Date/Time
Date(s) - 11/10/2019
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Number of Attendees: 13
Location
Cafe Montmartre
Categories
iCal

In addition to the below, we are preparing you to be more comfortable standing up in front of people to play as members of the Northern Virginia Ukulele Society Holiday Showcase in December. The Holiday Set List is to be published. For now, use last year’s to get you started.
This Society meeting may challenge the beginners, and does require some practice on the member’s part. Have no fear! Even for the more advanced members, there’s always something to learn. You can even help your fellow beginner/beginner-intermediate/intermediates Society members. In the end, we are a Society of Ukulele aficionados and need to help each other improve to play together.
Basic agenda we follow is below with occasional excursions that might be appropriate to the songs and how we will play them in our Society. Please, don’t forget the signature songs, too. Signature songs are intended to be played without looking or needing lead sheets. As each of you play these songs repeatedly, hopefully, it sticks and you can play them without the sheets.
Potential Meeting Agenda:
- Review of scales and chorded scales in Key of C and F. Note: Baritones can use the same lesson package in F, as your key of C. The Key of C for standard ukes is actually your key of G.
- Discuss Circle of 5ths. Note: With author’s permission, we posted a paper in our file store that was written by a former member of the KookieUkies who now has his own group but still associated to KookieUkies. This paper has a good technical description of how the Circle of 5ths works.
- More on Rhythms (Strums), Blues, or What-Nots. Note: download our Cheat Sheets from the “Lesson Pamphlets, Booklets, Sheets” folder and and bring it with you.
Practice makes perfect! So, practice, practice, practice.
Here are some practice suggestions, even if for 10 min a day — ideally on each.
- Practice Item #1: 1-2 min for scales going up the scale of C, then in reverse. Keep tempo. If you can go faster without making any mistakes, then speed up. If you have mistakes, slow down. If you think you have the C scale down, then try F and G scales — remember they are only 1 note different from the C scale.
Objective: correct notes in a key of a song, so you could play melody lines, riffs, or even solo breaks — in the right key - Practice Item #1 (for intermediate and higher): We’ve been practicing primarily using your thumb — try using different fingers (suggest trying pointer/index and middle only). An alternative is to start with thumb, then pick the next note using index finger, then alternate between them. Then try playing the scales in thirds (see Moses, David, or Sandy).
Objective: same as above but mo’ bettah! - Practice Item #2: Do simple chord pattern strum in C (C, F, G7), F (F, Bb, C7), or G (G, C, D7) for 1-2 min straight. Focus on 1 strum per count in 4/4 (4 beat bar/measure) with 4 beats per chord.
Objective: able to easily transition between the common chord sets in the common keys used in ukulele groups or jams, eventually in any key. - Practice Item #2 (for intermediate and higher): Try the same thing as the regular Practice Item #2 with different progressions in 2 or 3 keys: Do Wop: I-vi-IV-V, Do Wop with 7th: I-vi-IV-V7, Wagon-Wheel: I-V-vi-IV — some songs we have in our jam book and play often follow these progressions — albeit not always in the key of C. Know them for keys C, F, G, and perhaps A and D, too.
Objective: play common progressions without lead sheets for any given key - Practice Item #3: 1-2 min 4-finger chromatic scale and arpeggiated closed chord exercise (see Moses Kamai’s finger practice cheat sheet in the files section – “Lesson Pamphlets, Booklets, Sheets“)
Objective: clean, quality tones for each note held on the fret board for any chord shape — clean arpeggios = clean strummed chords - Practice Item #4: don’t forget the arpeggio’s that we started before Christmas. Practice the [41]-4-2-4-3-4 arpeggio that goes with Silent Night — it’s 3/4 time. If you get used to that arpeggio and want to try, 4-2-3-2-1-2-3-2 arpeggio, this is in 4/4 time.
Objective: easily alternate between strumming patterns rhythmically to picking patterns over a chord progression
Don’t forget to bring your Holiday Songbook — current version is 5.0. Check out recent newsletter for all the links in the resources section. Below is the set list for the upcoming Holiday Showcases.
