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@misterbones – Excellent performance! I enjoyed the slightly higher tempo and you nailed those octave slides in the chorus. I also liked your punchy chord strums. They created a percussive effect that sounded really cool. Keep up the great work 🙂
Hi David, I own a Kanile’a ukulele as well as the Islander so I can confirm that the nut width on the Islander is the same as the Kanile’a at 38mm with around 30mm string spacing from G to A. I find this to be really comfortable. The neck profiles are similar but not identical. The Kanile’a is a little slimmer at the nut and thickens up more as you move towards the 12th fret. It also has a slightly flattened profile on the very back of the neck. The Islander is a little rounder and more uniform from nut to body. It’s still pretty slim though compared to a Kala for example.
Although not identical to the Kanile’a it definitely has a very similar feel. I find it to be really comfortable and have no issues switching between the two ukes.
Hope that helps answer your questions.
All the best,
SteveHere’s everyone on page 11:
@karenj – Well done for persevering with the right hand technique Karen. Watching you play it looks like you’ve been playing rest stroke technique your whole life! It looks so comfortable and relaxed. I liked it played at a slightly slower tempo too. Great job!
@tim0721 – I got a sense of frustration from your performance. Hopefully this was aimed at the camera and not yourself because your performance was excellent. I think you played the trickiest measures in this piece really well. Your melody notes had great clarity and sustain throughout and you were able to achieve that all importance ‘legato’ sound. I loved that pull-off onto the open G at the end of the A melody too. Great job!
@terryfallon3 – Glad to hear you’re enjoying the course! Looks like you’re progressing through it really well. Your free stroke picking technique is looking really good. I see you’re playing the Bm chord with your 3rd finger barring the C and G string. I think because the action on your ukulele seems quite high it’s difficult for you to generate enough pressure to hold that C string down. I would recommend lowering the action on your ukulele if you can as it will make everything so much easier to play. Keep up the great work!
@tessiert – Your performance had a lovely feel with excellent sustain throughout. I enjoyed the slightly slower tempo you went for too. You could probably start to push those dynamics even further in your performance. A good place to start with this is by consciously playing the C melody section more loudly than the other 2 sections. Great job overall!
@niean01 – Great performance! Very well paced with excellent sustain throughout. Well done!
@mepasha – This was a very good performance. Your picking technique is spot on and your left hand fingering looks perfect. If you wanted to take things further with this piece you could try to up the tempo slightly and also concentrate on playing the harmony notes a touch softer to help highlight the melody a little more. Great work overall though!
@concan – Excellent performance! I think you’re being a little hard on yourself. Most of your notes had good tone and sustain. I had to listen really carefully to hear any of the “choked” notes you described. I think those notes (of which there were only a couple to my ear) were caused by the timing of your left hand fingering. When you lift your finger off the fret a fraction too soon it cuts the note short. Similarly, if you place your finger onto an already ringing string a fraction too soon it will also cut the note short. Just be mindful of this when you’re practicing and you’ll be fine. Having said that we are all overly critical of our own performances. I really didn’t think this was much of an issue in your performance.
@nelsonlin2021 – Fantastic job! Alternate picking with rest strokes is a deceptively trick technique to learn and I think you nailed it. I particularly like how you fire those rest strokes through the string producing wonderful punchy notes. Keep up the great work.
@omaon4 – Well done for getting all the way through this challenging piece. With a piece like this I would definitely recommend trying to memorise the music so you can really concentrate on what the hands are doing. Check out this lesson for tips on how to memorise music:
Here’s everyone on page 10:
@richo_uke – Excellent job Rici! You’ve nailed the right hand technique in terms of the rest stroke and alternate picking. It looked really relaxed and comfortable. In terms of the higher notes it may not be anything to do with your playing. Have you ever had your ukulele ‘set up’ by a luthier? If the strings are quite high above the fretboard at those higher frets then you may just need to lower the action of your ukulele. A high action will make it much more difficult to get good clean notes high up the fretboard. Due to the extra pressure you have to apply with your fingers the notes are much more likely to buzz and ring out of tune.
@brettboy – Really enjoyed that Brett! Great pacing and lovely tone throughout. A really expressive performance too. Just watch out for the rhythm in the B melody. That G chord on beat 1 of bars 9 & 10 should be left to ring for a full beat. It sounds like you’re coming in a bit too quickly with that double stop on beat 2. Same goes for bar 13. Fantastic performance overall though!
