SEASON 144: Play It Again, but Better

pabrizzer said:

Sometimes I think my (limited) skill set is on the wane - I know my voice is not as good as it was range wise and with some finger and arm issues I have, I am sure my playing has begun its downward slide too.
Some times I look back and wonder if that's actually me doing that stuff.
And of course there have been times I have revisted songs only to be slightly disappointed with the result.
I do have the same problem as you say you have Ginny, of the dreaded speed up through the song, and boy is that a hard one to break.
I'll go back and see if there are some season clangers - I hope I don't find too many.
I am open to some (kind) suggestions.

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bird's eye view of my ukelele said:

ginny, nice demo post but HELLO you were improving on perfection!

great theme/challenge, rather like you think about yourself (i don't agree but hey) i think i mostly need to slow the heck DOWN, i always go too fast... unless, as per pa's brill idea, anyone has any other suggestions for me, am i man enough to listen, uh................. dunno!

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I posted a thread some time ago http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?96448-Critiques-Corner-Seasonista-Reviews so people could give and recieve 'honest' and constructive opinions............it nose dived ??

Personally anything that Improves my playing......I'm all ears .........however I know my singing is beyond all hope !! Lol

My love/hate relationship with the seasons continues .................

Great theme Ginny! It's one I've thought of myself in the past. I've posted my fair share of clangers but there are also songs I've learnt purely because of the seasons but then put into open mic sets later on. Might give those a go.

This isn't an entry, more an example of what the seasons can do. Way back in season 117, Max's Sci-Fi theme, I did The Final Countdown . It was sloppy, rushed, I still hadn't nailed down a decent recording technique, and I wasn't all that confident singing it either.

I did put it straight into my open mic set though and as the months went on I changed the chord voicings in the chorus to get a better sound, introduced some finger picking and even a mini drum solo. This was two months ago at open mic and is the best moment I've ever had trying to play music. It's made all the years of being rubbish all worthwhile.

The performance isn't great, the video is poor because it's taken by a tablet sat on a music stand, but you can't argue with the absolute joy on my face while playing.

Before -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jLuvzDpONM




What’s His Name is Comin’ – an original song.

Kanakaloka is comin … to town
Kerstman is coming ….. to town
I hope you’ve been really good this year
So he can bring you lots of Christmas cheer

Weihnachtsmann is coming….. to town
Joulupukki is coming….. to town
I hope you’ve been good little girls and boys
So he can bring you lots of Chistmas joy

Santa Claus is coming ….. to town


It’s an original and was very rough so I’ve aimed at improvements to the song –
More countries included
Hawaii – Kanakaloka – the land of the ukulele
The Netherlands - Kerstman – the land of weTigers and Wim
Germany – Weihnachtsmann – the land of The Ukelites and elmann
Finland – Joulupukki – the land of We-ginga-yin
All the English speaking countries – Santa Clause – all the seasonistas in UK, USA and Australia.
A little more balance in the 2 verses – Bridge 1 - 2 verses – Bridge 2 - 1 verse format - and a little longer too.
I dropped the French verse knowing how well our host sings in French and knowing she would mark me down on my Pere Noel pronunciation.
Improvements to the video are more beard (yes that’s how old it is) – more red – and sun glasses. I think there is a little more animation and engagement with the viewer too.
The original vid is just a chord riff (which is what the song started as) with the vocals and extra instruments added later - basically the rough idea of a song. So I wasn’t singing in the actual vid, which I am this time, and I think it makes it sound more of a coherent, completed song.
And I'm playing the bari - probably my favourite uke.

After -


Oh - plenty of practice but just ONE take.

oh wow what a great theme. This is right up my street as only been playing uke for 2 and a half years. I think mine is going to be Can't help falling in love with you. I have the first awful video two years old so hopefully can improve. Really love this theme Ginny.

This is in my opinion a vast improvement on these two attempts I took at this song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwjYFDz9VIw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6j-cRE0o9E

I played it on the same uke but that is now tuned in Bariton tuning, I also played it in a different key as both earlier attempts, although I used the same chord shapes as the first one. Trying to sing this song also proves to me how good a singer Steve Hogarth is.

RAB11 said:

This isn't an entry, more an example of what the seasons can do. Way back in season 117, Max's Sci-Fi theme, I did The Final Countdown. It was sloppy, rushed, I still hadn't nailed down a decent recording technique, and I wasn't all that confident singing it either.

I did put it straight into my open mic set though and as the months went on I changed the chord voicings in the chorus to get a better sound, introduced some finger picking and even a mini drum solo. This was two months ago at open mic and is the best moment I've ever had trying to play music. It's made all the years of being rubbish all worthwhile.

