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Hornpipe and Chords up the Neck

2/25/2016

Hornpipe was impressiven this week, in 3 parts (with chords). Nice work!

We worked on Oh, How Happy You Have Made Me - sliding chords up the neck.
And added another song using the same shapes:
I Shall Be Released written by Bob Dylan. Below is the 1967 version be The Band
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKirVyxf0do

i_shall_be_released_lyrics__g.doc
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The chords for this are very regular throughout. Listen for the Changes:
G, G, Am, Am, Bm, Am, G, G, (one measure on each of these chords)
Attached here are the partial chord shapes playing 3 strings (as with the Reggae Strum) and the full movable shapes, using 4 strings

some_movable_chord_shapes2.pdf
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Next Week we will play:
I Shall Be Released - using your movable chords (either partial or full)
Slavonic Dance - both the melody (pg 21 in the book) and the harmony part that I passed out in class, (and is attached below) AND the chords.
There is much to practice in this piece. First the picked notes should be lively, and the 16th note runs will most easily be accomplished by using a flat pick.
There are dyanmics written in that are necessary to keep the song from being repetitious. Please observe them as you practice
There are many chord changes and the chords in this are played with a light touch on the 1 and a sharp "chunk" on the &
1 & 2 &
light chunk light chunk
Practice dampening in the sound on the chunk (using one of the techniques we talked about in class) to make it really sharp and snappy. You can hear this on your recording.
I'll see you next week and, as always, let me know if you have questions or concerns.
Gail

slavonic-dance-harmony-c6.pdf
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Welcome to Book 3, Reveiw and Enrichment

2/17/2016

This class is going to be a good mixture. There are poeple from various Book 3 classes from previous years and it's great to see all my good friends again.
After warming up with Caney Mi Macara and C'Etait Anne De Bretagne, we review the chords in a major key (pg 2 #2)
We then looked at an arrangment of the song Oh, How Happy You Have Made Me - a song sung by the Shades of Blue from 1966 (and later the Jackson 5). Below is a youtube recording of it. (I apologize if I overwhelmed you with this exercise but next week we will continue with the same chords and strum, and different songs).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e91eOYGL3Fs

In this song we are looking at the following things:
* Learning a Reggae strum
* Playing partial chords - we don't play the G string in the arrangment
* Using one major chord shape and one minor chord shape and moving them up and down the neck to change chords.
I have attched my workshop for this song (below). Please look at it even if you were in class because I have added or changed a few things.

For next week practice:
* Oh How Happy You Have Made Me
* Your F scale across the neck
* Hornpipe (pg 12)
* Chord changes on pages 7, 10 and 11 (The Ryans and the Pittmans)

As Promised Scot Ranney's practice philosophy. Talent is cheaper that table salt:
http://scotranney.com/2016/01/07/the-talent-excuse-dont-mistake-talent-for-focus-and-desire/

oh_how_happy.pdf
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Congratulations!

12/10/2015

…… You made it! It's been a fun year and a half with this class. I do appreciate your presistance, your traveling, your practice, and your friendship. I hope to see many of you again in the February continuation of Book 3 and enrichment class.
I have attached the Suggested Daily Practice for Book 3 page for you to use as a guide during our 2 month break.

suggested_daily_practice_for_book_3.doc
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Saturday, and beyond….

12/2/2015

Our end of the year performance will be this SATURDAY at the BUG Jam:
2:00, St James Prebyterian Church, 910 14th St. - downstairs.
Elenke sounds great and it will be fun!

Next week, our final week for this session, we will play Kabak da Boynuma. Practice this first with thumb and then with flat picks. It needs to get lively!
We will also play Give My Regards to Broadway. Practice the chords and think about places that a triplet strum would enhance the song. Also, use a flat pick and try an 8th note tremolo on the half and whole notes.
Remember this week to practice your F and C7 chord shape, moving them up the neck to transpose. use Buffalo Gals, Iko Iko, Jambalaya, He's got the whole world in his hands, or any other 2 chord song to practice this. Also try playing these to chord songs without looking at the paper but just listening for the chord changes.

FEB Book 3 continuation Class - At this time I expect to teach the class on Tuesday) at 5:00 The (new) start date for the 12 week session is February 16.
The cost will be $150.00 for the course. I will send out an email to all of you as soon as I return from Mexico in early Feb.
You can pay me when I get back, or if you prefer, you can pay for the course now.

Survey - Book 3 class continuation and enrichment

11/30/2015

Be Thankful…...

11/25/2015

I used to have a yoga teacher that ending every session with that phrase "Be Thankful for your many blessings in life. It made aware of how good my life is every time she said it. So, be thankful for your family, friends, your music, your health…………..your many blessings, whatever they are.

Your tremelo flatpicking Blue Monday was impressive, especially as we got faster and faster. Keep working on that for future songs.
We worked on Transposing the C scale but I think the way it is presented in this book is rather confusing. I will have to think of another way to approach it in the Spring session. However, the lesson on Transposing the I and V chords is very useful and easy to understand.

