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Hi, I hope all of you are staying warm in this severe winter storm.
I’m a bit behind my schedule, but this is my 1st upload of Daybreak. When I found my original Daybreak from February last year, it sounded and looked very stiff. So, I hope I’ve progressed some, but I admit I need to spend more time practicing.
Hi, Happy New Year!
The last quarter of 2025 was hectic, and I wasn’t able to play the ukulele much. My goal for the first couple of months of 2026 is to get back to where I was and then build momentum from there.
Following Matt’s suggestion of “3 goals to set for 2026,” here is my plan:
1. Execution
• Establish a core routine: 5 minutes play, 5 minutes progress, 5 minutes push
• Focus on less
• Record myself regularly
2. Application
• Play: Re-learn “Daybreak” as my primary focus song
• Progress: Review forgotten techniques from the Definitive Beginner’s Guide
• Push: Repeatedly practice the techniques I tend to avoid until they feel comfortable
3. Evaluation
• Record “Daybreak” and post two recordings: one during the week of the 18th and another by the 31stThanks!
I AM A PREMIUM MEMBER.
Merry Christmas! I have been so busy that I couldn’t play Ukulele and missed monthly challenges in October and November, but I barely put together this month’s submission. I felt my skill regressed after a few months of not playing it. Although, I managed to go see Jake Shimabukuro’s concert here in Colorado early this month. I donated $30 to the Ukulele Kids Club.
Here is my Silver Bells.
thumbnail_IMG_5332 I picked Matt’s Sunset Skip for this month. The most challenging thing was the partial bar. I tried to learn all, but because either my fingers are not big enough or not flexible enough to bend in a certain way, I couldn’t do some but I managed one. My low-G ukulele is not very good sustaining sounds, but anyway, this is what it sounds like today.
I don’t know if we are still supposed to say “I AM A PREMIUM MEMBER”, but I’m just writing just in case.
Hi,
This month’s challenge was harder than I thought I could manage. My play is far from what I expected, but this is what I am at. I wanted to post something better, but my fingers are hurting and it’s only getting worse if I try playing more.
Because the song is long, I shortened it by skipping here and there but still try to show different parts of the song.
Congrats, @Deadbuggy!
And thank you, @Andrew, for your comments. There are so many things I’m not aware of, and I love to hear and learn how I could improve my skills. I’ll work on the finger use. I think my this month’s challenge can definitely use that.👍This is a fun challenge for summer.
Last fall, I suddenly wanted to learn ukulele when I heard Jake Shimabukuro’s Ichigo Ichie. I was so touched but didn’t know ukulele could make that kind of sound. Other than piano, I had never played any other instruments before that. Luckily there was a sheet music store near my office, and I found Jake’s song book that contained that song. I purchased an inexpensive ukulele there and literally tried to play it (that was rather comical because I had no idea what fret makes what sound or how the fingering works). Of course, I could barely picked up the first several measures and had no idea how to move on from the spot that said,”Chord symbols reflect overall harmony”. Since I’ve learned some skills and knowledge since I joined RC101, I’d like to try tackling this song again.1) Execution – My goal is to play Ichigo Ichie to the end.
2) Application – I’ll work on adding fillers to make it sound building up. Will watch many ukulele players’ videos and study how they are playing it.
3) Evaluation – I will record my sound weekly and analyze what needs to be done. I’m planning to post a couple of progress videos too.
@The_Bumble_Bard, How nice of you for spending time to give each one of us your lovely comment. As I still feel such a beginner player, your comment is so encouraging that I want to practice more and become a better player.💕
I AM A PREMIUM MEMBER.
One of my favorite songs. It seemed impossible to move my fingers to the next chords quick enough at the beginning, but it became more manageable little by little. Still slow and stumbling, but here you go, my version of “Hallelujah”.
@leb397, thank you so much for your kind message. That’s very encouraging!
Hi @Andrew,
Thank you for pointing out something I would never notice on my own. I was amazed your comment came back so quickly but very accurately. I felt every movement was so busy especially with left hand, but I also noticed that good sound comes from how I play with my right hand. Even though the challenge submission is over now, I want to keep practicing this one for a while.
