UU University Anyone done one of the courses?

olgoat52

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I am looking at the the UU University 102 course. Have not done one of these before and not sure how the format is going to work out for me. It is $150 for the whole course. Starts this weekend

Has anyone done of these that would care to comment. Hopefully "Big brother" isn't watching. :cool:
 
All

I am looking at the the UU University 102 course. Have not done one of these before and not sure how the format is going to work out for me. It is $150 for the whole course. Starts this weekend

Has anyone done of these that would care to comment. Hopefully "Big brother" isn't watching. :cool:

I was thinking of doing the 101 course, so would appreciate a review on this too :D
 
I took 102 and my wife took 101 (I sat with her and helped her through the lessons). Here is my take.

101 - This is a really basic class aimed at beginners. If you're just starting out, this class is for you. You learn some chords, some chord progressions and some rules about social playing. You also learn how to chunk which is a hugely valuable technique.

102 - This class is to prepare you for 103. You learn a lot of the techniques that are helpful for arranging (hammers, pull offs, etc.). You learn the theory you need (scales, how to know what chords are in which key and some ear training). I would say this class is for you if you're somewhere between beginner/intermediate.

UUU breaks down to about $15 a class. $15 for a one hour sessions is an incredible value. The course content delivers what you need to know and Aldrine is an excellent teacher. If you've ever watched one of his free monthly or live lessons you'll know what I mean. Watching and hearing him do the techniques as well as explain them is incredibly helpful. You also are given homework where you can take a video of yourself and he will give you feedback. There is a midterm and a final where you do a video that demonstrates you understand what you've learned.

Admittedly, receiving feedback from Aldrine was sometimes slow. He's a busy guy and I believe there were some technical difficulties with him getting email. I imagine his inbox was flooded with requests and videos so I imagine it was challenging to make sure you viewed and commented on all of them.

All in all both courses were solid. I had no complaints with what and how things were taught. Keep in mind that you get what you put in to it. If you practice and pay attention to what he is teaching, you will learn a lot. :)

I hope that is helpful. I'm happy to answer any other questions if you have them.
 
I took 102 and my wife took 101 (I sat with her and helped her through the lessons). Here is my take.

101 - This is a really basic class aimed at beginners. If you're just starting out, this class is for you. You learn some chords, some chord progressions and some rules about social playing. You also learn how to chunk which is a hugely valuable technique.

102 - This class is to prepare you for 103. You learn a lot of the techniques that are helpful for arranging (hammers, pull offs, etc.). You learn the theory you need (scales, how to know what chords are in which key and some ear training). I would say this class is for you if you're somewhere between beginner/intermediate.

UUU breaks down to about $15 a class. $15 for a one hour sessions is an incredible value. The course content delivers what you need to know and Aldrine is an excellent teacher. If you've ever watched one of his free monthly or live lessons you'll know what I mean. Watching and hearing him do the techniques as well as explain them is incredibly helpful. You also are given homework where you can take a video of yourself and he will give you feedback. There is a midterm and a final where you do a video that demonstrates you understand what you've learned.

Admittedly, receiving feedback from Aldrine was sometimes slow. He's a busy guy and I believe there were some technical difficulties with him getting email. I imagine his inbox was flooded with requests and videos so I imagine it was challenging to make sure you viewed and commented on all of them.

All in all both courses were solid. I had no complaints with what and how things were taught. Keep in mind that you get what you put in to it. If you practice and pay attention to what he is teaching, you will learn a lot. :)

I hope that is helpful. I'm happy to answer any other questions if you have them.

Was the lesson totally pre-recorded or was it initially streamed live and recorded for the rebroadcast and archiving?

$150 isn't the end of the world but it would have been better for me if they broke it into 2 semesters at $75 each so you could see if the format was to your liking and your PC could handle the stream.

Also, how strong was the strum sections as that is an area I would really like to concentrate? I have a lot of decades of guitar under my belt including lots of chords and inversions. So for me it is more a matter of find the stuff I already know on the uke. The finger rolls and triples are very new to me.
 
Was the lesson totally pre-recorded or was it initially streamed live and recorded for the rebroadcast and archiving?

$150 isn't the end of the world but it would have been better for me if they broke it into 2 semesters at $75 each so you could see if the format was to your liking and your PC could handle the stream.

Also, how strong was the strum sections as that is an area I would really like to concentrate? I have a lot of decades of guitar under my belt including lots of chords and inversions. So for me it is more a matter of find the stuff I already know on the uke. The finger rolls and triples are very new to me.

The sessions were live on Saturday and Sunday. Both sessions are recorded and both are available on the website almost immediately. I watched them both live and recorded and I didn't have any problems. Live is better because you can ask questions and Aldrine will answer them.

102 focuses more on picking techniques and theory. There was a section where he goes over rolls and triplet strums but this was just 1 of the 10 classes. It was beneficial to see how he uses them while strumming. If you feel your chord knowledge is strong and your picking and theory is good or aren't interested in them, then you can learn the rolls an triplet strum from the Uke Minutes.

I didn't have any computer problems. I did them on both a 5 year old PC and a year old MacBook Pro. I work with computer so that probably helps. However as long as you make sure the software on your machine is current and you have a broadband connection you'll be fine. I can't comment how it is over dial up.
 
What happens if you do not have the ability to video yourself for submission (either you do not have the equipment or do not know how to do so or do not have the required software). Do you fail???????
 
What happens if you do not have the ability to video yourself for submission (either you do not have the equipment or do not know how to do so or do not have the required software). Do you fail???????

You don't fail. :) you just mis out on Aldrine's feedback. If you are having problems with techniques you can video yourself and send it to him. He is very perceptive and can give you feedback to improve your playing. I think the course is better that way but it is not necessary. I think if you watch the videos an try to reproduce the sound, you'll be ok.

That being said I would highly recommend being able to video yourself. Not only does it make the course better but it's also good to record yourself and watch your technique periodically. You can get a Flip camcorder for pretty cheap.
 
The sessions were live on Saturday and Sunday. Both sessions are recorded and both are available on the website almost immediately. I watched them both live and recorded and I didn't have any problems. Live is better because you can ask questions and Aldrine will answer them.

102 focuses more on picking techniques and theory. There was a section where he goes over rolls and triplet strums but this was just 1 of the 10 classes. It was beneficial to see how he uses them while strumming. If you feel your chord knowledge is strong and your picking and theory is good or aren't interested in them, then you can learn the rolls an triplet strum from the Uke Minutes.

I didn't have any computer problems. I did them on both a 5 year old PC and a year old MacBook Pro. I work with computer so that probably helps. However as long as you make sure the software on your machine is current and you have a broadband connection you'll be fine. I can't comment how it is over dial up.

Mine is a bit older and lately I have been having problems watching youtube in anything more than 240P. I can probably scrape up a lap top on loan. I guess it sounds like it might be worth a flyer. If Aldrine doesn't get the $150, the stock market will...
 
Thanks for the feedback, I think I'll look into taking it next summer because a) I don't have the funds right now and b) I've got actual uni stuff to do this term but I may end up taking 102 depending on how far I've progressed :D

Are they on US time? The sessions? Which time? I'm on GMT/BST so would need to stay up late for live lessons if need be and would rather know HOW late I'd have to stay up!
 
I haven't taken the classes because I don't have time anymore. But I can tell you that virtually everything I know about the ukulele, I have learned from Aldrine. He is an excellent teacher.
 
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