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This is an excellent example of maximizing on the Seasons experience, Ryan! Learn something new, then because you like it, keep playing it in your practice rotation until it becomes one of your best. The percussion extras were nice. I also like that you're sitting up and leaning forward a little...I think that energizes your performance too.

pabrizzer - What's his name is coming - Brian, that one 4-string instrument and you singing and making sunglass-contact with the camera makes the performance much more personal and immediate. Further thought on the balance between the verses has paid off in making it quite a charming song to play for a group of children. I particularly like the little outro and ho-ho.

I agree that it’s better to practice a good bit and do only one or two takes while the energy and freshness of the song are in you. I have done way too many takes trying to get a perfect rendering of a chord change, when it really doesn’t matter for the Seasons…doing the song is the thing, not doing it perfectly.

uke4ia said:

Hmm, most of my worst videos were when I chose songs that my voice couldn't bring off. And it would still be my voice singing them this week.

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Jim, your entry needn't be a "worst video." It can be a song you did okay with, but since then has gotten much better for any number of reasons. I'm asking you to reflect on what you do better now and explain it.

If this exercise makes us more intentional about our practicing, great.
Mostly, though, I want all the ukers who are self-conscious players (me! here I am!) to see that the skilled, confident players came from somewhere less skilled and confident.

"A Little Help From My Friends" - AN INVITATION!

Fantastic theme, Ginny! On our long drive back from the Tampa Bay Ukulele Getaway (TBUG) I was pondering how a Season could be structured to put the focus primarily on our improvement. I think it's a very difficult theme in many respects, but you've put it together wonderfully. Thank you!

I have only been participating in SOTU since Season 123 (Berni Week) and I already have 36 videos from which to choose. At my current point in development, improvement should be easy with any of them!

The SOTU community is such a fantastic place for encouragement, and everyones' comments on my videos always point out something positive which is not only wonderful but extremely supportive as well. Nevertheless, I sometimes wish that some "constructive criticisms" might be offered as to how I could have done better.

My list of SOTU videos are available on: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVgDbDAVH5rA5OjB_yZwjRMd7fqE9vEv2

I certainly am not trying to get everyone to review all of my videos, but if anyone has the time to check over the list of titles and recalls one that you remember thinking to yourself such things as: "if he had only... it would have been so much better;" or, "he'd be better singing that in a lower key;" or, "he really needs to maintain better tempo;" or, "if I did that song I would ...;" etc. PLEASE suggest it to me. And, if you'd prefer not to be posting anything the least bit negative, send it to me as a Private Message.

Many of the things which I know I can improve upon are the direct results of self examination of my SOTU participation; BUT, as someone still very new to the study of music, playing an instrument, "and" singing, I know that there is much that many of you with more experienced ears and eyes could offer as solid, constructive criticism. I value all of your opinions.

As long as criticism is offered without insult, it is welcome and I will profit from it. So, I invite any of my Seasonista Friends to offer their suggestions and critiques to help me find my personal, best choices for Season 144. And, if anyone would like me to do the same favor in return please let me know with either a reply post or PM.

I think this Season promises to be the most beneficial to me yet!

As you can imagine, uke time is short for me at the moment. So I thought I'd pick another song that I play all the time at open mic, so that it wouldn't need much practice. This song is what made me really appreciate the seasons because it's one I thought would be impossible to learn, yet I managed to do a passable version in a few short days. As I kept playing it, it became my go-to song if I hadn't prepared a proper set or if I was asked to play a couple more songs, because I could play it blindfolded pretty much and it would always leave people impressed.

So of course it took 6 or 7 goes tonight.

The original, for 29 Moons Yacht Rock season, can be found here and there are definitely some flubs and another case of unconfident vocals. It did however take away my fear of sharp chords.

Nathan's decided to help me out with this one, and I think I may have crack my lack of uke time problem. Improvements are, in my opinion , stronger vocals, and playing the A# in the chorus properly.



Apologies for Louise sneezing at the start, thought I'd cut that out.

xommen - Easter - I think this works much better on the baritone and in that key. The whole song has more heft and importance in this version. I especially like the thumb-strummed parts. I think you were thinking more about the words, too. Nice update, Wim.

RAB11 - Layla - I’m hearing much more ease in your playing, Ryan, with more bluesy emphasis in the strumming to point up certain parts of the lyrics. I agree with you about your vocal being stronger. Playing it many times has made it a familiar “story” to you. Fine picking here! I wish I could remember, let alone play, a riff like that!
Hello, little Nathan!

pabrizzer said:

... I know my voice is not as good as it was range wise
I do have the same problem ... of the dreaded speed up through the song, and boy is that a hard one to break.

