Participate in the January 2020 Member Challenge – Original Music!

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  • #34662
    Andrew
    Keymaster

    Hi Rock Class 101 Community!

    We are back with site member challenge #34! WOW, there has now been over 1,450+ members participating in our challenges! If you’ve sat on the sidelines, please join us for this month’s challenge! Challenges are a fun way to stay motivated and a great way to meet fellow ukulele players who are passionate about learning and becoming better players 🙂 And I offer feedback on ALL submissions!

    Please watch the video above and read instructions below carefully for details/instructions on this month’s challenge.

    Pick 1 from the following 5 Original Ukulele Lessons:

    1) Grace’s Lullaby * – Learn a beautiful lullaby inspired by Katie’s daughter, Grace. * Taught in its entirety for FREE!

    2) Piano & Ukulele Duet * – In this lesson, you’ll learn a breathtaking melody that’s played alongside an accompanying piano. * If you choose this, you must perform to the piano backing track.

    3) Fingerpicking Etude no. 19 – This etude will help you conquer two types of chords that are difficult to play: barre chords and stretch chords.

    4) Spanish Nights – A beautiful melody that transitions into a fierce sounding Spanish chord progression. This lesson is geared for those who wish to develop right hand rhythmic technique.

    

5) Compose Your Own Song! – Submit an instrumental or vocal composition. Your song must contain the 3 elements of music: Melody, Harmony, and Rhythm.

    ** If you need assistance with how to record yourself check out our FREE course on recording audio/video and/or private message me and I will be happy to help you out. **

    _______________

    GOALS FOR MEMBER CHALLENGE:

    1. Beginner Level: Be able to play one of the lessons as shown by Andrew smoothly and in time. Do not worry about trying to play fast; slow and steady wins the race 🙂

    Recommended Piece: Grace’s Lullaby

    2. Intermediate to Advanced Level: Be able to play the lesson as shown by Andrew smoothly, in time, and at or close to the original piece’s tempo.

    Recommended Piece (from easier to harder): Piano & Ukulele Duet, Fingerpicking Etude no. 19, Spanish Nights, or Original Composition

    3. Participation Goal: 35 Rock Class 101 Member Participant Videos/MP3 posted.

    _______________

    GROUND RULES FOR PARTICIPATION:

    1. Post your Youtube, Vimeo, or Soundcloud links of you playing 1 of the 5 Original pieces anytime between Wednesday, January 1st until Friday, January 31st, 11:59pm EST.

    The upload feature on the site only supports file sizes up to 5 MB. Members must host their own files. Creating an account is easy and free 🙂 Here are the links to create an account:

    YouTube (For Video) – https://www.youtube.com/create_channel

    SoundCloud (For Audio) – https://soundcloud.com/signin

    2. Submit individually, as a reply, IN THIS POST.

    3. Feel free to submit more than one video for the challenge, but additional videos will not count as extra entries into the raffle for the prize.

    4. Have fun and don’t be intimidated by this challenge!!! Use this challenge to help you set goals and complete them by a deadline. You can also use this as an opportunity to chat with your fellow Rock Class 101 members and share tips or tricks on this challenge that you think are useful.

    5. You must perform the entire piece to receive an entry into the prize raffle. Performance must be submitted by the deadline listed (in #1) above to gain an entry in the raffle, as well as, to receive feedback.

    * Note: In my opinion, it is better to show progress versus perfection with these challenges. So if you are a beginner and can only play the first couple of measures. That is completely ok. If you play two more measures of the next challenge piece than you did the previous one, you are on track to getting better. This is what these challenges are about… you learning ukulele and getting better. Remember we are all here to support you no matter what your current playing level is.

    _______________

    COMMON FAQs:

    1) The prize and the challenge is open to the entire world!

    2) Premium membership is NOT required to participate, but will make participation easier as it gains you complete access to the full video lessons, tabs, and the on-screen tab viewer.

    3) Basic membership (free) is required to submit a reply on this forum post. You can sign up for Basic Membership HERE.

    4) To post YouTube video links (in which they appear embedded on the forum), simply copy and paste the video URL in its own line. For example:

    YouTube URL

    _______________

    Giveaway Rules:

    There will be 2 winners, selected by random drawing on Sunday, February 2nd. To qualify to win, you must submit your audio and/or video links of your playing by the deadline listed above.

    Grand Prizes:

    1) 1 on 1 Private 60 Minute Skype Lesson with Andrew. We can work on whatever you wish!



    2) 1 on 1 Private 60 Minute Skype Lesson with Stephen. We can work on whatever you wish!

