Saturdays 2:30-4pm
Fingerstyle Meditations #2 6/9 We will dig into some of the meditative qualities of fingerstyle arpeggios and group arrangements. This workshops continues where the first meditations class left off. Ensemble arpeggios, PIMA, layered rhythms and exotic sounds will be explored for this 90-min excursion.$35
Intro to African Ukulele 6/23 This unusual offering (I have not seen this anywhere else!) introduces the hypnotic and expressive qualities of African music. The music of Mali will be highlighted as we get a feel for the forms and rhythms of this powerful music. $35
Blues Rhythms 6/30 Blues music is an amazing American art form. It has spawned both Rock'n'Roll and Jazz music. Within its simple forms are countless rhythmic patterns. We will be looking a few of these and will get some practice with getting an authentic blues feel. $35
Intro to Bossa Nova 7/21Cool, breezy, stylish and sophisticated are a few adjectives I've heard used to describe Bossa Nova music. In the course of this 90-min. workshop we will get a sense of the elements of this rich and nuanced music from Brazil. Of course, Antonio Carlos Jobim's songs will be featured. $35
Rock Strumming 8/4 Rock'n'Roll has produced some amazing guitar players and many approaches to the instrument. We will take a look at a few pieces that incorporate inventive, dynamic chords and rhythms into memorable pieces of music. Keith Richards, Pete Townshend and Tom Petty will be among the featured artists in this workshop. $35
Intro to Gypsy Jazz 8/18 Django Reinhardt, Stephane Grapelli and local band Hot Club of Cowtown are proponents of this intoxicating music. Growing out of the 1920's Parisian jazz scene, this music is still revered by many today. Because this musical form lacked drums, the guitars had to create the groove and beat. We will play with both the rhythm parts and the lead parts to gain our first taste of this incredible music. $35
Wednesdays 7-8:30
Fingerstyle 101 6/13 Welcome to the world of finger style ukulele! Strumming is fun, melodies are phenomenal, but this approach adds a refined quality that is unexpected on the ukulele. This workshop will focus on introducing and developing patterns for arpeggiating chords; Travis-style picking as popularized by Mississippi John Hurt, Leo Kottke and Chet Atkins (among many others); and we will even examine some classical techniques. We will leave with 3 new approaches and some great new exercises to practice. $35
Understanding Moveable Chord Shapes 6/27 Memorizing chords or trying to read the names or chord boxes while playing a song can really slow the musical process. This workshop will provide a 'big picture' approach to understanding 5 major and 5 minor chord shapes. Once we learn them, we will get practice moving them around the fretboard. As an added bonus, I will provide ways to 'connect the dots' of the chord shapes and their corresponding scale. This workshop is designed to be both a 'plateau buster' and a 'mind-blower' for students at all levels. $35
Fingerstyle 102 7/11 This workshop takes off where the first workshop ends. We will deepen our understanding of arpeggiated patterns; learn some Travis-picking variations; and, develop our classical technique. New songs and approaches will be shared and demonstrated. $35
Fingerstyle Meditations #1 7/25 We will dig into some of the meditative qualities of fingerstyle arpeggios and group arrangements. Daniel Ward's Arpeggio Meditations for Ukulele provides the starting point for this workshop that will get us used to PIMA as we play our strings together. We will learn an Aaron Keim fingerstyle etude as well as one of my own. $35
Intro to Hawaiian Ukulele 8/15 Hawaiian turn-arounds in multiple keys, authentic Hawaiian 'anticipated" chords, and some sweet songs will be the focus of this 1st time offering. $35
Fingerstyle 103 8/29 This is a continuation of the popular series Fingerstyle 101 & 102. We will continue to deepen our practice and study of Dead-Thumb, Travis-picking and Classical technique. $35
