OldePhart
Well-known member
I was going to offer my Kala solid acacia pocket uke for sale in the marketplace but it seems like the marketplace is pretty full right now so I decided it would be lots of fun to give it away instead!
Edit - Submit your entries by making them video responses to this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRACEe5tObA
1) Must be an old-style hymn of the Christian faith. Preferably something from the public domain. Songs like Amazing Grace, A Shelter in the Time of Storm, etc., etc. (One online source lists about 2600 such songs in the public domain.) I'm not going to limit the contest to English - but I don't speak any other languages so please provide on-screen subtitles in English if you decide to sing in another language. (Feel free to include subtitles with lyrics and chords in any case.)
2) You needn't be a believer to enter. I will probably tend to award higher scores to videos that convey the impression that the song was meaningful to you beyond just being the vehicle by which you hope to win a ukulele, though.
3) Must prominently feature you or your video partners on ukulele (i.e. you can't just "piggy back" on somebody else's ukulele video). Additional instruments are permitted, as are unlimited overdubbing, multi-tracking, picture-in-picture, special effects, etc. Collaborations are certainly permissible but there is only one indivisible prize, which will be awarded to the individual submitting the video.
4) Avoid copyrighted material (i.e. no dubbing with another artist without permission, etc.)
5) May be sung or a recognizable
instrumental. I emphasize "recognizable" because a chord progression is not a song (Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain illustrates this brilliantly with their mashups). I've seen videos where people say, "I'm going to play..." and then proceed to play nothing but the chord progression and the song is unrecognizable even if you know it well. When a performance includes vocals singing the melody, you have a song. When a performance includes instruments either playing the melody or recognizably suggesting the melody (as in jazz) you have a song. When all you have is a chord progression you have...a chord progression.
6) Must include some video of the performance (i.e. I'm not interested in slideshows or unrelated videos with a soundtrack). It is permissible to mix such elements into the video, but I have to come away with the overall impression that it was a performance music video and not just a soundtrack to something else.
7) Entries must be identified within the video (either via titling or spoken statement) as being for "John's Olde Time Religion Ukulele Hymn Contest" and sent as video responses to the YouTube video that I linked to near the top of this post.
8) Enter as many times as you wish. The contest will close on the 30th of June* at midnight in the US central time zone (I think that's UTC-8 but I don't recall for certain - don't cut your entry so close that it matters!)
9) I'll pay slow-boat shipping to the winner world-wide. If the winner is outside the United States they will be responsible for any customs duties. I won't falsify customs forms, but I will indicate the item as used and as a prize won in a talent contest. If the winner wants to upgrade shipping, I will do so if they pay the difference in cost via PayPal.
So, what are the judging criteria? Well, the judges are going to be me, myself, and I. If I get stumped I may ask a mystery guest to assist me in the final selection. It's a winner take all and the decision is final. There are no 2nd, 3rd, runner up, etc. prizes. I could be Solomon and offer to divide the prize among three winners, but I'm not real sure that part of a pocket uke is worth winning! I plan to judge using a secret proprietary formula that is quite complex (translated, I haven't formalized the parameters yet). Basically, while musicality, vocal quality, etc. will certainly be factors, I'll also be judging things like how much effort somebody put into the project, how much I feel that the person(s) in the video have some connection with the song, and so on. Making the video content interesting is definitely a plus - I'm not talking pretty girls interesting (this is one contest I guarantee will not be won on cleavage), but how well the video elements support the content of the song.
Note that I'll be away for two weeks at the end of May and beginning of June, so entries submitted during that time might not be approved for inclusion as a video response until sometime after I get back.
John's Olde Time Religion Ukulele Hymn Contest
The grand (and only) prize is my like-new Kala solid acacia pocket uke complete with its stylish padded gig bag!Edit - Submit your entries by making them video responses to this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRACEe5tObA
1) Must be an old-style hymn of the Christian faith. Preferably something from the public domain. Songs like Amazing Grace, A Shelter in the Time of Storm, etc., etc. (One online source lists about 2600 such songs in the public domain.) I'm not going to limit the contest to English - but I don't speak any other languages so please provide on-screen subtitles in English if you decide to sing in another language. (Feel free to include subtitles with lyrics and chords in any case.)
2) You needn't be a believer to enter. I will probably tend to award higher scores to videos that convey the impression that the song was meaningful to you beyond just being the vehicle by which you hope to win a ukulele, though.
3) Must prominently feature you or your video partners on ukulele (i.e. you can't just "piggy back" on somebody else's ukulele video). Additional instruments are permitted, as are unlimited overdubbing, multi-tracking, picture-in-picture, special effects, etc. Collaborations are certainly permissible but there is only one indivisible prize, which will be awarded to the individual submitting the video.
4) Avoid copyrighted material (i.e. no dubbing with another artist without permission, etc.)
5) May be sung or a recognizable
instrumental. I emphasize "recognizable" because a chord progression is not a song (Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain illustrates this brilliantly with their mashups). I've seen videos where people say, "I'm going to play..." and then proceed to play nothing but the chord progression and the song is unrecognizable even if you know it well. When a performance includes vocals singing the melody, you have a song. When a performance includes instruments either playing the melody or recognizably suggesting the melody (as in jazz) you have a song. When all you have is a chord progression you have...a chord progression.6) Must include some video of the performance (i.e. I'm not interested in slideshows or unrelated videos with a soundtrack). It is permissible to mix such elements into the video, but I have to come away with the overall impression that it was a performance music video and not just a soundtrack to something else.
7) Entries must be identified within the video (either via titling or spoken statement) as being for "John's Olde Time Religion Ukulele Hymn Contest" and sent as video responses to the YouTube video that I linked to near the top of this post.
8) Enter as many times as you wish. The contest will close on the 30th of June* at midnight in the US central time zone (I think that's UTC-8 but I don't recall for certain - don't cut your entry so close that it matters!)
NOTE: I've extended the closing date of the concert from the 15th of June to the 30th of June so those who are away at school will have some time to enter a video.
9) I'll pay slow-boat shipping to the winner world-wide. If the winner is outside the United States they will be responsible for any customs duties. I won't falsify customs forms, but I will indicate the item as used and as a prize won in a talent contest. If the winner wants to upgrade shipping, I will do so if they pay the difference in cost via PayPal.
So, what are the judging criteria? Well, the judges are going to be me, myself, and I. If I get stumped I may ask a mystery guest to assist me in the final selection. It's a winner take all and the decision is final. There are no 2nd, 3rd, runner up, etc. prizes. I could be Solomon and offer to divide the prize among three winners, but I'm not real sure that part of a pocket uke is worth winning! I plan to judge using a secret proprietary formula that is quite complex (translated, I haven't formalized the parameters yet). Basically, while musicality, vocal quality, etc. will certainly be factors, I'll also be judging things like how much effort somebody put into the project, how much I feel that the person(s) in the video have some connection with the song, and so on. Making the video content interesting is definitely a plus - I'm not talking pretty girls interesting (this is one contest I guarantee will not be won on cleavage), but how well the video elements support the content of the song.
Note that I'll be away for two weeks at the end of May and beginning of June, so entries submitted during that time might not be approved for inclusion as a video response until sometime after I get back.
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