@june2020 – Great performance and your new Mainland ukulele sounds wonderful! As I mentioned in the lesson ‘dynamics’ isn’t something you can just sit down and learn. It improves the more you play and practice. Having said that I clearly heard your use of dynamics in your performance, especially in the B melody and C melody sections. Great job!
@laurakarr12 – What a beautiful and expressive performance! I think you’ve absolutely nailed the use of dynamics in this performance. Loved it!
@The_Bumble_Bard – I thought that was a lovely performance! I enjoyed hearing it played on electric uke too! Yes, that transition from the B chord back to the Em is a tricky one. Don’t worry about trying to hold the full Em chord before you start playing. Just build the chord up note by note and that should help smooth out that transition. As for performance/recording anxiety I hope you don’t feel like you’re alone because you’re really not! If any of you lovely Rock Class members could see the endless failed takes that happen before my final performance videos then I would be exposed for the fraud I really am!! As soon as that dreaded record button is pressed my heart rate elevates, my hands start sweating and my brain seems like its actively trying to sabotage me!! I haven’t found a solution yet but the more you do it the easier it gets – I promise!
@bibilele – I would call that much more than a work in progress, and what a lovely, tranquil setting for your performance. I think you’re doing really well with this. Your performance had a lovely feel. This is a deceptively challenging piece with some VERY tricky sections which I think you handled really well. Just keep doing what you’re doing!
@smokealot – Fantastic performance! Perfect pacing, wonderfully expressive and you highlighted the melody beautifully. Nailed it!
@lynnzo – I think this is coming along nicely. I really like the tone of your playing. A bit more practice will just help smooth out some of those transitions. At the start of the C melody I noticed you played all 4 strings with the thumb. If you can stick to the ‘PIMA’ approach here it will just help keep the picking fingers in the correct position throughout the piece.
@olemartin – Fantastic performance! This lesson was all about the right hand technique in terms of rest stroke and alternate picking and you have absolutely nailed both of those techniques! As a result your notes sound really clear and punchy and I loved your use of vibrato too. Great job!
@marlongas – Really excellent performance! Good steady tempo throughout. You really captured the beauty of this elegant piece. Loved the sound of your recording too. Great work!
@marlongas – For a first attempt I think you should be very proud of that performance. It sounded lovely. I honestly don’t think you’re far away from mastering this piece. In terms of the metronome I would just turn it off! Trying to play rubato to a metronome is impossible. The metronome is a great tool for practicing with but once you can play a piece relatively comfortably you should definitely just play it by feel.
@evapaju – What a lovely relaxing performance! I really enjoyed that. Great execution of alternate picking with your left hand too. Excellent technique. I think you’re at the stage with this piece where you could experiment with dynamics to elevate your performance even more. Keep up the great work!
@felixchan – Wow! A technically perfect performance! If you wanted to go further with this piece you could try picking those harmony notes a little softer to try and highlight the melody a touch more. This would take your already excellent performance to the next level.
@jedart – Sounds pretty cool on the electric uke! Sounds like it could be the intro to some epic rock tune! Looks like you played the whole thing with just your middle finger. If you can push yourself to learn the ‘alternate picking’ technique it will really help the notes flow that little bit more smoothly.
@anyon1 – I loved your soft approach to the piece! And it was very well paced. It was a pleasure to listen to!
@misterbones – An interesting take varying the tempo between the two sections. This definitely made your performance unique! I was particularly impressed by your right hand technique in the A melody section. Your hand looks super relaxed and you alternated between rest stroke and free stroke effortlessly. Great work!
@abster – To be able to play such a challenging piece so well at the age of just 6 years old makes me very excited for your musical future young man! Just incredible! You should be very proud of what you have achieved!
@jvchong – Glad to hear you’re getting more comfortable with recording. Like most things the more you do it the easier it becomes (I still get super nervous every time hit record though!) Well done for sticking to a tempo you are comfortable with. I think that helped you put out a really solid performance. Excellent alternate picking too. If you wanted to push yourself further you could try playing this piece using rest stroke instead of free stroke.
@hannia – Well done for challenging yourself with the most difficult piece this month! I think this is coming along nicely. In the A melody section try to play those melody notes on beats 1 & 2 more evenly as you seem to linger on the first note, then play the next two quickly. I like how you changed the arrangement in the B melody section to play an octave lower. Good work!