For next week:
We will warm up with Blue Monday
Then we will play Jeu Jeu (pg 58) with 16th note tremelo. when you start practicing this, play it very slowly so that you get the tremolo even and steady. 1 quarter note = 4, 16th notes.
Also practice Nu'a O Ka Palai.

Elenke sounds good. Pat will come and play chords with us next week.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends and family.

Tremelo Flatpicking

11/19/2015

Please continue to practice March, which we will warm up with next week.
And then begin to practice tremelo flatpicking using the exercises on page 49 and Blue Monday. Try playing some of the other songs in our books and add some tremelo to extend the notes.
Remember that it is more important to be steady, than fast. You can gradually begin to speed up.

Next week we will work on transposing the C scale and chords in C

Elenke parts for BUG Jam on Dec 5 (yes, we will use flat picks) :
Uke I - Glenda, Wendy, Pam N, Jeff, Charley, Sal, Pam M,
Uke II - Jean, Carla, Jennifer, Criss, Michael, Louise, Julie

Veterans Day …. lesson #8

11/11/2015

New Orleans was great but it is always wonderful to get back home… to my own bed, my friends and community.
We worked very nicely through Bella Bocca Polka (with picks) and Las Chaparreras (without picks).
While strolling through the park offers many opportunities for learning. The unusual rhythm, the many sharps and flats, and the triplet strum. What fun. Keep working on this and we'll warm up with it next week.
Thank You for "When the Saints Go Marhing In". It is such good practice to play a simple song by ear, and then another one….. If you do it regularly, you will notice that picking out melodies by ear becomes easier.
Remember that the triplet strum takes time and lots of practice to perfect. It's something for doing while you are watching TV… or doing some other mindless thing.
We decided to do Elenke for our performance song at the Dec 5 BUG Jam. We'll assign parts next week. Let me know if you have a preference.
Next week we will play March from the Bach Notebook (pg 42) This song is all about the finger choreography. Spend some time working of small phrase to find the most efficient fingering. Be sure to practice the Uke II which is much easier that Uke I and give you a very good idea of the rhythm and the feel of the piece.
BOOK 3 (continuation) class - will begin Feb 9, 2016. We will finish Book 3 in December by skipping some of the material and moving quickly through some of it. In Feb, I will be going back over the material in the Book 3, taking more time, reviewing, and playing pieces that we skip. This will allow some people to finish the book in December, and others to take more time, and do another session and finish in the Spring. It is up to you if you want to finish in Dec or continue with the class. I will teach this continuation class if I get enough people to participate in it. This is the first time I have done the class this way so it is an experiment. There may be some other people from previous classes who want to be in the continuation class but it is not open to the general public.
Bellingham Ukulele Orchestra has some Holiday performances coming up. Click here for date and time.
Remember the BUG mini-fest this coming Saturday. Click Here for details.

November 10th, 2015

11/10/2015

This will be a short one since I have to leave at 5:00 am.
For Nov 10 practice
Las Chaparreras
triplet strum
While Strolling Through the Park One Day
Also.. when the Saints go marching in… by ear. It's in C, first note it C
See you in a couple of weeks.
Gail

More flat pick -

10/22/2015

Glenda sent me the complete words to To See Swainson (in English and in Welsh) which clearly shows that the Welsh will sing about anything…. or nothing, and if the song lacks content they just tra la la….
http://www.musicanet.org/robokopp/welsh/ireceive.htm

You have made excellent progress on your flatpicking in just one week. When practicing this week, work out the notes first without the pick and then add the pick later.
Next week we will play Charlie is my Darling again (with picks) and add the harmony part (attached)

charlie-is-my-darling-high-4th-friendly-harmony-c6.pdf
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Next Week we will also play Elenke (pg 27)
and Bella Bocca Polka (pg 34) Please note that the Uke I and Uke II are both written on the same staff, but will be played as two separate partsfrom measure 16 to the end.
We may Start on Las Chaparreras next week, so start working out the notes for that. Listen to your CD to know how it sounds and get the rhythm worked out

NOTICES:
* I will be out of town the week of Nov 2, and so we will meet Oct 27 and then skip a week and resume Nov 10. (This is a previously planned to New Orleans with some friends…because I have never been there and it's "on the bucket list").
* NOV 14 - BUG Ukulele Mini-Fest - Fun for Everyone! Check out the BUG website for details.
* Dec 5, It is a tradition that my classes play a song at the BUG Christmas Jam/Party. Save the date and we'll decide on a song by Nov 10.
* Dec 8, last class of this year. Book 3, (review & practice) class will start in early Feb.

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Instructor

Gail MacDonald is a
Fully Certified Instructor with the James Hill Ukulele Initiative with over 6 years experience teaching Ukulele In The Classroom classes.

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