On Thursday 18th May 2023, we celebrate Mother’s Day, the first time in 3 Chord Thursday. Traditionally it’s celebrated on the second Sunday of May each year in the USA, Canada, and Australia. Elsewhere in the UK, Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man and Nigeria, it’s also called “Mothering Sunday” and celebrated on 19th March 2023. Why does it differ so?
We welcome you to share a favorite song of your mother.
C0-hosts: Bruce (IT), Ali (CA)
Continue readingOn Thursday 4th May 2023, we revisit songs in Spanish, which we began a year ago for Cinco de Mayo. Join us in 3 Chord Thursday for this festive occasion with festive hispanic colors (see below). Check out the ten fun Spanish ukulele songs.
Our opening warm-up lesson will introduce the Andalucian cadence, which is a minor chord progression commonly used in Flamenco music: i–♭VII–♭VI–V (or V7) and back to i (in minor mode) or vi-V-IV-III (or III7) (in major key).
Continue readingOn Thursday 20th April 2023, join us in Zoom to celebrate songs for Earth Day. We’ve acknowledged Earth Day through music in 3 Chord Thursday, twice previously in 2022, and in 2021.
Continue readingWe celebrate our third anniversary on Thursday 6th April 2023 in Zoom. Join us to look back on how we began, revisit the themes, the most popular being the sixties, jeopardy games, and more! A is for anniversary, acknowledgement, and appreciation.
Continue readingA play along video is one you can play (your instrument) along to. Also known as a playalong video, one with ukulele chord diagrams allows you to play your ukulele (hands free). Adding lyrics allows you to sing along, like karaoke. I have been experimenting with using the piano, organ, and guitar as backing tracks, giving it a fuller sound than the lonely sound of a single ukulele. Here are some samples.
Continue readingBy 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 complete beginners. [What you’re learning when you’re taking a piano class.]
FALL 2023 starts 10/24/2023 at 5 PM EDT and runs for 8 Tuesdays (except 10/31).
Continue readingWhat’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?
Continue readingRecently I introduced different kinds of crossword puzzles to my ukulele community, before the 2022 Annual Ukulele Jeopardy Game. Earlier, during my years on Maui, I created bespoke puzzles and games to help my music students prepare for their final exams. These crossword puzzles and jeopardy games ranged from piano to music theory. Ukulele is my latest.
Continue readingOn Thursday 9th February 2023 at 3 pm EST when we don’t have a scheduled song session, we will be having a harmonica class in Zoom. This is a prize from the 2022 Annual Ukulele Jeopardy Game. The one-hour class is FREE and open to everyone. Be sure to register in advance to get the Zoom link.
Continue readingOn Thursday 30th March 2023, we will share songs about birds. To prepare for our third anniversary on 6th April, the opening warm-up lesson will cover how to play Happy Birthday in four different keys. Don’t miss it! We start at 3 PM EDT (8 PM BST) and end an hour later. 3 Chord Thursday, the thematic song session in Zoom, founded at the beginning of the pandemic, is open to anyone anywhere in the world, recorded on YouTube video for review and reflection.
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