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- Instrumental Halloween tunes for ukulele October 29, 2024
- Ukulele Fall 2024 Course October 11, 2024
- Ukulele Exercises Series (books) September 26, 2024
- Nutmeg Ukulele Festival 2024 August 27, 2024
- 3 Chord Thursday Rest of the Year Pass August 27, 2024
- 3 Chord Thursday Hunter’s Full Moon August 21, 2024
- 3 Chord Thursday Holiday Songs August 21, 2024
- 3 Chord Thursday Sad but beautiful songs August 21, 2024
- 3 Chord Thursday Disney August 12, 2024
- 3 Chord Thursday television August 12, 2024
- Borrow ukulele from a library August 7, 2024
- 3 Chord Thursday NAMES July 29, 2024
- Fun with Uke 2024 July 23, 2024
- 3 Chord Thursday Dance! June 25, 2024
- 3 Chord Thursday Hooked on Classics June 25, 2024
- 3 Chord Thursday Relaxation June 25, 2024
- 3 Chord Thursday Colorado Songs of John Denver June 25, 2024
- 3 Chord Thursday Parody Parade June 25, 2024
- 3 Chord Thursday Across America June 25, 2024
- C chords for ukulele June 6, 2024
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November 2024 M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 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: ukulele
3 Chord Thursday Massachusetts
Thursday 17th August 2023 is National Massachusetts Day. As we are part of the Ukulele Union of Boston, let’s celebrate songs about our state in 3 Chord Thursday. There are songs about Boston, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, New England … see … Continue reading
3 Chord Thursday Golden Oldies
On Thursday 3rd August 2023, let’s revisit the golden oldies — the most memorable songs of the 50’s and 60’s. We have previously celebrated three sessions of 60’s songs in 3 Chord Thursday but not yet 50’s songs. Elvis Presley … Continue reading
My Country, ‘Tis of Thee or God Save the King
On an American air base in the island of Okinawa, I grew up singing “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” before I learned that the same tune was known as “God Save the Queen” or “God Save the King” depending on … Continue reading
America the Beautiful
A parishioner requested “America the Beautiful” to include in the programme on the weekend before Independence Day. For Catholic mass, I played it as a recessional hymn on the organ while the young cantor lead the congregation who sang more … Continue reading
God Bless America
God Bless America arrangement for ukulele or piano with four chords or original many chords is a free gift if you subscribe to 3 Chord Thursday, the thematic song session in Zoom 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
Pachelbel Progression
When I learn of a musician’s departure, I instantly hear his or her music in my head. Last week, I checked my phone and read “RIP George Winston” in my Facebook feed. His Pachelbel Canon Variations entered my sound space … Continue reading
Omoide 思ひで for ukulele, theme from Midnight Diner
One occupational hazard of being a musician is the susceptibility to ear worms. Certain tunes creep into your existence and take over your sound space. You can’t get rid of it until you’ve written it down, performed, recorded, published it, … 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