Forum Replies Created
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Posts
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Here’s everyone on page 9:
maryjanew – You’re off to a great start on this one! You have the notes down, with just a little bit of work on the chorus. One small timing thing to work on is on the main riffs: the last note of riff 1 is on the up beat rather than the down beat. If you are patting your foot, make sure to hit the note while it is up after beat one of measure 4. Where this note happens in the other riffs, it will also be on an upbeat. It’s a small detail, but it’s repeated a lot, so this will help it feel more like the original song. Keep up the great work!
dennisdickens – Excellent work on this one! You’ve definitely got the riffs and verse part down! For the performance, I’d play those parts slower so that you are able to play the chorus part in time since it’s harder to get those shifts. That way the flow of the song remains steady. Then at that point if you want to speed it up to this tempo, you’re all set! Great job!
cheun133 – Awesome job on this one! You played everything very cleanly and kept a steady tempo! There is only one spot where the timing was off the slightest bit: on measure 19, the transition back into the opening part comes in on the upbeat right after that last strum. It’s a tricky transition, but knowing that that note is on the next eighth note might help to keep the timing perfect through the whole piece! Excellent work on this!
b_ukes_101 – You’re off to a great start! If you have any extra time to spend on this, the main thing is the rhytm under the verse and the chorus parts. It sounds like you have a grasp on the notes, but a little work on counting the rhyhm will go a long way. Keep it up, you’re doing an awesome job so far!
themccoys – Great work on this! The verse and the chorus sounded very nice, and so did the riffs! There were just a few pauses to work through here and there, then you’re all set! Very nicely done!
mac1984 – That was a very solid playthough with great rhythm all the way to where the intro part gets played again. On that fingerpicking, try relaxing your right hand a bit and even using more than just the thumb so that you don’t tense up. I know Matt is great at getting his thumb to move that fast, but you might benefit from using the pointer and middle fingers for now if it’s more comfortable. Either way, great job on this!
taylor22jane – I kept expecting your dog to jump! That was a great performance! Your fingerpicking, strumming, and feel were great through the whole song! It might take a bit more work on the synth solo to get it quite up to Evan’s speed, but you are getting close! I hope you tackle the guitar solo sometime soon. Keep up the great playing!
dividedsky – Very nice job on this one! You are playing very well, now it’s just spending a little bit of extra time on the Verse and Chorus to work out those hesitations. You’re doing very well, keep it up!
emiliano – You are certainly off to an excellent start! For the performance, I recommend playing along with a slower version of the track to truly lock in with the timing. Right now you are rushing some parts, but you always seem to come back to the right spots which is a great start. Great work on both solos, you’re doing an awesome job!
john316 – Excellent job on this, you seem very comfortable at this speed! The only suggestion I have is to work on transitioning from the fingerpicking to the strumming and back a bit faster to keep the flow you have for each section. This only affects the transition into measure 4 and measure 19, so it’s a very slight thing. You played great on this one!
@jayton – I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you submitted past our deadline of 11:59 PM EST. Andrew tried to give everyone a friendly reminder before the challenge ended. But the good news is, there’s still one more month to participate for a chance to win the baritone!Here’s everyone on page 8:
riberbula – You’re doing great so far! The notes are sounding cleanly, and you are getting through the whole piece! Now there are just a few small rhythmic things to look at. One of them is in the intro: The hammer-on at the end of measure 2 (from the 7th to 8th fret) is even eighth notes like all of the notes in the first measure. Even though the hammer-on is different than plucking, that note still needs to be pushed down at the right time. If you have trouble with this, try slowing the Tab Play Along down to 50% and listen to how it is spaced when Andrew plays it. You’re doing a great job, most people struggle with hammer-on timing at first. Keep up the great work!
joe150 – You’re getting the idea with the notes and some of the rhythms. I just want to mention that the very intro has the same timing as the part at 0:10 into the song without the muted strum. From there it’s just a matter of getting comfortable with the shifts. Keep it up, you memorized a good bit of the notes!
andrewvh – Great job sticking with the timing all of the way through and playing the notes fairly accurately! There are just a few melody notes to work on getting a bit smoother. I would drop the tempo down slightly to add the solo…have you tried 50% for that? You’re doing great, keep it up!
joelnal – You’re off to a great start! To me it’s easier to think of the muted slaps in places like measure 8 as strums instead, using a tiny bit of a down strum instead of just trying to get the slap by dropping the hands on the strings. This helps to stay a bit consistent on the volume of those. From there, it’s just small adjustments to get the notes in the melody to have less buzz here and there. You’re doing an awesome job!
ukealori – That was amazing for your first chord melody! They are challenging to get used to for sure! It seems like the only spot that’s giving you timing issues is the chorus, so I would just loop that section at this speed (or even slightly slower) until you no longer hesitate on it, and then you’re all set! Thank you for entering the challenge, your first video turned out great!
chiaracasella – Great job on this…it is not an easy song by any means! You did a wonderful job keeping up with the tempo as well! There are a few spots that you might benefit from playing slower just to get the notes in time (mainly 1:24), but this was impressive over all! I think going into the synth solo sounded just fine there, as well. Well done!
riley_ukulele – You played this one very well! Very nicely done, and with a good feel! My only suggestion is to play the whole song a bit slower for the synth solo to be a bit easier to manage without pausing, and keep up the great work on the guitar solo…I know it’s tough. Wonderful job, keep it up!
sarahd – Very nicely done on your first post! You are playing the notes very well and you have a good understanding of the rhythm. It’s now just a matter of getting comfortable with the shifts in riff 3, and working out hesitations on transitions between other sections. Keep it up, you’re doing a great job!
