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Recent Posts
- 12 Chinese Zodiac Tunes February 15, 2025
- Guinea Pig for high G ukulele February 14, 2025
- Gift Horse for high G ukulele February 14, 2025
- 100 Days of Ukulele 2024 February 14, 2025
- Monkey Around for high G ukulele February 13, 2025
- Ukulele Chord Chart or Chord Table February 7, 2025
- Doggy Bag for high G ukulele February 7, 2025
- Chopin Waltz in A minor for low G ukulele February 7, 2025
- Chicken Feed for high G ukulele February 6, 2025
- Rat Race for high G ukulele February 6, 2025
- Counting Sheep to Sleep, a lullaby for high G ukulele February 5, 2025
- 3 Chord Thursday Anniversary February 5, 2025
- 3 Chord Thursday IRISH February 5, 2025
- 3 Chord Thursday LOVE February 4, 2025
- Counting Sheep for high G ukulele February 4, 2025
- Can’t Help Falling in Love in F for ukulele February 4, 2025
- As Tears Go By (1964) February 3, 2025
- Holy Cow for high G ukulele January 30, 2025
- Two Tigers for high G ukulele January 29, 2025
- Rabbit Hole for high G ukulele January 29, 2025
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Recent Posts: Concert Blog
REVIEW: Discovering Fingerstyle Ukulele Songbook by Colin Tribe
Colin Tribe’s new book offers new possibilities for ukulele players who aspire to fingerpick their way through thirty of the most popular songs of all time. These chord melody arrangements show a variety of ways the high G ukulele can be used for instrumental solo or duet (such as chord accompaniment and melodic fingerpicking) . […]
REVIEW: Piano Animals (duet) by Heleen Verleur
This 31-page book of four hand piano music is sheer FUN with a capital F. The composer Heleen Verleur knows just what pianists love playing: music that is easy to read, sounds hard to play, but is so much fun that you don’t want to stop until it ends.
REVIEW: Ukulele Picking Tunes Classical Gems by Paul Mansell
This 40-page book is the latest contribution to the ukulele repertoire by the UK-based ukulele and guitar composer Paul Mansell. Guitarists who play the ukulele are few and far between, for many adult learners pick up the ukulele without knowing the guitar. Yet it takes a guitarist who understands the possibilities of the re-entrant tuned […]
REVIEW: Modern Pieces for Ukulele by Paul Mansell
Review of first three pieces from the new book Modern Pieces for Ukulele by Paul Mansell
Group piano class in Zoom
Introducing my group piano class online: Group Piano Class in Zoom. The first series of seven weekly one-hour class started in June 2021. The second (continuation of the first) started in October 2021 at alternating weeks, until end of December (seven sessions). The third series of 16 consecutive weeks started at the beginning of 2022. […]
Category Archives: travel
It’s so easy to fall in love but breaking up
During the four hour mash-up medley marathon, I conferred with six other ukulele players that mash-ups shouldn’t just be about songs that have similar chords or rhythms. There has to be a rhyme and reason to choosing songs for a … Continue reading
Nontraditional students and their struggles: the pursuit of degrees
In the UK, older students are called “mature students.” In the US, anyone over 25 studying for their first degree falls into the category of “nontraditional students”. In the Netherlands, it is uncommon to see a mature, nontraditional student at … Continue reading
Seated marathon of words
“Support my fundraiser! Come to my soiree on the 22nd!” He invited me to play the grand piano or bring my ukulele group for a singalong to fundraise for his half-marathon in Jordan. I can do neither. I am already … Continue reading
Visiting Vis, Croatia – the Mamma Mia effect
Barely two weeks after watching “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” – the sequel to “Mamma Mia!” I am now on the island where it was filmed, not quite a year ago in September 2017, not Greece but Croatia. The … Continue reading
Mamma Mia II: here I go again!
Won’t it be great to sing ABBA songs and see the new Mamma Mia movie? That seed of intention was planted back in April when my ukulele group in Boston dedicated one of our weekly jam sessions to songs from … Continue reading
For the absolute, complete, total beginner in ukulele
The ukulele is the quickest and easiest way to make music and connect with others. The first step is getting a ukulele and learning how to play it. Then you can strum, sing, and socialise! Don’t miss the opportunity to … Continue reading
Remembering dad on Father’s Day
Today may be the first time I’m joining everyone else in cyberspace, to remember my dad on Father’s Day. In Mandarin Chinese, the word for father is “ba ba” which sounds like “eight eight” — thus the eighth day of … Continue reading
Selecting songs for a select audience: eighties extravaganza
In music, the formal or official term for song selection is “repertoire development.” It sounds sophisticated and significant, and it should be, for it is not trivial at all. Repertoire development refers to creating a balanced portfolio for performers. In … Continue reading
ABBA GOLD JAM
Our first ABBA GOLD ukulele jam will take place on Tuesday 1st May 2018 at 7 pm EDT in the common room of the Walter Baker building in Historic Lower Mills. We will celebrate ABBA’s announcement of new songs, first … Continue reading