Clever monkey! Manitoba Hal Newcastle Workshop – Mailchimp Newsletter!

Gmail can get very sniffy about sending out an email to a bunch of people at the same time.  . . . “Are you a spammer?” . . . NO!  . . . “Well we think you are! Petition us, you wretch, plea for mercy, or we will continue to block you . . . and maybe worse!”

Mailchimp, clever monkey, speaks no such evil!

So now I can send an email update “newsletter” to the folks who have booked on the Manitoba Hal Blues Uke Workshop in Newcastle on 4 June:

Manitoba Hal Workshop Updates - Newcastle 4 June 2014 New edition of Hal's Ukulele Blues Method Book. Book updated for Hal's UK Blues Uke Workshop Tour! Manitoba Hal's Ukulele Blues Method Edition 2, Spring 2014 Hal has updated his Ukulele Blues Method book for the UK Tour. Cost: £10 There will be copies on sale on 4 June immediately after the Workshop - to anyone who wants one, not just workshop participants. The digital version costs £4.99 - for download from Hal's Store on Etsy There will be no workshop handouts. (I think I know why, now!) I must admit that I am rather tempted to by the digital version, to get in a bit of practice before the workshop! If you bought tickets on behalf of others, please do forward this email to your friends in case they have not already received it. Further updates for Workshop Participants to follow as and when I get details (there will be free UK Tour badges, CD's for sale, etc.) Lizzie

The 1st email update has already gone out to everyone who has reserved tickets for the workshop and the Newsletter is on the web is here: http://eepurl.com/UWZSj

UPDATE 30 MAY: ALL TICKETS NOW SOLD for  Manitoba Hal’s Newcastle Blues Uke Workshop and Performance, Newcastle upon Tyne, 4 June 2014!

Manitoba Hal Blues Uke Workshop 4 June Newcastle upon Tyne – SOLD OUT! @thecumby

Manitoba Hal Blues Uke Workshop Newcastle 4 June 2014 sold out

Download UK Tour Poster + Ukes4Fun Details (pdf )

UPDATE 3rd May: Download info about Hal’s Workshops (pdf )

UPDATE 30 MAY: Manitoba Hal Blues Uke Workshop and Performance  – SOLD OUT!

Maximum attendance: 35

Tickets:
£10 from Ukes4Fun (see below)

Date and time:
Wednesday 4 June 2014
6:00 – 8:00
(30 min break at 7:00)

Venue:
The Cumberland Arms (1st Floor)

James Place Street
Byker
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE6 1LD

Access:
Ramp or stairs

(toilets not officially wheelchair accessible)


Who is Hal Brolund? Ha’way! Manitoba Hal, the Ukulele Blues Man!

Update 16 May! Manitoba Hal Ukulele Blues Method Book!

Manitoba Hal Blues Uke Book

Hal has updated his Blues Uke Method book for the UK Tour.

There will be copies for sale immediately after the Workshop – £10 for anyone who wants one (not just workshop participants).

You can also order digital copies from Hal’s Store on Etsy


Links to information, videos, interviews and a short documentary about Hal – or skip to How to book a placeNOW SOLD OUT!

Continue reading “Manitoba Hal Blues Uke Workshop 4 June Newcastle upon Tyne – SOLD OUT! @thecumby”

“The Summer Wind” – something for the summer break?

Here is a lovely laid-back summer song to relax to:

“Summer Wind” on ukulele, double bass and harmonica, all played by Floyd Amason, multi-instrumentalist!

Play-along here on “Chordify – The Summer Wind“:

I wouldn’t swear to it, but I think these chords below work for this version – could do with some judicious simplifying!

Continue reading ““The Summer Wind” – something for the summer break?”

Strum like George Formby! North East Formby Soc workshops!

Strum like George!

George Formby Technique workshops with the North East Branch of the George Formby Society

7:00 – 8:30 pm every Tuesday except for the 2nd Tuesday of the Month.

Brinkburn Community Association
South Shields Community School
Mcanany Avenue
South Shields
Tyne & Wear
NE34 0PJ

Contact Colin Bourdiec: www.ukeplayer.co.uk

 

Great Uke Strumming Tutorial by Dave Newton @daveyworld of #LeftHandStairUkes #BarLoco

Dave led the Left Hand Stairs Ukes session on Tuesday and gave us loads of playing tips! This is one of his tutorials on YouTube.

