karenj

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  • #60706
    karenj
    Participant

    Here is my February Challenge submission of Amazing Grace (Harmonics Version). I had started working on harmonics in January but caught a flu bug and had to break my challenge submission streak. I was so happy to have flexibility this month for a “take two” opportunity. I love the tone of harmonics, especially on that rare magical moment when I hit it just right. And this song will always have a special place in my heart. One of my goals has also been to focus on progress and not trying to get it perfect. So here is my best of a million takes.

    I have been blown away by everyone’s recordings so far. Amazing work! You’ve inspired me to find some time to pick through the extensive catalogue of songs/lessons. So much to learn! Thanks again to RC 101 for the wonderful harmonics course and everything else.

    Take care,
    Karen

    #60104
    karenj
    Participant

    My goal for the month is to work on Harmonics. I love this sound and am so happy when I have been able to “hit” the right note on occasion in various monthly challenge songs. I hope to be able to do this more consistently. And another one of my overall goals is to continue to work on letting go of my perfectionist tendencies and focus instead on my progress.

    Execution:
    Complete the RC 101 Harmonics course. I had started this awhile ago but never completed it. I will thus restart the course and am committed to completing it and learning Amazing Grace.

    Execution:
    I will practice at least 20 minutes daily. I will complete the Harmonics course by January 20th and use the remainder of the month to improve my performance of Amazing Grace.

    Evaluation:
    Record and submit the Capstone piece, Amazing Grace by the end of the month. I will also record early practices to reinforce progress over perfection. I will also work to add some harmonics to my other ukulele playing.

    I’m looking forward to everyone’s submissions this month! Good luck to all in reaching your goals.
    Karen

    #59921
    karenj
    Participant

    I AM A PREMIUM MEMBER

    Here’s my December submission of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. I’ve always loved this song and was very happy to learn Matt’s beautiful arrangement.

    I have been a fan of the Ukulele Kids Club for years and just added $50 to the Rock Class 101 pot.
    For those who are on the fence, it may be good to know that the donations help buy ukuleles and ALSO help support the music therapists who work with the kids.

    I should also say that I have no intention of “winning” another ukulele, as I am beyond thrilled with my Kanile’a from last December. But it is motivating to me to have my name on the list. Thanks again for another great month of challenges. The submissions so far have been fabulous.

    Happy holidays and many wishes for a healthy and peaceful New Year.
    Karen

    #59619
    karenj
    Participant

    I AM A PREMIUM MEMBER

    Here is my November Challenge submission of Always With Me. What a lovely arrangement and such fun to learn! I was glad I had worked on the hammer-ons and pull-offs last month but this was still quite a stretch for me. This is the best of the million recording attempts, as I especially struggle with getting a clean recording with longer songs. I make mistakes in different places on each take. And of course there is that tricky D section that never is the way it sounds in my head. But here it is, mistakes and all. It’s been a busy few weeks but I am now looking forward to taking a look at everyone’s submissions. Happy Holidays to All
    Karen

    #59228
    karenj
    Participant

    I AM A PREMIUM MEMBER

    Here’s my October submission of Etude no. 25: Morning Dew. I just love this beautiful melody. And it was also good to work on my hammer-ons and pull-offs. I did spend a ton of time on Little Trouble in Big China. It was fun to learn and I was plugging away at it, but at some point I realized I wouldn’t be ready to submit by the end of the month and thus switched to Morning Dew.

    Thanks again to the RC 101 team and members. Another month of great submissions! Wow! And congratulations on 10 YEARS!

    Take care,
    Karen

    #58829
    karenj
    Participant

    Here’s my September submission of Summer Nights. I loved learning this melody but was also in the ‘harder that it looks” camp and couldn’t believe how long it took me to have my fingers to do what I wanted them to do.

    My lovely cat in the photo pretends to be a sweet thing, but if you look closely you can see he’s really a sheet music eating devil. Or maybe he’s just encouraging me to memorize it faster? And I sure do love this Kanileʻa that was courtesy of Rock Class 101. I also love Matt’s lessons and want to give a shout out to his performance in the Music and Meals for Maui Fundraiser (still available for streaming).

