r ransom

steward & author
+ Follow
since Feb 05, 2015
Merit badge: bb list bbv list
Biography
an insomniac misanthrope who enjoys cooking, textile arts, farming and eating delicious food.
and who almost never replies to pm's or emails.
My amazon wishlist just in cases.
For More
Apples and Likes
Apples
Total received
In last 30 days
232
Forums and Threads

Recent posts by r ransom

I have been informed that a ukulele will arrive at or before my birthday.

Yes, I am jumping up and down with excitement.  But also, I hope it's a low budget one in case this is a skill beyond my abilities.

I don't have a choice of a ukulele, but they know I perfer a concert or tenor. (23" or 26").

Now to settle on a time of day where 20 min is for concentrating on lessons.  The Bernadette 30 day lessons seems like a good starting place for my brain.  Supplement this with the dummy book. Reassessment of learning plan after one month (if still playing)


But


I still don't know


How do chickens respond to ukulele?

If they don't like it, this is all for nought.
8 minutes ago
I tried it with and without the strap.

Part of the issue is I'm far slower to learn muscle memory (I'm a total klutz) and we agreed, I would probably take about a year to hold it correctly. So it wouldn't fall when I tried to move my fret hand.  Which would get in the way of learning the fun stuff.

Combining that with my body shape means I can't hold it high on the chest like some players.

The strap went on and it attached to the bottom end and the far side of the place where (can't remember the name, I want to call it a stem) meets the body.  It looked opposite to where I thought the button should go, but once I put it on, it forced the ukulele into a position that helped my wrist straighten. But now I can't see my fingers on the stem....which is probably also good.
1 day ago
https://ukulelebootcamp.weebly.com/

I often see this ukulele bootcamp recommend.
1 day ago
Got to see and interact with a ukulele today.  I tuned it and stummed a C-cord.  

Observations
- It's harder to hold than i expected. A strap will be necessary if I start to learn as my body shape is awkward.   But not impossible to go strapless later on.  
- does the strap have to be ukulele specific?  Or can a guitar strap work?
- the strings are very soft and don't need a lot of pressure to press enough to get a note
- mandolin looks nicer
- ukulele is louder than I expected
- i wonder if I could make one quieter. Previous encounters with music were damaged by not being allowed to practice as it disturbed others.  Then getting yelled at and demoted from french horn to third triangle. I live a different life now, but want to be considerate as there is probably a lot of repetition to learn new muscle memory.   I take about 12 times longer than a normal person to build muscle memory.  I can get there, but I am so slow, most people think my body is too clumsy to learn stuff like sports or not-falling-down-stairs (which I still fail at most weeks).

But I'm used to taking time to learn muscle memory and I know if I put the hours in, I can get the basics figured out.

So..,getting closer.  

I still can't figure out why I would want to, except that I would be so incredibly bad at it, I want to test myself against it.  Probably not a good reason, so my budget still stays under $50cad.
2 days ago
More colour studies
3 days ago
art
Maybe it's localized intonation?   It's not the rythm or notes I'm used to hearing that phrase, unless it's a question.

I'm going to stick to gCEA.  Geese, chickens, et al seems easier to remember.
3 days ago
https://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/threads/how-do-i-know-what-chord-to-play-when-reading-fingerpicking-tabs-like-this.169804/post-2606989

If I learn to play ukulele, this is something I am going to want to know better

How do I know what chord to play when reading fingerpicking tabs like this?





Sometimes we use chord shapes to play notes in a song, even when they’re played one at a time like this. But in this case it’s just a melody line.

To know where to put your finger for each note, the tab has four lines that represent each string (line closest to the music notes is the string closest to the floor, bottom line is the one closest to your nose). The numbers on these lines indicate which fret the note is at.

...

This bit starts on the A string (closest to the floor), and the first note is at the first fret, next one is fret 3, etc. 7 notes on that string and then the melody moves to the E string (one right next to the A string) and eventually to the C string.

3 days ago
Paul rubens brand is affordable here, but comes in big sets.  The per tube price was good.
There doesn't appear to be any filler, but it is a bit greasy.  Good for painting without medium, and can be "dried" by putting the paint on cardboard for a short while first.
3 days ago
art
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1lr8vy2v69o

The bbc using strong language to help "Serial houseplant killers" keep their plants alive.

Have you lost count of the times you've had high hopes for a pot plant but despite careful positioning and diligent watering it always seems to die?

Well you're not cursed and you don't need particularly green fingers for your to foliage to thrive, you just need to know where you might be going wrong, experts say.



Suggestions include changing locations, avoid too much water, water less in winter or low light.

It's not as easy as they make it seem.
4 days ago