Jam Session that resulted from teaching about the Uke in class (Vid Link)

I started a thread yesterday about teaching my classes about Movement of ideas by explaining the travels of the Ukulele....

The vid at the link below is a student of mine that dropped in after school with his guitar, and me on the Ukulele just playing around. Nothing great, but it is the first time I played with another person other than family. Also, it is my first YouTube Video ever. Please be kind!!!!

Mendel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLgx36_68KI

Nice strumming, Mendel =]

Thanks!! I'm working on it. It was hard... I was trying to focus on strumming, but I was also pretty interested in his playing. I would love to be able to play like that. I have to master the fretboard before I am able to do so.... As I said, Im working on it...

Yo Mendel, I'll try not to be too harsh, a couple of things:
Thing one: You guy's played well together, good meter, (your even strumming held it together) nice chord changes and give your student high five for his picking!
Thing two: I see where your munchkin gets his cuteness from
You didn't have to record, you didn't have to post. Thank you for doing so. I'd say we are at similar skill levels I know from your previous posts you've not been playing long, (me since 4/2010) you're doing very well, you are to be praised for putting yourself out there
DAP

DAPuke said:

Yo Mendel, I'll try not to be too harsh, a couple of things:
Thing one: You guy's played well together, good meter, (your even strumming held it together) nice chord changes and give your student high five for his picking!
Thing two: I see where your munchkin gets his cuteness from
You didn't have to record, you didn't have to post. Thank you for doing so. I'd say we are at similar skill levels I know from your previous posts you've not been playing long, (me since 4/2010) you're doing very well, you are to be praised for putting yourself out there

DAP

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I am with DAP... it was GREAT.. your strumming was steady and you were keeping time! Chord changes were great.. and your student is a VERY talented young man... I am sure that you would get a lot out of it if you were to play with him or other musicians. And I was going to say, you little guy looks just like you!
Great job and thanks for posting!! I don't have the courage to post...

I'm under no illusions. Trevor, the kid, is incredibly talented and it was a pleasure to play with him. I am a complete Newb... Only playing since October. Regardless, I am really enjoying myself. I appreciate the kindness. I'm very open to constructive criticism... Any tips!?!?!? Hopefully next time I get to play with another musician, I hope I will be at a higher level than I am now. I'd love to be able to work the fretboard and fingerpicking like a pro. It takes time...

Oh you seem nice to jam with. My husband keeps chords as a state guarded secret. And he switches between H and B, so you never know if a B is actually a Bb... good times.

That's what music is about. Just playing something. Not caring what it is and who with, just playing.

mendel said:

I'm under no illusions. Trevor, the kid, is incredibly talented and it was a pleasure to play with him. I am a complete Newb... Only playing since October. Regardless, I am really enjoying myself. I appreciate the kindness. I'm very open to constructive criticism... Any tips!?!?!? Hopefully next time I get to play with another musician, I hope I will be at a higher level than I am now. I'd love to be able to work the fretboard and fingerpicking like a pro. It takes time...

Click to expand...

I bet he enjoyed playing with you just as much! I watch my son with his guitar teacher.. first it was Zach (my 14 yr old son) playing the chords and John (teacher) ripping at the fretboard.. but in a short amount of time.. Zach is starting to move around the fretboard too... and the teacher will strum chords. It's too cool to watch the progression.

Aloha Mendel,
Nice job and smooth strumming for just a few months...you guys sounded well together and I'm sure you both will play more with each other in the future..thanks for sharing and Happy strummings!! MM Stan

Cool! Great job! Nice steady strumming. Keep at it and you might have a whole class of uke addicts, eventually.

John

Oh dang- teacher stuff coming through the wall...can't hold it back....
ARGH, OK, awesome video and super nice strumming there, but more importantly, you kicked off a relationship with a kid that enables them to teach you something. That is more powerful than what goes on in class, because that is the kind of independence we are trying to teach them right? Super powerful stuff there, and there is no way he would have showed without the hopes that he could do so, so let him have at it. Brilliant. I figure in the fifteen years I have done this, the best teaching I have ever done was when the line between teacher and normal adult (or peer god forbid) where blurred, my guard was down totally, and I allowed myself to learn something from my kids-I have become dependent on that kind of interaction at this point. That whole thing where they ask you "what is your philosophy of education" at an interview??? Well, they will all think I am crazy now, I have been wrecked- but I have eighth graders teaching me how to build lasers so who cares. My philosophy of education is "OK...what will you guys teach me today?"
You will learn a lot from the young fellow, and all you have to do is remember that those four bottom strings of his are just like yours, except that you start at his fifth fret. Give it a try soon, seriously. Play the chord shapes you know on the bottom four of his guitar and I promise...a musical awakening is going to happen- stringed instruments are all pretty similar beasts.
Great vid for sure and I totally second what DAPuke said. Good on ya for putting yourself out there. Everyone was a beginner at some point.