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Hello all,
Here’s my April challenge entry – DayDreaming. Except for THAT measure (yep, the one with the bar chord and two pull-offs in rapid succession) it’s a moderately tolerable rendition….. 😉
Sheryl
In what conditions is a humidifier necessary? I have read conflicting recomendations – some saying they are only needed in extremely dry climates, and others saying that any house running air conditioning is too dry. How can I be sure a solid wood uke won’t crack due to drying?
Thanks!Lisa – I thought that was just great! You play with verve and musicality! Sounds like music, not something mechanical (which is something I’m really working on when learning these new pieces). I really enjoyed listening — thanks! 🙂
SherylHere’s my rendition of Uke Blues for the February Challenge. (Nothing like a few repetitive triplets to make a person feel fairly uncoordinated….). Not completely happy with consistency of rhythm yet, but I do feel encouraged about what seems like a little more musicality than some earlier challenges. Looking forward to your feedback, Andrew.
Sheryl
Very nice arrangements and playing Alissa! Thanks for sharing this with the group! Happy Holidays to you!
SherylTaimane’s answers, like her amazing performances, show that her artistry is natural, organic, and self-expressive. The fresh creative expression in her playing makes her performances an experience, new for every audience.
Thank you to Taimane and Andrew!
Taimane, at your level of mastery, does it still take considerable practice time with new music to get to performance level? Seeing you perform, it seems so effortless and joyful that it’s hard to imagine you in the kind of painful repetition phase of practice I sometimes experience as a beginner.
After e-mail consultation with Andrew, I’m updating my September plan…
1. Execution – I will learn the CAGFD method chord shapes and practice them up the neck in order to improve my finger strength and ability with barre chords, as well as to improve my music theory knowledge of the ukulele.
2. Application – I will follow the steps in the CAGFD module of the Intro to Music Theory Course and repeat each shape up and back down the neck twice per practice session.
3. Evaluation – I will play Aloha Oe musically and record/post it. I will begin work on the Harmonizing in C performance piece in the lesson. (I say just begin, because I also really want to spend some time on the Magic Ukulele Waltz in this weeks lesson!)Happy practices everyone!
SherylThanks, Andrew. I’m hoping it will sound much better after my focused September challenge work on bar chords up and down the neck……and also just more time. A few distractions here in Houston over the last week. No damage for me, thankfully, but I did lose a little practice time while watching the water level in front of my temporarily lake-front house rise and recede and watching weather channel and keeping up with emptying the rain guage.
The wrist… Something about pressing that RECORD button and associated pressure seems to make my arm curl up, including the scrunched wrist you noticed. Working on relaxing.
That sweet sound is my Collings UC1K, made by Collings the guitar maker in Austin, Texas. Trying to develop some skills to do it justice! You are actually making that seem like a possibility, with your great instruction and coaching.
Thanks,
SherylHi Andrew,
As my rendition of Aloha Oe for August demonstrates, I am having some trouble in two areas — bar chords and fretting at 10 and above. For this September challenge, I want to focus on getting better sound with bar chords.
Execution – To improve how bar chords ring out at all parts of the fretboard, I will practice playing the barred D and G chords in the Aloha Oe intro and extend them up the neck.
Application – I will alternate the barred D and G chord positions, moving them up and back down the neck 20 times in each daily practice session in September.
Evaluation – I will post an updated recording of Aloha Oe with the bar chords ringing!Hi Andrew and fellow RockClass101-ers,
Well, except for all the dull sounds during barred chords and anything fret 10 and above and a few hesitations, this is Aloha Oe for my August challenge entry. I am really having trouble getting a pretty ringing sound out of the high end of the neck. Will continue to work on that, but at least I got all the way through it in the recording…
Also, this is my very first time to post a YouTube video — so let me know if you can’t see it and I’ll try again.
Sheryl
“20170830 Aug Challenge Aloha Oe”Andrew,
So many questions….. But three that are most currently on my mind…
1. When hammering on or sliding up to another note, how do you give the second note the same volume as the starting note? When I try, the second note is very weak and almost missing, which kills the musical phrase.
2. Is pulling off only a convenience and it’s always ok just to finger the note (as in your SpongeBob demo, where you indicated may be up to personal preference)? I find when i’m picking a pattern with my right hand, trying to shift to a pull off with left hand interrupts my brain and I mess up the right hand pattern….
3. Should the left hand fingers be essentially perpendicular to the neck? I find that i start out that way, but at some point end up holding the neck up on the base of my left index finger and my fingers can end up being almost parallel with the strings and neck.Thanks, and congratulations on how the website is thriving!!!!
Sheryl
Andrew,
I had trouble posting again due to file size, so I had to send my Ode to Joy entry to you via email.
For me, getting a video posted seems to be as challenging as the ukulele playing…
Thanks again for doing these challenges. The goal setting really helps getting to a better level of completeness with a piece.
Thanks,
Sheryl, aka ukukelley
