[grannieannie]

@The_Bumble_Bard: Well done, girl! You took on not just one aspect of playing that has frightened you, but a whole bunch of challenges, and you made it through the song just beautifully. Andrew has such a talent for adding little touches to his arrangements that seem innocuous at first, then I realize they’re there to help us learn something new, and there were a lot of those in that piece. (Nice touch with the eye-tapping too!)

I find strumming easier to learn and play, but I prefer the challenge of finger-picking – there’s so much more to think about, and the fingers have to have dexterity to move around the fretboard. Also, I prefer the finger-picked arrangements – I like to think they give a classical guitar feel to the songs, not that I have any pretensions about my own playing!

[grannieannie]

@johanna2509: Well done, playing right the way through, outside and with cold fingers! (I didn’t do so well when, last winter, I forgot my gloves and arrived at a little do our ukulele group was playing for a group of seniors. I had agreed to play a solo – my first ever – and my fingers ended up being tangled all over each other.) I just watched Matt’s lesson on practising in uncomfortable situations, so you’ve inspired me to record my next challenge somewhere outside.

[grannieannie]

Thanks, Mike, for your generosity that makes our challenges so exciting. (I won one of your ukes last year.) I don’t know if I’ll ever make it down your way, but I like that you’ve kept your shop going all this time – it must be the service you provide!

[grannieannie]

Oh, Sweetie, I’m so sorry to hear that. The few months that you shared with your little one were special to the both of you, and you did the best thing for her in the end. She’s obviously left a big hole in your heart – take the time to grieve for her. She was lucky to have found you.

[grannieannie]

I so enjoyed all the performances of Duality, and it’s such a lovely tune that I’ve decided to learn it myself. But what contortions I have to put my hand through to make all those chords happen! Now I’m doubly impressed with everyone’s talent.

[grannieannie]

Thanks, @Andrew, for pointing that out that my right hand was out of sync with the beat of the song – I hadn’t even noticed, but now it’s obvious when I look for it.

[grannieannie]

@katazumiri: I wasn’t aware of the back story to Dock of the Bay, although I’ve heard that song described as one of the best of all time.

@The_Bumble_Bard: Well done, learning that whole piece! So nice to see your kitty joining you and loving the attention. She’s well loved, that’s for sure.

[grannieannie]

I am a premium member.

I chose Dock of the Bay as well – fun to learn and to play. Can I blame the goofy Doodle, who was listening behind me (unbeknownst to me until I started moving around), for my losing focus and messing up on the easier “whistling” section at the end? No, that was my own lapse, but since I didn’t really want to record the whole thing again so it would have a smooth ending, here it is.

So many great entries this month, as usual.

[grannieannie]

@alojzy_bomba: Not only did you play that duet so beautifully, you put yourself in the picture twice, an effect I’ve only seen in films.

@katazumiri: I look forward to your many-faceted submissions, this time with a video of a peaceful canal – looks like a perfect place to sit and waste time, although if you were to play your uke at the same time, it wouldn’t be a waste!

[grannieannie]

@leb397: I wondered when we would get to hear your vintage banjo uke! Well played, and doesn’t it just fit that song?

[grannieannie]

Oh, I’m so sorry to hear this! She’s obviously your little soulmate, and you’re giving her the most loving care possible. We’ll hope for the best outcome for her – wishing you strength, as well.

[grannieannie]

@shumu88 and @anyon1: You learned The Dock of the Bay so quickly and played it so effortlessly! I’m working on that now, but with a week of travel intervening, my practice time is shortened. I like watching how you play it.

@marianne: I always look forward to listening to your entries. You play with such feeling and grace.

@leb397 and @dianna: My learning curve follows the same pattern each month: I go through the fingering and transitions and muddle my way through, all the while thinking, “How does this make sense?” Then it starts to make sense and the patterns created by the fingering (I’m a visual learner) stick in my brain. Then I realize I’ve remembered those patterns and it’s a matter of practising over and over, never quite (not yet, anyway) reaching 100% speed. Optimum speed is, of course, determined by the most difficult part of the song.

[grannieannie]

Welcome to the group, Bohdan – what a wonderful gift! You’ll find people are very friendly and supportive here – don’t be shy about submitting entries into the monthly challenges. We’ll look forward to watching your progress.

[grannieannie]

Thanks @Andrew, for your comments – I always appreciate how you pick up on the details.

[grannieannie]

I AM A PREMIUM MEMBER

So many great entries this month! You all continue to be an inspiration.

This was an interesting challenge, my first time trying to combine two of my own tracks. Just as a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, the speed at which I can play something is only as fast as the part where my fingers want to get tangled. So my playing the melody against the backing track slowed right down when it was my own backing rhythm – my hand has a lot of trouble making a clean switch from an F chord to a G chord. (Everyone makes it look so easy!) So I also played the melody with the rhythm track in the lesson, set at 75%. (I can almost make 100%, but that still needs work.)

Thanks again, @Andrew.

@The_Bumble_Bard: Your little sweetheart is certainly lucky to have found her way to you. I can see she’s a lovely companion. I hope your dental issues get resolved soon – that kind of pain can make the rest of life difficult.

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