Category: Music

Movie on 4-1-20 at 2.28 PM

So, this term took a turn and I had to scramble to find a ukulele in my hometown while a majority of things were in lockdown. Luckily a neighbor, and close friend, ended up having one that I could borrow. Getting used to a new instrument took some time but I found this ukulele easier to play as the strings were softer.

I continued to struggle with switching between A minor and G and honestly, did not have it figured out until a few days ago. I am not sure why but even after practicing a lot, this song was just struggling to take shape. One day the chord changes were there and then the strumming or tempo was off or vice versa the next day.

In the end, I feel that I can play the song. There are a few places in the song where I messed up the chord change or the tempo was a bit fast but overall, considering everything, I think I did well. One place that I lacked was in having the correct posture/holding the ukulele. This was a hurdle that I never was able to get to. I thought it would be better to submit a song played well then a video of me holding the ukulele correctly but not playing well.

In my continued practice I am still struggling with the same things (tempo, strumming and the change from A minor to G). I have tried to slow down as I play, but have discovered an interesting thing about this.  I am playing “Riptide” by Vance Joy which is a song that I know quite well. Due to this as I am playing I hear the song in my head. I hear the tune, the melody, the lyrics and the tempo. Therefore, when I try to play slower it is really hard. It sounds wrong and I end up rushing the the U-D-U part of the strumming in an effort to accommodate how slow the tempo is.

I have also found that practicing in the middle of a pandemic to be hard. If I already knew how to play it could be a source of comfort, but to be honest, I am already very stressed and adding in practicing and feeling defeated, as my progress has been very slow in this song, makes it hard. I really see the deadline of learning the song and am trying as best I can to push through the negative thoughts. I want playing to be something that I can do to mentally check out of all the other stressors and just zone in on playing.

As I start learning my new song I am having some good days and some bad days. The first day of playing “Riptide” I felt like I was picking it up quickly. The switch from A minor to G chord was hard but I was still able to maintain the strumming patter quite well. When coming back to the song a few days later it was much harder. I struggled with the strumming and had a hard time switching between chords. I would often play for a few chords then stumble in the strumming and have to stop and restart.

In my next few practices I was finding the same thing. In one of the practicing days I asked about switching between A minor and G. I found out that I actually did not have the correct finger placement for G. This will in time help the chord change but I will have to change my schema of how to play the chord.

Going forward I will continue to use the new G chord, I will use the trick taught to me about switching between A minor and G and I will focus on keeping my strumming steady and correct.

Over the first half of the semester I have learned the song “Watermelon Sugar” by Harry Styles. Since my last blog post I have continued to work on the chord change between G and D minor, my posture and tempo. I am happy to say that the chord changes have become a lot smoother and I often find myself not looking at the strings when I play. As far as posture, I gave started playing standing up. This has made it a lot easier to hold the ukulele at my chest and not drop it. I really struggled with the keeping the base or the neck up (depended on the day which one) for a majority of my learning. I am not sure what changed but two weeks ago something clicked and I could suddenly do it. Also changing the way I strum helped significantly. I was strumming with all of my finger but in the fast up strokes some fingers would fall behind and their would be random extra added plucking sounds mixed into the overall strum. By strumming with just my pointer finger I have eliminated this issue and it made it overall easier to strum.

In regards to my musicianship goals I feel that I have met them all. I have become much more comfortable with tuning using an app on my phone, I have the correct hand and body posture and my finger placement on the chords is consistently good. I am having fewer and fewer “off” sounding chords which makes me know that these four things are working together to produce a satisfying sound.

Video of me playing “Watermelon Sugar” by Harry Styles

Through my continued practice, there are three things that I am continuously having trouble with. Firstly, switching between G and D minor chords is still proving to be a challenge. At the end of my practice sessions, I can do it but in the first five or so minutes of my sessions, I struggle with this. Therefore, staying on tempo is an issue. I tend to try to rush the strumming in the D minor chord so I can get back in tempo with the open chord, but this then makes me rush the tempo for the rest of the song. Secondly, tempo in general. I am trying to play while listening to the audio of the song and I feel like I am starting to be more consistent with my tempo, but usually, it takes a few run-throughs to get to that place. Finally, posture is a big issue. I just can not seem to hold the ukulele correctly. I am not sure if I am not doing it correctly or I need to tweak a certain aspect but the base will fall after a few chords.

Overall, I feel I am making improvements. I am, for the most part, able to play through the song with limited mistakes, even if it is in the incorrect posture.

Through the first couple of weeks learning the ukulele I feel I have made great progress but still have a lot to learn. I have begun to learn Watermelon Sugar by Harry Styles which is a pretty simple song as it just repeats four chords with the same strumming pattern throughout the song. I began by learning the chords and then the strumming pattern. The first few times that I attempted switching between the C chord and the G chord was really difficult but after practice this is becoming easier. Now that I have had some time with the piece I am actually having a harder time switching between G and D minor. Another thing that I am struggling with is holding the Ukulele in the correct posture. I am tending to hold it more in may lap rather than on my chest. The sound is better when it is at my chest but I can not seem to hold it there without it dropping part way through the song.

I had a “breakthrough” moment when practicing on Friday (January 31st) . I played the song to the audio of the song and I was able to make it through the entire song multiple times and keep a steady tempo. My last strum was at the end of the song and it was a really exciting and satisfying moment.

Overall, I feel I have made great progress but I still sometimes struggle with switching between chords, the strumming pattern and maintaining a constant tempo at the beginning of my practice session.