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Whoopee! Congratulations

5/10/2017

2 years and lots of hard work, frustration, laughs (and maybe tears), learning, and music. You should be very proud of yourselves for perservering and making it through, and for being brave enough to make mistakes and grow from the process.
It's fun to think back to the beginning of your class when you all were a bunch of strangers, and probably a little scared, and realize that through the process we have grown to be a new circle of friends. My closest friends are always people that I play music with. There is a special bond just because of the nature of music and how it goes straight to the heart.
I hope you do keep playing. You will now be on my Ukulele in the Classroom "graduates" list and I hope to play a lot more music with all of you.
You are all UKESTARS !
Thank You so much for the wonderful gifts. I love love love the glass garden art piece, and it just so happens that Jobird is my favorite jewelry maker.
FYI: I am still working on the dratted printer problem but I plan to print the certificate and mail them to you.....soon.
Uke ON!
Gail

Adoration and more.....

5/3/2017

Next week will be our last class! Hard to believe after almost 2 years.
This week we worked on Give My Regards to Broadway and Adoration. We also talked about playing major scales starting on the G string. In addition we looked at a chart of closed Ukulele chords and talked about that a bit.
Next week We'll play once again Give My Regards to Broadway and Adoration. Try the Harmony part. The rhythm is the as the melody so it may seem easier to learn.
To finish up we'll do something fun (by special request) 12 bar blues playing.... with the addition of some turnarounds intros and endings.
Since this is our last class, plan to stay a wee bit late if possible just so we can celebrate your accomplishment.
Gail

Wrapping it all up.....

4/26/2017

There is a lot to think about, and work on, in Give My Regards to Broadway. We'll work on this again next week. Focus on making the MOST LOGICAL chord changes. They come fast at times and you have to be efficient. I find that when I play it, I sometimes use closed chords, and sometimes not, depending on what chords comes next, and what chord I am coming from. Work on the strum (Pattern was in the last blog). and picking the notes.
Our last song in the book is Adoration; A fun Latin American style with pretty simple notes and a challenging rhythm. You will have to LISTEN to this song alot to be able to internalize the rhythm of it. Then try playing it with music, but first listen! I have put a slow version of the song below.
I also have attached a copy of Ukulele Chord Forms and Fretboard. It is a scan and if I can find a better copy of this, I'll send it later or give it to you next week. This is basically an easy reference showing you all of the closed chord forms you will ever need, and where the root is, and the notes on the neck (the circle of 5ths that appears on this sheet has errors on it. See if you can find and correct them) . We will talk about it in class next week.
Have a good week!
Gail

April 26th, 2017

4/26/2017

April 26th, 2017

4/26/2017

Give My Regards to Broadway

4/19/2017

Remember to practice your major scale across the neck pattern. If we begin on F (5th fret) it is an F scale. But if we begin on D (2nd fret) it is a D scale.
Nice work on Kabak Da Boynuma. IT's really good practice to play a piece over and over because your fingers start to learn where to go and you don't have to think so much. Also, a good way to get up to speed is gradually. Start slowly and just speed up a little at a time.
AND...try practice something easy with a metronome. It can be very enlightening, and helpful.

Next Week we'll play Give My Regards to Broadway. Focus on learning the chords. Also pick the notes but I believe some of the quick chord changes will be more challenging. Remember the strum is:
1. 2. 3. 4
Down. Down-up Down down-up

And just have fun playing the Garden Song, in honor of Spring, which we wait so long for...

Click Here for infomation about where The Bellingham Ukulele Orchestra is playing this Spring:

Have patience, my dears.....

4/12/2017

Getting those shape in your fingers. Be gentle with your self, don't hurt your fingers or thumb, do a little every day. Listen for the chord changes and you will hear them.
I recommend that you continue practicing those 2 chords songs from last week. Hopefully it will get a little easier this week. I strongly recommend that you do not write down the changes and read them off of a paper.
Next week we will warm up with Nu'a O Ka Palai. Practice it with and without flat picks. Also try some tremelo on the longer notes (dotted quarter, and half notes)
We will also play Kabak da Boynuma. Begin by practicing over and over the little 4 note 16th note run. in measure 4. Practice the songs first with thumb picking and then go to flat picks. It's meant to be lively and rather quick..... but also graceful.
Listen to this song on your CD to help get the melody in your head. Also, remember to practice the chords using the new closed chords shapes. The strum is a back beat, meaning that the emphasis is on the "and", So it's : one AND, two AND.
See you next week,
Gail

More I and V chords up the neck

4/5/2017

I have copies of the Daily Ukulele Leap Year Edition For Sale. This is the book we are using for BUG "stretch". $30.00 cash or Checks made out to Wes Lewis.

Practice the new I and V closed chord shapes (pgs 51 and 59) in various keys by playing (by ear) the following 2 chords songs.
Banana Boat Song (Day Oh)
Clementine
Down In the Valley
Iko Iko
Rocka My Soul
He's Got the Whole World in His Hands
Jambalaya
Buffalo Gals
Some more tips:
*Don't Press too hard: Just practice making the shapes without pressing or strumming at all
*Try changing the position of your thumb: move and point it a bit more toward the head of your uke.
*Go slow.............
*Don't change chords too soon: Stay on it until you are HAVE TO to change.
*It's OK to make a mistake.
*It's OK if your barre chords don't sound very good at this point.
*Think about what you can do now that you couldn't do a year ago!

Also practice Jeu Jeu with flatpicks and tremelo strum. Great work on that. We'll play it again next week.

AND Nu's O Ka Palai (pg 61)- Listen to this song, pay attention the rhythm and work towards a full warm sound. Practice both Use I and II

Chords up the Neck

3/30/2017

This is such a hard working group. I realize that the tremelo is tough and takes time. It is a great technique to have in your repertoire of skills to get more sustained sound out of the ukulele and even sound like a mandolin. Keep working on it. We'll use a bit more tremelo when we play Jeu Jeu.
We worked on closed chords and moving the shapes up the neck (pg 51). Practice these shapes with the exercises on page 52. Also play Buffalo Gals. Play and sing in first position and then change keys by moving up the neck. These chords shapes also take patience and determination. Don't hurt yourself working on them. Here's the way to go at it:
Do a little at at time.
Lead with the finger that is hardest to place and then let the others fall in behind it.
Don't fret over the sound, maybe don't even strum
Just work on letting your fingers get used to the shapes.
Put the uke down .... walk away.
Later on, go back and do it again.
Before too long your fingers will start to go there on their own.

Remember to SMILE !

Shake it, Baby

3/21/2017

.... your pick, that is.
Impressive work on March. Bach would be proud.

On to tremelo flatpicking. Remember to hold your pick at a slight downward angle.
Just skim the top of your strings with the pick. Don't dig too deep.
Practice the exercises on page 48-49, and Blue Monday, Shenandoah (1/8 note tremelo) and then go back to some of the earlier songs from the books and try them with a tremelo.
Remember to tremelo within the rhythm (8th notes or 16th notes).

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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