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Recent Posts
- Body Surfing for easy ukulele transposed January 20, 2025
- Daily Music Writing Project January 20, 2025
- Body Surfing for easy ukulele January 19, 2025
- 3 Chord Thursday 2025 Ukulele + January 15, 2025
- World Ukulele Day Workshops January 15, 2025
- Happy Birthday for high G ukulele January 13, 2025
- Happy Birthday for ukulele January 13, 2025
- Friday I’m in Love for ukulele January 10, 2025
- Can’t Help Falling in Love with ukulele January 8, 2025
- We Shall Overcome on ukulele January 8, 2025
- Puff the Magic Dragon Travis Picking Variations January 8, 2025
- Travis Picking exercises for ukulele January 8, 2025
- Oh Susanna for ukulele January 8, 2025
- Exercise for waltz accompaniment January 7, 2025
- Strum & Fingerpick Exercise in 3/4 Time January 7, 2025
- Accompaniment exercises in 3/4 time for low G ukulele January 7, 2025
- Accompaniment in 3/4 time for high G ukulele January 7, 2025
- Feed the Birds with ukulele January 6, 2025
- Auld Lang Syne in F for low G ukulele January 4, 2025
- On Top of Spaghetti in C for high G ukulele January 3, 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. […]
Tag Archives: class
Songwriting Course
Whether you are already writing songs or you’re curious about the process, join us on an 8-week journey in Zoom. Engage with other music lovers and learn the craft of composition. It’s the first and newest course of its kind! … Continue reading
Canon for a Wedding
Why did Pachelbel write the Canon in D? He was an organist not a violinist. Yet he wrote the Canon and the Gigue for three violins, later accompanied by basso continuo (e.g. harpsichord, lute, or cello). One speculation is that … Continue reading
3 Chord Thursday Teachers
Thursday 5th October 2023 is World Teachers Day. We open the Autumn 2023 season by dedicating this 3 Chord Thursday to all those who teach or have taught for a living. We invite you to teach a song in this … Continue reading
3 Chord Thursday Preview Nutmeg Ukulele Festival
On the first Thursday, 7th September 2023, we give a preview of the 2nd Nutmeg Ukulele Festival, a one day event in Simsbury, Connecticut. In this one hour session in Zoom, 1) get a taste of ukulele bootcamp, 2) learn … Continue reading
Correct fingering for error-free execution with ease
“Pencil in your fingering for both hands. Use a pencil in case you want to erase later. Decide on the fingering. Practice with the fingering you wrote in the score.” Why? The students in piano and ukulele classes ask. Why … Continue reading
Taster Workshop on song writing and composition
The ukulele culture of sharing songs and sightreading song sheets sometimes leads to writing your own songs. It may start with a famous poem with words that seem to suit a tune whose origins you’re not sure of. Convinced it’s … Continue reading
Fingerstyle Ukulele Showcase
Curious about the NEW music intentionally AND specifically written for the ukulele? As an accompanying instrument, the ukulele can help us sing in tune and play in sync. As a solo instrument, there are plenty of transcriptions and arrangements made … Continue reading
Music Theory MELODY
Of the essential elements of music, melody is the single most important ingredient in a song. You can think of melody as a series of notes, one after another, defined by the distance in pitch (interval) and duration. What makes … Continue reading
Piano Harmonisation (Harmonization)
By special request, I am offering a new 8-week piano course in Zoom to take beginners to the next level of playing. Read from lead sheets and play songs you’d like to play. It’s open to all levels though not … Continue reading
Music Theory: HARMONY
What’s the difference between melody and harmony? Both require notes to define and describe them. One is ordered sequentially through time. The other can also be stacked vertically. We associate melody with words and harmony with emotions. Is there more?