seoulkim – You are playing great on this one! Your strums are very natural, and you are getting a clean sound out of the notes. It seems like you play something great on one repeat, and then let the same spot trick you on another…it might help to practice this one slower until you are super consistent and then bringing it back to this speed. Keep up the great work!
biancak – That was very smooth – great timing and feel throughout the whole piece. If you had more time this month, I’d recommend a more challenging piece for you 🙂 That sounded excellent!
givingtree89 – You’re doing great so far! Have you tried incorporating strumming into riff 3? If you watch the arrangement, Matt starts strumming there, and it gives the arrangement more power. From there it’s just working on the transitions within the chorus without adding hesitations. You’re off to a nice start, keep it up!
concan – That sounded quite nice! Even with having to slide a bit extra to avoid extreme stretches, you still managed to play this arrangement with a great sound and great timing. Very nicely played!
karenj – I think your version sounded quite nice, and is not deserving of the treament you described, although that was a nice play on the title of the song. You played very well, there are just a few hesitations on the chorus to work through. For now, playing the whole song at 75% of this speed will give you the space to keep the shifts in time. You’re doing a great job!
Here is everyone on page 7 that has not gotten feedback earlier:
marianne – You are doing a great job on this one with all of the different techniques and melodies! On the chorus, you are changing the rhythm slightly by adding an extra beat. In measures 19 and 23, listen to the rhythm to get the Am7 strums to be on the upbeat rather than on the down beat. Once you get this rhythm down, the song will flow smoother. You’re doing great, keep it up!
mademoiselleannette – I like that you made the metal sign near the beginning, that was perfect! You’ve got the notes down and are doing a good job with the rhythm, now it’s time to develop your strumming technique a bit more. This arrangement has some fast strums that really requires the ability to strum 16th notes at this speed in order to reset your hand for all of the down strums. One way you can develop this is just by strumming 8th notes up and down (dudududu)starting at 120 beats per minute and working gradually up to a faster speed (240 bpm) so that your hand is used to moving this fast with control. You’re off to a great start! This takes time to develop, but it’s worth it!
lhamilton – You are playing this one well over all. You understand the rhythms and you know the notes. My main suggestion is to focus on how you’re strumming the part at measure 18. In order to play this part faster, use small controlled wrist motions. You can also use the “triplet strum” technique if that is easier. If you watch how Andrew does it, the way he is holding the ukulele with his wrist more straightened allows him to use a bit more of the arm to aid him in the strum rather than relying on the wrist joint. Once you figure out a way to get that part up to speed, you’ve got it! You’re doing great!
timolnz – You’ve got the notes down, and every note sounds clear! Now it’s time to tighten up the rhythm a bit in the intro and in measure 12. In measure 12, you are adding a slight hesitation from the first strum to the 2nd. Then at the very beginning, try playing this part to a metronome to keep each note in time. Once you get the timing here, the song will flow smoother. You’re doing great, keep it up!
richard_siegert – The strumming is sounding good, you have a nice relaxed feel with the right hand that helps that section flow smoothly. The main thing to work on now is the transition from the fingerpicking part to the strumming section and back without hesitating. I would practice playing one repeat of the intro and going right to the strumming with a metronome at a slightly slower speed to work on getting the transition in time. Then you can bring the song back up to the speed you are currently playing at. Keep up the great work!
johanna2509 – Awesome job on this one! I think you’re doing a great job with the barre chord, and you have a great feel in spite of that chord. The main thing to work on is not hesitating when moving from the fingerpicking to the strummed section. Try playing along with a metronome to get that transition smoother, and then you’re all set!
henri0 – That was great, and you played it very fast! My only suggestion is to work a bit more on the fast lick at 0:57. I would rather play the whole song a touch slower and really nail those hard spots with a clear sound. Excellent job getting this one down!
gstriph – You have the notes down and did a great job working through the piece! Now you are ready to add a metronome or play along to Matt using the Tab Play Along at 70% speed. Once you have an aid to help you with the rhythm, I think you’ll start to internalize the groove. Keep up the great work!
bemarlie – You are off to a great start on this tough piece! One small tweak to make on the intro is to make sure you are only moving from the 7th fret to the 8th fret halfway through the measure. It sounds like you might be moving up to the 9th fret each time. Aside from this, I think now’s a good time to add a metronome at a slower tempo than you are currently playing this at to get a feel for the timing in certain sections. You could also try the Tab Play Along at 50% speed instead. You’re doing a great job, keep it up!
riberbula – Very nicely played! You have a great sense of rhythm, and you played wonderfully…especially for less than a month of playing! I recommend plucking a bit softer, especially during “The Avatar’s Love.” Towards the very end you played with less force and it would sound great to play like that throughout the piece. Keep up the great work!
ukandrea – You are doing a great job getting all of the notes and much of the rhythms! Now it’s time to work on getting a smoother, more connected sound, especially at the part between 0:20 and 0:30. Evan is leaving his fingers down longer on the shifts in these sections, and is sometimes even sliding between them rather than leaving space between them. Try to have the notes sustain a little longer even if you don’t slide between these. You’re doing a great job, this will just add a nice touch to what you are already doing well!
barbecueblack – Great job on this one, I know it has some challenging spots! Over all, you are staying in time fairly well, and your playing sounds great! There are a few measures, mostly in the chorus, where you are changing the rhythm slightly. You are either adding a few extra notes/beats (in measure 19), or cutting a tied note a bit short like in measure 14. These are slight things to fix, and that’s about it. Great job!
misterbones – That was a very fast take, and well played! I think I heard some triplet strums thrown in, and a nice take on the ending among other things. I enjoyed your rendition!
richard_siegert – You are doing very well so far! Keep working it up to speed and working out hesitations between sections and shifts. You’re playing great so far!
