Seasonistas general thread: yakking, joshing, news and pictures

Ginny -

I thought this was true, but just tested it again. No matter what, when the camera is rolling, flop sweat appears. I did the same song twice with no camera, and cool as a cucumber. Turn it on, and waterworks.

Wonder what would happen if I played live? I have ton probably thousands of presentations, and I have some of the same symptoms, but I doubt if anyone ever notices.


I'm with you there, Rick. Even on a cold day, I have quite a "glow" after a stint trying to record a song.
I joke about sipping whisky, but a glass of wine does help me settle down when I didn't get the song in the first or second take.

With a presentation, you're the expert, so no problem.
If you played live, I'm sure you'd be better than you think because of your natural enthusiasm. (If not, you know the brain makes amnesiacs after bad experiences. :D :) ;) )
 
Booli, thanks for explaining your very intentional process for learning a song. I know it depends on the song, but in general, how many hours or days are you in this development? The point is to get it laid down permanently, so spending this time is definitely worth it.

You're welcome. I'm glad to be able to share. Like you said it depends on the song.

If I am already familiar with the song, and subjectively/relatively how well I 'know' the song as a listener it usually takes less time to get inside the music.

The more I am familiar, the easier it is to recognize the chord changes and intervals in the melody. The more foreign the song is to me, the longer it takes. Learning chords that are new to me can significantly slow the process, but I see this as absolutely necessary for my becoming a better musician.

I don’t know if I've ever actually measured the time invested either way. It is really more a factor of my current attention span, combined with the contiguous moments of free time before I am 'distracted' by something else that requires my immediate attention. If I get frustrated, I stop and come back later, and try again. Try again until I have something I'm happy with. I get distressed from things that are left incomplete, so I do not often stop before completing the process.

Another factor is if the song is just for my own pleasure or for something that has a deadline, like a performance date or a fixed time-frame (i.e., the 7 days for the Seasons).

Many times I started to search for music for different Seasons, but either could not find a song I liked and could relate to, or if I did find a song, did not have enough time to learn it well enough, even roughly, to hack my way through making a video, and while I might keep working on it, the effort might take more than 7 days.

I make a concerted effort to practice and play every day for at least 30 mins, and am most satisfied with an hour, but over the past year this has been hard for me to maintain because my 'real life' is very busy and full of distractions, and I dont often get even that 30 mins of time, so I might get 5 min chunks, which are really too small for me to feel like I've accomplished anything other than as a momentary catharsis for stress.

If memory serves (this may not be exact), if I had no distractions at all, and can actually spend a few hours without interruption, I can usually imprint a song (somewhat permanently) with 3-4 sessions that are 3-4 hrs each. Then I leave it for a day or two (usually not by choice) and when I pick up the instrument again and try, I usually do not have much trouble after the first or second attempt, and then the song just flows. At that point I will sit and play the same song repeatedly over and over, with slight variations in the timing, chord inversions, strumming or picking pattern and try to find a way that the song and the instrument sounds very special to my ear.

This last part, of re-invention has no defined end point and is ongoing, as I'm always testing new variations, especially as my mechanical technique improves, yet a few songs have been 'locked in' to a favored way of playing and those are imprinted very well.

It seems that you are primarily an audial learner. I'm a visual learner, with kinesthetic second, and my audial operating system a distant third—with my music application attached via an external processor (it's not embedded).

:) I like the way you phrased that, very computer-ish. Great context there. Audial, yes very much so. I try to get away from visual reference as quickly as possible, and let the music live in my internal processor (brain), sometimes for fear of not having the paper, iPad or computer to look at, and wanting to play unshackled so-to-speak as often as possible.

My lofty goal is to have a good repertoire in memory that allows me to play spontaneously in a variety of styles, and thus allowing me to jam with others in practically any setting.

After working on new music, when I go to bed at night, I will often visualize with my eyes closed, what and where my hands were doing for the song, and do a sort of muscle-memory run-through, all without the instrument, such that hopefully next time or shortly I'll be able to play without looking, and just by feel and muscle-memory. I conceptualize this as burning the neural pathways into my brain, in the abstract. It seems to be working so far.

Since a lot of the songs Craig and/or I do are older, there are many recordings to listen to as the first step.

Yes, that's a great thing. We live in a wonderful time, not just with printed music, but with the internet, practically anything is at your fingertips.

I love all that old music, which I credit to my Grandfather who used to play ragtime, foxtrot, stride and tin-pan-alley songs on the piano my whole life. He was and still is a great inspiration to me. My first ukulele was a hand-me-down from him, that sadly I did not handle or learn to play until a few years after his passing in 2009. I never saw him play it, and it's providence is still a mystery. It is an all-solid mahogany baritone made by Harmony. The bridge is lifting, so it is in a very nice case, unstrung, waiting for me to remove and re-seat the bridge.

Also, as far as 'old' music goes - when I first joined UU, I watched literally ALL of the videos that Jon Duncan had on Youtube, from start to finish MANY times.

