Participate in the March 2020 Member Challenge – Classical Themed!

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  • #35945
    Andrew
    Keymaster

    Hi Rock Class 101 Community!

    We are back with site member challenge #36! WOW, there has now been over 1,500+ 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 3 Classical Lessons:

    

* Note: All 3 songs are written for Low G ukulele, although “Lagrima” can be performed with High G ukulele.

    1) “Waltz in C” (no. 2) * – A classical waltz with a charming melody that serves as a perfect study for practicing chord transitions. * Taught in its entirety for FREE!

    2) ”Lagrima” – This classical fingerstyle piece serves up two beautiful melodies in contrasting tonalities; one in major and the other in minor.

    3) “Moonlight Sonata” * – This arrangement transfers the magic of the piano to the ukulele, while serving as a masterclass on expressing emotion in your playing. * Must Perform Themes 1, 2, and 3! Beyond that is optional (i.e. performing the entire piece).

    ** 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: “Waltz in C” (no. 2)

    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): “Lagrima” OR “Moonlight Sonata”

    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 3 Classical pieces anytime between Sunday, March 1st till Tuesday, March 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 past the video URL in its own line. For example:

    YouTube URL

    5) If you live in the Continental U.S., we will ship the giveaway ukulele to you for FREE! If you live outside of the Continental U.S., there will be a shipping fee ranging between $40 USD to $80 USD. This fee will be collected by Uke Republic. You are also responsible for any custom fees or duties.

    _______________

    Giveaway Rules:

    There will be 1 winner, selected by random drawing on April 4th, 2020. To qualify to win, you must submit your audio and/or video links of your playing by the deadline listed above.

    Grand Prize:

    1) $250 Grand Prize! Includes:

    A) Islander Spalted Maple Tenor Ukulele

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    _______________

    THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS!

    Islander Ukulele: https://www.islanderukulele.com/

    Uke Republic: http://www.ukerepublic.com/

    AND A SPECIAL THANKS TO YOU! Let’s crush this challenge!

    #35946
    samash07
    Participant

    That’s an amazing choice of tunes!

    Sadly I still don’t have access to a Low G string/ukulele, but as you said that we could tackle Lagrima with a High G so I’m going to try just that.

    Good luck to all and as Andrew said “let’s crush this month’s challenge!”

    #35947
    lisadmh
    Participant

    Nice set! Lagrima for me, with a focus on sustain and smoothness, not so much on speed although it would be nice.

    This is a fabulous uke for a prize. I have a soprano islander and I find it can’t be beat by anything near its price range. I love mine (and wouldn’t mind upgrading my Kala tenor, just sayin’)

    #35948
    willymac
    Participant

    Woo Hoo! I can’t wait to get started. Great song choice.

    #35950
    russellbarnett
    Participant

    I guess it’s a good thing I’ve spent most of the last year working on Moonlight, since there’s no way I could learn it in a month! 😄

    #35952
    robinboyd
    Participant

    I’ve also been working on Moonlight Sonata for a while so I think I will attempt the whole piece. I think I’ll post regular progress videos like I did with Moon to keep me motivated if that’s OK

    #35954
    cloud_cactus
    Participant

    So I am just a basic member, so i can learn Waltz in C, however I only have a high G ukulele. Is there any way I can still participate?

    #35955
    Andrew
    Keymaster

    @cloud_cactus – You can play it, but it will sound “off”.

    #35956
    cloud_cactus
    Participant

    Ok thanks Andrew. I might try to purchase a low G string. We’ll see.

    #35959
    cloud_cactus
    Participant

    What strings do you recommend getting for a concert ukulele? I want to find a good low g string.

    #35960
    robinboyd
    Participant

    Hi @cloud_cactus. Different people will recommend different strings according to their personal preference. I have tried a few different types, so I’ll put my thoughts below.

    Aquila Nylgut Wound Low G – I think this is what Andrew uses. It’s a good place to start. It is quite a rough wound string, so it produces a lot of squeak when you slide your finger up and down it. You can hear it clearly in Andrew’s performance of Lagrima. I personally don’t mind the squeak, but a lot of people find it off-putting. I don’t like this string because of lack of durability, though. It didn’t take long to wear through the wire at the first fret, so I had to replace it pretty quickly.

    Fluorocarbon Unwound Low G (including Living Water, PHD, Worth, Oasis, etc.) – This entirely eliminates the issue of squeak. However, if you don’t adjust your nut slot, these strings may be too thick to sit cleanly, and they may cause poor intonation. This was the case for me. I actually widened the slot in my slot bridge in order to try these strings, but I didn’t touch the nut and this resulted in poor intonation. I very quickly replaced the low G string from this set.

    Aquila Red Unwound Low G – This string is sold separately and doesn’t come in the set of Low G Red strings. The set includes a wound string. Strummers really like this string and I can see why. Low G strings can overpower the sound of the other strings if you aren’t careful with your attack, and the Red minimises this. It produces an even tone when strumming, but a bit of a muted sound when finger-picking. Overall, I like it, though.

    Fremont Soloist Wound Low G – This is what I have on both my low G ukes at the moment (including my concert). It is a wound string, but it is smooth, so it minimises squeak. It is a little bit boomier than the Red string, but it has a clearer sound when fingerpicking.

    I hope that helped.

    • This reply was modified 4 years ago by robinboyd.
    • This reply was modified 4 years ago by robinboyd.
    #35999
    omaon4
    Participant

    Great choices to work on this month.

    I will tackle Lagrima. I am aiming for an early start this month!

    By the way, Andrew, the title is pronounced LAH-gree-mah, not La-GREE-mah.
    It is a Spanish word that means TEAR.

    🙂

    #36000
    omaon4
    Participant

    @RobinBoyd
    Very helpful information. Thanks!

    #36018
    Andrew
    Keymaster

    @omaon4 – Thank you! Now help me with the Hawaiian song names we are working on for this month lol 🙂

    #36056
    lyndallk
    Participant

    Thanks Andrew. Good challenge. Looking forward to hearing Robin’s version if moonlight sonata knowing he’s been working on it!

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