These were some designs I did like a million years ago fro Anette and Jonesy’s respective instruments. Anette’s ukulele is based off of Janet Klein’s ukulele, or at elast one of them
Jonesy’s is just from my brain, because I want a banjolele like that. Imagine my power
Ah I went to the charity shop again y'all. Got a load of amazing crap
My husband got this banjolele which is cool I guess but look at the amazing macramé work on the shoulder strap! Now I want to get into macramé
Got your queer LP
This lovely leather bag needs a bit of care but look at that amazing lining!
I also got salad forks with corn handles, a real vintage Thermos, a very itchy but pretty red beret (I was just lamenting I lost my old one in our move), some nice plates, more records, and a dishwasher which I'm very stoked about since dishes are always so overwhelming here. Was kind of hoping to find a cane but no loss
After I left the Lab, I got an email from J. We’ve scheduled a recording session for early next month. With that under my belt, I emailed J 2, the music teacher who helped me get up to speed in time for the Halloween show. The music school where he teaches is close to my office and I’m hoping we can get a few lessons on the books before the recording session.
I knew that my pitch was a bit shaky on “Tryouts,” but I didn’t realize how shaky it was. I’m one of those annoying people who feels pitch rather than hears it; I will frequently bring my ukulele and hold it to my chest before I record, primed for a sympathetic vibration between my instrument and the hollow in my chest, and I try to remember where the note I need to fix lives in my throat. This has worked for many of the songs, but the harmonic simplicity of “Tryouts” has made it especially challenging. The song vamps on an Am chord for about 85% of its running time, and singing it can feel like doing a chore you’ve been able to do in your sleep…only to snap out of your reverie and see that you’re doing it all wrong.
I’ve joked with Bea and with my sweetheart that I see the Maels as my thesis advisors. There’s a straightforwardness on the surface of these songs, but learning to play them reveals hidden challenges. I wanted to come out of this project a better ukulele player and producer, and I hope that some of Ron’s gift for writing and arranging melodic motifs will rub off on me. Right now I’ve noticed that when I rush through a song, I can imagine Ron and Russell looking at me with their arms folded, saying “you’re not done yet. We still have to teach you something here.”
So, here I am. Back in the Lab and ready to learn.