He has gone by many aliases (Eugene Ukulele, Hippie Dribble, etc) now (mountain goat), but his recordings will always serve as a touchstone for me for both music in general, and music on the ukulele. Jon is always an ongoing source of inspiration to me. I am grateful to be able to witness and share such music in my lifetime. Jon is also one of the kindest, compassionate and most generous people I have met online via UU. I truly consider him a brother.

-Booli :music:
 
Fun conversations.

On the mistakes issue, I had a great guitar teacher that explained in this way. If you make a mistake, do it again. Now it's jazz. If they are deep enough to dig your groove, that's their problem.

Now, what am I playing the ukulele for? Having played guitar for years, I wanted to try something new. I am a hobby collector and love trying new things. Very few things stick, but the ones that do become deeply incorporated into my life. So anyway, I figured I'd try the ukulele out and found that it gave me everything that I enjoyed about the guitar, but allowed me to do things even more complex that I was able to on the guitar. I don't know if the excitement of a new instrument made me try to learn more, but it just seemed easier to me than trying to learn things on the guitar. It's easier to travel with, easier to play late at night without disturbing people and it's cheaper to get a professional quality ukulele than it is to get a professional quality guitar. The reentrant tuning allowed me to incorporate many of my banjo picking rolls directly to the ukulele. It was like everything I'd learned musically over the last 26 years immediately and effortlessly translated to the ukulele.

Finally, I like the community of ukulele players. Simply put, there isn't a guitar club for me to go play with anywhere. The instrument is novel enough to still have that sort of small community feel, which allows for that underground movement to still be strong. No one likes to feel alone and the ukulele comes with it's own community, ready made for happy people.
 
Ginny, this is a great thread. My family is/was very musical, but I'm the spoiled brat baby, so the folks never forced me to take lessons (much to my regret). I want to do more than listen to something and enjoy it. I want to get inside it, if you will, and play well enough to sing along. I don't do either well, but I think both are improving. I also enjoy discovering new (to me) music, and perhaps introducing what I like to others.

I picked up the uke two years ago because my hands aren't large enough for a guitar and the price point for entry is reasonable. I've stuck with it for the community and the fellowship, even if much of that is virtual. And the stress relief. Big time.

As for playing, I start with an audial image of a song, go to a chord display, and then see if the key works. I recently found I can transpose pretty well on the fly. Then, it's practice, practice, and embarrass myself on YouTube!
 
Just a quick note to say I ended up playing Spooky from memory. The only thing I did was sing "You call me up and ask me if I'd like to go with you and see a movie" then realized the next line "First you say No" now does not make any sense. Oh well! At least I kept going.
I hope to play more songs off book as I make more videos!
 
Ginny, this is a great thread....I've stuck with it for the community and the fellowship, even if much of that is virtual. And the stress relief. Big time.

Truer words were never spoken.
 
I
Ginny, this is a great thread. My family is/was very musical, but I'm the spoiled brat baby, so the folks never forced me to take lessons (much to my regret). I want to do more than listen to something and enjoy it. I want to get inside it, if you will, and play well enough to sing along. I don't do either well, but I think both are improving. I also enjoy discovering new (to me) music, and perhaps introducing what I like to others.

This resonates with me as well. I think nothing enhances your enjoyment of music like learning to play it in some fashion. Before I really got into playing and engaging that analytical side of my brain, music was more of a muddy conglomeration of things going on simultaneously.

The practice and habit of learning a song inevitably leads to you dissecting the song to some extent, picking out the parts you like and discovering how the various elements fit together and make a harmonious whole. It's a little like taking an engine apart and putting it back together. You not only get a more profound appreciation for how it all works, but you can hear things you never did before. I realized there is so much more to music than what my brain was sort of filtering out. When I listen to any music now it is with new ears, and that is an unexpected benefit for those who have never tried to play anything.
 
I might have shared this before... But in this context- here it is again.

 
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The practice and habit of learning a song inevitably leads to you dissecting the song to some extent, picking out the parts you like and discovering how the various elements fit together and make a harmonious whole. It's a little like taking an engine apart and putting it back together. You not only get a more profound appreciation for how it all works, but you can hear things you never did before. I realized there is so much more to music than what my brain was sort of filtering out. When I listen to any music now it is with new ears, and that is an unexpected benefit for those who have never tried to play anything.


Andrew, this was a point I wanted to illustrate when I hosted Season 144: Play It Again, But Better.
A steady player is growing and changing all the time—picking up info and interpretation, advancing in finger skills, and developing in musical understanding.

My asking participants to choose a song from way back and record it again was asking them to study their song more—as you say, take it apart and put it back together. It's rewarding because when you play it again, it's so clear where you've gotten better. Nothing prompts you to keep going like seeing you've had success. (Ask anyone trying to lose weight.)

You can see this at any time: Take a closer look at a song you recorded a year or more ago. With your greater experience and understanding of music, you'd probably interpret it differently now. You'd probably play it better now too.
 
