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Tag Archives: Strumalong

Pandemic PLUCking – Live Sessions? (2022)

So, are groups slowly returning to face-to-face activities as Covid restrictions get removed? We’re proceeding cautiously but do get in touch if you wish to join our waiting list for when in-person sessions begin again. At present, we are trialling some Wed evening strumalongs by invitation only, to ensure safe social distancing, and hope to extend this as the weather improves. If you would like to learn more, please email with details of your ukulele experience and what you are currently playing.

If you wish to interact with live sessions, the following regular events might be of interest:

  • Stuart Fuchs (aka Ukulele Zen) – Free live YouTube lesson & strumalong at 5pm BST / noon EDT on the first Sun of each month.
    • Here’s a recording of the most recent one:
Stu Fuchs April Livestream – 3/4/22
  • UkeTok – Free online uke club sessions with a large songbook of a couple of hundred tunes. Words & chords are displayed onscreen. They use Jamulus where you can hear each other playing.
    • Mon & Thur 7.30 – 9pm UK time. Full details of how to join are on their website.
    • Second Sun of the month – an extra live strumlalong is also on YouTube (& recorded for viewing later) – Sun 10 April, 7.30pm BST – access on their YouTube Channel.
  • UkeJam UK – Live strumalongs 1st & 3rd Suns of each month at 8pm UK time. Chords & lyrics onscreen, recordings can be played afterwards.
UkeJam UK 20/3/22 Session

 

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Christmas Jamming 2

Fancy digging out your ukulele for some live playing? UkeTok‘s free strumming sessions happen 7.30pm – 9pm GMT every Mon and Thurs evening and allow you to hear everyone at the same time (not just one player, as with Zoom). The chords and lyrics are on-screen for you to follow.

UkeTok Xmas Jamming session info
Find out more at https://www.uketok.com/club.php

 
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Posted by on December 27, 2021 in Interesting Uke Sites, Uke Night

 

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New Uke For Xmas (2021)

If you’ve got a new ukulele for Christmas or are considering taking up playing one, you’ll soon find there are lots of on-line resources to help you, whatever your level:

Day & SummaryDay & Summary
01 –  Helmut Bickel – Fingerstyle02 – New Uke For Xmas – Useful sources
03 – Bernadette’s 30 Day Challenge04 – Songs & Songbooks – eg MUJ
05 – James Hill’s Uketropolis06 – Danno Sullivan – Play It Daily
07 – Cynthia Lin – Tutorials08 – Phil Doleman’s Two Minute Tips
09 – Samantha Muir – Classical Uke10 – Ten Thumbs Productions – Tutorials
11 – Richard Hefner – ezFolk Lessons12 – Stuart Fuchs  – Tips & Tutorials
  • Have a general look around this website, as we pick out a wide selection of our favourite tools & tips, on-line uke lessons, songbooks, chords, music theory, forums, equipment & other website resources. In particular, my musings on what helped me when I first got my uke as a complete beginner may prove a useful summary if you’re totally new to playing.
  • Joining a local group is always a boost – whether you are a beginner, improver or expert player. Due to the pandemic, this might not be an option face-to-face currently – but look out for the many online gigs, strumalongs, lessons and festivals that are happening wordwide from groups, tutors and performers.
  • If you need advice on buying an instrument, Barry Maz has a wealth of independent reviews on Got A Ukulele as well as other handy info to help get you started.

Good luck & happy strumming!

Jeanette

 

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Christmas Jamming!

Festive greetings. If you fancy playing a few seasonal numbers over the break along with other players, here are a few of this year’s Xmas jams available on replay.

Happy strumming! Jeanette

Craig Chee & Sarah Maisel’s Holiday Jam 2021 (free jam packet download):

Cynthia Lin’s Beginner Holiday Jam 2021 (free songbook download):

Stu Fuchs’ Holiday Jam Along Party 2021 (free songbook):

UkeTok Step Into Christmas Jam 2021:

 
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Posted by on December 25, 2021 in Interesting Uke Sites

 

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Pandemic PLUCking – Ukulele Gent

One of the nice things that’s happened throughout the various lockdowns is that many uke groups and performers have set up regular online strumalongs and workshops, which are open to people wherever they are round the world.

The latest to get in touch with us has been Gregory Gent from Ukulele Gent:

Hi. If any of your uke friends are looking for a fun play-along, we do one every Wednesday at 7pm Eastern Standard Time (midnight GMT). We bring in guest teachers/performers, use percussion on some songs, teach new strums, and always have the chords/lyrics scrolling on the screen.

Each show is recorded and also uploaded to YouTube. We’ve had some really great guests (ie Victoria Vox, Stu Fuchs, Lil’ Rev), so people can go back and watch the tips and tricks from the guests as well.

Feel free to pass this information on.

Hope to have some of your folk join us soon.

Ukulele Gent (YouTube / Facebook)

At the time of writing, I see their guests next Wed (13th Jan) are The Naked Waiters, whom I’ve seen live a couple of times. They are lively performers and certainly worth watching!