@lmdlinda – I actually think this piece sounds great played high G! I really enjoyed your performance. It was wonderfully expressive thanks to your excellent use of dynamics and rubato. You were supposed to finish with another play through of the A melody but I’ll forgive you 😉 Great work!
@johanna2509 – Stunning performance! I was particularly impressed by how well you were able to separate the melody from the harmony. Excellent technique! You really captured the haunting beauty of this elegant piece perfectly. Well done!
@denisedistefano – Wow! For just 2 months of ukulele playing I am very impressed. Excellent performance! I can see you were really enjoying playing this piece too. Keep up the great work!
@rafaela – Wow! That sounded great. This is a very challenging piece and I think your rendition had a lovely flow and feel to it. You highlighted the melody beautifully throughout. I can’t play this one without thinking too hard either so I wouldn’t worry about it! Great job!
@shmu88 – Absolutely fantastic performance! Your rest stroke technique looks and sounds really good. Nice clean, consistent notes throughout and you handled those left hand shifts up and down the neck really well too. I also really enjoyed your tasteful use of vibrato. You nailed it!
@terryfallon3 – Good job! I think that’s coming along nicely. Your rest stroke picking technique looks relaxed and sounds good. The notes have a nice punch to them. I respect your discipline to stick with this technique until you feel comfortable with it. One tip to work on is to try and alternate between the index and middle fingers as much as possible on your picking hand. Other than that, keep up the good work.
@ccwuke – Really nice, relaxed feeling performance! I think this is coming along really nicely. Your melody notes really shine, especially in the A melody section and you achieve that legato sound exceptionally well. Loved the sound quality of your recording too. Great work!
@mark1256 – Great job! I think you’re getting the rest stroke down too! Your picking hand looks nice and relaxed and your technique looks good, producing nice clean, punchy notes. Try to have the discipline to alternate between the index and middle fingers as I noticed you tend to prefer picking with the index finger and ‘repeat’ this finger quite a lot in some sections. It won’t make much difference to the overall sound but it will help reduce tension building in your fingers as you play.
@jody_hendrickson – Stunning performance! You captured the haunting beauty of this piece really well with your excellent sustain and smooth, consistent picking. I think you highlighted the melody really nicely too. Really great job!
@clempek – I think that was a great performance! Your rest stroke technique looks really good. The notes sounded consistent all the way through and you have mastered the alternate picking approach. I was impressed by how smooth your left hand movement up and down the neck was at this faster tempo too. Great work!
@joe150 – I think this is coming along nicely. Well done for getting all the way through it. If you have the time I would recommend trying to memorise the music as this will help smooth out some of those pauses as you change chords. That will just help it all flow a bit better. If you want to challenge yourself further try to accent those melody notes a little more too.
@gi_gi – Your performance had a lovely feel to it. Your use of dynamics and rubato was excellent throughout. As such you were able to convey a lot of emotion in your performance. I loved it! I think you did the right thing to play it at a slightly slower tempo too. Great job!
@marianne – Wow! That was awesome! I think you should be very proud of that performance. I especially loved your use of rubato in measure 4 – it sounded incredible! As you say, that tone and expression you are striving for will come with practice but you are definitely on your way to mastering this beautiful piece. It’s definitely worth trying to play those pull-offs in measures 1 and 2 as that will help give the melody that all important legato sound. Other than that just keep doing what you’re doing! Great work!
mark1256 – What a great rendition! I love the swing feel you gave it. Top notch performance. Keep up the great work!
Here’s everyone on page 11:
janaq1 – Absolutely fantastic performance! I think this piece is really hard, way harder that it looks. As you say, a month is sometimes just too short, especially for such challenging pieces like this. Yes, there were a couple of little hiccups along the way but I can see that with a little more practice (and no camera putting you off) you will be playing this piece fluently and beautifully in no time at all. Keep up the great work!
cararozy – Don’t be so hard on yourself. Most of us aren’t great ukulele players! I thought that was a really lovely performance. Great tempo, great rhythm and you nailed that bar 12 ritardando! Keep it up 🙂
tules14 – Fantastic performance! Great tempo and really nice technique. I absolutely LOVE how much joy you took in playing that ritardando on bar 12. A happy tune made even happier by your lovely performance. Keep up the great work!