Left Hand Stair Ukes Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/581354818541600/

Ukulele Chord Chart PocketMod

The Ukulele-Tabs.com website has some fantastic free resources, including chord charts.

A “PocketMod” is a little 8 page booklet made from a single sheet of paper – A4 (UK) or Letter Size (USA).

I have made a “Ukulele Chord Chart PocketMod” with a program called PagePacker (Mac only).  I tried some other chord charts but the UkuTabs chart printed out much the clearest.

Jonas, who runs the UkuTabs website has very kindly given permission for me to post the sheets here for printing.

1. Instructions for folding and cutting to create a PocketMod:

There is no easy way to describe this.  The official instructions are not necessarily the easiest to follow, so . . . Let Me Google That For You

2. Download pdf: UkuTabs PocketMod – logo on back (layout for pages to fan correctly)

The version with the logo on the back looks wrong but the pages fan correctly.

3. Download pdf: UkuTabs-all-PocketMod – logo on front

This version looks correct but the paging does not work quite right.

(Although these were the clearest chord diagrams that I tried, I still need my reading glasses to see these little charts.  All I need to do now is remember to pack a copy in my uke case along with my specs!  Some people have tried laminating PocketMods – I haven’t, so I don’t know how well that works.)


If you want to make your own PocketMods:

PocketMod was originally invented as a “low-tech PDA” (Personal Digital Assistant).  A quick internet search will reveal many other ideas for uses of PocketMods.  This one suggests a template for self-improvement http://hipsterhabitapp.com/ . . . maybe I will make a version for practicing Bb . . . or maybe I won’t . . .

As you can see from that example, you don’t necessarily need a computer and printer to make a PocketMod – just a piece of paper and something to write with.  There is an origami site that suggests you don’t even need a pair of scissors, as long as you can tear the paper cleanly.

Some “high-tech” PocketMod generators:

  • PocketMod Online and Windows PC versions at http://repocketmod.com/ (the original pocketmod.com site still exists but is not actively maintained so the materials are not up to date – so use repocketmod.com instead).  PLEASE NOTE: The option to print to A4 looks as if it is going to work with these tools but it does not – so you need to trim the page after printing.  Fold first and then you will see exactly how much you need to trim.
  • PocketMod Mac Version: PagePacker (the A4 option DOES work using this tool)

Hound Dog Ukulele Workshops, Whitley Bay

Hound Dog Music Logo

Many thanks to Jim Newman for adding information about the Hound Dog Ukulele Workshops to the spreadsheet:

  • Follow this link http://j.mp/NEukesList
  • Then scroll down to the entry for Whitley Bay to see details of Hound Dog Ukulele workshops starting in January 2013.

My first uke – what should I buy? What should I practice?

Essential reading for all new ukers!

These two excellent articles include advice on what to buy as your first uke:

1. http://ukulelehunt.com/2010/02/24/beginner-ukulele-lessons/

2. http://www.gotaukulele.com/p/beginners-guides.html


Some more ideas:

I get regular emails via the website asking for advice about the “best first uke to buy”, advice for beginner lessons, etc. There are lots of websites with this sort of advice so I have started listing them here as and when I find them:

My UkeStuff Xmarks: http://share.xmarks.com/folder/bookmarks/k64Oupk0xi

(Xmarks link: sometimes that link goes to a blank page – if so, please leave a comment and I will fix it.)

I have copied extracts from a couple of emails and the replies I sent – see below – and hope this information helps others too.

Continue reading “My first uke – what should I buy? What should I practice?”

Uke Stuff Bookmarked on Xmarks

These are all my “Uke Stuff bookmarks” shared on the Xmarks website:

http://share.xmarks.com/folder/bookmarks/k64Oupk0xi

If you want to subscribe to the page in an rss reader so you get automatic updates, go here:

http://share.xmarks.com/folder/rss/k64Oupk0xi

There are lots of sub-folders in the list.  I have removed the links to individual folders as the Xmarks urls kept changing and so the links here kept breaking.

If the links above are broken, please leave a comment and I will fix them.

Have you got any favourites that are not on this list?

Tiger Woods in Therapy: A Psycho-Analysis by Ukulele

Media_httpwwwmammothg_dqqum

Amazing! Beautiful William Blake illustrations and more “Did I dream that?! I must have!” uke-musicals by Gary Jugert:

School Girls vs. Aliens: The Erotic Space Opera for Ukulele

GadzUkes! The Bloody Rebellion of a Voodoo Zombie Cheerleader and Her Vigilante Ukulele Jazz Orchestra