robinboyd

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Viewing 15 posts - 391 through 405 (of 886 total)
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  • robinboyd
    Participant

    @cloud_cactus – The short answer is no.

    If you look at your strings, you will notice that the lower pitched ones are thickest and the higher pitched ones are thinnest. If you take a lower pitched one and try to tune it high, it will be too tight and might snap and if you try to take a higher pitched one and tune it low, then it will be too floppy. Dedicated low G strings are either thicker than C strings or they are wound with metal wire to make them heavier without making them too thick.

    If you really don’t want to buy a new string, there is one trick that I’ve heard of but I haven’t tried. It involves taking off all the strings and using your C string as a low G, your E string as a C, your G string as an E, and leaving your A string where it is. It would be a lot of effort, though, and all of your strings would be a little bit floppy.

    in reply to: Billie Jean #35818
    robinboyd
    Participant

    Also looking forward to hearing the guitalele. I love mine.

    in reply to: Practice – how do you do it? #35817
    robinboyd
    Participant

    I am a terrible example. I NEVER practice. I don’t have set times that I sit down with my uke. I don’t have defined goals. I don’t do most of the stuff that Andrew recommends in the learning paths thing. What I do is I work from home and I have my ukes sitting next to my desk so I can pick them up and play them when I need a break. When I want to learn how to do something tricky, I keep trying until I can do it. It’s totally unstructured, though. I suppose the difference for me is that I know I will never be a professional musician and I don’t really want to play for others. It’s all for my own satisfaction, so the only thing that matters is whether I enjoy it. I have also improved a lot since I started, but that is incidental.

    in reply to: Barre chords up the neck #35782
    robinboyd
    Participant

    Thanks guys. The thumb is already where Andrew describes and it’s good to hear Craig Chee also uses this technique a bit. I played through to the end of theme 4 yesterday, so I think I’m getting there. Fingering gets easier after theme 4.

    in reply to: Vote On Our Next Arrangement! (Vote Off #3) #35767
    robinboyd
    Participant

    I would love to learn an accompaniment to vocals for Dock of the Bay. I’m not sure that I would want to learn a fully instrumental version, though.

    As much as I would love to see you guys try to do the Mandalorian theme, I’m just not sure that it would work without a bass recorder.

    in reply to: Barre chords up the neck #35766
    robinboyd
    Participant

    Hi Guys. I thought it was easier to show rather than explain, so I made a video.

    in reply to: Barre chords up the neck #35758
    robinboyd
    Participant

    A bit of pain but more weakness. I physically can’t hold the chord enough to get a good tone any more. Keep in mind that this is after a really long section of barre chords, stretch chords, and playing up the neck. It’s not that I can’t do it normally, just that I’m fatigued. Matt talks about this in the La Vie En Rose lesson, and trust me, this is way more tiring than that.

    in reply to: Barre chords up the neck #35736
    robinboyd
    Participant

    I already cheat by playing the 1245 chord as X245…

    in reply to: Barre chords up the neck #35724
    robinboyd
    Participant

    Lol. A cutaway would make it easier, but the real issue is being unable to squeeze the neck that high up because of the thickness, not being unable to access the frets. I can get to the frets, its just a matter of applying pressure.

    robinboyd
    Participant

    I’ve brought a uke on tour with me (I’m doing a week-long tour-guiding job), but I actually don’t feel like owning a banjolele. I can see many people do want one, though, so I think I’ll sit out this challenge and practice other stuff for a while. I have plenty to keep me busy. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone else’s entries, though.

    in reply to: High Expectations #35298
    robinboyd
    Participant

    My biggest ah ha moment was when I managed to maintain an island strum while singing an entire song. It was a while ago, though.

    My favourite uke that I own is my Mele solid mango concert. I definitely prefer to play concert ukes. The best one I have played is probably a Da Silva spruce-top concert, or maybe a Pohaku koa soprano. I didn’t get to play them at the same time so it is hard to compare.

    It depends on the uke, but I like Aquila Red strings and PHD strings. For low G, I like Fremont Soloist strings.

    robinboyd
    Participant

    Hi Ukeher,

    Yes. That’s exactly what I do. When you publish a video, it gives you the options of “public,” “private,” or “unlisted.” Choose “unlisted,” and then only people with the link (which you will post on RC101) can see it.

    in reply to: Hello from Toronto #35204
    robinboyd
    Participant

    For some reason, I read that at “My Neighbour Totoro.” Oops!

    in reply to: Hello from Toronto #35182
    robinboyd
    Participant

    Hi Linda,

    Welcome!

    You weren’t in the Terminator movies, were you?

    Robin

    in reply to: New xmas instrument addition #34868
    robinboyd
    Participant

    Nice!

    Having just finished a Skype lesson with Stephen, I thoroughly recommend them if it would help to be shown the basics. He helped me with my guitalele.

Viewing 15 posts - 391 through 405 (of 886 total)