Here’s the recent session with Lil’ Rev:

 

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New Uke For Xmas (2020)

If you’ve got a new ukulele for Christmas or are considering taking up playing one, you’ll soon find there are lots of on-line resources to help you, whatever your level:

Day & SummaryDay & Summary
01 –  Helmut Bickel – Fingerstyle02 – New Uke For Xmas – Useful sources
03 – Bernadette’s 30 Day Challenge04 – Songs & Songbooks – eg MUJ
05 – James Hill’s Uketropolis06 – Danno Sullivan – Play It Daily
07 – Cynthia Lin – Tutorials08 – Phil Doleman’s Two Minute Tips
09 – Samantha Muir – Classical Uke10 – Ten Thumbs Productions – Tutorials
11 – Richard Hefner – ezFolk Lessons12 – Stuart Fuchs  – Tips & Tutorials
  • Have a general look around this website, as we pick out a wide selection of our favourite tools & tips, on-line uke lessons, songbooks, chords, music theory, forums, equipment & other website resources. In particular, my musings on what helped me when I first got my uke as a complete beginner may prove a useful summary if you’re totally new to playing.
  • Joining a local group is always a boost – whether you are a beginner, improver or expert player. Due to the pandemic, this might not be an option face-to-face currently – but look out for the many online gigs, strumalongs, lessons and festivals that are happening wordwide from groups, tutors and performers.
  • If you need advice on buying an instrument, Barry Maz has a wealth of independent reviews on Got A Ukulele as well as other handy info to help get you started.

Good luck & happy strumming!

Jeanette

 

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PLUC Weekend Workout

UkeAbility - https://ukeability.org/chords

UkeAbility – Select the chords you know & be shown tunes with just those in.

UkeAbility has a nice twist on the standard playalong site!

You’re presented with a page of chord diagrams. Click to select the chords you know & you’ll be given a list of the tunes they have containing just those ones.

It’s interesting to look through & note which chords you can play without any thought – & likely to be far more that you expected! Scan through a second time: you’ll spot chords you do actually know, either through using them in context in a song you perform regularly or just ones you use occasionally & might need a little memory jog to recall.

Also, most of the moveable chords aren’t on there so, once you’re able to use those, that increases your repertoire up the fretboard giving you new voicings for familiar chords. Thus, if you know three ways to play C that gives you an even larger number of chords at your fingertips.

UkeAbility - https://ukeability.org/chords

UkeAbility – If you select 3 chords, they have 72 songs you can play

 
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Posted by on September 12, 2020 in Playing Help – Sites & Resources

 

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New Uke For Xmas (2019)

If you’ve got a new ukulele for Christmas or are considering taking up playing one, you’ll soon find there are lots of on-line resources to help you, whatever your level:

Day & Summary Day & Summary
01 –  Helmut Bickel – Fingerstyle 02 – New Uke For Xmas – Useful sources
03 – Bernadette’s 30 Day Challenge 04 – Songs & Songbooks – eg MUJ
05 – James Hill’s Ukulele Way 06 – Danno Sullivan – Play It Daily
07 – Cynthia Lin – Tutorials 08 – Phil Doleman’s Two Minute Tips
09 – Samantha Muir – Classical Uke 10 – Ten Thumbs Productions – Tutorials
11 – Richard Hefner – ezFolk Lessons 12 – Stuart Fuchs  – Tips & Tutorials
  • Have a general look around this website, as we pick out a wide selection of our favourite tools & tips, on-line uke lessons, songbooks, chords, music theory, forums, equipment & other website resources. In particular, my musings on what helped me when I first got my uke as a complete beginner may prove a useful summary if you’re totally new to playing.
  • Joining a local group is always a boost – whether you are a beginner, improver or expert player. We’re a very friendly club based in Lewisham which meets every Tuesday for free jamming sessions. Everyone is welcome & we pride ourselves from having members from all over London, Kent & Surrey. We’re back strumming in the New Year from Tue 7 Jan 2020. Contact us for more details.
  • If you aren’t near Lewisham, do check out the Mighty Ukulele for Londonwide gigs, events & UK clubs or Uke Hunt’s extensive clubs & groups listings covering  UK & Ireland; Europe; USA & Canada and Australia & New Zealand for a local group.
  • If you need advice on buying an instrument, Barry Maz has a wealth of independent reviews on Got A Ukulele as well as a schedule of uke festivals and other handy info to help get you started.

Good luck & happy strumming!

Jeanette

 

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UK Christmas Number Ones – 1974

Glam Rock band Mud swapped their Tiger Feet for crepe-soled shoes to play their Elvis Presley pastiche Lonely This Christmas.

Here’s Ukulele Paradijs with a delightfully cheesy version, recorded in Gouda:

More info on Wikipedia.

 

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UK Christmas Number Ones – 1992

Penned by Dolly Parton, who wisely refused to give it to Elvis Presley to sing because he wanted half her songwriting royalties, Whitney Houston‘s 1992 cover of  I Will Always Love You became a hit after it was used in the film The Bodyguard.

Here’s Brooke Palmer from The Uke Revolution with her simple playalong (PDF here):

More info on Wikipedia.

 

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