jayton – Great job on this one. Anyone who didn’t attempt this piece has no idea how hard it is. Probably one of the most challenging pieces I have ever played so well done for challenging yourself and persevering with it. This is one of those pieces that just needs hours and hours of practice. You’re definitely getting there. You have my respect!
robinboyd – See my feedback for Jay above. Again, respect for sticking with it and for putting yourself out there with a performance you weren’t happy with. I’ve seen many of your previous videos so I know you have the skills to play this piece. It just needs soooo much practice. After I had agreed to do this one for Rock Class I thought I was going to have to message Andrew and tell him I couldn’t do it but I persevered and eventually it came together – it will for you too. Your exasperated look and sigh at the end of the video literally made me laugh out loud. I feel your pain brother! Stick with it!
smudge – Don’t worry about getting up to speed if you’re not comfortable. Better to play well slowly than push yourself too much and make lots of mistakes. I think this is coming along really well. Really nice performance. Just a little more practice and you’ll have this one perfected ☺
omaon4 – This is coming along nicely. It’s quite a long piece with a few different sections so you have done well to get all the way though it! I’d recommend working on your right hand picking technique. This link will take you to a course on fingerpicking techniques. Check out units 3 and 4 from module 1 and see which you prefer then try applying your preferred method to this piece.
timolnz – I’m so glad you decided to pick up your uke again because this was such a lovely performance to listen to. I loved your unique take on this by playing it with a swing feel. It gave it such a jolly sound – super fun. I think your ritardando on those bat 12 sections are some of the best I’ve heard. Absolutely perfect! Keep up the great work 🙂
kirpuff – Such a smooth and accomplished performance. I absolutely loved this. Great rhythm, great, tempo, great technique, great everything! I listened to it twice I enjoyed it so much! Keep up the fantastic work 🙂
canucke – Well done for challenging yourself and entering the monthly challenge. It’s a great way to push yourself and improve. I’d recommend slowing it right down and concentrate on getting the rhythm correct, either by playing along with the tab player or by playing to a metronome. Playing slower will also allow you to concentrate on allowing the notes to sustain a little longer. It sounds like your taking your fingers off the frets very quickly to try and get them in position for the next note. This is what is causing that staccato sound where the notes don’t ring for very long. Slowing things down will help with this. Keep at it!
Here’s everyone on page 10:
ukealori – well done for achieving your goal of memorizing the piece. We would all love to play everything we learn perfectly, but with only a month to learn and record these pieces that can be really difficult to do. I think it’s a great idea to set yourself mini-goals and take encouragement from that. I think most of us suffer from performance anxiety. You should try recording yourself regularly during practice when you’re more relaxed. This will help you get more used to playing in front of the camera so when it’s monthly submission time its less of a big deal. Keep going!
ukukelley1 – Excellent job! I though your performance was great. I loved those dynamics you added into the melody C repeats, they sounded great ☺ I like how you switched between finger picking and thumb only techniques too. As you mentioned there were a couple of little hesitations here and there but I bet you played it perfectly before you turned on that evil camera! 😉
turkgoose – Amazing stuff! That sounded absolutely incredible. Well done for recording yourself along with the backing track too. Your sense of rhythm and timing is excellent. That performance was tight! Keep up the great work ☺
artcrocker – Great job. I think your performance sounded really good. With this piece that strict sense of rhythm is quite important so you could try playing along with a metronome to help with this (rather than all those kitchen noises!). Also, a tip for that melody B section is to play the 7th fret note with your fourth finger, rather than your third. This will help you to play that melody a little more smoothly. Keep up the great work though.
karenj – Excellent job! That sounded really good. Well done for pushing yourself to play along with the backing track too. I agree, it can be really distracting when you’re not used to it but I think you did a great job of playing along with it. Keep up the great work ☺
akukes73 – So sorry hear you’ve had such a bad month with Covid. I hope everyone is ok! I think your performance was excellent considering how little time you have had to learn this piece. Well done for getting your submission in on time. Hopefully next month’s challenge will be less eventful!
richard_siegert – Don’t be too hard on yourself! This piece looks so much easier than it is. The constantly changing right hand picking patterns makes it crazy hard to play this piece through smoothly. If it makes you feel better I didn’t think I was ever going to be able to play it through but I just practiced and practiced and practiced. Then I did a bit more practice and eventually it all came together. One of the hardest pieces I think I’ve ever played though. I congratulate you on persevering with it!
