Originally started as a thematic song session in Zoom, 3 Chord Thursday gathering has evolved from a weekly sharing of songs to a monthly focussed session of learning. For 2026, participants are urged to get their own copy of Pick Pluck Play! which will serve as the main content for the one-hour Zoom session.
We meet on the third Thursday each month, always starting promptly with a warm-up lesson. All sessions are FREE and livestreamed on YouTube. Subscribe to the YouTube Channel to get e-mail notification of these livestreams.
2026 Schedule
We will meet on the third Thursday of each month at 3 PM EST or EDT. Get the tongue twister?
To inspire us, we invite a guest instructor, composer, performer of ukulele to our session. Previous guests have included Andrea Gaudette, Daniel Ho, Amy Kucharik, Erin Ash Sullivan, Danno Sullivan, and Tony Mizen.
Structure of these one hour sessions
- Warm-up
- Breakout rooms
- Group photo pose with sunglasses and ukuleles
- Guest composer / instructor
- Questions ; discussion
- Wrap -up
- 15th January 2026
Warm-up lesson: Pick Pluck Play! warm-up workouts
Invited guest instructor / composer: Tina Hebner and Mauro Giuliani’s right hand exercises
_______________________________________________ - 19th February 2026
Warm-up lesson: PIMIMI Pick Pattern (intro) from Valentine’s Day Special Edition
Invited guest instructor/composer: Elisabeth Pfeiffer – Ukulele Technique Compendium
FACEBOOK EVENT
_______________________________________________ - 19th March 2026 (US Daylight Savings)
Warm-up lesson:
Invited guest instructor / performer: Sabine Walter on Bach
ZOOM INFORMATION:
please REGISTER to get the password and Zoom link
You only need to register ONCE for all sessions. Get e-mail reminder just before the event and RECAP afterwards with important links and relevant information.
FACEBOOK EVENT - 16th April 2026 – 4/4 time
- 21st May 2026 – 5/4 time piece
- 18th June 2026
Warm-up lesson: 6/8 time Three Finger Ballad
Invited guest instructor / performer: Iso Herquist - 16th July 2026
- 20th August 2026
- 17th September 2026
- 15th October 2026
- 19th November 2026
- 17th December 2026
Visit 3 Chord Thursday Archive – previous themes and sessions (2020 to 2025)
Participate
FREE to participate in our Zoom sessions. Please visit this page for the Zoom link which will be posted 24-hours before the session.
Get notified of ukulele-related events
Be sure to subscribe to this website AND the Ukulele Enthusiast e-blast to be sure you get notified of ad hoc one-hour workshops. Revisit this webpage. Don’t miss out!
What’s unique about our group?
- international: so far our partipants have Zoomed in from Europe and the Americas
- thematic: each session has a theme, scheduled in advance, to celebrate or honor a special day or topic or technique or song era
- one-hour, starting promptly at 3 PM EST (or 20:00 GMT) and ending by 4 PM EST
- songs in the line-up are listed by number of chords to accompany them; lowest to highest
- sound and sight checks start half-hour before the session to ensure optimal conditions for performing in Zoom (also for early birds and newbies to join Zoom and get comfortable and acquainted)
- live-streamed and recorded on Youtube for review and replay as practice
- the video recording gets unlisted by the next song session
- warm-up lesson to build your chord vocabulary, accompaniment patterns, technique, etc.
- group photo pose with sunglasses
- “hands free” – the song sheets are shared on the screen and scrolled so you can focus on playing and singing (while muted)
- song sheets are displayed as LARGE as possible for optimal visibility
- if you’d like to perform a song or submit a video of your performance, request through a form
- up to 10 songs are accepted to keep to the one-hour session time limit
- performers give a 30-second introduction about the song; lead by singing and playing while everyone else is muted (or submit a video and song sheet; or play along video)
- friendly and supportive environment
- register for the Zoom link
- e-mail list (once you have participated, you automatically get on the supporters and past-participant e-mail list)
- a webpage for each Zoom session with links to song sheets and play along videos
- our own Facebook group page
- YouTube Playlist of our video recordings (unlisted for privacy)
- bespoke illustration for each song session by Eve Myles, our artist in residence
- hybrid sessions (in Zoom and in-person where the host is)
- invited teaching artists and other inspiring celebrities
- a resource for chord libraries, song sheets, and more!
All our sessions are recorded and livestreamed for review and serve as play along videos for further practice. Also check out our 3 chord song playlist on Spotify. Visit our archive for previous themes and video recordings.
Sign up for the exclusive Ukulele Enthusiast e-BLAST (E-mail Blast) (newsletter)
Original Sound in Zoom
The Zoom application was designed for the human voice. As such, it filters out any other noise, including traffic and your ukulele. To hear your ukulele, you need to ENABLE ORIGINAL SOUND. To do so on your iPhone see below. It’s always good to test your audio by recording yourself in Zoom afterwards. You can also watch this video tutorial about setting it up.
What participants say
Great place for a beginner to start!
Wonderful teacher, great songs, fun musicians
Fun group during pandemic and while I was dealing with medical issues
I learned how many songs I could play on the ukulele and how limitless the possibilities.
I liked having a theme – I did that with the group I lead at our Senior Center. I also liked having the playlist beforehand so I could print the songs.
3 Chord Thursday is a non stressful way to learn a fun instrument with instruction at the beginning and then listening and watching all different levels of skill.
Love meeting people from all over the world, always learn something new for the Ukulele and never feel judged. A great experience every time.
I love the quick lessons at the beginning, song selections, meeting new people from all over, and sharing “ah-ha” moments that enhance our understanding of music an d our instrument.
3-Chord Thursday is a fun get-together to play your ukulele in your own space, but with a leader and a group of people from various states and countries. You will learn new songs and techniques in a fun, relaxed setting. And you can do it in your jammies if you want!
Aways something new to learn in one of Anne’s classes! She is a great instructor and extremely knowledgeable in music theory. Whether the lessons include the use of a piano or ukulele, her suggestions offer student success in music theory, expression in piano pedagogy, or mastering the ukulele without the intimidation. Classes I have taken have been thought-provoking and fun!
I was able to learn and grow in my playing along with others in a non threatening environment. I love that I now “know” a whole set of people I never would have met otherwise from different parts of the world. Dislike – the name is misleading. It makes a newbie think it will be really simple when that is not the case at first, and may discourage them from ever trying it again.
Benefits of 3 Chord Thursday community
- play
- sing
- learn
- record
- engage
- get tips
- play along
- collaborate
- accompany
- help others
- meet others
- ask questions
- improve technique
- collect song sheets
- share love of music
- build chord vocabulary
- support the performers
- meet other music aficionados
- get answers to your questions
- get feedback on your performance
- motivate yourself and others to practice
- expand song repertoire by genre and theme
- follow the leader, play along to scrolling song sheets
- improve playing skills through the 3 pm warm-up lesson
- review recording and replay as play-along videos for practice
- perform on a virtual stage, get recording to review, get moral support
- collaborate with others, such as sequential tagging or video productions
- receive early and advance notification of events such as festivals, workshops
- get bonus offerings such as tips, bespoke arrangements, songsheets, compilations, and exercises