    I’m sad to say goodbye to summer nights but wish you all a happy fall.
    Take care,
    Karen

    #58477
    karenj
    Participant

    Bury Me Beneath the Willow:
    This was a bit of an obsession for me these past few weeks and I gave up on getting a clean recording. Of course the worse parts are the “solo” and the ending, when my recording button nerves are the worst. Considering the length of the song and with the idea of being an accompanist, one of my goals was to just ignore mistakes, regroup, and keep going. I highly recommend the clawhammer course for those who haven’t yet tried this. It is a lot of fun even with a traditional ukulele.

    I’ve been enjoying everyone’s submissions so far. I especially want to try Cielito Lindo, but then I can’t get that (politically incorrect) Ay-yi-yi-yi Frito Bandito song out of my head.

    Take care,
    Karen

    #58185
    karenj
    Participant

    Here’s my July submission of Misirlou. It’s been a fun challenge to work on that tremolo technique. And I love the sound of that gypsy scale. This is still pretty rough, but I’m too busy the rest of the month and thus am submitting now. And as you can tell, my dog is totally bored with the million takes. One of these days I want to try splicing together the rhythm and lead sections, but I wasn’t quite up for that learning curve.

    Thanks again to all. I look forward to everyone’s submissions.

    #57892
    karenj
    Participant


    Here’s my June Challenge submission of Fingerpicking & Strumming Dynamics. I don’t think the chunking was as effective as I intended. But it was fun to learn more about dynamics and the other mini-lessons too. Thanks again to all at Rock Class 101!

    #57553
    karenj
    Participant

    I AM A PREMIUM MEMBER

    Here is my May submission of Rhythmic Variations. As others have mentioned, this was more difficult than I anticipated. I am still getting used to the tenor size and worked all month to improve my muddy sounding chords. They still aren’t as clean as I would like, and there are still plenty of stutters, but this is the best of my million takes. I’ve been working to look at my fingers less, but I didn’t want to look at the camera either! Thanks again to RC 101 for another great lesson. I’ve been inspired by all of this month’s submissions.

    #57271
    karenj
    Participant

    I AM A PREMIUM MEMBER

    Here is my April submission of Fingerpicking Etude no. 32. I have been participating in these monthly challenges for several years and always share the recording with my Dad. He has loved watching them and always gives me support and encouragement. He is now very near the end of his life and I recorded this month’s challenge at his bedside. I wasn’t able to do my typical million takes, and the only ukulele I had available was his low G. But it will have to do and it was an honor to play for him. Thank you to RC 101 for pushing me to improve and especially for pushing me to share my progress with others. Music is magical.

    Take care,
    Karen

    #56942
    karenj
    Participant

    Here is my version of Swan Lake for my March challenge submission. It isn’t quite full tempo, but I liked it better a bit slower. I was also amazed how much a new R hand technique messed with my head. It was like learning to walk and chew gum all over again! And March in New England is always much too long, yet I still didn’t make it through the full course. The many wonderful submissions of Adelita have encouraged me to finish soon! You are all rocking it!

    Thanks again to all at RC 101.

    Karen

    #56453
    karenj
    Participant

    Here’s my February submission of Celtic Etude. I was working to get used to the tenor size but have been fully loving this wonderful new Kanile’a. I was also trying not to look at my left hand too much. Thanks again to the RC 101 team for another great month of lessons. This one was a lot of fun.

    Take care,
    Karen

    #56445
    karenj
    Participant

    Brettboy, I always love your submissions and this month did not disappoint! Thank you for inspiring me to improve my own playing.
    Take care,
    Karen

    #55990
    karenj
    Participant

    Here is my January Challenge Submission of Fingerpicking Etude no 16:Bluegrass Duet. And I apologize if this is a duplicate, but my last reply seemed to have vanished. Anyway, when I hear bluegrass, I can’t help but grab my BANJOLELE! I know some feel it does not qualify as a “real” ukulele, but I love the twangy sound.

    I practiced a lot to get to 100% but anything over 90% was a sloppy train wreck, so I decided to go with the 75% backing track. I know it is picky, but I found myself wishing the backing track options aligned with the tab viewer tab options that adjust in increments of 10. But here is my best of a million takes.

    Thanks for yet another great lesson. I am looking forward to viewing everyone’s submission. And I am already looking forward to February. Love songs????

    Take care,
    Karen

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 83 total)