concan – What a great performance, especially the melody A section. Well done for learning the picado picking style too. That really helped make the melody flow so smoothly. Lovely technique! Keep up the great work!
themccoys – Don’t worry about playing at slower speeds. It is definitely better to play well at a tempo you are comfortable with than force yourself to play faster and make mistakes. However, it sounded like you were ahead of the backing track on a few occasions though so you probably could have played it a bit faster than you think. It sounded great overall though. Keep it up!
zongozongo – I think you did an incredible job to memorise this whole piece and play it so well in just one month! It is a deceptively hard piece to learn and play. I don’t even want to tell you how many hours I had to put in and how many takes it took me to get my performance video for this piece!! I take my hat off to you for challenging yourself and persevering with such a difficult piece! You did a great job!
uku241 – Great job! I can tell you had fun with this one! Great tempo and you played really well with the backing track. I didn’t really hear a lot of extraneous sounds to be honest. I think we all over-analyse our performances and often hear things that others don’t pick up on. The melody A section was perfect. You looked more much comfortable playing that section and your left/right hand co-ordination was spot on. You lost that a little bit in the melody B section which is where those (very minor) extraneous sounds came from so I think it really is just practice. Also I think playing ‘plugged in’ can often accentuate those sounds.
akichman – Smashed it! What a fantastic and fun performance. I absolutely love how you played this piece. You nailed that bar 12 slow down too. Keep up the great work!
laurajax – It’s great to push ourselves. That’s how we improve after all and it’s so much more enjoyable learning the pieces we love! It looks like you’re making good progress with this one. It just needs more practice. You do look a little uncomfortable switching between finger picking and thumb only picking so maybe try and just stick with standard finger picking throughout. Keep going with this one though.
sarahd – OMG! That view! How do you ever leave that window?! I would have loved to have seen what you classed as you best take because I think you did an incredible job with that performance. Great rhythm, great tempo and lovely clean picking. Keep up the great work!
Thanks for the kind words Ron. Glad you like it 😀
I think there should definitely be freedom with the right hand approach to playing this tune. If you’re liking the sound and feel of playing mostly with the thumb then I say go for it. I’d love to hear your rendition of it when you get it down.Thanks so much, Kirsten! Yes, this is one of my favourites too. I think doing a lesson on this song is a great idea. Can you add it to our request list here:
Here’s everyone on page 11:
@tali_bleh – Nicely done! Your performance had a really lovely feel to it. I think this was a good tempo for you and you handled those tricky barre chords very well. Overall, your rhythm was very good. Just be careful of playing some notes a bit too fast such as in bar 12. You want to hold that open C string note on beat 3 for a full quarter note so don’t rush into playing the next note. Other than that, keep up the great work!
@jiritrnka – Congratulations on your first monthly challenge! Hopefully it is the first of many 😊. I think you did a great job with this. This is a deceptively difficult arrangement, both technically and rhythmically so well done for challenging yourself. The verse section sounded great and the chorus is getting there too. It just needs a bit more practice to smooth out the rhythm. You want to play those strummed chords just a little quicker to keep the rhythm consistent. Great work overall though.
@mfaske – Ha ha, I think most of us hate the camera! I think you did a great job with this. You’ve really got that swung eighth note rhythm going, you handled the barre chords really well and the whole thing sounded clean and accurate. I know you had a couple of short pauses here and there but we all know they were the camera’s fault, not yours 😉.
@xavierrahfael – There it is – the signature hat flip! 😊. Great performance Rahfael! You are really feeling the vibe of this tune and I can tell you really enjoyed playing it. You have a great sense of rhythm and those body slaps sounded great. What a beautiful backdrop too. It’s great that you can play it so accurately at that tempo but I don’t think it would hurt to slow it down a bit. That would give the whole thing a bit more of a laid-back, bluesy feel. It would also give you a little more time to get your fingers into some of those tricker chord shapes higher up the neck. Great work overall though. Loved it!
@ukandrea – Great job Andrea! This is a really difficult arrangement so well done for challenging yourself. I think it’s sounding really good but I think it could sound even better if you slowed it down just a touch. This would help you get your fingers in position a little easier and it would also give it a bit more of that cool, bluesy feel. Keep up the great work though.
