UkeKiddinMe
Well-known member
What are these *Season* threads here?
What does that mean? Thanks.
What does that mean? Thanks.
Can someone explain the Season thing here?
- Thread starter UkeKiddinMe
- Start date
haolejohn
Well-known member
They are a series of contests that last a month at a time. More fun than seriousness. Go to the first season and read all about it.
UkeyDave
Well-known member
The Seasons are held weekly. An Ukulele Underground member volunteers to host them for the week. Season 58 (which is the 58th week they have been running has just started). If you go to the first post of Season 58 you will see the rules for entering. Its just for fun and the host decides the theme and explains them at the start of the week. Absolutely any member can enter. The more the merrier and its a fun and friendly place. Its not about prizes, its about networking with fellow seasonistas and sharing music and some of us actually manage to improve our humble playing skills week by week.
Come and join us. Its a friendly place.
Come and join us. Its a friendly place.
GinnyT11
Well-known member
Here's an explanation from several weeks back. It's still valid. Everyone is welcome.
http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/f...of-the-Ukulele!&highlight=personal+invitation
http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/f...of-the-Ukulele!&highlight=personal+invitation
OldePhart
Well-known member
What everybody above said, plus, a little history...
"Contests" have a long history here at UU, far predating my arrival. (Such a long history that they already had their own forum.)
A little over a year ago Christian (chrimess) and a couple of others came up with an idea for a six week contest divided into "seasons" - each being a week long. Each season had it's own theme and people were only eligible to win if they participated in at least five (I think it was, maybe it was four) of the seasons. Some of the rules of those first seasons was that videos had to be new for the contest and they had to be done in a contiguous take (no overdubbing, multi-tracking, and so on). For some reason, the idea really appealed to a lot of people and when the six weeks were over there was a lot of momentum to keep doing. So we did.
It's been 58 contiguous weeks now without a single week being omitted. I believe people have "signed up" to host future seasons at least through the middle of this year Drew (ukuloonie) stepped up some months back and started coordinating some of the schedules so we know who is coming up on hosting and so on. Sometimes prizes have had some "real" value - other times they've had little economical value but great sentimental value. Judging has varied from "chicken bingo" (if you have to ask you probably don't want to know), to host-chosen, to participant vote (sometimes public, sometimes private). I personally took first place oen season when Dave (TCK) threw a knife at a board with hidden names (this after his chickens failed to perform their duty as expected - BTW, Dave, I thought of something, if you'd put the names on a freshly washed car I bet the chickens would have crapped all over it). The "golden egg" (an egg shaker with a handle - probably actually a baby rattle) that I won is right on the desk in front of me and it will always bring fond memories.
It's really not about prizes, though they do provide a little incentive to participate. It's very fun, supportive, and just generally a blast. I think we're averaging over 50 videos a week now, counting non-scored "bonus tracks" anyway. (I keep saying "we," even though for the last several weeks my job has kept me from having time to participate - this is a Sunday evening and honestly I should be working instead of contributing to this thread...)
Anyway, as others have said, come on over and check it out. We've had a lot of people produce their first-ever public video for the Seasons and, as far as I'm aware, not one single person has been eaten for lunch.
I've also been acquainted with artists I've never heard of, have heard some excellent originals by UU members (including one song by someone I'm guessing is a pro entertainer albeit unknown on these shores that just knocked my socks completely off).
In short, this little project conceived by Christian has become perhaps one of the most significant internet (largely) amateur music projects to date. Am I exaggerating? Not really, I can't think of anything else that rivals it, in any case.
John
"Contests" have a long history here at UU, far predating my arrival. (Such a long history that they already had their own forum.)
A little over a year ago Christian (chrimess) and a couple of others came up with an idea for a six week contest divided into "seasons" - each being a week long. Each season had it's own theme and people were only eligible to win if they participated in at least five (I think it was, maybe it was four) of the seasons. Some of the rules of those first seasons was that videos had to be new for the contest and they had to be done in a contiguous take (no overdubbing, multi-tracking, and so on). For some reason, the idea really appealed to a lot of people and when the six weeks were over there was a lot of momentum to keep doing. So we did.
