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Valerie

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Okay, here's a video of me messing around on the uke.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkTTvmNW910

I wanted to record something to kind of give an example of what I've been having trouble with:

1. Making notes sound for longer than a *tink*

2. Holding the uke... it always seems to slip around- especially when I change positions. If I stay in first position it's fine (towards the end of the video I did a bunch of position changes moving up and down the neck to show that off a bit.)

3. Whenever I pluck the C string I get a *click* noise that I'd love to have disapear.


So... Can anyone offer some help on working those three things out?
 
Last edited:
Okay, here's a video of me messing around on the uke.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkTTvmNW910

I wanted to record something to kind of give an example of what I've been having trouble with:

1. Making notes sound for longer than a *tink*

2. Holding the uke... it always seems to slip around- especially when I change positions. If I stay in first position it's fine (towards the end of the video I did a bunch of position changes moving up and down the neck to show that off a bit.)

3. Whenever I pluck the C string I get a *click* noise that I'd love to have disapear.


So... Can anyone offer some help on working those three things out?

Valerie,

First of all -
free-cool-smileys-262.gif
Whoo hoo!

You sound great! Especially when you factor in the fact that you've only been playing for two days. Holy cow. You've made tremendous progress.

1. The "tink." You're playing a fingerpicking pattern that doesn't really require a lot of sustain. When you take your finger off the fret, the string will stop vibrating. There's nothing you can do about this. What you can do is to hold your finger down on the fret as long as you can. Also, different ukuleles will have different sustain decays.

2. Holding the uke. Many players hold the ukulele the way you do. It's okay. If you decide to stick with this style, try exerting more pressure from your right forearm to hold the ukulele's body in place. This way, you're not relying too much on your left hand to stabilize the uke. Also, don't be afraid to look into a strap.

3. The "click" noise. Hmm. I don't know what's happening there. I'm thinking that maybe it's your thumbnail that's causing that click. Maybe you're striking the string with the flesh of your thumb and then your nail hits it, resulting in a click. If this is the case, then you can trim your nail down so that it doesn't click the string after your flesh does. If you want to use your thumb nail as a pick, then make sure you don't use the flesh of your thumb to pick the string - only the nail.

See if any of that helps you out. But, seriously, you're doing great. I've seen many, many players that have been playing longer than you have been playing that can't do what you can do in only two days.

Keep it up, and keep us updated!
 
Thanks for the quick reply!

1. The "tink" is even when I do try and hold a note longer. The notes on my uke seem to die really fast unless they are open, 1st or 2nd fretted. But I'm all for saying its the instrument and not me :D so lets go with that one!

2. I think I will look into getting some kinda strap, didn't even know they had em for ukes.

3. The clunking... I don't have any fingernails (I've got to keep them trimmed very short for work). But I'm thinking maybe it's because I do sound the strings with the pad of my finger. I think I'm hearing the rubbing of my skin as it leaves the string... But I've no real idea...


And thanks for the compliment... But I kinda cheated. I play guitar and violin (though the violin is done horribly and I only pick it up nowdays if I want to torture cats) so I'm kind of familiar with stringed instruments already.
 
Good job, wow you're playing for only two days ! good job again !
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(though the violin is done horribly and I only pick it up nowdays if I want to torture cats)
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Ahaha love it !
 
While there is nothing technically wrong with the way you're holding the uke, it is not the traditional way. Which is fine, unless it's causing you problems with it slipping around. And with your arm over the top, you will not be able to stand up. I often hold it that way when sitting, but not when standing.

You're going to want to hold it higher on your body, about where your nipples are. Try holding it parallel to the ground. If you've got it exactly perfect you should be able to let go with either hand and not have it fall.

There's nothing wrong with using a strap to start. I know that as I got more used to playing I eventually stopped using mine. It's one less thing to carry around.
 
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