hiloukes – Very nicely done! You had a very nice sound and relaxed feel throughout the piece. Now that you have the notes and rhythms down, you can try adding dynamic swells into the piece to add some more emotional depth. On “The Avatar’s Love,” try starting the phrases quietly, increase the volume in the middle, and bring the volume back down at the end of the phrase. From that point you can experiment with where else to try this technique. Keep up the great work!
stianukulele – You have a very nice feel and sound througout the piece. With a little more work on sliding into position for the chord at 0:57, you’ll have an excellent rendition of the piece to play for people. Very well done!
robinl – You played this one very nicely! Your timing and sound were very nice! My only suggestion for this is on “The Avatar’s Love,” you may want to pluck just a tiny bit lighter on the first pattern to get it to match how you play the 2nd pattern. Great job on this one!
wongbrown – Great job on the notes and chords on this one! You’re playing great, there’s just one little thing about the rhythm to change: The 8th notes are played in a swing rhythm (long, short), which affects a lot of the notes in the verse. Once you apply that feel to this song, it will have a much bouncier/jazzier feel that gives the original it’s vibe. You’re doing great, just add this feel and you’ve got it!
concan – You are off to an excellent start! Now that you have the notes down, try adding a metronome at the speed you are able to play the second part. Then slowly build up the tempo and after reaching the speed you play the first part at, play the whole song with the metronome. Keep up the great work, you’re doing great on the notes and techniques!
nthibode – I can tell you really enjoy this piece: your feel, the notes, and your playing are great, and you were even swaying to the music. I really like hearing this one at this more relaxed tempo as well. Have you tried doing it at the tempo even plays it at? Now that you have it this smooth, try it a bit faster for fun. Wonderful job on this one!
richo_uke – Very nicely done! I’ll address the concerns you have: a) one way to remember these melodies is to practice humming and singing them while listening to the performance from Matt. This will give you a head start even before working on the piece. b) I think you did a great job playing the 3 strings one after another. I’m not sure if there’s much advice to give other than to practice each technique until it feels more natural. This just takes a certain amount of repetition. Keep up the great work!
ukule_lise – Your voice sounds great on this song! Your playing sounds great as well: you have very solid timing, and the notes were very clear. Just work a bit extra on that shift for the key change, and you’ve got it! That was a nice collaboration, video edited production, and performance!
henri0 – Very nice job on this! You played it even faster than the original, and got every note! I have a small suggestion to try: When playing the melody notes at the ends of the measures, rather than plucking with one finger, Andrew is actually continuing to strum even for the individual notes. Both ways work fine, but it might keep a smoother flow to continue to strum. At the very least, it’s worth a try for a different perspective. Keep up the great work, you played this very well!
brettboy – I’m very impressed with your singing! Very good job putting it all together, too. It sounds like the intonation or tuning on one of the ukuleles is a tiny bit out, but your playing was good. There are a few spots in the solo and under one or two parts while singing to practice a bit more, but you are well on your way, it just seems like a matter of familiarizing yourself with a few shifts. I enjoyed the special guest at the end. Nicely done!
sylus9 – You’re off to a great start: You have the notes, now it’s time to add where multiple notes are being played at the same time: In “The Avatar’s Love,” measure 14 has an open C string at the same time as the 1st fret on the E string. The idea here is to play through both strings with your thumb so that you hear both notes ring out. After you add all of the places this idea occurs, it’s time to go back through and work on the rhythm. You’re doing a great job, keep it up!
terryfallon3 – You’ve got the notes down, now you’re ready to go back in and work on each section at a slow tempo with the rhythm. One option is to play along with the tab player at 50% to %75 to hear how the song flows, and break it up into 2 or 4 measure sections to feel the rhythm of each phrase. Keep up the great work!
kirpuff – Wow! That was very impressive: Your singing was great, you did very well on the solo, and the violin was a nice touch! There are a couple of spots in the solo to keep smoothing out, but you executed the rhythms and nuances very well. Thank you for stepping out of your comfort zone, you sounded great!
robinboyd – Bravo! That was a great collaboration, and I can tell it took a lot of work to get the harmony vocal parts as well as working on the playing portion. I think recording it to a metronome would help a bit, but it’s hard to do in that context without headphones. Very cool idea, and to collaborate with lyndallk was a great idea! Thank you for sharing.
lyndallk – Such a great idea to collaborate, this one turned out great! You had the extra challenge of matching your tempo with Robin’s almost rubato feel, and you did a great job of staying with him while executing some difficult passages! It seems like there are 2 spots with lots of hammer ons and pull offs such as 2:18 to 2:20 that you might require a bit more work to keep the flow smooth and even, but over all, that was an excellent performance!
jonathan_gabel – You played this very well, getting all of the notes cleanly and keeping a rather quick pace! My only suggestion is to work on the parts where you pluck individual notes (such as 0:24). You have the notes there, but they sound slightly rushed. It’s a very small detail, but getting those notes with a comfortable feel will keep the flow of the song consistent. From there, there is one spot towards the end of the bridge that might be causing you to hesitate slightly, but yet again these are very slight things. Over all, this was a great performance!
effortless – Your rhythm and playing was very nice from start to finish on this! It sounds to me like you might be cutting certain notes short that Matt sustained. It still works well like this, but it might be worth working towards an even more legato (smooth and connected) style all of the way through the piece. You did a great job, this is just a suggestion based on Matt’s version.
turkgoose – You are doing a great job on this! One section I would spend a bit of extra time on is measure 18. That jump up to the Gadd9 is rather difficult, so start by practicing the chord itself and then work from measure 17 through 18. There are a few other spots here and there to work out some hesitations, but you have a great concept of the rhythm, and a smooth flow to the song. Keep it up!