@isabelm – I think this is coming along really nicely. If you are able to, I think it really helps to memorise the music. I find that once I have memorised a piece of music I can then really concentrate on the rhythm and the performance overall. This was a great love lesson Matt did on how to memorise music:
I really like how it’s sounding though. keep up the great work!@biancak – This is a great example of practice paying off. You absolutely nailed it! I love your comment about running away from Evan’s arrangements too – we’ve all been there! I think you should be really proud of this performance. You’re clearly feeling the vibe. The rhythm is spot on and your accuracy is really impressive considering this is such a difficult arrangement. Really well done!
@lynettejd – Really great job! I think this was an excellent performance. Your timing was spot on and you’ve nailed that swung eighth note rhythm too. All the barre chords in this arrangement make it quite a tricky piece to play in places but it sounds like you’ve handled all those chords really well. Keep up the great work!
@sarahd – Great stuff! I think this is sounding really good. Your combination of picking and strumming sounds nice and smooth and your rhythm is very good. You could do with just speeding up slightly on that picked section in measure 20 but I can see that will come with a bit more practice. Looks like you’re doing everything right. Keep up the great work!
@ajk101 – This is coming along nicely and you’re absolutely right to focus on progress. Oftentimes it’s too easy to focus on what we haven’t yet achieved instead of looking at where we’ve come from and appreciating what we have achieved! You’re doing really well with this arrangement but a couple of tips just to improve the rhythm a little is to avoid those pauses after you play the A string on each of those chords (0:34 – 0:37). You may find it easier to pick those notes with your fingers instead of the thumb. Similarly, try to avoid those pauses after each down strum on the section between 1:17 – 1:22. Other than that, keep doing what you’re doing!
@madamoiselleannette – That was a really lovely performance. You’ve got that swung eighth note rhythm down and I like some of the subtle rhythm variations you added. If you’re able to I’d definitely recommend trying to memorise the music as I find it really helps me to focus on my performance once I don’t have to look at the music. Great work though, keep it up!
Here’s everyone on page 10:
@andrewvh – Well done for memorising the music this month. I think it really helps to master a piece when we commit it to memory. This was really clean performance with a really nice feel to it. To take your performance to the next level, it would be good to tighten up the rhythm in places. If you have access to the online tab player, try playing along at a tempo you are comfortable with to really get that rhythm down. Great work though!
@akukes73 – Excellent job! I think this sounded really good. It can be tempting just to revert to what we are more comfortable with so well done for sticking with the thumb only technique. Pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone is how we really accelerate our progress and I think your thumb technique looked and sounded great. Keep up the great work!
@karenj – Great stuff Karen! It’s really hard to switch between all these strumming variations so quickly but you nailed them all and you clearly had great fun playing this piece. I really enjoyed your performance. Keep up the great work. 😊
@lisamcc – Just wonderful! Your performance really embodied the joy and happiness that playing ukulele is all about! Some of those strumming techniques are difficult enough just on their own so to play them all so well in succession like that is quite an achievement. Well done! (I love the sound of your new uke too 😉)
@leslieb – Well done for performing this one from memory. It can be hard to do but I always feel my performance improves exponentially once I have memorised the music. I did notice a couple of little pauses here and there as you were trying to remember the next bit but that will all be smoothed out with a little more practice. I think you did the right thing playing it at a slightly slower tempo too. It looks like you struggled a bit with that 3rd fret barre in the B section. A good tip here is to use your free second finger and stack it on top of your first finger. This will allow you to get a bit more pressure to help that barre ring out a bit more cleanly. Keep up the great work!
@lbilkie – You should be pleased! I think you did a great job on this and well done for challenging yourself. This is a crazy hard tune to play! I know you stumbled a little at the end but actually your second play through of the A section sounded particularly good. Your thumb and forefinger technique looks good and those rhythmic down strums on beats 2 & 4 are coming through loud and clear. So, you’ve got the technique down. The rest just comes with a little more practice. Keep up the great work!
@tules14 – Excellent job, especially considering you’ve only been playing for three months! I like that you’ve set yourself a couple of things to focus on – that’s a great way to improve. The rhythm sounded great to me as did the barre chords. They will improve further with practice as you build up strength in your fingers. It looks to me like you’re doing everything right so keep doing what you’re doing! 😊
@jbmills07 – I think you did a great job with this one and I could tell you really enjoyed playing it. You handled some of those tricky rhythms, especially in the strumming section really well too so well done for that. I also really liked your triplet strums towards the end. They sounded nice and clean. Great work!
