I and a friend attended one of Ukulele Manila's Meet, Strum & Jam sessions (free admission, free short lessons) and was able to play the uke for the first time. It's just soooo cute! And the soprano was smaller than I thought at first. It felt weird to hold and play it 'cause it was so cute and small :) And my left thumb tired easily 'cause unlike the guitar, I could't rest my palm on the fretboard. Anyway, I tried playing a Susing's, and it was amaaaazing! I didn't really find that a (Sta. Mesa) Lumanog guitar sounded great (though I'd never trade my Lazaro for anything in the world!). Which made me prematurely conclude that all Philippine-guitars are meeh. But after I tried a Susing's uke, I thought whoooooooa!
I've read about Susing's in the past. It's a very famous guitar shop and maker in Cebu (Cebu, you're officially in my bucketlist of places to visit!). Anyway, I've been wanting to buy a pineapple uke, but I played a standard uke during the MSJ (standard meaning the sexy, curvaceous guitar sounding board). I realized the merits of the curvaceous uke when playing standing up: the curves act as anchors across the pelvic area, so I was able to hold the uke steadily even without a sling on.
Uke major chords are weird, especially the ones that need to be barred. Like E (4442) and D (2220). Instead of barring E on the fourth fret, I used three fingers to press the strings. I should warn those with.... er, slightly big fingers: get a concert or the bigger ukes.
If you're interested to buy a uke, visit Ukulele Manila's page. As for me, I'm saving up for a Susing's, which a UM member said would soon be available in their stocks.
Progress, definitely! Re: flamenco triplet, day 6. I can play successive strokes without feeling any pain on my right hand. Switching down and up strokes isn't so weird now too. The trick: minimize excess movements and to keep the thumb out. I don't get trapped in between strings anymore too. Gaaah I wish I could just record it. I wish I recorded the whole thing. The day before yesterday was breakthrough day because it was the first time I made successive strokes without errors. I think it was also the day when my right hand mid and ring finger finally got the rhythm. Right now, I'm just trying to develop consistency and endurance.
Aaaand switching chords (following the Spanish-y progression E-F-G-Am) with my left hand. Since starting I've used my left hand as an anchor, mostly muffling by the strings. The triplet is crazy, and with a guitar the size of mine its really difficult to stabilize the craziness. But once my forearm became more settled and steady (which happened around breakthrough day, too), I found it easier to switch chords.
Once I get the hang of the x3, I'll try other stroke progressions: vv (downMidRing-downThumb) and v^ (downT-upT). Then more complicated patterns: vv^ vv^ v^ (x3-x3-downTupT). Then off to accents, then percussive effects, then THE WORLD!
I just flat-topped my fingernails. Major fail. I was sporting long round nails a while ago. Not anymore. The resulting sound is thinner, more metallic and warped. I hates it, big time.
I flattened out the rounded edge to see if square works better for me. I played with this shape a few months ago. But since correcting my right hand position, I realized I haven't really put the square to the test. Now that that's over and done with I wanna move on and never look back.
Ok, maybe I do like to keep the shape on the thumb at least. But I really am moving on!
... But I do like how the square looks.
I won't be playing my best for a while, at least until I grow out my nails again.
Post-dinner update: I trimmed down my fingernails. And I feel much better playing now. I'm practicing how to stop buzzing the strings and right hand position, the right way. I just zoomed through my repertoire; the sound is a lot softer, but it sounds great and I feel great! (think: headbanging to Carulli)
*If you're wondering why nails are such a big deal, read this. *Tips on how to shape your nails here!
This exercise isn't exactly what I'd call a coffee break. It's tedious, frustrating, and difficult to master. But once I did... waaaah I couldn't stop playing it! The melody is very chill, relaxed. Perfect for practice and leisure time.
Ok, ok. I know it's corny. Even I could only take so much cheesiness in song lyrics (don't even get me started with this song's official music video! ugh!). But the tabs are crazy! Tabs for Landon Pigg's Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop can be found here.
The most difficult part about the tabs to this song is the heavy bass line. It's like a metronome, so the melody is played together with the bass. If you can switch your thumb to on during the whole song that would super help. The PIMA can be practiced too, so try to stick with it. Use number 4 (pinkie, left hand) to reach the 4th and 5th frets to practice stretching.
Ok, tips:
1. Break it down. Play the melody (the 4th-6th string notes) as is first, put it to heart. Afterwards, play the bass notes (1st string notes) and get the timing right.
2. Slow down!
3. Listen to the song and pay close attention to the timing, especially the bass notes. It's easy to get lost in all the confusion (misplaced thumb, uncooperative fingers!).
4. Don't mind the lyrics. Seriously, sing after mastering the chords.
Right now I'm having difficulty playing the refrain
because of the bass line switch from the 1st string to the 2nd string. I dunno. I think it's just my thumb. I tend to hit the other strings when I make the switch. Wild thumb playing.
Chords:
If you like this song, but find that you just can't master this notation right now, here's some sort of good news: I've set up a very easy tab over at Ultimate Guitar. I assure you, it's better than the rest of the versions available in the site. Enjoy!
PS: This! I couldn't find the tabs for melody during the chorus (for now). I dislike playing the power chords. It ruins the mood, haha!