It's been 58 contiguous weeks now without a single week being omitted. I believe people have "signed up" to host future seasons at least through the middle of this year Drew (ukuloonie) stepped up some months back and started coordinating some of the schedules so we know who is coming up on hosting and so on. Sometimes prizes have had some "real" value - other times they've had little economical value but great sentimental value. Judging has varied from "chicken bingo" (if you have to ask you probably don't want to know), to host-chosen, to participant vote (sometimes public, sometimes private). I personally took first place oen season when Dave (TCK) threw a knife at a board with hidden names (this after his chickens failed to perform their duty as expected - BTW, Dave, I thought of something, if you'd put the names on a freshly washed car I bet the chickens would have crapped all over it). The "golden egg" (an egg shaker with a handle - probably actually a baby rattle) that I won is right on the desk in front of me and it will always bring fond memories.
It's really not about prizes, though they do provide a little incentive to participate. It's very fun, supportive, and just generally a blast. I think we're averaging over 50 videos a week now, counting non-scored "bonus tracks" anyway. (I keep saying "we," even though for the last several weeks my job has kept me from having time to participate - this is a Sunday evening and honestly I should be working instead of contributing to this thread...)
Anyway, as others have said, come on over and check it out. We've had a lot of people produce their first-ever public video for the Seasons and, as far as I'm aware, not one single person has been eaten for lunch.
I've also been acquainted with artists I've never heard of, have heard some excellent originals by UU members (including one song by someone I'm guessing is a pro entertainer albeit unknown on these shores that just knocked my socks completely off).
In short, this little project conceived by Christian has become perhaps one of the most significant internet (largely) amateur music projects to date. Am I exaggerating? Not really, I can't think of anything else that rivals it, in any case.
John
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OP
OP
UkeKiddinMe
Well-known member
This is very cool. Sounds like tons of fun. Will be watching.
ukuLily Mars
Well-known member
Please do! We'd love to have you join in the fun. Thanks so much for asking this question! I'm sure a lot of people have been wondering. We are not into exclusivity in any way -- this is definitely a more-the-merrier crowd.
GinnyT11
Well-known member
AND we hope you will be joining! It's great when new people join the crowd. Ask any Seasonista (anyone who posts at least one video in a Seasons challenge) if you have any questions.
OP
OP
UkeKiddinMe
Well-known member
I think it will be quite some time before I have anything of value to post to those. But thanks for the encouragement.
OldePhart
Well-known member
Everything is of value. Yes, there are some incredibly talented people who participate. There are also a lot of ordinary joes like myself. I've no illusion that I will ever win anything outside of a "lucky draw" - but it's still wonderful fun, everyone is supportive, and the only way one improves is by pushing one's self. I've watched people who I initially thought "gee, they're just like me" progress to the point where I'm thinking, "wow, why didn't they win" in less than a year. That's pretty special.
John
TG&Y
Well-known member
Timely question. I was just this morning spending an inordinate and irresponsible amount of time watching vids from the current contest. They're fantastic. The 'Song For You' rendition kills me. It occurred to me while I was watching (and jumping to youtube to look for additional videos) there ought to be a dedicated youtube channel where all the video submissions are assembled by Season. I'd subscribe in a heartbeat. I realize I can go through the various Seasons threads here but I tend to space out that that area of the forum exists. I don't know if a youtube channel is practical or not. Just a thought. There's some incredible stuff in those contests.
ukuLily Mars
Well-known member
Not a channel exactly, but all (I think) of the Seasons have a playlist of the entries, and a second playlist with bonuses (videos which for one reason or another don't fit the rules of that week's Season, such as having been recorded prior to the launch of that Season or using multiple tracks, etc.). Links to these playlists can usually be found in the first post of each Season.
To anyone who has not visited the Seasons forum, please do! Feel free to ask any question you may have.
To anyone who has not visited the Seasons forum, please do! Feel free to ask any question you may have.
GinnyT11
Well-known member
There's not a dedicated channel because each host makes the playlists for the week and they're not held by one person.
This thread is the quickest access to all the Seasons' playlists: http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/f...tting-together-all-the-seasons-of-the-Ukulele
TG&Y
Well-known member
Thanks! I missed this page somehow. Shoot. There goes my schedule - out the window for a while.
