Website Update – my 100th Blog!!

Just letting you all know that the following updates are now on the website:

• Audio File of Bonnie Dundee – sounds good!
• Dee Ukes version of Killiecrankie – with additional verse and chord corrections
• When I’m Sixty Four (F) version 1.2 – just a slight change with the ending, which could be just written on your current version instead of printing again.
• Wild Side of Life – version 2 – To be perfectly honest I spent ages working on this version, before I realised version 1 was on the website! Keep both for the time being. Any volunteers to try out the kazoo?!

Songs needed for next week will be:

Killiecrankie – DU version

Caledonia – to be recorded

Rock Around the Clock – Perth version

When I’m Sixty Four (F) v1.2

Wild Side of Life – version 2

I forgot to post a link to the lovely video of the song “Lava” which is shown in front of the Disney Pixar film “Inside Out”.

It is the love story of two volcanoes. You will lava it! 🙂

Who needs the Sun? Round Up from 28th July

We had a very animated meeting, despite the fact we are still waiting patiently for some summer!

We welcomed Pat (3)  to our group, who is already arranging practice sessions with Penny. I like their enthusiasm.

We also welcomed back Grant, who has been unable to be with us since March. I’m sure he enjoyed all the hugs and even a sneaky kiss!

We discussed possible dates and times for rehearsal sessions with Perth U3A for our Luminate Concerts. I have asked the office if a room would be available to us on the following dates:

Tuesday 22nd September: 10:00 – 12:00

Tuesday 6th October: 10:00 – 12:00

Both dates and times are subject to confirmation. One date will be in Perth and one date will be in Dundee.

We also had a look the a photo of Perth’s polo shirts. The yellow logo stands out really well against the royal blue and is quite big. 

We further discussed our options and are going to have a look at Hawaiian blouses/shirts, as the ukulele itself is such a fun instrument, colourful tops would reflect this! There was an enthusiastic response to this suggestion, with one or two not too sure!

Click here for a link to tops for ladies. There are 4 different design with 4 different colour choices for each.

Click here to see shirts for men There are six designs with some having colour options.

We had a very quick look at a simple finger picking exercise. If you would like to go over this again click on Jon Bennett’s Tutorial Ukulele Fingerpicking 1. We will have a look at Ukulele Fingerpicking 2 next week.

Songs:

Whiskey in the Jar – This song has been suggested as a joint concert song and is straight forward to play, although it doesn’t have the chord boxes on the page. You can just draw a little diagram if you feel the need for reassurance! Intros and outros and finer points will be established during joint rehearsals.

We’re No Awa Tae Bide Awa v1.1 – the quick chord changes sound good and just need a little bit of practice.

Bonnie Dundee – we recorded this one to add to our audio files. (Will be added when time permits)

Killiecrankie – This song has been suggested as a joint concert song. I have added to our website the YouTube version of the Corries singing this one. I will also update (when time permits) a draft Dee Ukes version with slightly different chords and the extra verse that the Corries sing. It’s a great song and will get the toes tapping.

My Grandfather’s Clock – This has also been suggested as a joint concert song. We were able to play and sing this one without too much difficulty. Again, the finer details can be ironed out at joint rehearsals. Meanwhile, I have added the Johnny Cash version to our website if you want to have a listen. It is slightly different to the Perth version.

We managed to squeeze in a practice of “When I’m Sixty Four” (just!)

No time for Free Choice! Sorry! I will try to time things better next week.

Thanks again for all your enthusiasm! 🙂

Songs for 28th July

The songs you will need for our next class are as follows:

Whiskey in the Jar – Perth version

We’re No Awa Tae Bide Awa version 1.1

Bonnie Dundee – will record this one

Killiecrankie – Perth version at the moment

My Grandfather’s Clock – Perth version at the moment

When I’m Sixty-Four v1.1 (as of 30th June ’15)

Hopefully there will be time for some free choice as well.

Looking forward to seeing you all soon. 🙂

Welcome back!

It was great to welcome back Jim and Anne H who have been very busy with other things over the past months. We also welcomed Penny to the group. She has begun her ukulele adventure with great enthusiasm.