shmu88 – Excellent performance! You kept the rhythm very precise, and somehow managed to get so much of the nuanced slides and pull offs! There was only one shift at about 0:43 where there was a slight hesitation on the transition. If you can get that section to be slightly more legato rather than staccato, that will stand out in an impressive way! Great job on this one!
mr_zarf – You are doing a very good job, especially as a beginner! The main part to work on is from 0:21 to 0:31. If you practice this part with a metronome at a slower but steady speed, it will help you to get these shifts in time without the slight hesitation. Once you get them slowly, gradually build the tempo up to full speed. Keep up the great work!
bibilele – Very nicely played! Each section was super close to spot on, with one or two spots in “The Avatar’s Love” to work on. You seemed to have it right on the second half of the song, so I recommend playing it several times to be able to play it consistently from the start. Great job on getting a clean sound and smooth/connected feel throughout!
clempek – You are off to a great start! The first 2 themes sound great! Now it’s time to get the transitions in between the measures of “The Avatar’s Love” without as much space. If you continue at your current speed or slightly slower, but with a metronome, you can train your hand to get from the pattern at measure 15 into 16 without hesitating. Keep it up, you’re doing great!
andrewvh – This one is very challenging! You’re doing great so far, it sounds like practicing 0:35 to 0:43 at a slower tempo and gradually speeding up will help a lot, as well as spending a bit of time on the ending. You’re well on your way, keep it up!
bethany_guardiani – Great playing, and your video editing with the 2nd camera angle was a nice touch! It seems like measure 8 – 10 is the tricky part: several people are hesitating on the larger shifts up the neck. If you play along with a metronome at a slower speed or with the Tab Play Along at 50% – %75 speed, it can really help train you to get the shifts in time. You’ve got the notes down, so you’re getting close! Great job!
stefanic10 – You’ve got the notes down, now it’s time to work on the rhythm. Try playing along with the tab play along at 50% to get the feel for how long to stay on certain notes and how to transition through the different sections. If you need help understanding the written rhythms, there is a section in the course: An Introduction to Reading Standard Notation that can help. Keep working on it, you’re doing great!
marlongas – You have a very nice flow and sound on this one! Your timing was good throughout as well. My one suggestion is to work on getting a bit more volume and definition out of the melody in a few places…mainly just the note before the Gadd9 in measure 18. I know this is a very small suggestion, as your performance was excellent on this one!
debb1985 – Very nice job on the singing as well as the playing! I’m glad you stepped out of your comfort zone and shared your voice with us as well as the baritone ukulele performance. It’s hard to play without the vocals on top, so if you can in certain parts of the piece, try to hear the melody with it in your head to know where to change the phrasing. You’re doing great, you sound like you’re almost ready to play and sing at the same time!
ukulelee – For a headless ukulele performance, that was great! You have a great tone, sound, and overall flow to the different parts of this song. On measures 7 and 8, listen to how Matt plays the rhythms for the slides in the measures. What you are playing there is very close, but there’s a subtle difference in where he slides (especially in measure 8). Keep up the great work!
Here’s everyone on page 8 and page 9
mademoiselleannette – Wonderful job on this one! You are playing all of the notes and rhythms very well with good technique over all. My only suggestion is to work on having less space before the thumb downstrums. Right now it seems like there is a noticeable pause before each one, which you might be doing for effect, but having slightly less space there will help the song flow a bit smoother. Keep up the great work!
dividedsky – That was a very impressive performance! Your dynamics in addition to the gentle feel throughout were perfect for this song. I like how you started the phrases quietly and swelled into each phrase gradually. Very well done!
myukemylife – You are playing the notes very well. Now it’s time to work out the hesitations when shifting chord shapes. The best way to do this is to play the song slightly slower with a metronome, choosing a section like measure 6-9. The goal is to get the strums in time with as little empty space before them as possible. You’re doing great, keep it up!
lhamilton – Very cool rendition! I liked the artificial harmonic section you added. Where did you get that idea? Very nice relaxed tempo and great feel. My only suggestion is to make sure not to cut any of the sustained notes shorter than their half note duration. If you are playing freely, you can make them slightly longer, but shorter can interrupt the flow. You only did this a couple of times, so it didn’t detract from anything, it’s just a suggestion to help the relaxed feel of the song. Wonderful job on this!
wongbrown – You are doing a great job! If the tempo feels too fast, I always recommend playing it at a more comfortable tempo and keeping the rhythm and tempo steady. Maybe 75% of the speed you played it at would be easier. If you had done that, I’m sure you would have kept the tempo constant and the groove strong. Great job on this, keep it up!
ramiro – Great work on keeping the tempo steady. That’s definitely the trick to this one, and if you have to make a choice, sacrificing notes for keeping the rhythm is the one to make! One thing within the rhythm to work on is at about 6 seconds, making sure to get the muted strums cleanly in time. It’s easy to rush through those, but keeping them at a steady pace makes the groove stronger. Keep it up, you’re doing a great job!
concan – This one is tricky, and you are doing a good job! The hardest part of this is to play the hammer on/pull offs with the correct timing: each note within beat 4 of measure 6 is a 16th note, which means the open note is as long as the note that is hammered on. I recommend playing this figure slowly and working on giving each note the same duration. It takes having a lot of control with the hammer on, but you can do it! Keep up the great work!
johanna2509 – Very nicely played! It’s very hard to have every single note ring out on such a long piece, and there were very few notes with any buzz. You did a great job on sustaining the notes and maintaining the right feel for the song (legato and mellow). At this point, try experimenting with volume swells in the middle of phrases to help the song “come alive.” You are doing an excellent job!
gstriph – You’re doing a great job so far. You have the notes down, and the overall feel of the song. Try playing it a bit slower with a metronome to see if you can keep the timing consistent all the way through the song. There are a few places where you are hesitating, and doing this should fix that. Keep going, you’re doing great!
