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Recent Posts
- 3 Chord Thurs ART April 5, 2024
- Birthday Bash April 5, 2024
- Leap Year Special 2024 March 1, 2024
- 3 Chord Thursday 4th Anniversary February 13, 2024
- Workshop: Happy Birthday February 13, 2024
- Arrangements for easy piano February 8, 2024
- Guitar orchestra concert in Boston – free February 5, 2024
- Chinese tea dyed eggs or marbled tea eggs January 23, 2024
- Ukulele Accompaniment Course in Zoom January 18, 2024
- Workshop: Ode to Joy January 13, 2024
- Workshop: the Hawaiian vamp January 13, 2024
- 3 Chord Thursday Poems & Parodies January 12, 2024
- 3 Chord Thursday Irish January 12, 2024
- 3 Chord Thursday Island Tunes January 12, 2024
- 3 Chord Thursday: World Ukulele Day January 12, 2024
- 3 Chord Thursday Thesaurus January 11, 2024
- 3 Chord Thursday: Pop Music Charts January 9, 2024
- Sightreading, the art of reading music January 9, 2024
- Workshop: Auld Lang Syne January 2, 2024
- White Christmas for easy piano December 16, 2023
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April 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: composition
Write your own song
Have you ever dreamed of writing your own song? Not a re-make of someone else’s, but your original lyrics set to music, your idea. Or a tune that’s been going around your head that you want to put into words… … Continue reading
Songwriting Course
Whether you are already writing songs or you’re curious about the process, join us on an 8-week journey in Zoom. Engage with other music lovers and learn the craft of composition. It’s the first and newest course of its kind! … 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
Waltzes by Carulli for ukulele
How many waltzes did Ferdinando Carulli write? I keep discovering new waltzes arranged for the ukulele by those who have played them on the guitar. I am the newest of the lot, for my fingers remember a waltz I played … Continue reading
Homage to Carcassi and Carulli
Music and memory are intricately connected. The last classical guitar solo piece I loved playing in my teenage years was one by Carcassi in 3/4 time in a minor key. The nylon string guitar my mother bought from a music … Continue reading
Songs in the Time of Corona: even dated Fridays
Since the launch of this new series on Friday March 27, 2020, we met every Friday afternoon to share songs that reflect our time, our lives and feelings under lockdown for two months, ending in mid-June. After a long lapse, … Continue reading
Raison d’etre
Some people are born with a calling. Others spend their entire life looking for it. Raison d’etre is the French word for “the reason for your existence.” Why are you here? What is my purpose for being?
Call and response workshop
One of many ways to lead a group of performers is the so-called “call and response,” which is actually a compositional technique. The leader “calls” by singing and/or playing a musical phrase. The “other” (be it students, audience, or someone … Continue reading
Happy Birthday chord melody arrangement for ukulele
A chord melody arrangement is one in which the melody (of a song) is embedded in the chord. While you can play the melody separately from the harmony, the idea is that the notes you need for the melody is … Continue reading