What you need to be practicing

Waterguy

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So, I just had a bit of an epiphany on what you need to be working on to improve. This will probably be way old news to most but it was a bit of an eye opener for me and one thing I have realized over the course of my ukulele journey is that if it's new to me, it's new to others.

Challenging, but not frustrating. That is where you need to be working to improve.

I went to five seminars at the NY Uke Fest. The one I was the most comfortable at was Hawaiian Style Ukulele Strumming and Picking : For intermediate to advanced players, taught buy Tyler Gilman. At the end of it, he mentioned the "Hawaiian Style Ukulele" books. Beginner, intermediate, and advanced. I bought the last two.

I've been working with the intermediate book since I got back and I have managed to blow through a few blocks that have been slowing my improvement down. Will this work for you?....probably not. This particular book is exactly where I need to be at this moment in my journey. Might be way to easy for you. Might be way to hard, but for me it was just the right mix of challenging, but not frustrating. That opened my eyes. Whatever level you are at, you need to find that mix that works for you.

If this is way to obvious for most, I apologize but it was a bit of a revelation to me and like I said, no one is alone in what is holding them back.
 
Thanks for the tip! I've been using Volume 2 and I think it helps.

For those wondering why someone would post a rave about something without giving you any indication of how to find the thing being raved about, here you go:

Hawaiian Style Ukulele Volume 1: http://www.amazon.com/Hawaiian-Style-Ukulele-Vol-1/dp/0977408337/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_c

Hawaiian Style Ukulele Volume 2: http://www.amazon.com/Hawaiian-Style-Ukulele-2-assorted/dp/0977408329/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b

Hawaiian Style Ukulele Volume 3: http://www.amazon.com/Hawaiian-Style-Ukulele-3-assorted/dp/0977408388/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_c
 
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Aloha Waterguy,
I bought the books a long time ago and they are good....glad you are enjoying them too...Happy Strummings..MM Stan
 
Those are three of the first books I got when I started to play ukes, and they are still among my favorites. The included CD's are great, both to play along with and I enjoy them so much I keep them in my cars CD player and listen to them often.
 
you make a good point. Is one of the things I found most difficult about teaching, was acess a students skill then give them the right thing to learn at their level that they would find challanging and interesting yet not to far beyound their abilitiess. And different people have different frustration and failer rate tolerences.

those look like good books, I wish my library had them, they only have one book on ukulele, thats it. :( Its a travesty.
 
Tnks for this information.

How good are these books really?
Hawaiian Style 'Ukulele, Volume 3: is expensive in the UK (~£25), and some idiot bookshop is trying to sell it for £95 (through Amazon.co.uk)!
 
I dont get it. What are you saying I need if I want to improve? The book?
 
I dont get it. What are you saying I need if I want to improve? The book?

I think what he is trying to say is challenge yourself, but don't frustrate yourself with too difficult a path. Like climbing a field of boulders rather than walking a hiking path. You'll just make the task more difficult than it has to be.
 
I dont get it. What are you saying I need if I want to improve? The book?

Actually, the book might do nothing for you. It just happened to suit my current level. Pippin had it right.

When I try to play stuff that is way beyond me, I just get frustrated and give up. When I play stuff I've already mastered I don't improve. Not improving is what I seemed to be doing for a few months till I picked up this particular book. For you it would probably be something entirely different, it's about finding the right material for your level that would push you past where you are without frustrating you so much that you stop trying.

Challenging but not frustrating.

The book is good though.
 
Aren't these books written for low-G? I think I took a look at them once, but wound up not getting them because of that. Could be misremembering though...

JJ
 
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