lbilkie – I’m glad you posted this one anyway, you’re doing great! With a little more time, you will memorize the different parts and work through all of the hesitations. The notes are there, the strums are there, it’s just a matter of getting the muscle memory up to par. Keep going, you’re almost there!
kittycatlin – You’re doing a great job so far. I think your cat may have distracted you when they got up, but if not, spend just a bit more time getting the last part of measure B under your fingers. Everything else is sounding great, keep up the good work!
misskika – Awesome job on this one! Your tempo was super steady, the notes were clear, and you managed to get all of the percussive parts! My only suggestion is to put a little more weight into your hand on the muted strums to accent the percussive quality, and drum a bit harder on the slaps as well. This way it will sound more like imitating the drums while playing the ukulele. You’re doing an excellent job, keep it up!
robinboyd – I love the duet! Tiffany’s rhythm was solid, holding the groove steady the entire time, and you played the melody very smoothly over all! I think the B section is tough to play even at that tempo. In order to play that at full speed as a duet, it may be a good idea for you to work the melody up with a metronome (make sure it is set to 5/4 or doesn’t have a different sound for beat one)until you can play it slightly faster than full tempo so that it’s comfortable at full speed. You are both playing wonderfully!
lildevil – Great job on this! The tempo is very solid on this take, and it grooves nicely! If you want to, now is the time to work it up to speed. Awesome job on this one!
bibilele – You are doing a great job on this one! You have the notes, chords, and rhythms down. For performing, sometimes it helps me to breathe along and even sing along with the song. This reminds me to take breaths, which helps to lessen performance anxiety. Playing wise, for effect you can strum the chords with Fermatas over them slower to add to the emotion of the piece. Keep up the great work!
biancak – You have a very nice flow and feel on this song. At 0:42 seconds, you may want to play this a bit more to practice a natural ritardando that is gradual but even to match how well you flow on the rest of the song, but otherwise, that was a flawless performance. Very well done!
malku2603 – Very nicely done! You have a good sound, and know the notes and the rhythms very well. There is one spot where you are adding a note: On measure 3 of the piece, it sounds like you are hitting an extra note on the A string after strumming the chord. Double check that rhythm, and you’ve got it down. You are doing a great job!
ccwuke – This one is tricky, and you are off to a great start! On measures 4-6, there is so much complexity in just those measures: the slide in measure 5 (4/5) is not quite as quick: each note is an 8th note with the slide happening after truly playing the 4th fret note. After getting that rhythm, then listen to the way Matt accents the melody. Certain notes being played a bit louder helps strengthen the feel. Keep it up, you’re off to a great start!
akukes73 – You are off to a great start! Before speeding it up, I recommend playing it at a slow enough tempo to get the flow and the hand shifts in time smoothly. As far as hands staying close to the neck, I think you are doing a great job. Some of this just comes naturally with time as you play more, where your hands figure out how to be just close enough to not get in the way. Practicing scales and chord shapes regularly may help a bit as well. You’re doing a very good job, keep it up!
morrieuke1 – Very nice job on this one! Your playing is very clean on this one. Keep up the great work!
clempek – Excellent job, and congratulations on your first challenge entry! You have the notes and rhythms now, so here’s some performance tips: to get the piece to flow smoothly, try breathing with the song and possibly even humming along with the melody. The pauses should feel more natural when you do this, and slowing down gradually for certain spots is easier when you connect your breathing to it. Keep going, you’re doing great!
robinl – Great work getting all of the notes with a good feel and sense of the rhythm. Now you can exaggerate the dynamics to add more of an emotional depth to what you are playing. Try starting the phrases quietly, gradually plucking louder in the middle of the phrases, and coming back down in volume at the end of the phrase. It already sounds wonderful as it is, but it’s worth trying.
ukandrea – Wow! I love that you added piano in there, too! The playing was great! I would recommend making the melody a bit louder on this…especially on the B melody. Keep up the great work!
aloooy – Excellent job on this! Your tone, rhythm, and clean execution were all great! Way to go on picking the road less traveled song wise and performing it well!
cncamacho – You are off to a great start. A little bit more work on the shifts in measures 6-8 and you’ve got it. Then just keep working on making the sections as legato as possible. Keep going, your doing a very good job!
misterbones – Very nicely played! You had a good sense of the groove and played very cleanly. Keep up the great playing!
katazumiri – I love that you added the bass ukulele in there. Great job, and I like that you played it at a speed you are comfortable at. Now you are ready to bring the speed up. Awesome job on this one!
patparr – You are playing the notes very cleanly, and you have the general idea of the rhythm. You tend to rush just a tiny bit towards the ends of phrases on certain sections, so I recommend playing the song a bit slower with a metronome to work on locking in with the tempo. You’re almost there, just a bit more work and you’ll have the groove down solid.
bethany_guardiani – You kept a very good feel/sense of timing througout and played the notes very well. Try to figure out which sections give you the most shifting issues and muted strings, and isolate those parts until you can hit them with accuracy 4x in a row. This will give you more confidence on the full play throughs that you will be able to comfortably get through those sections smoothly. You’re doing great, keep it up!
