Ukulele Noodle

I plan on getting a new ukulele soon. I'm saving up for a Pono. I think I have one picked out and maybe by the end of the month I will be able to place the order.

What does that have to do with noodling on a ukulele? Well, the ukulele I get will hopefully be my daily driver. So besides picking the proper ukulele that fits my playing and my budget, this ukulele has to be the right size.

I have mostly played my tenor for a while now. But every now and then I start concentrating on the soprano size. I like that the soprano ukulele is the original size. I like the size in general. It works well playing campanella. I think you get more for your money. There are other advantages.

I usually will start playing a soprano exclusively. I just finished up a four day stretch. I love it at first but then the soprano's limitations start to show.

Some pieces I work on are hard to play on the soprano. The fret board is cramped when trying some maneuvers. I'm not a fan of the lower tension strings. I could probably find some strings with higher tension but they would probably be fluorocarbon and I'm not a big fan of fluorocarbon strings. (That may be changing.)

As I noodled today I realized when I get a new ukulele I want it to be the one I want to play all the time. I want a tenor. So I have passed another step in this months long search for my next ukulele.

Ukulele: The Best Way To Get Good

I stopped my ukulele practice session to say this. Unless you are on some kind of deadline for a performance or something it doesn't matter how fast you get good. Just work to get good. Slowly, quickly, or whatever. Who cares?

I would recommend frequently. But I wouldn't tell you how frequently or how much you have to achieve each practice session, each day or each week.

There are a lot of practice sessions where I don't have a goal in mind. But I figure that I'm getting better in some way just by playing.

Let it be so.

Nothing In Particular: A Ukulele Coast

And by ukulele coast I mean I haven't put a lot of work on the ukulele. Oh, I've been playing. I play most every day. But I didn't practice today with any goal in mind, much less with a plan to get there.

But I'm ok with that.

I find that I like to spend a few days every now and then just enjoying what I have learned so far. I still consider myself a beginner. I'd guess it's going to take two or three years before I even think about calling myself an intermediate level ukulele player.

But I'm ok with that.

I have learned enough to just enjoy playing a song, even though it still needs work. I enjoy the physical aspect of the playing experience. I enjoy hearing my touch get better. It relaxes me.

A Foot Tapping Session

Tonight I did something I rarely do. I tapped my foot to the beat of a song I was playing. I admit I am rhythmically challenged.

Oh, I can keep the beat in a simple way. Certainly enough to play the simple songs I play. To keep the tempo steady I need to use a metronome, which is a good thing to do. But it's not the only way I steady my rhythm.

Tonight I started a song and felt pretty good about how it started. Now in this song there are a few spots where I speed up if I don't have something with a beat to play along with. But like I said, the song felt good to start and I wanted to keep it steady. I didn't want to stop the song to start a metronome. So I started to tap my foot.

I'm terrible at tapping my foot when I'm playing. I'm not that good at it when I'm just listening to music. But tonight it worked, most of the time. Enough for me. I was pretty happy with how it turned out.

It definitely helped me in the usual spots where I always need help. I stopped tapping a couple of easy sections for a little break. But I would pick it back up after a few beats. It felt good.

Tapping my foot to the beat is something I need to include in my practice and playing sessions. It's a good skill to have. And it's more fun than a metronome.

My Ukulele Line Up in 2016

Ohana TK10, Kala KA-S and Makala Dolphin.

Here they are. Or I should say, here they were. I took this picture in June 2016. I've added and subtracted from the line up since then. But I still have these three.

That's all today. I'm still working on Danny Boy and transposing. Danny Boy is more fun.

A New Ukulele Direction

I'm going to try to tab a song. I don't know if I have the patience. I can already tell it's harder than I thought. And I'm using sheet music. Real tabbers do it by ear.

I'm working on a fingerstyle arrangement in Db. That means it has five flats and I'm not really used to that key. I'm going to use my baritone so I can do a straight tab and not have to transpose. I'll transpose it later. Maybe.

One of the things I never thought about was how to treat accidentals. If the note is flated by the key signature does the sharp accidental just raise the note a half step to make it a natural or does it make the note sharp?

Well, don't run away to look it up. I already did. The accidentals don't build on each other. If there's a sharp in front of a G in a Db song you play a G sharp, not a G natural.

So now I know that.

Small steps.

A Good Ukulele Practice

I did a half ass practice tonight. I'm actually still practicing a little. But it's all gravy at this point.

I have memorized the Campanella piece I'm working on. Remember? Danny Boy. It's a simple, melody only arrangement. The first one in the John King Ukulele Masters Classical book.

The book offers fingering suggestions which is a good thing for someone trying to learn Campanella. With Campanella one is supposed to keep the strings ringing as long as possible. But it's not always possible to keep every string ringing until it naturally stops.

I try to maximize sustain the best I can and the fingering suggestions give me the confidence that it's probably as good as I'm going to get, at least for now.

So tonight, thanks to the suggestions in the book, I think I have a handle on this piece. Now it's time to start polishing. I'll start with regular metronome sessions.

This is the fastest progress I've ever made on learning a song. Even though it's a short simple piece I really enjoy practicing it. I still like Campanella.

