3 Chord Thursday Irish

It’s tradition to share Irish songs in March for St Patrick’s Day. On Thursday 7th March 2024, we celebrate with Irish songs, as we have done previously in 2023, 2022, 2021, and Irish Playlist. Stay after for a workshop on Hawaiian songs.

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3 Chord Thursday Island Tunes

On Thursday 15th February 2024, we celebrate songs of Hawai’i and other islands. Wear something bright and colorful! [This session is in Zoom only; AND there is no workshop afterwards.] The Zoom password has changed. Please re-register and join us up to half-hour before 3 PM EST.

Effective 15th February 2024, your first 3 Chord Thursday song session in 2024 is FREE. You’re also welcome to have as many people in your Zoom session as you like without further subscription. In-person with the host is free. The next in-person is Thursday 2nd May 2024. Register in Zoom as often as you like to get the Zoom link. Enter Zoom at any time to set up. The host and performers will do sound and visual checks half-hour before the start time. All sessions are live-streamed and video recorded for review and replay.

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3 Chord Thursday: World Ukulele Day

The second day of the second month is National Play Your Ukulele Day. This has evolved to World Play Your Ukulele Day, International Ukulele Day, or World Ukulele Day. We celebrate a day early on Thursday 1st February 2024 at 3 PM EST by introducing our ukuleles and telling stories of how we got into playing the ukulele.

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3 Chord Thursday Thesaurus

It’s National Thesaurus Day on Thursday 18th January 2024! This is a special day for those who love WORDS. We celebrate the theme of THESAURUS in 3 Chord Thursday with a lot of imagination. Is Thesaurus the last dinosaur? Can you think of songs with BIG, BEAUTIFUL words? Songs that use synonyms? Or can you accompany the verses and refrains of a single song DIFFERENTLY? How about songs about words?

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3 Chord Thursday: Pop Music Charts

Our first session of the year fell on Thursday 4th January 2024 which is Pop Music Chart Day. Seriously! It’s the first time we held the song session of 3 Chord Thursday WITHOUT a webpage or an advance notice of a line-up. This one-hour gathering was a hybrid session, with five people participating in-person and twelve in Zoom. Use Betty Lou Music website to find the songs listed on the charts. You can tranpose the song sheets, too! 

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Sightreading, the art of reading music

Sightreading, also known as prima vista playing, refers to playing the correct notes on a musical instrument while reading the notation at first sight or glance (at the tempo written). It is a skill that can be learned but requires practice to master.

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Workshop: Auld Lang Syne

It’s THAT time of the year when everyone bursts out singing “Auld Lang Syne.” This popular tune is also sung on Burns’ Night. Here’s an opportunity to explore different ways to make this song interesting, a useful skill applicable to any song. First mentioned in my earlier blog post, I’ve since discovered many different ways to play this song.

If you are not attending in-person but wish to join in Zoom, please register to get the Zoom link. Note: you do NOT need to participate in 3 Chord Thursday to join this workshop.

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White Christmas for easy piano

For the festive season, my piano students requested Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” along with “Silent Night.” Unlike the famous Christmas carol, “White Christmas” is not a three-chord song. The beauty is in its complex harmony. How does one simplify it for easy piano without compromise?

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Holiday Songs for Everyone

It’s that time of the year when Christmas and Hannukah songs appear on radio. As soon as Thanksgiving ends, holiday songs surface on the sonic horizon. Wouldn’t you like to learn how to play these timeless festive songs? BONUS! Download the free holiday songs crossword puzzle and table of useful chords. (More about ukulele crossword puzzles).

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Simple Gifts of Granola

I admire those who make their own granola. It always tastes better than the packaged stuff sold in grocery stores. Furthermore, anything homemade has a story behind it. When I probe further, I learn it’s not mysterious at all. Sometimes it requires a simple gift, such as a comment, to realize I could make it myself. “It’s not that hard. Here’s my recipe.”

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