Daniel,
Your playing sounds great! There are just a few places to work on some transitions: practice the intro and the spots where you go higher on the neck a tiny bit more, and you have a great performance. If you practice these spots with a focus on hand position slowly, you can play with less or no buzz consistently. Keep up the great work.
robinboyd – Great job on this one! Just a few spots left to clean up, and you’re there! If you had played it just a touch slower, I think you could have gotten those spots cleanly. Keep up the great work, you are super close now!
akukes73 – You’re off to a great start. It sounds like you have most of the notes down, now it’s time to tackle those tricky rhythms! I would start with playing Melody C a tad bit slower to get those shifts down a bit smoother. Then I would go back to the beginning of the piece and give the rhythm in the first few measures a close look. It looks simple, but the rhythm is very syncopated. Give the first measure a closer look/listen, and check out how the rhythm flows. It’s not an easy song, but you’re doing great. Keep it up!
concan – Great job on this one! Santa Fe is definitely a huge step up in difficulty from this tune. You played this one flawlessly. Great job for learning it so quickly! My only suggestion on this one is to make sure your left hand wrist isn’t bent at too much of an angle. Check out the lessons on form in the beginner course if you need extra help with this.
andrewvh – Very nice job on this one! Your rhythm was spot on, and you had a nice flow to the song. There might be one or two spots towards the end of the piece where it’s hard to transition in time on chord shapes, but other than working a bit more on the shifts, you’re doing wonderfully! Great job!
celia21 – Very nicely done. You are getting all the notes and are switching fairly comfortably between strumming and plucking. My only suggestion is to work on the transition from the strumming section to the plucking section a tiny bit more by isolating the 2 measures where the transition happens. Play a little bit slower, but keep the momentum to work on the accuracy and timing of the first notes back into the plucked section. Once you have that transition, you’ve got the piece down. Great work on this one!
santai – I like that you played this one at a comfortable pace. There are a few spots at the ending where the notes may not be exactly what you wanted, but your feel and pacing was great! There was one spot in melody B that sounded like you hesitated just slightly, but overall, you’ve got it! I suggest practicing melody C a bit more on those few tricky measures, but then you’ve got it and it’s ready to gradually work it up to tempo. Great job!
taylor22jane – Nice job on this one! You are so close on the riff in melody B, and you did great on the rhythms throughout! In melody C, you are very close to having the consistency down. If you had played the strumming sections at the tempo you played the first part, I’m sure both of those parts would have been spot on. Keep up the great work!
emiliano – Your feel and the energy you bring to this one is great! There are a few slight things to work on: The rhythm at the very beginning of the song is slightly different: The last plucked chord is one 16th note later than where you are playing it. It’s a very subtle difference, but it creates a slightly different sound. Give it a close listen, and try playing along with Andrew’s performance at 50% to 75% speed and you will hear how it’s just slightly later. Then in the strummming, there are a few places in Melody C that playing at a much slower tempo and working on accuracy will go a long way. Keep up the great playing, your energy is great!
brettboy – You did a wonderful job on this song! The rhythm is very syncopated and specific, and you recreated it very well, especially in the first 40 seconds of the piece. It seems like around that point, some tricky finger pattern may have caused a slight hesitation, but otherwise, the first half was near perfect! On the C Melody, around 1:29 it seems you might be missing part of the rhythm…possibly even leaving out a whole beat here and there, but oover all you have this challenging piece down. Great job, Brett!
tsetsova – Very nicely played! You have each section down, and your timing was great. I think you are ready for a harder song, although Santa Fe’s rhythm is quite challenging. You definitely played this one very well.
isabelm – Awesome job getting your parents to perform this one with you! You all played it very well and stayed fairly in time with each other. Are you playing a baritone ukulele? I think the notes are different, but it sounds nice as every note is a 4th away. Very nicely done.
lhamilton – You are doing an excellent job of getting the rhythms on all of the sections. Now it’s just working on a few tricky quick single note spots: 0:39 to 0:43, and around 1:06. It seems like playing the whole song a tiny bit slower might allow you to have the time to play these sections a bit cleaner until you work them up to full speed. Keep up the great work!
bethany_guardiani – Very cool idea to make this a duet! The first half was spot on, and when you switched parts it seemed to get slightly out of sync. You did a great job of pulling it together by the end, and the notes you chose to walk down worked very well for the ending. For not having an initial count in, you did a wonderful job of starting in time. Keep it up, you did great!
bibilele – Very nicely played, your rhythm and the notes sounded great! On the middle section, I noticed you were reaching your thumb over the neck. I think you were doing this to mute the G string and stop it from ringing out, but it puts an angle on your wrist that could eventually cause wrist pain if you play in that form too often. I suggest using your index finger if you need extra help keeping that string muted so that you can keep proper form with the left hand. Great job on this one!
effortless – You are off to a great start on this one! There are a few tricky things about the rhythm in this one, and one is keeping the first few notes of the measure evenly spaced. Right now, you are playing the first 2 notes of each measure at the start slightly too close together, when the first 4 notes are evenly spaced 8th notes. It can be hard to evenly space the notes when you are hitting the first one with the thumb, but I think it might be that you are hearing the rhythm slightly differently than Andrew is playing it. Try playing along with the tab player at 50-75% speed and match your playing to his. Other than that and a little bit more work on the other sections, you are well on your way! Keep it up!
maryjanew – Great job on this one! You’ve got the notes memorized, and you are playing them accurately. My only suggestion to make it even better is to keep the same tempo from the first section to the second section. The first section uses 8th notes, which go by exactly twice as fast as the quarter note strums. Try patting your foot throughout the song, and even playing along with the performance video to get this shift without rushing the timing. It’s a small detail, but it helps a lot. It especially helps if you want to jam/perform with other players. Keep up the great work!
lisamcc – You are doing a great job with the notes, and you seem to know the rhythm pretty well. The next step is keeping the tempo fairly consistent. There are certain single note spots that you would play even better if you kept the tempo of the whole song at the speed you started at or slightly slower. I think the excitement of the strummed section caused you to get faster and faster until the end, making it really hard to keep up with the single note sections. Have you tried playing this one with a metronome at a slower tempo? This might help. That being said, your strumming at the faster speed is quite impressive! Keep it up, you’re getting close!
mademoiselleannette – Excellent job! The rhythm and the notes were spot on and each one sounded cleanly. My only suggestion now is to look at your left hand form on the first section of the piece. It seems like you are twisting your wrist slightly, but when you go into the strummed section, your form is much better. Try keeping your hand more in that position with the wrist a bit straighter on the first section. It doesn’t affect the sound, but over time, playing with your form slightly off could cause wrist pain. Wonderful job on this one!
shmu88 – Very nicely done! It seems like you just have a few slight spots to work up to speed. With less practice time, it might help to record the song a bit slower than normal and really nail the different sections rather than go for full speed and stumble slightly. This helps to build muscle memory as well, so that when you have time to speed it up, it’s easier at that point. Keep up the great work, that was excellent!
