nUUb Minutes: weekly nUUbies challenge

pootsie

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I post this in the spirit of out new nUUbtastic group project to inspire each other and help each other reach new heights on nUUbitude.

OK, so not so much a challenge, but something that helped on my nUUbular journey.




I challenge you to try this and see if it helps. It helped me!
 
A great start! All good tips, and a nice sounding uke, too. :)
 
Excellent video!
 
7:30 in the morning and already I've learned a better way to play a D chord. Good way to start the day!
Thanks!
 
Awesome videos guys. That's just the sort of thing we need. :)
 
7:30 in the morning and already I've learned a better way to play a D chord. Good way to start the day!
Thanks!

Glad I could help out! My current chord nemesis is Em - it's not a hard shape, I just can't seem to find it cleanly and in tempo. Maybe someone around here has a trick or two for that one?
 
Glad I could help out! My current chord nemesis is Em - it's not a hard shape, I just can't seem to find it cleanly and in tempo. Maybe someone around here has a trick or two for that one?

I'd be interested in that, too!

Nice work, both of you. Thanks for the videos!
 
What a wonderful thread!
Thank you both so much for the video. :)


Glad I could help out! My current chord nemesis is Em - it's not a hard shape, I just can't seem to find it cleanly and in tempo. Maybe someone around here has a trick or two for that one?


I don't know if I'm relieved or worried to hear that Em is still bugging you - even though you still consider yourself to be a beginner, it looks like you have been playing quite a bit longer than my 6 weeks. ;)

I have been struggling so much with Em this week; sometimes it goes a little bit better and other times my fingers end up wrong again!
 
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I don't know why this seems to work for me but when I'm making the Em chord, I was having trouble because I was using my index (1st) finger as my "leader finger", using it as the anchor of sorts and then finding the corresponding string positions with my middle (2nd) and ring finger (3rd). I flipped it around using my ring finger (3rd) as the leader finger which serves as the anchor allowing the middle (2nd) and index finger (1st) to find their places easier. All the fingers are hitting the strings at the same time to form the chord but in my mind there's a leader finger which leads the other fingers to find their place. I don't know if it makes any sense but it seems to be working for me.
 
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For Em barre the first 3 strings on the second fret, index finger. Then drop hour next finger third fret second string. Then ring finger third string on fourth fret.
 
Or, if you're just strumming and not plucking, you can do a cheater Em where you just do index finger first string second fret, middle finger third string fourth fret. It makes the two middle strings sound the same, so you're missing one of the four elements of the chord, but it is an easy cheat for the time being and doesn't sound obviously "off".
 
I don't know if I'm relieved or worried to hear that Em is still bugging you - even though you still consider yourself to be a beginner, it looks like you have been playing quite a bit longer than my 6 weeks. ;)

I have been struggling so much with Em this week; sometimes it goes a little bit better and other times my fingers end up wrong again!

Indeed - misery loves company. :) We WILL beat this chord, my friend!

I don't know why this seems to work for me but when I'm making the Em chord, I was having trouble because I was using my index (1st) finger as my "leader finger", using it as the anchor of sorts and then finding the corresponding string positions with my middle (2nd) and ring finger (3rd). I flipped it around using my ring finger (3rd) as the leader finger which serves as the anchor allowing the middle (2nd) and index finger (1st) to find their places easier. All the fingers are hitting the strings at the same time to form the chord but in my mind there's a leader finger which leads the other fingers to find their place. I don't know if it makes any sense but it seems to be working for me.

Sounds interesting - I'll give that a try. Thanks!

Ahhh ... yes ... Em ... one of the many chords I avoid :)

You and me both, sister. Unfortunately, I keep running into songs that I really want to play that call for it...

For Em barre the first 3 strings on the second fret, index finger. Then drop hour next finger third fret second string. Then ring finger third string on fourth fret.

I was working on something like this while playing "Pumped Up Kicks" the other day. The basic riff in that tune is Em G D A, so I was finding it easier to get from Em to G when I barred 3 strings at the second fret. This will be part of my practice session tomorrow morning - thanks! :)
 
Mikelz777 and Freeda, thank you both so much!
I am going to try both those suggestions: I too tend to think of my index finger as the 'leader', somehow.

His Sinfulness, your last suggestion for fingering the D chord proves to be very handy so far!

And Poopsie, your video prompted me to take out (and use, of course) my metronome again today for the first time in weeks... I loathe the sound that thing makes, but it does help: I spent a couple of minutes just going from Em to Am and back again (this was before reading the Em tips, so I'm going to practice some more tonight, using those!).
After that I switched it off to practice some songs, but it was still sort of ticking away in my head. ;)
 
For Em barre the first 3 strings on the second fret, index finger. Then drop hour next finger third fret second string. Then ring finger third string on fourth fret.
Oh Freeda, that is just GREAT! You are a Darling! :D :D That's for me from now on, thank you thank you!
 
I've used what Freeda suggested for the Em as well. I kind of discovered it by accident when trying to make a quick switch to the Em chord. It's nice to be able to execute different fingering for the same chord. Depending on the chords before and after, I then might want to choose one fingering over the other(s) for the smoothest transition.
 
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