Tuesday’s session started with a quick demonstration of how to tune your ukulele to itself. This would be useful if your tuner suddenly disappears or breaks down! You can go over this again by having a look at Jon Bennet’s Tutorial video. Click on Tuner Tutorial.

We also tried out some different strum patterns for those who are looking for a bit of variety or a bit of a challenge. We tried thumb and first finger strums using the chords of C, F, G7 and C. These started off relatively easily, then progressed in difficulty. Like everything else, it will need some practice if you wish to add this to your collection of strumming patterns. You can go through this lesson again using Jon Bennet’s video. Click Ukulele Thumb and 1st Finger Strum.

For beginners I would advise sticking to basic strum patterns, using your first finger, for the time being. Click Basic Strum Patterns for a reminder of the patterns we have looked at in the past.

Songs we practiced:

• Jamaica Farewell – the thumb and first finger strum works quite well with this one.
• Sunny Afternoon
• Flower of Scotland – we recorded this on for our Audio Files – now on website
• Newport Braes – we also recorded this one for our Audio Files – now on website
• We’re No Awa Tae Bide Awa – we tried this for the first time and after some discussion agreed to change some of the words and leave out one of the verses. The new version 1.1 is now on our website. We will try this again next week.
• When I’m Sixty-Four – I had to include this one, especially this week! It is still quite a challenge to play, but I’m so pleased that the continuing practice is paying off.

Free Choice – For the last 10/15 minutes we played and sang songs selected by three  people from the group. Over the rest of the summer I intend to keep this going if time permits. It is good to go back over songs we particularly enjoy, or haven’t played for a while.

We also agreed to keep the class running during the month of August. The official U3A year will start for Dee Ukes on Tuesday 1st September.

Finally, I need to say a huge thank you to my fabulous class mates for a very unexpected birthday gift. For those who weren’t there, I was given a framed photo of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain which was signed by them! Wow! The photo now has pride of place in “my little office”. As if that wasn’t enough I also received a voucher. What a great bunch of people you all are. xxxxx

See you all next week for more fun! 🙂

Website Update 19th July

I have added a link to Jon Bennett’s video tutorials which you may find interesting. He covers some basics as well as more advanced lessons. You will find the link by going to Videos/Jon Bennett Tutorials and click on the link to his website. ( or click here )

I have also added a new song to our Current Songsheets. We’re No Awa Tae Bide Awa is from one of Eunice’s books. I’m sure you will all know the song, but I have also added a YouTube video of Andy Stewart singing this one.

Looking forward to seeing you all on Tuesday. 🙂

Happy Strummers! – July 14 Round Up

We welcomed Alan to our group. He enjoyed his first experience of playing along with others and went away armed with lots of sheets of paper and most importantly a big smile on his face! 🙂

The links to another 12 songbooks have been added to our website from Uke at the Duke website. Their indices lead directly to the song you want and then you can get back to the index from the top of each page. (I forgot to mention that today, but it is very useful.) Just go to Links / Others Songbooks and you will see the link below the TUSC songbooks.

We recorded three songs today to add to our Audio Files which are now available to listen to:

• Down by the Riverside – Many thanks to the janitor for providing us with ‘bells’.
• Eight Days a Week – sounding as good as ever.
• Sloop John B – the best we have performed it!

We also practiced:

• Dundee Songs – always a favourite!
• Wild Rover – Most of us enjoy playing/singing this one.
• Whiskey in the Jar – We tried the Perth U3A version of this which is fine. We will do our own version at a later date.
• Last Thing on my Mind – We tried the Perth U3A version of this one also. Again we will do our own version at a later date once we know what is to be included in the Luminate Concert.
• Let it Be – We tried this again with some finger-picking and one of the “Let it be ….” sections sung a capella. This song is still receiving a lukewarm response although a few members like it. It is definitely better slower and is growing on me.