Here’s everyone on page 9:
willymac – Very nicely played. Your rhythm, harmonics, and dynamics were great on this one! The only thing left to do is get it up to Matt’s speed. You have everything else down very nicely.
gstriph – You are doing a great job with the notes and techniques. Now you are ready to play along to a metronome or the tab player at a slower speed to work out any rhythms and hesitations. Having something to keep track of the timing helps you to know where you hesitate for certain chord shapes and passages you aren’t as comfortable with. You’re doing a wonderful job, keep it up!
morrieuke1 – Great job, and this sounds wonderful with the low G! It adds a nice balance to the melody, as it had when I wrote it on piano. You really did a great job on the ending as well. I’m glad you enjoyed learning my song, you played it very well. Cheers!
aksiomatic – Excellent job! Your timing, feel, tone, and speed were great! There’s not really much to add to it unless you want to experiment with adding dynamic swells for different sections to bring the listener in and give the song some extra emotion. Very well played!
karenj – I love the light up ukulele in a dark room, that was a very cool effect! That ukulele does have a bit of an intonation issue on the higher notes, but your playing sounded great! It’s hard to be as expressive on a plastic ukulele, so I would love to hear it on a wooden one, but all things considered, you played very well…and the visual effect was worth it!
kanae926 – Great job on this one, it can be extrordinarily difficult not to jump the gun, but you successfully stayed with it. One thing that helps for me and makes it a little easier to not overthink it is to sway a bit with the rhythm while I’m playing so that my body is helping me keep time and connect with the track more directly. Sometimes this can help dynamics be correct as well, as if you are moving with the song, you are less likely to hit a note harder than intended. You’re playing was great on this, and I love the tone you have on that ukulele!
hibiscus – You’re doing very well, especially for your first challenge! As far as holding the ukulele, it’s a bit tricky to stabilize the soprano ukuleles…one thing that helps is to use a strap. I prefer the tenor size so that I can partially rest the body of the ukulele on my leg in the case of not having a strap. Try reviewing some of the beginner course lessons on form to see if they help you with this. As far as stage fright, there’s something about recording that is even more anxiety provoking than playing in front of a crowd. One thing that helps is recording until you get a take you’re ok with, and recording a few after knowing that you already have one you’re ok with…then there’s less pressure and it’s usually easier to play at that point. Your playing is great, keep it up and you’ll work out all of the hesitations. Great job!
andrewvh – You are off to a great start! It seems like you have most of the notes and shapes down, there’s just the occasional string getting muted by either not pushing down hard enough or an extra finger touching the string in the first half. The upstrums with the thumb are a bit difficult, and I recommend using your right hand pointer finger to get less of the thumbnail sound, or working on getting a very consistent use of the right pressure and speed with the thumb. Matt is excellent at it, but it really takes a lot of work to have that finesse with the thumb. Keep up the good work!
akukes73 – Very nicely done! You had a great feel throughout most of the piece, and did a wonderful job on the first half! From 1:10 to the end of the piece, just spend a bit more time with the hammer ons and pull offs, and getting into the strummed B7 in measure 29. As far as the harmonics at the end, touch very lightly over the fret itself, making sure your finger isn’t slanted and accidentally muting any of the strings. If you were performing in front of an audience, don’t repeatedly attempt the harmonics, just let it go, and if you want to play a normal chord at the end instead of harmonics, that works too. Keep up the great work, you’re 90% there!
patparr – You are doing well on the notes and harmonics, and if you revisit this song later, it’s time to work on the rhythm. I recommend slowing the tab player to 50% speed and playing along with it to help feel the pulse of the song. You’re off to a great start, keep it up!
marianne – Very nice job on this one! You captured the feel very nicely, played with a great tone, and demonstrated the various techniques in the piece very well. Great use of vibrato, slides, and hammer ons/pull offs. Keep up the great work!
isabelm – Great job on this song! Your rhythm is very strong even on the more complicated passages. It seems like you paused a little bit right at the end, so just working out that slight hesitation, and you are all set! Very well played!
tsetsova – That was wonderful! I’m amazed that you’ve only been playing for such a short time. You played the whole piece, and especially the harmonics, very cleanly! My only suggestion is to play just a tiny bit slower to give your mind a chance to remember the next parts of the song. This will help to work out any hesitations that happen. Excellent job, keep up the great work!
debb1985 – You are doing a great job so far! Everything sounds great, now it’s time to work on shifting smoothly to the chords in measures 28 and 29. Once you get those shifts, you’re there! Great playing on this one!
allesyone – Wonderful job on this song! You have the notes and rhythms down, and you also knew which notes to accent to keep the pulse and feel of the song very clear. Your phone sounded fine, but an external microphone might help with the occasional buzzing. Keep up the great playing!