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Oh Pa, your voice goes to 11, mine will stop at 7 ... but the speed is a real true thing: very very hard.

ddanner said:

Fantastic theme, Ginny! On our long drive back from the Tampa Bay Ukulele Getaway (TBUG) I was pondering how a Season could be structured to put the focus primarily on our improvement. I think it's a very difficult theme in many respects, but you've put it together wonderfully. Thank you!

I have only been participating in SOTU since Season 123 (Berni Week) and I already have 36 videos from which to choose. At my current point in development, improvement should be easy with any of them!
I think this Season promises to be the most beneficial to me yet!

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Having a video to watch is a good base to start getting better. You can say, "Yes, that's the idea, but I've got a better idea now." I think just having done videos means you've tackled performance anxiety, which is really something for lots of us.

If you watch a video immediately after you do it , you might say, "I think that's okay,", whereas watching it some months later can make you see some specific change you can make, like "I was really off the beat at the end of that line; I'll start counting it out in my head."

http://youtu.be/iWlVcBv6z2A was my SOTU offering for #129 but I was just starting out learning the Key of E major, just starting to sing(couldn't get enough wind to even finish the chorus once), and offered just too early. Good news in retrospect as I had it was just what I needed for this season. I still can't do the last two choruses as they jump into keys that I am unfamiliar with relatively. I spared your ears and my dignity by cutting it a little short.

Ginny, great thread! I would love to take part but yet again the clock won't allow - I just have too many commitments and too much time out of the house... just hopeless at the moment. It is a super challenge! Have a great week, you and everybody and I hope to catch up with everyone before too long!

Hmmmm...

I often watch videos that Seasonista's post and I think ... that's genius. It's those little embellishments that Ginny is talking about that I recognize when I see it, but never come to mind when I record. That is what is proving difficult for me. I watch my videos and know that they can better, just not sure how. I rerecorded one this morning, it was different but I don't know that it was any better than the original. This will definitely be an interesting week.

Tu Vuò Fà L'Americano

This is from way back in season 42, Italian week.

Those of you who speak Napolitano will notice my pronunciation has improved.

I also added a little ritenuto on the “borsetta di mama” line, and a couple of other little enhancements.

And I’ve added an English translation.

Plus a few of the locals decided to join the audience for this one.



Here's a link to the season 42 version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdfh4lOEGks

ohmless - Stand - Oh wow, lots of improvement in the strumming from the first time! It’s even, with smooth chord changes. If you want to keep working with this song in your practice rotation, you can add the choruses that go into different keys. That will help you learn what chords go together in different keys, and it makes a song dynamic—a key change catches the listeners’ attention.


Dougf - Tu Vuo Fa L’Americano - This is a very nice revisit, Doug. I enjoyed the song more with the translation, which made me notice more your witty phrasing of the lyrics. You’ve also added several elegant flourishes in the playing, so you’ve taken this to another Doug level. As a visually inclined person, I appreciated the lovely setting you chose to record in.

"i love to love (but my baby loves to dance)"

humongous hit for tina charles in 1976

i wanted to do this song for repeated words week ("there's no time for our romance, no no no, no"), but i just couldn't make it work. i couldn't sing it, and i couldn't manage all the chords. so.......... rather than do something radical like just persevere, i abandoned the song, and just stole the title, and mangled it, and made a totally different, homemade song called "i love to love but my baby loves to uke", which didn't even manage to have any repeated words in, and ended up on the island!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kerI-TxFcmY

when ginny posted the theme for this season, i looked through my songs and i saw the homemade song and i thought to myself, COULD you have made the original song work, if you'd tried a bit harder? so, i tried the song again, and again, and then some more, i tried every key, i practised the evil new chord, and here are the fruits of my season 144-inspired labour, the song i wanted to do in the first place but just could not manage at the time

"i love to love (but my baby loves to dance)"



ginny if this whole thing that passes for a thought process doesn't quite cut if for your theme (i'm not really re-doing the song, because i never did it in the first place!), then i will understand if you need to kick it to the island

even if it cannot count for this week, i'm really glad i did this, because i finally managed to do this song that beat me before, this song i really just thought was beyond me

i'd like to say my lesson learnt is to persevere more first time around........... but if i'd done that i would probably never had written my homemade song with the ripped off title, and i really enjoyed doing that! so......... my overall conclusion is i have no overall conclusion! but i do know now that a bit more work, a bit more trying every possible thing and then trying every possible thing again, maybe several times, maybe a LOT of times, might just get you there!