More Ukulele String Action

I just changed the strings on my Kala KA-S. I was looking forward to this but it didn't work out how I would have liked it to. I bought the wrong strings. I got the Aquila Super Nylgut but I meant to get the Aquila Lava.

I like the Lava strings on the tenor. I think they are nylon but they have a little more tension than the regular Nylguts. They're a little thinner than the D'Addario strings, not as thin as fluorocarbon. The Lavas have a smooth feel and no squeek like the Super Nylgut strings.

So the Super Nylguts probably won't be on for long.

Ukulele Status Update

Still like the Lava strings on the Ohana tenor. They are settling quickly. I'll probably put a set on the KA-S this weekend.

Ukulele String Change

I finally changed the strings on one of my ukuleles. The others need new strings but I'll change them one at a time.

I put Aquila Lava strings on my Ohana TK-10. I think I like them. They have a feel, to me at least, of something between nylon and carbon. They have more tension than the D'Addario strings I took off. Those strings were great and I will probably try them again. Or maybe I'll stick with Lava.

I'm starting to play around with Campanella. These strings have more of a bell like tone compared to D'Addario. But they have more of a jangle when I strum. I'm not a big fan of a lot of jangle on a tenor. That's probably why Iike the D'Addario strings. But the feel and finger picking tone might make me tolerate the jangle.

I think I last changed the strings on the Ohana back in October, 2017.

Next I'll change the Kala KA-S. I think I have D'Addario's on it too but I'm not positive. I have a Lava set for it, too. I'm looking forward to that change. I like a little jangle on a soprano. We'll see.

The Ukulele Zone

I hit a zone tonight. A Ukulele Practice Zone. It felt good. It was a first for me. Then the phone rang. I had to take the call.

I was a little aggravated. But I took the call even though I could have let it go to voice mail. The moment the phone rang I knew I left the zone. The ukulele practice zone. But just being there for a few brief minutes was a great feeling.

What made it different? I'm not sure. I know I was bouncing back and forth between practice and playing for over a half hour. Every strum felt like it was a little better than the last. Every pluck of a string felt clear and defined.

The metronome practice clicked. (Pun intended.) The dynamics were there. It was fun.

Maybe because I was in a bad mood all day and I forced myself to play made it different somehow. I don't know. I don't care. I just want to get back into the zone.

I played a little after the call. It was good but it wasn't the same. I was okay with that. I noodled the rest of the evening. I have a ukulele ready to go in the morning.

Because I Have To Post Something About Ukuleles

I know I don't really. Have to post something, like the title says. But I like to keep a log (blog) of what I'm doing so you have to suffer my meandering.

I want to change a string set this weekend. I have three sets of the Lava strings. I have four ukuleles. I have another set or two of non Lava strings so I'm covered in case a string breaks. The problem is I have to work this weekend. I'm not happy about that.

In the meantime I'll keep practicing Campanella Ukulele. I think it's a good diversion.

I searched a bit last night and found that some people think Campanella is really difficult. I can't disagree since I'm practicing simple stuff. Maybe the more advance Campanella Ukulele stuff is too hard for my skill level. But I'll give it a shot. I have never worried about moving on. Or meander.

The Search for Campanella Ukulele Exercises

So far I like learning about and learning to play Campanella style ukulele. Granted the first song I'm learning is pretty simple. It's just the melody of Danny Boy. But the style is so different to me that I don't mind backing up a bit. And I think the difficulty raises pretty quick with this book.

So in addition to learning the first song I plan to search for some scales and exercises to practice. I actually have a couple already from https://ukulelesecrets.org that in a round about way are connected to the song I'm learning. So by working on those before I got the John King Classical Music book I already had a couple of fingerings worked out. That was nice.

Danny Boy (The song actually has another name or two but Danny Boy is easier to remember.) works for me on both tenor and soprano ukuleles. The sustain suffers on the soprano but it forces me to really work at finger positions to get the maximum sustain. I always like to switch scales when I learn something new.

But, yeah, I think I like Campanella.

I'll probably change out some strings this weekend. Can't be playing Campanella on old strings.

I Need To Change My Ukulele Strings

For so long I changed my ukulele strings a lot. Sometimes before they really settled in. Strings aren't free but they won't break the bank. And it was fun to try different brands and types of strings.

Then I got sick. On at least one of my ukes I didn't change the strings for over a year. Chemo will do that to you. While I'm much better and back to work I still have to work up my motivation to change strings.

I have two sopranos, one tenor, and one baritone. The baritone is my newest ukulele and the strings that it shipped with sound good. But I think I need to change them. The third string buzzes easily and I can see a couple of breaks in the wrapping. I'm not very experienced with wound strings I've read that can be a problem.

The two sopranos are starting to drift out of tune. When their strings are at their peak I barely have to touch the tuners. Now I have to tune up every time I play.

Same for the tenor. The tenor is my work horse. I have changed the strings since I started recovering but I play it enough to feel the difference.

I have enough strings on hand to change all of them. And as long as I have a spare set for the tenor ukulele in case a string pops I'm good to go.