kelsey91 – I love that you played this for your nephew, that is very sweet. You are doing a great job on this one, especially by playing it from memory! There are just a few spots like 0:15 in where certain chord shapes are taking just a tiny bit too long to get to. This is a small detail, but it’s just enough to interrupt the flow of the song. Have you tried playing the song with a metronome at a slightly slower speed? This might help your mind and fingers get used to having to shift just a tiny bit ahead of time. You are doing a great job, keep it up.
addilein – Great job on this one! Your playing and timing sound wonderful! There are a few things you could do when a melody note ends up on the low G…here’s one example: At the end of the piece (1:02) into the song, replace the E7 up strum with a single G# on the 2nd string (4th fret). There might be a way to still use chords voiced a bit differently instead of individual notes, but hopefully that helps for now. Keep up the great playing!
antotonin – Great playing on this one, you did a very good job with the rhythm and getting all of the notes. When you strum the G5 chord in measure 15, try muting the A string with either the bottom of your fretting hand pinky, or using your ring finger to make sure the A string is silent. Then the only thing left is to wait for the upbeat in measure 22 after strumming the G chord. It’s hard to tell, but the chord is a dotted quarter note (one and a half beats in length). With those two small changes, you’ve got the song performance ready! I’m glad that you liked the song, you played it very well!
amylilley – You are off to a great start! You have the notes and a general idea of the rhythm. After you get more comfortable with each part, go back through slowly and count the rhythms as you play. There are a few parts near the beginning of the song with some variations on the rhythm that add to the song. Keep going, you’re doing great!
brettboy – Great job! Who knew that my song would be the perfect sound track for your nap? I enjoyed the video, and you are playing the song well! At the end, in measure 22, try leaving a bit more space between the chord and the individual notes for effect. It’s hard to see on the music, but the G chord is actually held out for a beat and a half in addition to the ritardando. To me, the pause there makes a nice effect and keeps the dreamy vibe. Keep up the great playing!
morrieuke1 – You are doing a great job on this one! It seems like a tiny bit of work on getting the pull off in measure 26 to be just a touch louder and to get the whole verse 2 just a bit more legato, and that’s all that’s left to work on. Very well done!
wongbrown – Great job on this one, you have a nice flow through most of the piece. At the 2nd verse, there are a few measures like measure 26 that you can work on playing smoothly through, then go back and play that whole section (verse 2) with a slightly more consistent tempo. Try playing that section with a metronome smoothly to keep the flow of the song consistent first, then go back through it with a slightly more rubato feel. Keep up the great work!
andrewvh – Nicely done! My main suggestion on this would be to work through verse 2 at a slower tempo with the goal of playing that section much more legato (smooth with less space between notes). Doing this at lower speeds will allow you to hear wear you tend to cut the notes short. Measure 26 is one area that’s tricky for many. Spend extra time on that measure and then try playing the whole song just a bit slower than where you currently are. You’re doing a wonderful job! Keep it up!
surrealflea – I’m so glad that you are able to play again! I’m glad your finger is healing. You’re playing is very nice on this one, and the only thing I would work on is keeping a steady tempo as you go through. It’s easy to rush through certain passages and notes that are held out longer, so keep a steady count as you play at first. Try going through with a metronome to get the timing down, and then play it more rubato after really feeling confident on what the rhythms are. Keep up the great work, and keep healing!
lhamilton – Very nice job on this one! The pausing sounds very intentional, so it works for the most part and almost adds a nice effect to the song. However, if you intend to not pause, try playing the whole piece a bit slower to keep the tempo/feel consistent. You are doing a great job!
rickeymike – You did a very good job playing and singing on this one. I’m not sure about the mic, but it’s very possible that it tries to compress the sound and keep it at a uniform volume. On the intro of the song, I think you played a very cool rhythm, and you managed to change it into 4/4, but the original keeps a waltz feel even through the intro. Try playing along with Matt and the slowed down tab player, and practice counting through this as well. You’re playing very well keep it up!
joe150 – You get a very good sound out of each note, and your tone is very nice on this one. You have the notes down, so now it’s time to work through the rhythm. I would start with just the intro. Practice counting through this one slowly, then try playing along with Matt on the tab player at 50% speed. Then try the same thing with the next section. You’re off to a great start, keep it up!
funtime2018 – You’re doing a great job on this. There are a few places to work on the rhythm: in measure 6, there’s less time between the last note of meaure 6 moving to measure 7. This rhythm happens several times throughout the piece, so if you get the first of these, it should carry over to the other ones. Try listening to that transition with the tab player to hear how it sounds. You’re off to a great start!
ukuleleloo – Very nicely played! You have a great sound and your technique is great. It sounds like there were just a few slight hesitations towards the beginning, so play through those parts to get a bit more familiar with those chord transitions. Over all, you have this piece down. Keep up the great work!
santai – You really have the feel of this arrangement down! You managed to keep a really consistent flow through most of the song. You sounded slightly less hesitant/confident in a few spots, but over all you kept that feel throughout. I recommend isolating the sections where you sound less confident and work through them until they become second nature. Wonderful feel, try keeping that feel going with that confidence even if you miss a note or two, you can almost dance to this!
b_ukes_101 – You are off to a great start! You have the notes under your fingers in most spots, so now it’s time to work on keeping an even pulse while you play. Practice playing this one to a metronome at a slower speed than you are playing here. This will help you work through hesitations and get the overall flow of the song. Then you can go back and give the piece a more rubato feel now that you are more familiar with the rhythms. Keep it up, you’re doing great!
mac1984 – I think the crickets add a lot to the song. Great playing on this one! You have a very good sense of feel and timing, and the notes are all very clear! I think playing the song just a touch slower and working a bit more on 1:12 to 1:30, and you’ve got it. Try isolating that section. Also, it looks like your action is fairly high on this ukulele, it might be making that section a bit trickier as well. Awesome job on this one!