    Let’s crush this challenge!

    #34666
    surfnrz
    Member

    All great choices but “Spanish Nights” is AMAZING! I want to tackle that one! Brilliant playing Evan!

    #34668
    apblondie
    Member

    Spanish Nights is beautiful! Sadly, I’m not up to that level of playing quite yet.

    #34669
    becky7777
    Participant

    Psycho Clown Calliope Etude would be super fun to play with more effects on. Piano duet looked fun but never did it, Katie’s lulliby is sweet, Spanish Nights is a ‘goal’ song, and building a song off the cuff would be a great exercise, if just to see what I need to work on. (And the coarse is coming out)

    Hard choices this month… Not sure what to do.

    #34670
    ramiro
    Participant

    I’ve never written a “complete” song, but I’ll give it a go.

    #34675
    stinyuke
    Member

    Wow these are great songs to choose! Actually i started to work on spanish nights a few days ago so that i would be ready for an upcoming challenge, but i didn’t expect it to come so soon. It will take me definitely longer than a month to learn it so I think I’m going to choose one of the other songs. Still not quite sure which one, I want to challenge myself but still able to submitt a clean performance at the end of the month. 🙂

    #34714
    marama
    Participant

    Am going to give Graces Lullaby a try. Lots of new chords in that peice for me.

    #34715
    lyndallk
    Participant

    I have little time this month, but might tackle Spanish Nights, even if I don’t complete it. And, as always, I don’t hold myself to it, so if I go with one of the other in the end, so be it!

    We are suffering such terrible and unprecedented fires here in Oz so if anyone can wish rain rain rain and more rain for us, please do……

    #34717
    deadbuggy
    Participant

    Balynastraugh/Ellyce

    Happy New Year, all! Yes, I’m posting this on day 1 of the challenge, but I’ve been working on this original piece for a while. I made this video a few weeks ago to make sure I could remember it.

    It’s inspired by some genealogy research; my 9th great grandfather was the Baronette of Balynastraugh in Ireland so I tinkered with a vaguely Celtic sounding reel or jig. His wife’s name was Ellyce so I wrote a companion tune in her honor. Then I tried to put the two together by modulating from the key of Em to G. Oh, and I completely stole the bridge chord change in Ellyce from Etude #22. And there’s also a chance I stole both melodies from other songs 🙂

    #34718
    smokealot
    Participant

    Wow, Etude no 19 sounds beautiful!
    I wanted to give it a try but was disappointed to recognize it is written for low g. Since I have no idea how that works I have the question if it is still possible to play it on a high g?
    Otherwise I will go with Graces Lullaby (and call it Mios Lullaby).

    Edit: @deadbuggy: Another “wow”. I really liked your piece. It had something cheerful but yet solemn too it. I was unconsciously tapping my toes all the way through.

    • This reply was modified 4 years, 2 months ago by smokealot.
    #34721
    bklynsoul
    Participant

    @deadbuggy – I totally enjoyed your piece and loved the back story/inspiration. Thanks for sharing it with us.

    #34723
    lisadmh
    Participant

    deadbuggy, amazing! Thank you for sharing. Lovely song. Inspiring!

    I’m debating between an original and the lullaby. I love writing originals, as simple as they are, but I’m not sure if I have one in me this month. The lullaby is so pretty.

    #34725
    marygrace
    Participant

    Just wanted to say hi to AJ. Thanks for being part of Rock Class 101. Your song is beautiful.
    MG
    PS: Wasn’t sure if there was a separate forum to say hi – I couldn’t find one.

    #34726
    marygrace
    Participant

    I have been working my way through the course Music Theory and Jamming. I don’t understand all the concepts but slowing getting there and I love when the light bulb in the head goes off when finally understand something that has been a mystery previously.

    I have chosen Katie’s song, Grace’s Lullaby. Not only is beautiful, it is perfect to pick apart to help me understand some of the new concepts I have learned in the course. She has added so many different note combinations.

    Also I am finally getting the concept of moving up the neck with movable cords. VERY EXCITING STUFF. Thank you Andrew and your team for all of this. You are all the best!

    I am looking forward to a great 2020!

    May everyone have a Happy and Healthy 2020 and ROCK ON WITH YOUR UKE’s
    MG

    #34734
    kelsey91
    Participant

    Interesting choices this month… I like the uke and piano duet! I was wondering if it would be possible to see the sheet music for the piano part?
    I play the piano too so I was wondering what that music would look like too!
    Thanks!

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