Don’t forget:

Screening of the “Mighty Uke” at my house in St. Helena on Thursday evening (October 21) at 5:30 p.m.  Please RSVP via Leave a Comment above (just below the picture of the vineyard).  That way I’ll know how many are coming and be able to send you my address, if you don’t already have it. (We’ll have plenty of chairs, but you may need a blanket.)  (If you are receiving this message via email, you may need to go directly to the blog to leave the comment: https://fleajumpers.wordpress.com/

Fleafest at the Gordon Huether Studio, Sunday evening, at 5:30. You can RSVP via Leave a Comment for this one, as well.

And here’s a local ukulele workshop given by our good friend Clarice Stasz that  some of you might be interested in:

Hands-on Workshop: “ ‘Ukulele Tool Kit” for beginning-intermediate players.

Thursday, November 11, 7-9:00. $10.  Petaluma location.

The ‘uke is so easy to play at first….then you realize it is also a serious instrument!  Whether you play alone or jam with others, at some point it is easy to throw up your hands and quit.  Don’t!  I can help you through that plateau.  With a few more skills, you can return to the level of fun you had in the early days.

This workshop will address a variety of musical skills you’ll practice before you leave:

Transposing:  We all have favorite songs where the chart is in a key that doesn’t fit your voice.  Bring it, and learn how to change that chart in a couple of minutes.  (Women: Did you know most charts are written for men’s voices?  I’ll explain why.  It isn’t purposefully sexist.)

Strumming:  Do you run across funny looking percussion patterns at ukulele sites or on charts?  Learn to read and play them.  Discover how to chink or dampen, and when these techniques are really helpful.  Not to ignore the fabulous Z chord.  (Those speedy strummers like Jake or James Hill aren’t always doing what you think.)

Hawaiian Basics:  Time to kanikapila !  Vamps and turnarounds.  Hawaiians strum patterns for hula, paniolo, and traditional songs.  You may not ever pa’ani (solo), or sing in Hawaiian, but you can feel comfortable with any Hawaiian tune. 

Fun despite “hard” charts.  We’ll look at and play a variety of songs with common difficulties that can be simplified with a few tricks of the trade.  More important, you’ll understand why these work and how to use them in other tunes.

RESERVATIONS REQUIRED: CSTASZ@COMCAST.NET

 Previous workshop comments:

“What a great uke workshop!  Thank you to Clarice for all your work, organization, knowledge, patience, time and willingness to teach us.  It was, indeed, a nice group of folks and I hope to see all of you in the uke world again soon.”

“I just wanted to thank you for the wonderful class last night.  You were so welcoming and patient.”  

Please feel free to copy or forward.  Coming in January: Ukulele Blues and Songwriting.