This was a FB comment a while back by uker Terry Pensel.
With his permission, I edited and sharpened it. It has appeared in the Seasonistas FB page.



SIX AREAS FOR ACHIEVING GOOD UKING PERFORMANCE

Extrinsic Trinity: what we all can see
1. Head work (knowing the song, chords, lyrics, rhythm)
2. Left-hand work (chord shapes, smooth transitions, clear fretting, balance, comfort)
3. Right-hand work (strumming or picking patterns, tempo, rhythm, flourishes)

Instrinsic Trinity: attributes that make you an engaging uke player
4. Voice work (knowing best keys for your voice, vocal warm-ups, learning to breathe at the right places, adapting your voice to blend with other singers)
5. Persona (how you engage the audience—eye contact, smiling, introductions—plus how you adjust to distractions and your mistakes)
6. Smooth interaction through the performance—with other people (the MC, previous/following players) and with technical elements (microphone and other adjustments). A calm and natural performer doesn't draw attention to particular needs (water, the chair). And a good uke performer is tuned up before going on stage.


What do you need work on, and how are you going about it?
 
hey all! i now have a silly song sheet website of songs i've done.
it's still in the works..but, i'm adding more to it everyday, with videos to go with them..ala ukesterbrown and doctoruke...
just another repository of songs and song sheets...if you have any requests let me know!
hope you enjoy!
cheers all!
http://thesillydave.weebly.com/
 
For those afraid that they are not good enough, or ashamed to show others if they can not yet play like Jake (if that is the goal), remember what your motivations are for playing.

Is it for YOURSELF, for your own pleasure?, or is it to show off, win friends and change the world? or is it to become a professional performer, tour the world and make a living doing so? or something else...

I stumbled upon this video, which may be more appropriate for a child audience, but since I figure we are all still kids at heart, I will share it here...


https://youtu.be/-wOC2EM31s0


Personally, I do it for myself, primarily as an emotional and mental catharsis. Encouragement from others is a bonus, and in the absence of that kindness, I would still play my instruments anyway. The camaraderie here on UU is very nice, but not required for my own enjoyment.

please discuss...do you feel you need 'approval' from others in order to enjoy your ukulele, or is it ok for you to do it for yourself, and not give a rat fink what others think about it?
 
For those afraid that they are not good enough, or ashamed to show others if they can not yet play like Jake (if that is the goal), remember what your motivations are for playing.

Is it for YOURSELF, for your own pleasure?, or is it to show off, win friends and change the world? or is it to become a professional performer, tour the world and make a living doing so? or something else...

Personally, I do it for myself, primarily as an emotional and mental catharsis. Encouragement from others is a bonus, and in the absence of that kindness, I would still play my instruments anyway. The camaraderie here on UU is very nice, but not required for my own enjoyment.

please discuss...do you feel you need 'approval' from others in order to enjoy your ukulele, or is it ok for you to do it for yourself, and not give a rat fink what others think about it?

I had only one very moderate goal: to be able to strum some chords on something in order to accompany my own singing, mostly for my own enjoyment. But I have found that playing for others gives me a whole higher level of satisfaction.
 
I had only one very moderate goal: to be able to strum some chords on something in order to accompany my own singing, mostly for my own enjoyment. But I have found that playing for others gives me a whole higher level of satisfaction.

That was pretty much my aim - though I was already going out singing and I wanted to be able to accompany myself. I do enjoy playing for others and also playing with others. Music is very much a social activity.
 
Hi guys,
I have see many posts in this thread about learning tunes and the difficulties of transcribing/ reading notation for use in making videos. When preparing a song for the Seasons I copy the lyrics and chords when available. If I have to correct or figure the chord I do so but start with the lyrics in the the associated chord family color. I can then put in the chords fairly quickly based on the color wheel. There is a big advantage in using color for the chord families IMO Groups of people who are illiterate, have poor vision or dyslexic can use it. Color Blind folks would require some adaptation. But it works well for me.

Below you will find an easy way to transpose chords. I use the ROYGBIV method. The idea goes back to Sir Issac Newton I think, but I came up with it idependently. When I Transcribe a song I assign the tonic Chord the color Red The 4th chord would be green the fifth chord blue.
If you were to play I'll fly away in the key of D Red=D, Green =G, Blue=A7. Key of G: Red=G, Green =C, Blue=D7.

I=R, II=O, III=Y, IV=G, V=B, VI=I VII=V

Key of C: I=C, II=D, III=E, IV=F, V=G7, VI=A VII=B
C7 Em G Am

I'llFly Away Lyrics

[G]Somebright morning when this life is o'er, [C]I'll fly[G]away

Toa home on God's celestial shore, I'll [D7]fly a-[G]way
 
That's a cool idea Tommy. It takes some extra effort to be sure but I can see the advantages. When working on memorizing stuff, the more ways your brain can interpret the material the better. Working with language and color perceptions can be a powerful combo. Thanks for sharing your method.
 
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