nUUb challenge WEEK 3 (my control issues at work)

pootsie

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greetings fellow nUUbies!

The idea of nUUb challenges is taking shape. I think we would be well served in this endeavor to have a single point person step forward each week to issue a clear challenge, so we don't end up at the end of the week still trying to figure out what the challenge should be.

I also think each challenge should have an alternative for the variying skill-levels of us nUUbs.

And since I have major control issues I thought I would channel my own mental health problems to this good purpose.

So here is my WEEK 3 proposal and alternative.

WEEK 3 CHALLENGE:
Strum through the entire Uncle Rod's Ukulele Bootcamp at 40 bpm

One strum per chord, 40 strums per minute, ideally striking the strings slowly so each one rings out cleanly

What you will need for this challenge:
Uncle Rod's Bootcamp
A metronome
--Don't have one? Find a smart-phone app, find one online, or download Weird Metronome here​
The willingness to do a "boring practice" vid and share it
--I can't find a place to download that​

ALTERNATIVE:​
If you find 40 bpm too challenging (or not challenging enough) vary the speed to create the right challenge for you. If you like, choose just one or two pages to do.

For myself I don't want to create something so hard I get too frustrated, but I want to challenge myself to cause growth. (I also find it easier to set the metronome at double speed and only hit every other beat.) So find a place a step ahead of yourself and reach for it.

My vision for this challenge is that we produce virtually identical vids and that we set ourselves up for bigger and better things along the way.
 
Sounds good (well, good FOR us, anyway), but when is the due date on this one?
 
OK. I'm in. This will be a challenge for sure.:p
 
Love it. :) And every project needs a control freak!
 
H.S.
I would aim for Sunday even though I am just getting ready to record my #2 submission for yesterday ;)

Thanks all for your support.
 
I like it!

Thanks for taking charge Pootsie! (Applying your control tendencies to a useful project just makes good sense, doesn't it?!)

OK, there are lots of challenges for me here....not the least of which is filming this on my iPhone, editing it with iMovie right on my iPhone, uploading the video to YouTube and posting it here. BUT, I did it!

So this is pretty rough but what I have done is combined week #2, my baby steps at applying the chunking technique, to week #3, trying to play Uncle Rod's boot camp chord progressions (in this example, the one in the key of G) while keeping, somewhat, to a 60 bpm rate.

Go ahead, hit me with your feedback....I'll brace myself with a dry martini before reading your comments....;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adV_Rwet6DU&feature=channel&list=UL
 
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That was awesome!! Uncle Rods with a funky beat! Great job!!

I like it!

Thanks for taking charge Pootsie! (Applying your control tendencies to a useful project just makes good sense, doesn't it?!)

OK, there are lots of challenges for me here....not the least of which is filming this on my iPhone, editing it with iMovie right on my iPhone, uploading the video to YouTube and posting it here. BUT, I did it!

So this is pretty rough but what I have done is combined week #2, my baby steps at applying the chunking technique, to week #3, trying to play Uncle Rod's boot camp chord progressions (in this example, the one in the key of G) while keeping, somewhat, to a 60 bpm rate.

Go ahead, hit me with your feedback....I'll brace myself with a dry martini before reading your comments....;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adV_Rwet6DU&feature=channel&list=UL
 
I like it!

Thanks for taking charge Pootsie! (Applying your control tendencies to a useful project just makes good sense, doesn't it?!)

OK, there are lots of challenges for me here....not the least of which is filming this on my iPhone, editing it with iMovie right on my iPhone, uploading the video to YouTube and posting it here. BUT, I did it!

So this is pretty rough but what I have done is combined week #2, my baby steps at applying the chunking technique, to week #3, trying to play Uncle Rod's boot camp chord progressions (in this example, the one in the key of G) while keeping, somewhat, to a 60 bpm rate.

Go ahead, hit me with your feedback....I'll brace myself with a dry martini before reading your comments....;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adV_Rwet6DU&feature=channel&list=UL

Hey!! Good job fretie!!!! I'm struggling a bit with this one.
 
A big project has limited my uke time -- but I hope to join you all next week. Your progress is inspiring!
 
This challenge is a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. At 40 bpm, 1 strum for each chord, I can breeze through most of it but there seems to be 2-3 chord changes in each key which trip me up all the time so I really need to practice to make it all the way through without messing up. My metronome's lowest setting is 40 bpm which is probably about right for me. At this point, it's challenging for me but it's not out of reach and if my metronome went any lower, I'd be tempted to make the challenge easier and I wouldn't be stretching like I should be.
 
This challenge is a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. At 40 bpm, 1 strum for each chord, I can breeze through most of it but there seems to be 2-3 chord changes in each key which trip me up all the time so I really need to practice to make it all the way through without messing up. My metronome's lowest setting is 40 bpm which is probably about right for me. At this point, it's challenging for me but it's not out of reach and if my metronome went any lower, I'd be tempted to make the challenge easier and I wouldn't be stretching like I should be.

ditto
--except the part about the metronome's lowest setting, but I have mine set on 80bpm which helps me stay in time better hitting every other beat

This challenge is working for me because it is in fact a challenge but not so difficult that I just want to pack it in. I am betting you and I are not alone in this feeling. Kudos to those who are throwing the extra level of difficulty in there.
 
The difficulties for me are always the diminished, and some barre chords. In all 5 keys, those are the changes that are likely to trip me up.

I wanted to make my video this weekend, but we had two sets of out of town guests visit this weekend. Hopefully tomorrow I can find the time...
 
I too have had scheduling issues. Plus I still suck. But I'm working on it!
 
* our protagonist throws his arm around Pootsie and exclaims "I love you man"
That is a drunken affirmation used most often in beer culture, but the gesture means the same thing in Uke culture.
You don't suck.
Now carry on ;)
 
I love you too, man! *uncoordinated hug*

I hope to post tonite.

Someone put up week 4 now!!!
 
So here is my attempt (or one of many attempts) to make it all the way through Uncle Rod's Ukulele Bootcamp at 40 bpm, one strum per chord.

There were a lot of interruptions in recording, mostly when I screwed up ...

Mahalo, Uncle Rod!
 
It doesn't look like I'm going to get the time to record a proper video for challenge #2 or #3 this week, so I just threw together some of my practice videos. Slow strumming of Uncle Rod's Bootcamp in all 5 keys (F and D are pretty rough) and some reggae(ish) chunking in the key of C. (The odd crunching sound you hear in the background is my dog, Friday, chewing her nylabone.)



Now, on to week #4...
 
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Nice work, Pootsie! Singing the chord names would probably help me remember the names better...
 
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