3 Chord Thursday

Our thematic song session welcomes anyone anywhere in the world to share our love of music making in Zoom and in person. We started meeting each Thursday at 3 pm EST (hence named 3 Chord Thursday at 3) in Zoom when the pandemic locked us down in early Spring 2020. All sessions are now hybrid i.e. you can join the host in-person or in Zoom.

Effective 15th February 2024, your first 3 Chord Thursday song session in 2024 is FREE. You’re also welcome to invite as many people in your Zoom session as you like without further subscription. In-person with the host is free. Register in Zoom as often as you like to get the Zoom link. Enter Zoom at any time to set up. The host and performers will do sound and visual checks half-hour before the start time. All sessions are livestreamed and video recorded for review and replay.

Subscription Fees

Our sessions are supported by your subscription fees. Please use this Google Form.

  • Single Session (Day Pass) US$10
  • Season Pass $50 (equivalent to $8.33 per session)
  • Annual Pass $165 (equivalent to $7.85 per session) – perks include class tuition discounts and entry to one-hour workshops after 3 Chord Thursday.
  • Rest of the Year Pass $55 – valid from 9/1/2024 to 12/31/2024 NEW OFFER! (Subscribe)

2024 Themes

We meet on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month. Be sure to join the Ukulele Enthusiast e-blast to get on the mailing list for notification of ukulele related events, workshops, classes, and tips. Subscribe to the YouTube Channel to see public livestreams and new video tutorials.

WINTER 2024

The one-hour workshop after 3 Chord Thursday starts at 4:30 PM EST or EDT.

SPRING 2024

  • 4/4 Anniversary of 3 Chord Thursday four chord songs with common chord progressions
  • 4/18 ART: A picture paints a thousand words – match a world famous painting to a song or part of a painting to a song (World Art Day falls on 15th April each year) – free entry for owners of Fun with Uke Book
  • 5/2 70s 80s Favorites (Adrienne visits Boston) (extended song session in-person – no workshop afterwards) (hybrid)
  • 5/16 Multi-lingual songs (5/21 is Multi-cultural Day)
  • 6/6 Freedom (80th anniversary of D-day) (no workshop after this Zoom session)
  • 6/20 Farewell (World Refugee Day) – songs of good-bye

SUMMER 2024

FALL 2024

The Holiday Stroll (open house) 2024 is scheduled for Saturday 30th November 2024

Nearby Attractions

Most of the song sessions are hosted in Boston, Massachusetts, where occasionally hybrid sessions are held. Benefits of attending in person sessions at Walter Baker Building include the following perks:

Milton Farmers Market opens for the summer on 6th June 2024, each Thursday at 1 PM. The Bill Lowe Trio (jazz) playes from 1 to 3 PM. Park near Milton T-station and enjoy the produce and music.

Yellowdoor Taqueria has outdoor seating the the corner of Dorchester Avenue, Washington Street and Adams Street. Savory appetizers and exotic summer cocktails.

Flat Black Coffee, micro-roaster, opens until 2 PM. Wrap your senses in the wonderful smell of freshly ground and roasted coffee from all over the world in this cute little shop.

The Ice Cream Smiths has new flavors of the month. The owners play the ukulele!

Neponset River Trail for walking, jogging, hiking, and even launching a canoe or kayak!

And so much more in Historic Lower Mills, home of the oldest successful chocolate factory in the United States. You can easily get to this area by public transportation. Location: Milton T-station, free orange trolley ride from Ashmont T station on the Red Line.

Historic Lower Mills on Channel 5 TV

Location: Walter Baker Building, 1231 Adams St, Boston, Massachusetts. Here’s a little history about this area of Historic Lower Mills. Potluck – bring something to share (to drink, eat, etc.)

Which one are you?

What’s unique about our group?

