[nthibode]

Thanks @Andrew! Will do.

[nthibode]

July was a busy month — I didn’t think I’d get around to participating. But I couldn’t resist acting like a Crazy lady and the chance to win that awesome electric uke! Thanks Andrew & Ashley.

Cheers!

[nthibode]

Thanks @marianne !! You’re right, it is a tough one. In my case I was already very familiar with the song — I had learned Cynthia Lin’s version a few years back and kept it up all this time. Learning to sing and play something like that is a slow and steady process, each part needing to be mastered before you can combine them (including learning the lyrics by heart and where they fall within the music). It can take weeks and often months. Don’t give up!

For the record, I prefer your version @Andrew and love how closely it resembles the original 🙂

[nthibode]

Thanks for the kind words, @maryjanew @mark1256 and @sir_anzalot ! 🙂

[nthibode]

@robinboyd – Thanks Robin! I like it too.

@deadbuggy – LOL, love it Sara!

[nthibode]

Thanks @Andrew! I always enjoy learning from this site 🙂

• This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by nthibode.

[nthibode]

I AM A PREMIUM MEMBER

I love all the Beatles songs this month! I chose to submit Blackbird but am going to learn Let It Be next!! For this recording, I opened the window to get some bird sounds and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect (at the pause — no editing!).

And here’s a funny outtake: not blackbirds, but Canada geese flying by at an inopportune time…

Cheers!

[nthibode]

Welcome @mark10! I think you’re in the right place. Enjoy!!

[nthibode]

Hi @tonicm, step by step without rush is a great start! When I begin learning a song, I slow down the tab player to 50% speed (or even lower if it’s a tough bar) and work on mastering just one bar at a time, then two connected bars, three, etc, all at that low speed until I can play the whole song smoothly. It takes a lot of patience to work at 50%! If I move up in speed too quickly, then you’re right — it’s easy to mess up and get lost.

Another suggestion would be to listen to the piece (without playing on the uke) over and over, to familiarize yourself with what notes come next.

If you’re looking to work on basic finger movement skills on the uke, I’d recommend checking out the book Ukulele Aerobics, which provides short daily exercises.

Good luck and keep it up!

[nthibode]

Thanks @Andrew! Helps to have such great instruction and learning tools. Rock Class 101 rocks!

[nthibode]

I AM A PREMIUM MEMBER

I didn’t have the energy to learn Beethoven this month, but looking forward to hearing some of the entries! Here is my recording for Minuet in G.

Awesome work, everyone!

[nthibode]

The Godfather (Love Theme) was a popular choice this month! Beautiful arrangement, Steven! I really enjoyed it.

[nthibode]

Adorable! What a fun thing to do as a couple.

[nthibode]

Great advice, @surferjay!

@henri0 – my kids loved Caspar Babypants when they were little (he’s Chris Ballew, former lead singer for Presidents of the United States of America). He has some awesome, catchy tunes, including a couple of birthday ones:

Light It Up (My personal favourite – I think it would sound great on a uke!):

Birthday (Not familiar with this one):

Best part is, all the chords/lyrics are on his website! His music/CDs would make a great gift. We owned his first 6 albums (2009-2012) and loved them all.

No advice on live performances — I get nervous, clammy, and make plenty of mistakes no matter how much I’ve practiced. But surferjay’s #3 is quite good: think about bringing fun and joy to the gathering. It’s the thought that counts! 🙂

Good luck!
~Nathalie

[nthibode]

Thanks @Stephen! 🙂

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