NVUS 2019 Reston Town Centre Holiday Showcase Set List
Song | Lead / Notes | p. | Video |
Winter Wonderland | Play staccato for beginning verses If there is a solo, played with same notes as chord. |
37 | //youtu.be/ruJPkSIG6hA |
Angels We Have Heard On High | Moses – Intro is whole first verse Only 1st verse is unison, rest of the song is sung in harmony if you can | 1 | //youtu.be/s5UrA5i3ieA |
O Little Town of Bethlehem | David (Backup: Moses) | 27 | //youtu.be/iPifKaX9faY |
I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas | David / Moses jazz intro [?] | 12 | //youtu.be/yHZZ-MhIDpA |
Deck the Halls | Moses or David Leads | 5 | //youtu.be/qQ_JbXcuoTU |
Jingle Bell Rock / Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree | Moses or David leads but all sing | 17 | //youtu.be/T8NBNthpLRI |
Blue Christmas | Solo lead sings 1st verse solo, then all sing next two, then instrumental, then all sing last two, tag last line. | 3 | //youtu.be/5HYvTP16qwI |
I’ll Be Home For Christmas | First time through – Moses sings solo. Second time through – hum or Ooohh from “I’ll” to “presents under the tree”. You can play a 7th chord rather than the 9th. | 11 | //youtu.be/7AZtA3Fwshw |
God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman | Moses (David on Dec 5) Clap to rhythm if you’re having trouble playing chords | 7 | //youtu.be/n8Ed0fFe58I |
In the Bleak Midwinter | (Tentative Song) David or Moses solo intro and turn-arounds Don’t play the ‘F’ chord with Janet’s instrumental turn-arounds – They are above “… age …” and “… heart …” (4th and 8th lines) | 13 | //youtu.be/E2pSd9gLPMo |
Away in a Manger | Moses Leads (back up: David) | 2 | //youtu.be/ZKQmmx0-LgU |
Jingle Bells / Mele Kalikimaka | Don’t stop playing between songs, continuous medley | 19 | //youtu.be/2iUYeg2hzAk |
Here Comes Santa in Red Canoe | Moses leads | 9 | //youtu.be/6ypsHzwYR14 |
Jolly Old Saint Nicholas | Moses Solo on slow line “When the clock is striking twelve, when I’m fast asleep” Chords for that phrase are singe down strums. Everyone joins back in after that line Instrumental end of 2nd verse: Moses or David Tag and repeat last phrase of last line… as solo by the lead | 21 | TBP |
Little Drummer Boy | (Tentative Song) Rhythm: staccato down strums only | 23 | //youtu.be/A-dMqv8LltQ |
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear | Moses or David Leads Video has 3 verses – See sheet on arrangement – Solo singer verse 1, Solo Instrumental, all sing on ending of instrumental verse, all sing verse 3. Tag 3 times | 15 | //youtu.be/A2jvIopEPFE |
Mary’s Boy Child | Moses solo 1st verse Sing rest of song as written | 25 | //youtu.be/Knn2FP_rt64 |
What Child Is This? | Moses [REMEMBER TO NOT START SO FAST] | 35 | //youtu.be/6rgog7b5IDg |
Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer | Moses or David Leads – Intro is a Solo; All come in “Rudolph” — sing 2 times; 2nd time with echo phrases | 28 | //youtu.be/2pJEfhQYRNw |
Silent Night | Hawaiian, German: Moses leads Spanish: Gwen or David leads Others can/should join the languages, if they know the language well Key C |
29 | //youtu.be/qHB8hy8aiZA |
Feliz Navidad | Moses / David Leads | 6 | //youtu.be/Q2jVlxNnMbo |
We Wish You a Merry Christmas |
Moses OR David Leads | 33 | //youtu.be/bSmJCB-H9v8 |
Bookings
Bookings are closed for this event.
- Moses Kamai
- David Bartell
- Donna Cozart
- Terry Durst
- Pat Schneider
- Shima Vosti
- Daniel Aloisi
- Mitchell
- Paul Vosti
- Mary Kay Stine
- Rebecca Eng
- Jane Winchester
- Maddie Caballero
In addition to the native youtube ability to speed up/slow down music, I use a program called “VLC media player” to do the same thing. Its great when you have an MP3 that you want to practice with (especially if its not available on youtube).
It is available both for Windows PCs and on the Android play store.
Alan, thanks for that feedback. VLC is a decent media player. Riff Station does that too on a PC but don’t think you can get that software any more.