First off, I got the mandolin DVD I ordered. I've watched about two-thirds of it. Every time I go to practice the mandolin, I end up putting it down after ten minutes, picking up the ukulele and playing it instead for a few hours. However, the DVD is great. It has alot of really good tips. Basically, it will save me from having to unlearn bad habits later. However, like I said, I still have a hard time practicing for more than a short while since I still cannot play an entire song.
The DVD also includes some sweet tabs to some sweet songs. I am really excited about that.
As for the ukulele, I am improving every day. My practicing revolves almost entirely around mastering While My Guitar Gently Weeps. I have the intro down. I actually discovered a few flaws in my tab and tutorial video. My version just did not sound quite the same as Jake's, but I have fixed it. It sounds pretty close now. Maybe I will update them sometime. I have also been learning all kinds of techniques that Jake uses that I have never used before. That song is rich in technique. It is not just a pick and strum song.
He has three different ways to strum a chord:
1) The usual finger strum, which was the only strum I used to do. This is used during all parts of the song, though more so later on in the louder, faster strumming portions.
2) The slower, warmer thumb-strum, which differs from your common every day thumb strum, and is used throughout the song, especially the softer parts. His thumb is extended, the joint straight, and only the very tip of the thumb touches the strings. In order for it to work right, the thumb cannot be angled to the left or right. It has to be aimed perpendicular to the strings. That is why Jake seems to have his hand at an uncomfortable angle at times.
3) The finger-pick pseudo-strum. While this is not technically a strum, it serves the same purpose. Basically, each string is plucked in quick succession by separate fingers. Jake uses this only in the intro and the first half of the first verse. The effect is very nice.
Then, of course, he has his two different methods of tremolo. The first is at the end of the bridge, where he starts picking really fast, and the second is at the very end of the song just before the final strum.
The order of the string plucks for the first are: C-E-A-C-E-A-G-E-A and repeat. These are not the actual notes, just the strings. The technique is to hit the C's and G's with your thumb, the E's with your index finger, and the A's with your middle finger. Also, the timing of the C and G plucks is a bit offset. It takes some listening to the video to get it right. You have to make your index and middle fingers work independent of the thumb.
The order of the string plucks for the second are: C-A-A-G-A-A-E-A-A and repeat. The technique is to use your thumb for the C's, G's, and E's, and both your index and middle fingers for the A's. You use both fingers for speed's sake. Jake's tremolo is really fast.
The other technique is in his strumming. I have not yet mastered it. You will notice that in the middle of his strumming, he will occasionally do a quick burst of strums. This is showcased pretty well in the bridge. I cannot really tell you how he does it. I have a general idea, but I cannot quite seem to get it right. However, I will soon. I felt the same way about the first tremolo. I thought it was much faster than I would ever be able to pick, but I can do it now.
These techniques will not be found in any ukulele book at the music store. Why? Because music stores assume (correctly in most cases) that customers are only playing the ukulele as a beginner's guitar, and thus only stock books catered for such. The sheet music I used to learn Gently Weeps did not share any of this either even though it was the most complex ukulele music I have tried to learn. Thus, I learned it all by watching Jake's video over and over. The ukulele is a tough instrument to learn for those not interested in Hawaiian music because the resources are limited. That is why I am eternally grateful to Jake Shimabukuro for creating some serious uke music where such was scarce.
The uke, however, was never my dream instrument. It just happened to be the one I picked up and learned. I love it, do not get me wrong, but the limited resources are getting to me. That is why I bought the mandolin. It has plenty of music to learn from many different countries.
I am trying to motivate myself to learn it, and I think I found the solution. I just signed up to be in the bluegrass ensemble next semester at my university. It is more of a class than anything. They take people from no musical experience to advanced proficiency and divide them by skill level. If I could use the ukulele, I may be in a higher skill group, but alas, I will be playing the mandolin as a beginner. I am stoked.
clevceo
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