OldePhart
Well-known member
"Twelve-bar Blues for a Blue Ukulele and Twelve Strings"
The RULES:
1) One take. Doesn't have to be the first take but does have to be a single take with no dubs or cuts, etc. Must be a new video recorded for this contest - no recycling earlier videos. Don't forget the magic words spoken in the intro!
2) Uke must be primary featured instrument though you can include other instruments. Vocals optional.
3) Keep it family friendly! And I don't mean the Manson family! I don't want to hear my four year old grandson singing something questionable that he's seen on my channel!
3) Enter by posting your video on youtube and putting a post here in this thread with a link to the video.
4) Entry must be posted on youtube and entered here by midnight, Hawaiian time, Sunday night (i.e. when Sunday May 6th ends in Hawaii).
5) Must speak the magic words at the beginning of the video. The magic words are "eleventh season of the ukulele" or "twelve-bar blues for a blue ukulele and twelve strings" or some readily recognizable form of those.
6) Must be a blues song. What makes a song "blues" - adversity, pain, hardship, etc. That doesn't mean it has to be sad. Many blues songs are about persevering through adversity, pain, hardship, etc. Some would argue those are the best blues songs. But, if you're singing about how often your Porshe is in the shop - it probably ain't blues. If you're singing about your Porshe being in the shop because your woman's other man totaled it with a sledgehammer - that might be blues.
7) Must fit the "12 bar blues format." A bridge outside the format is permitted, but most of the song should fit the 12-bar blues format. What is 12-bar blues? Twelve bar blues refers to a specific "formula" where each verse or chorus of a song is 12 bars long and follows the formula I I I I IV IV I I V IV I V. That alone doesn't make a song blues, nor do all blues songs follow that formula, but it's a very common forumula in blues and rock. Allowed (for this contest) variations include the fourth in the second measure (i.e. I IV I I IV IV I I V IV I V) and omission of the V turnaround (i.e. the last two measures being I I instead of I V).
8) Any "style" is appropriate within that format. Slow, fast, straight timing, swing or shuffle rhythms, strumming, picking, clawhammer, any variation or combination of the above.
9) One entry per person - you can enter more times, but your last entry will be the one scored.
10) Five percent bonus on your score for singing either an original or something so ancient I haven't heard it.
Scoring
Scoring will be a little different. First, I'm going to have a handful of parameters like vocal quality (if present), instrumental quality, etc. Everybody will start with five points in each category, and I'll subtract if you do not so well a that particular thing or add if you do really well at that particular thing. Your total score will then be the AVERAGE of the PARAMETERS THAT APPLY TO YOU. I.e. if you don't sing it won't count for or against you. If you do a super fancy riff but mess it up - it may actually cause your instrumental score to be lower than that of somebody who plays a more simple arrangement but nails it flawlessly.
What all this boils down to is I want to score based on how well you carry off what you chose to do, rather than how "amazing" one video is when compared to others. Why? Well, for one thing I think it will open the winning possibilities up to a wider field. Secondly, real blues has never been about flash - it's about feeling.
Finally, after scoring, the top 10 percenters are going into a pool, from which I'll draw the winner randomly. The pool will be comprised of the top ten percent of the entries plus one (see the table below). Why? We've seen a lot of people entering these contests and getting really good. Scoring is tough - I learned that last year when I ran the hymn contest. Typically, the top several entries are separated by less than a point. This makes it easier on me to feel like I'm giving everybody that is near the top of the heap a fair shake at winning. BTW, if the last person who would be included in the pool is in a tie both people will go in and we'll have one more than planned.
ENTRIES # IN POOL
<11 2 (1 for the 10 percent, plus 1)
11-20 3 (2 for the 10 percent, plus 1)
21-30 4 (you better get it by now...)
The Prize
A blue Dolphin bridge ukulele, set up by yours truly so it is at least playable, plus two extra packages of Aquila strings (i.e. 4 strings on uke plus 8 in packages gives you the "12 strings for 12 bars" component of the contest theme). If someone across one of the ponds should happen to win I'll pay standard shipping but if you want it shipped express you'll have to cough up the shipping fee. Also, I'll mark it as a gift since it is free - I think that is legal for most country's import rules. If it's not for yours let me know and I'll declare the value.
The Video Playlist
Here's a link to the playlist http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=109N0uPMrjk&list=PL725036DDEB3CB4C9&feature=view_all if you submit a video and it doesn't show up in there after a couple of days I may have somehow missed it so send me a PM (work is kind of crazy right now).
