3 Chord Thursday Destinations & How to Get There

Posted on May 13, 2022 by Anne Ku

On Thursday 21st July 2022, we invite you to share songs from this picture and ignite your curiosity and creativity to suggest other related songs about getting to a particular place. To this, we should add destination: HOME. How to get there – by country roads. Homeward Bound. Anything else to add to this list?

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3 Chord Thursday Songs in French

Posted on May 13, 2022 by Anne Ku

Coincidentally 14th July 2022 falls on a Thursday! Naturally we will share up to 10 songs in French. Voila! C’est bon! We had so many requests in the Songs with Non-English Lyrics that we decided to have separate sessions for Songs in Other Languages (not English, Spanish, or French), Songs in Spanish, and now Songs in French. Check out the French songs that have topped the US charts. This theme welcomes songs that have some or all lyrics in French, including songs you didn’t even realize have French lyrics in them.

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3 Chord Thursday Pop Groups

Posted on May 13, 2022 by Anne Ku

On Thursday 7th July 2022, we share up to 10 songs from the 30 pop groups you can identify in this picture (see the Facebook comments for answers). Here are some questions to ponder and to answer when we meet.

  1. How to find the starting note of a song
  2. How to start a song for everyone else to follow TOGETHER
  3. How to end a song
  4. How to find your optimal voice range
  5. How to transpose a song so that you can sing it
  6. How to simplify a song, especially for chords that are difficult to finger? Or too many chords to switch?
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3 Chord Thursday Rock-n-Roll Neighbourhood

Posted on May 13, 2022 by Anne Ku

On Thursday 30th June 2022, let’s get rocking with songs from our rock-n-roll neighborhood! Which songs can you find in this diagram? If you don’t already know how to find song sheets from given titles, you won’t want to miss this session. Learn how to

  1. find the best song sheet so you won’t have to re-invent the wheel
  2. edit song sheets usings the tools you have, change the layout, make it easy to follow
  3. transpose the song sheet so that you can easily and powerfully sing and accompany yourself
  4. make your song sheet readable on a shared screen
  5. personalize your song sheet
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3 Chord Thursday Let It Go!

Posted on May 13, 2022 by Anne Ku

Thursday 23rd June 2022 is Let It Go Day. Guess what? We will celebrate with songs about letting go and moving on, which might require you to say no to let go. It could also be about decluttering to become a minimalist, saying good-bye, not worrying, and not letting something annoy you. Are you ready?

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3 Chord Thursday Father’s Day

Posted on May 13, 2022 by Anne Ku

In anticipation of Father’s Day, we are celebrating ours on Thursday 16th June 2022. We welcome your suggestions as it’s a new theme. Songs can range from songs about fathers or a song your father loves or loved, or songs you sang together with your dad.

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Mother of Mine

Posted on May 7, 2022 by Anne Ku

Every Mother’s Day, a sticky melody flows into my year. It’s a song I heard on Okinawa, where I spent eleven years of my childhood. Young Agnes Chan’s version of “Mother of Mine” is ever so poignant many decades later.

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Waltzes by Carulli for ukulele

Posted on May 2, 2022 by Anne Ku

How many waltzes did Ferdinando Carulli write? I keep discovering new waltzes arranged for the ukulele by those who have played them on the guitar. I am the newest of the lot, for my fingers remember a waltz I played on my first nylon string guitar when I was a teenager on Okinawa.

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Vocal exercise with ukulele as warm-up

Posted on April 23, 2022 by Anne Ku

Warming up is essential before you play your instrument and even more so before you sing. I asked two vocal coaches how they instruct their students on breathing, singing and other topics.

Here’s what they have to say.

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SPECIAL OFFER: Physical exercise in Zoom

Posted on April 21, 2022 by Anne Ku

Going to Jen’s 9 AM exercise class in Zoom not only gets me out of bed every week day morning but also gets me fit. Besides cardio, weights, stretches, she gets us to do flexibility and balance training. Jen programs her music to the themes of 3 Chord Thursday so that we ukulele players can look forward to the next thematic song session. It’s comforting to see familiar faces at a time when the pandemic has cut off socialization and social activity.

I’d like to encourage more people to take Jen’s fitness classes in Zoom. How?

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