@taylor22jane – Great performance this month! Great rhythm & tempo. I feel like your performance really embodied the spirit of the song. Keep up the great work!
@mkstewart67 – This was a really competent and relaxed performance with a great vibe! The B section in particular sounded great and all those barre chords are ringing out well. I loved it! 😊
@kidelozzi – Awesome stuff! I’m not sure if it’s a metronome I can hear or just you tapping your foot but I can see you have really concentrated on the rhythm with this one and its really paid off – you nailed it! Great tempo too. Loved it! Well done 😊
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@whollyprofit – I think you should be really proud of that, especially considering it was just a one take! I really like the extra strumming you added too. It filled the arrangement out nicely and made it a more unique performance. Great work!
@andyrose – Good job on this month’s challenge. You have handled all those barre chords really well and that swing rhythm is flowing nicely. I like your right-hand thumb only technique too.
@lhamilton – first of all, well done for challenging yourself with the harder song this month. Even though this is probably one of Evan’s simpler arrangements it’s still really hard to play! I’d probably just suggest slowing down a bit. That will make it a bit easier to keep the rhythm and it will also give your performance just a touch more of a laid back, bluesy feel. Keep up the great work though.
@tric_o_tronic – This is sounding really good. Well done for memorising it. This is the first step in truly mastering a piece of music. The rhythm of this arrangement is deceptively difficult though. I’d recommend trying to play it a bit slower and if you have access to the online tab player, I’d definitely suggest playing along with that, maybe at around 70% speed. This is a great way to really get to grips with the rhythm.
@lynnzo – This is sounding great! Those transitions will become quicker as you practice. It’s good to memorise the music as this then allows you to always be thinking about what the fingers need to do next. Also, don’t be afraid to practice JUST the transition on its own over and over again. This will help build up the muscle memory and ultimately speed up that transition when you play the full piece. I think you’ve done a great job overall though. Just be careful on those down strums in measures 1 & 2 not to hit the A string as the melody notes you want to hear are all on the E string.
@concan – Well done for challenging yourself with the harder song. Pushing ourselves in that way is key to improving and moving forward and you’ve done a great job with this performance! I think this arrangement is rhythmically very challenging and overall, you’ve done a good job with your timing. Playing a little slower and practicing along with the online tab player (if you have access to it) is a great way to really master the rhythm. Your strums at 1:15 sounded amazing! 😊
@lynnwatson – That was a really solid performance! All those barre chords sounded great and your accuracy overall is excellent. Now that you can play it so well try practicing it with more of a swung eighth note feel. This will really take your performance to the next level! Great job 😊
@nelsonlin2021 – Congratulations on your second monthly challenge! This is a tough arrangement for a beginner and I think you handled it really well. Also, there is absolutely nothing wrong with playing slower to improve the accuracy of your playing. That is absolutely the best way to improve! It sounds like there are a few pauses in your playing that are a little longer than they should be (such as 0:13 and 0:15). I’d recommend playing along with the online tab player at around 70% to really get the rhythm nailed on. Keep up the great work though!
@nicholasliddeke – This sounds really good! The notes are all ringing out really cleanly, even on the barre chords so well done on your technique. To really prefect your performance I’d suggest working on the rhythm so that it flows a bit more smoothly. If you have access to the online tab player this really is a great tool for helping master the rhythm. Try slowing it down to around 70 or 80% speed and count in your head (or even out loud) as you play along. Great job overall though!
@morrieuke1 – Awesome job Mike! You have absolutely nailed the rhythm and tempo. Your performance had a lovely, laid-back bluesy vibe to it – I was tapping my foot all the way through your performance. Great work!
@richard_siegert – Great job this month! I think that sounded really good. You have played it at a good steady tempo to help maintain accuracy and keep a good rhythm so well done for having the discipline to do that. Those rhythms in the strumming part are deceptively tricky but you have handled them really well. Your triplet strum towards the end sounded great too. It could have done with being just a little faster but that will come with practice. Keep up the great work!
@johanna2509 – Awesome performance! You’ve kept a nice steady rhythm and tempo throughout and you’ve nailed that swing feel too. You may have found those barre chords more difficult on the tenor uke but they sounded great to me. I’ve got nothing but love for this performance! Well done 😊