John
The RULES:
1) One take. Doesn't have to be the first take but does have to be a single take with no dubs or cuts, etc. Must be a new video recorded for this contest - no recycling earlier videos. Don't forget the magic words spoken in the intro!
2) Uke must be primary featured instrument though you can include other instruments. Vocals optional.
3) Keep it family friendly! And I don't mean the Manson family! I don't want to hear my four year old grandson singing something questionable that he's seen on my channel!
3) Enter by posting your video on youtube and putting a post here in this thread with a link to the video.
4) Entry must be posted on youtube and entered here by midnight, Hawaiian time, Sunday night (i.e. when Sunday May 6th ends in Hawaii).
5) Must speak the magic words at the beginning of the video. The magic words are "eleventh season of the ukulele" or "twelve-bar blues for a blue ukulele and twelve strings" or some readily recognizable form of those.
6) Must be a blues song. What makes a song "blues" - adversity, pain, hardship, etc. That doesn't mean it has to be sad. Many blues songs are about persevering through adversity, pain, hardship, etc. Some would argue those are the best blues songs. But, if you're singing about how often your Porshe is in the shop - it probably ain't blues. If you're singing about your Porshe being in the shop because your woman's other man totaled it with a sledgehammer - that might be blues.
7) Must fit the "12 bar blues format." A bridge outside the format is permitted, but most of the song should fit the 12-bar blues format. What is 12-bar blues? Twelve bar blues refers to a specific "formula" where each verse or chorus of a song is 12 bars long and follows the formula I I I I IV IV I I V IV I V. That alone doesn't make a song blues, nor do all blues songs follow that formula, but it's a very common forumula in blues and rock. Allowed (for this contest) variations include the fourth in the second measure (i.e. I IV I I IV IV I I V IV I V) and omission of the V turnaround (i.e. the last two measures being I I instead of I V).
8) Any "style" is appropriate within that format. Slow, fast, straight timing, swing or shuffle rhythms, strumming, picking, clawhammer, any variation or combination of the above.
9) One entry per person - you can enter more times, but your last entry will be the one scored.
10) Five percent bonus on your score for singing either an original or something so ancient I haven't heard it.
Scoring
Scoring will be a little different. First, I'm going to have a handful of parameters like vocal quality (if present), instrumental quality, etc. Everybody will start with five points in each category, and I'll subtract if you do not so well a that particular thing or add if you do really well at that particular thing. Your total score will then be the AVERAGE of the PARAMETERS THAT APPLY TO YOU. I.e. if you don't sing it won't count for or against you. If you do a super fancy riff but mess it up - it may actually cause your instrumental score to be lower than that of somebody who plays a more simple arrangement but nails it flawlessly.
What all this boils down to is I want to score based on how well you carry off what you chose to do, rather than how "amazing" one video is when compared to others. Why? Well, for one thing I think it will open the winning possibilities up to a wider field. Secondly, real blues has never been about flash - it's about feeling.
Finally, after scoring, the top 10 percenters are going into a pool, from which I'll draw the winner randomly. The pool will be comprised of the top ten percent of the entries plus one (see the table below). Why? We've seen a lot of people entering these contests and getting really good. Scoring is tough - I learned that last year when I ran the hymn contest. Typically, the top several entries are separated by less than a point. This makes it easier on me to feel like I'm giving everybody that is near the top of the heap a fair shake at winning. BTW, if the last person who would be included in the pool is in a tie both people will go in and we'll have one more than planned.
ENTRIES # IN POOL
<11 2 (1 for the 10 percent, plus 1)
11-20 3 (2 for the 10 percent, plus 1)
21-30 4 (you better get it by now...)
The Prize
A blue Dolphin bridge ukulele, set up by yours truly so it is at least playable, plus two extra packages of Aquila strings (i.e. 4 strings on uke plus 8 in packages gives you the "12 strings for 12 bars" component of the contest theme). If someone across one of the ponds should happen to win I'll pay standard shipping but if you want it shipped express you'll have to cough up the shipping fee. Also, I'll mark it as a gift since it is free - I think that is legal for most country's import rules. If it's not for yours let me know and I'll declare the value.
The Video Playlist
Here's a link to the playlist http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=109N0uPMrjk&list=PL725036DDEB3CB4C9&feature=view_all if you submit a video and it doesn't show up in there after a couple of days I may have somehow missed it so send me a PM (work is kind of crazy right now).
John
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