Before we knew it, time was up! Thanks to all for strumming away happily. 🙂

Songs for Next Class

Another quick message to say that we are going to try 2 songs from the Perth U3A, both of which can be downloaded from our website. They are:

Whiskey in the Jar

Last Thing On My Mind

Hope you are all having a lovely weekend. Look forward to seeing you on Tuesday. 🙂

PS    I have also added a link to 10 Songbooks from Taunton Ukulele Strummers Club (TUSC). You will find them on Links / Others’ Songbooks. There are some great songs there. The problem is finding the time to try them out!

Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain

Just letting you know that I have added a link to a playlist of 18 songs by UOGB. Thanks John for forwarding this. It will bring back happy memories of the workshop and concert for those who were lucky enough to attend! 🙂

You will find it on Videos / The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain.

Special Visitor!

We were pleased to welcome Eunice to our class. She teaches music in local primary schools, including teaching how to play the ukulele to various children’s groups as well as other teachers. Eunice brought along her soprano, baritone and bass ukulele complete with a mini amp to let us hear the different sounds. There was a lot of interest with members keen to have a try. However, I’m sure Eunice left with the correct number of ukuleles!

Eunice also gave us a lot of tips and ideas for the future as well as her Ukulele Bag (named ‘Eukulele King’) full of books and CDs for me to have a look at. Many thanks to Eunice for her enthusiasm and encouragement. We will definitely keep in touch 🙂

Intimations:

• Update re Maggie’s “Sing for Your Supper” – Maggie raised the grand total of around £500 to go to the Nepal Earthquake Disaster Fund. Because she is away on a break at the moment, she has thanked everyone who supported the event via Blog News entitled “Goodbye to June! It was Fun!”. To see her comments just click on the small ‘Comment Bubble’ under the Blog Title. Maggie put on an amazing spread and the fantastic entertainment carried on until 2am! Well done Maggie! 🙂 Could I also add my personal thanks to all from Dee Ukes, including the newly developed groups and individuals who were all fantastic.
• Update re waiting list – I am now in the position to ask 2/3 people to join a Beginner’s Group which I will run for 6 weeks prior to our class starting at 12.15pm. Two further names were suggested to add to the waiting list.

We practiced no less than 5 Beatles’ songs:

• When I’m Sixty Four – This one is coming along well. It just needs practice as there are a lot of quick chord changes.
• Hey Jude – I think I’ve finally cracked the tune for the na nas! We also split the class into 4 groups to sing the last ‘Jude’ on a different note. (do, mi, sol, do) It sounded really good!
• Eight Days a Week – Sounding good as well.
• Let it Be – We slowed this one right down from our previous efforts and I added finger picking throughout. I think the overall effect is definitely an improvement. Eunice suggested singing the second Let it be …  A cappella. We’ll try that the next time.
• With a Little help from my Friends – The timing of this song has improved, although the last line is still a bit tentative.
• Yellow on the Broom – We played this all the way through this week with no major problems. We naturally played an extra C at the end of each chorus before starting the next verse, although it is not marked on the songsheet. It is a beautiful song and even those who hadn’t heard it before were becoming more confident by the end.
• Botany Bay –  a little ‘fun’ song with fairly simple chords. Eunice suggested adding a kazoo section. I’m sure I can get volunteers for that!
• Ballad of Jed Clampett – This is now available on the website in Dee Ukes format. Another ‘fun’ song for Beverly Hillbillies’ fans.
• Blowin’in the Wind – Ann P introduced this one by playing her mouth organ.

Many thanks again to everyone for yet another fun session. 🙂

Quick Message

Just letting you all know that I have updated “With a Little Help From My Friends” to version 1.1. This is because some people were having slight problems deciding how many beats to give some of the chords at the end of most lines. I have tried to clarify this by adding – – for 2 beats and – – – – for 4 beats. If you wish to download this version, it is on the website. Most of you were managing fine, so probably won’t need to download again.

I have also added to the website “Ballad of Jed Clampett” in Dee Ukes format if you want to download that one. We may/may not have time to play it tomorrow.

See you all tomorrow hopefully. 🙂

PS

I will be bringing some ‘items’ left behind at Maggie’s last Friday. She said her house was like a Lost Property Office once everyone had gone!