  • international: so far our partipants have Zoomed in from Europe and the Americas
  • thematic: each session has a theme, scheduled in advance, to celebrate or honor a special day or topic or technique or song era
  • one-hour, starting promptly at 3 PM EST (or 20:00 GMT) and ending by 4 PM EST
  • songs in the line-up are listed by number of chords to accompany them; lowest to highest
  • sound and sight checks start half-hour before the session to ensure optimal conditions for performing in Zoom (also for early birds and newbies to join Zoom and get comfortable and acquainted)
  • live-streamed and recorded on Youtube for review and replay as practice
  • the video recording gets unlisted by the next song session
  • warm-up lesson to build your chord vocabulary, accompaniment patterns, technique, etc.
  • group photo pose with sunglasses
  • “hands free” – the song sheets are shared on the screen and scrolled so you can focus on playing and singing (while muted)
  • song sheets are displayed as LARGE as possible for optimal visibility
  • if you’d like to perform a song or submit a video of your performance, request through a form
  • up to 10 songs are accepted to keep to the one-hour session time limit
  • performers give a 30-second introduction about the song; lead by singing and playing while everyone else is muted (or submit a video and song sheet; or play along video)
  • friendly and supportive environment
  • register for the Zoom link
  • e-mail list (once you have participated, you automatically get on the e-mail list)
  • a webpage for each Zoom session with links to song sheets and play along videos
  • our own Facebook group page
  • YouTube Playlist of our video recordings (unlisted for privacy)
  • bespoke illustration for each song session by Eve Myles, our artist in residence
  • hybrid sessions (in Zoom and in-person where the host is)
  • invited teaching artists and other inspiring celebrities
  • a resource for chord libraries, song sheets, and more!

All our sessions are recorded and livestreamed for review and serve as play along videos for further practice. Also check out our 3 chord song playlist on Spotify. Visit our archive for previous themes and video recordings.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

  1. Two steps to join us in Zoom, register in Zoom for the link, meeting ID, etc – and subscribe for a pass. The meeting ID is 918 3063 7494. We use the same password and LINK. But you have to be registered and subscribed to get into Zoom.
  2. Request a song to perform with this Google Form.
  3. If you can’t make it to the session(s), watch our YouTube livestream. Subscribe to the YouTube Channel to get e-mail notification as the public video gets unlisted before the next 3 Chord Thursday session goes live.
  4. Join our Facebook Group of over 3,600 members.

Sign up for the exclusive Ukulele Enthusiast e-BLAST (E-mail Blast) (newsletter)

Original Sound in Zoom

The Zoom application was designed for the human voice. As such, it filters out any other noise, including traffic and your ukulele. To hear your ukulele, you need to ENABLE ORIGINAL SOUND. To do so on your iPhone see below. It’s always good to test your audio by recording yourself in Zoom afterwards. You can also watch this video tutorial about setting it up.

How to enable Original Sound on your iPhone Zoom app

What participants say

Great place for a beginner to start!

Wonderful teacher, great songs, fun musicians

Fun group during pandemic and while I was dealing with medical issues

I learned how many songs I could play on the ukulele and how limitless the possibilities.

I liked having a theme – I did that with the group I lead at our Senior Center. I also liked having the playlist beforehand so I could print the songs.

3 Chord Thursday is a non stressful way to learn a fun instrument with instruction at the beginning and then listening and watching all different levels of skill.

Love meeting people from all over the world, always learn something new for the Ukulele and never feel judged. A great experience every time.

I love the quick lessons at the beginning, song selections, meeting new people from all over, and sharing “ah-ha” moments that enhance our understanding of music an d our instrument.

3-Chord Thursday is a fun get-together to play your ukulele in your own space, but with a leader and a group of people from various states and countries. You will learn new songs and techniques in a fun, relaxed setting. And you can do it in your jammies if you want!

Aways something new to learn in one of Anne’s classes! She is a great instructor and extremely knowledgeable in music theory. Whether the lessons include the use of a piano or ukulele, her suggestions offer student success in music theory, expression in piano pedagogy, or mastering the ukulele without the intimidation. Classes I have taken have been thought-provoking and fun!

I was able to learn and grow in my playing along with others in a non threatening environment. I love that I now “know” a whole set of people I never would have met otherwise from different parts of the world. Dislike – the name is misleading. It makes a newbie think it will be really simple when that is not the case at first, and may discourage them from ever trying it again.

Benefits of 3 Chord Thursday community

  • play
  • sing
  • learn
  • record
  • engage
  • get tips
  • play along
  • collaborate
  • accompany
  • help others
  • meet others
  • ask questions
  • improve technique
  • collect song sheets
  • share love of music
  • build chord vocabulary
  • support the performers
  • meet other music aficionados
  • get answers to your questions
  • get feedback on your performance
  • motivate yourself and others to practice
  • expand song repertoire by genre and theme
  • follow the leader, play along to scrolling song sheets
  • improve playing skills through the 3 pm warm-up lesson
  • review recording and replay as play-along videos for practice
  • perform on a virtual stage, get recording to review, get moral support
  • collaborate with others, such as sequential tagging or video productions
  • receive early and advance notification of events such as festivals, workshops
  • get bonus offerings such as tips, bespoke arrangements, songsheets, compilations, and exercises