All I need is the motivation. It'll come. Maybe this weekend.

My New Motivation is Campanella

I don't need a lot of motivation for playing the ukulele. I like to play. It's accessible, meaning it has a low entry level price. And it's not hard to get a good sound out of it on your first day.

But what happens when you progress at or near the usual pace? I try to get excited about learning a new chord progression. Even a jazz progression or blues progression. But it's not working for me.

So how do I keep progressing and not just repeat what I have learned so far? For me the answer is to keep trying everything I can. Then light on that until I lose interest or I learn as much about it as I want.

The style of the day is Campanella Ukulele. So I far I love it.

Campanella

I have decided to try Campanella style ukulele playing. I found that I have plenty of mentors in the genre. YouTube is loaded with tutorials.

I just got the John King Classical Ukulele book, which is not totally Campanella and not totally classical. But it has lots of arrangements that are close enough. The first arrangement, Danny Boy, is not too difficult. But the arrangements get harder.

That book, along with a few websites (that I'll link to the next time I'm on a computer and not my phone) that are easy to find but I hard to master... Well, I'll link to them and let you decide.

Links coming soon.

Three Years

This is my three year ukulele anniversary. I received my first uke in the mail three years ago.

Today in the mail I received a new book. I have already started working on it. I'll post about it soon. But tonight I'm noodling, watching TV, and chillin'.

What Am I Looking For?

I think today that I'm looking for Campanella. I look around a lot. I start songs that I never finish. I just look for something to engage my mind. Sometimes learning new songs does the trick. Sometimes playing old songs works.

I've been toying with the idea of Campanella for awhile. Now I think I'll add it to my practice regime.

I played a little today. It was a long day a work. Tomorrow I will start a four day weekend. I hope to get a lot of ukulele playing in.

Call In Sick

I played one song today. I seem to be right on the edge of a cold. My uke has been by my side since I returned home from an extra long day at work but I can't muster the energy to strum a good strum.

But something that's interesting to me is that I always grab the soprano when I'm under the weather. Hmmmm.

Noodle Day

Today was a noodle day. I think I'm catching a cold or I have some allergies acting up. Which ever it is I didn't get the energy up to actually practice. I noodled through a couple of tunes.

I'm also being distracted by what I'm reading about music theory. Not in a bad way. But when I'm lightly picking my uke while I watch TV I start thinking about the notes. I'll pluck a string and stop to think about which note it is and where the other notes of a chord are around the string, or which key I'm in.

I have just started reading seriously about music theory so I don't have the ability to conjure the note name or key while I'm playing. Not yet. But I'll get there eventually.

What Is Practice?

I had a good practice session today. Even though it was interrupted a few times I think I improved a little bit.

Some of the practice was with a metronome. Some of the practice focused on one bar of the song. Some of the practice time was spent just playing songs I know.

The common advice is to make sure to practice every day. A little every day is better than a lot all of at once. Usually I play at least a little everyday. But not always with the intention of getting better. I think the common advice is valid but that is not my reality. Sometimes I just don't have the energy after a long day at work.

I do what I can as I far as practice is concerned. I'm in the no particular hurry to get better but I do want to get better. But whatever I do has to be relaxing and fun. If not, I meander.

I Must Meander

Ugh!

I'm getting bored with this practice method even though I'm making progress. It just goes to show that getting good on the ukulele involves practice. Then practice, then...

Thanks
Joe

Ukulele Practice: Day 2

Wow. Two days in a row. I'm cooking now.

I was encouraged by how I felt when I practiced last night. I got the uke out again tonight. While that is not very unusual for me what is unusual is that I did a serious practice two days in a row instead of just noodling and playing songs I know.

I read through the essay again. I linked to it in the last post. What struck me as odd is the advice to stop playing the piece for a month once you accomplish a certain level. Then repeat that a couple of times. That may be different for me if I really like the song I'm learning. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

The mistake I made tonight was not warming up much. It was a long day at work and although I wanted to practice, I didn't want to practice. My intention was to practice 20 minutes, like the essay suggests. I spent maybe 30 seconds running through a simple warm up then on to the practice.

I started slowly but I probably increased the tempo too soon and my fretting hand started to ache a bit. It helped when I slowed the tempo.

I ended up playing for a while after the 20 minute practice session. I played a couple of songs I'm comfortable with and that helped my fretting hand to relax.

I think I'm going to continue with this practice method for awhile.

I Practiced

I actually did a proper practice today. I sat down to play a little. I noodled around a bit then I remembered a practice method I read about. I tried it and I think it did some good.

I learned about this method on http://kantsmusictuition.blogspot.de/2007/09/secret-on-how-to-practice.html?m=1

I hope the owner of the site is OK with me posting a link. It seems like a good way to practice although I haven't mastered it yet. It's a piano site but the technics should work on any instrument.

I have seen similar methods described but this one is particular in what you practice and for how long.

I'll try to post on a little more regular basis and describe how it's working for me. Among other things I'm working on. I still meander.

Here goes another stab at it.

I need to keep a tally of what I'm practicing. Maybe this blog is will help.

It has been been a while since I posted. Sorry. I've been meandering.