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Earl
`Olu`olu
USA
502 Posts |
 Posted - 04/27/2020 : 11:27:51 AM
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The new leadership of our ukulele club (I'm retired / deposed) is getting anxious and has cabin fever. So we will use Zoom to have a virtual jam session this evening, for the first time. I'll report later on how it goes.
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Earl
`Olu`olu
USA
502 Posts |
Posted - 04/29/2020 : 04:30:30 AM
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We had 13 players logged in to Zoom. It went pretty well, but we had to mute everyone else during songs and unmute them between songs for dialogue. There is a different degree of time delay for each person, depending on their computer and internet connection. For some their video and audio were not in synch. As the leader of the meeting, we had to ignore the video (mostly) and just play the song because each person was on a slightly different beat. It was up to others to stay in time with us. It is one thing to do a conversational business meeting this way, where a small time lag does not matter much, but trying to play music together is.... different.
So far there has been no specific feedback from those on the other end as to how they perceived it. But the general consensus on-screen was "....fun, and better than nothing...." and "....we have missed jamming together....". As our weather gets better, we'll next try meeting live in a local park -- while maintaining appropriate social distancing. |
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Eynowd
Lokahi
Australia
181 Posts |
Posted - 04/30/2020 : 12:39:21 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Earl
As our weather gets better, we'll next try meeting live in a local park -- while maintaining appropriate social distancing.
I'm surprised you're even allowed to do that over there, especially with the virus running rampant.
Here in Australia, gatherings of more than two people have been banned for weeks.
Some of our local uke groups have tried Zoom, but largely given it up because of the lag making it impossible to play in time.
One way we have found around it is for people to record themselves playing along with a pre-recorded track, and then everyone's tracks are compiled into a single video. We've done two this way: a cover of Mad World, and an original called What Are You Going To Do? |
Geoff - g'day from Canberra, Australia. |
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Earl
`Olu`olu
USA
502 Posts |
Posted - 04/30/2020 : 04:27:57 AM
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Our state governor's order prohibits gatherings of more than 10, and requires social distancing anyway. Each US state has different requirements, and many are gradually loosening up a bit. We might jam in someone's private backyard next just to avoid some busybody ratting us out if we met in a public park. (The parks have the playground equipment roped off and the bathrooms locked down). I doubt we will have more than ten players anyway.
Zoom "worked" but is far from ideal for music. My wife's cancelled four-day flute retreat has been replaced by what you described. [Nicely done, BTW  ]. Everyone records their part to a click track, and the teacher assembles them into a mosaic that is synched up on screen. She also provides individual commentary to each player privately about their track. It isn't the same as face-to-face lessons and playing in an ensemble, but it is what we can do for now. This may become the "new normal" for music lessons going forward, at least for a while.
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virtual ukulele jam
