Category: Music

YouTube Link to Full Song: https://youtu.be/5NbKFjn3Q5c

(I went back and forth throughout this semester playing the song with two strumming patterns and one strumming pattern; however, I ultimately decided that I was more consistent and the song sounded cleaner with just the one D-D-UDU pattern.)

Bonus Finger Picking: IMG_3381

On March 22nd, I am submitting a final documentation of my musical journey.

As you know, I have been teaching myself Riptide by Vance Joy this semester and it has been a bit of a tricky endeavor.  I struggled a lot in the beginning with the different strumming patterns and the rapid chord changes, but have improved a lot since then. Unfortunately, the time I felt the most confident with this song so far, was right when the risk of COVID-19 in Canada (and specifically BC) was becoming an increasingly alarming concern. As classes transitioned online, final projects were adapted, and everyday life, in general, was altered, my progressions with the ukulele were briefly put on pause. Despite having had extra time to spend around my house,  I was distracted by my roommates moving back home, packing up the house we’ve been renting, and then packing my own things and traveling back home as well. I have now been home in Penticton for a day and attempted Riptide for about 30 minutes. I’m hoping it starts coming back to me more, but at the moment, I feel as though I am retraining my hands, fingers, and brain to play certain parts of the song. Knowing now that I definitely need some extra practice, I am dedicating a portion of each of the following few days to practice Riptide in the hopes that I’ll be able to play to the best of my ability on March 26th.

On a closing note, I have to include my disappointment that classes were canceled for the remainder of the semester. I was so looking forward to our class’s end of the year music party, and I greatly valued being able to turn to my fellow ukulele-playing-peers so easily for tips and advice… Life goes on though, and I am managing alright on my own now.

Thank you Anita for a great semester, I am going to miss music class next year!

Practicing Riptide is going better!

I’ve found a video that walks me through the chords, strumming pattern, and timing needed to play Riptide; although, the guy goes a little fast for my current level.

This is the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFBFp6do9WE

My biggest struggle right now is switching from Am to G quickly enough for the song. For Riptide, you only perform one set of the strumming pattern on G (D-D-UDU), and I find that by the time I’ve got my fingers properly placed on G, I should already be moving onto the next chord (C). While I need to keep working on this, the last individualized learning class we had really helped me. Anita showed me the proper way to transition from Am to G (since I was originally using the wrong finger placement for G) and this has made the move from Am to G so much easier!

At this point in my learning,  I’m not sure I will be able to sing along to this song as I play… As much as I would like to sing, it uses all of my brainpower to simply keep up the proper strumming pattern, and switch from chord to chord at the right time. For “You Are My Sunshine”, it really helped me keep timing to sing, but that was a much simpler, and slower song so it was easier for me to add in the extra singing component.

Perhaps as the strumming patterns and chords become more natural to me, I will try to sing along with the song as well!

Learning a new song has given me a renewed sense of excitement and motivation for playing the ukulele. After playing “You Are My Sunshine” for so long, its initial intrigue started to wear on me and (even though this isn’t true) I felt that my playing was plateauing and I wasn’t really improving anymore.

Since starting Riptide last week, I have been experimenting with a new strumming pattern (DD-UU-D-U), as well as switching more fluently between the chords used in this song. These chords are G, C, and Am.

I found that YouTube videos were really helpful while learning “You Are My Sunshine”, but I have yet to find a video I really like for “Riptide”. Despite this, I feel like I’m off to a good start with this song mainly because of the time we had in class last week to practice. Catrina, who already knows “Riptide”, generously offered to help me learn it during that block of time. She shared how she plays the song, did the strumming pattern with me, and gave me a strategy for switching chords on time with my strumming. She also gave me a pick that I am going to use in my practice to see if it makes any difference in my playing!

IMG_3114

At this point in my journey, I am definitely developing a newfound respect for musicians 🎼 !!

In my Musical Growth Plan, I wrote that I was going to use the strumming pattern Down-Down-Down-Down (D-D-D-D) for “You Are My Sunshine”, but with this pattern, the song doesn’t resemble the tune of “You Are My Sunshine” as much as I hoped it would, so yesterday — the first day I’ve been able to play since before reading break — I tried to challenge myself with a slightly harder strumming pattern (Down-Down-Up-Down). I tried this for quite a while, but couldn’t keep it up consistently throughout the entirety of the song. I practiced the chords on their own, then the strumming pattern on its own and then attempted to put the two together, but kept messing up. I am determined to keep working on this strumming pattern but I am realizing that trying to surpass my goal of the simple D-D-D-D pattern for this first video isn’t going to happen. As a compromise, I am going to practice this strumming pattern on my own outside of my Growth Plan.

I am a little nervous to film myself tomorrow, especially because I’ll be singing! And while I know this is a judgment-free space, I have never been a good singer nor have I ever been comfortable singing in front of other people. Beyond this, I am excited to move onto “Riptide” in the second half of this semester as I think it will be a refreshing change!

Here on February 1st, I’m documenting my first experiences with the ukulele!

I am super excited going into this, but I am already finding this instrument a little  hard to figure out! When I first started, I hadn’t realized how out of tune my ukulele was, and honestly thought that the off-pitch sound was just me not playing the different chords properly. Thankfully, we spent some time in class learning how to tune properly, and I now have an app (GuitarTuna) that helps me double-check that each string is in its proper note.

The class collaboration time was such a beneficial time for addressing some of my concerns with the ukulele. Not only was it an opportunity for peer help and teacher guidance, but it reassured me that other people were (and still are) experiencing some of the same struggles I am.

Since the start of this semester, I have learned the chords C, C7, F, G, and Am. I still struggle a little getting my fingers into place quickly for G, but I know that with more practice it will happen more easily and smoothly. Alongside learning chords and tuning, I am practicing holding my ukulele in the proper position. I now understand the importance of curving my wrist around the neck of the ukulele to avoid tendonitis, as well as holding the ukulele in the crook of my elbow. Even this simple adjustment in my grip is going to take me some time to get used to since it feels quite unnatural to me.

I am super excited to start learning “You Are My Sunshine”, and I hope that with time, the different chords, strumming patterns, and proper holding position will become more second-nature to me. ☀️