritone and my regular uke. It’s going to be such a fun challenge!
Hey everyone! 👋
Last month was a whirlwind for me, I went on an incredible trip to Japan 🇯🇵 and didn’t find much time to post. But I’m back just in time for this month’s challenge!
Here’s my entry: Etude 36. It’s a super relaxing fingerstyle piece and a joy to play. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did learning it!
(P.S. Proud premium member here 😉)
