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4th Sunday NVUS Jams [Live & Virtual] (Oct 2022)

4th Sunday NVUS Jams [Live & Virtual] (Oct 2022)

When

10/23/2022    
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Bookings

Bookings closed

Where

Ono Offshore
4515 Daly Drive, Suite N, Chantilly, VA, 20151

Event Type

PSA: We are meeting in person now at Ono Brewing Co. Offshore until a change occurs. We will do the best that we can to do both Live and Virtual (Zoom) — focus will be on the LIVE. Same Zoom link as shown here for those Society members wishing to continue via Zoom. Otherwise, see you at Ono’s Offshore. Non-Society members can still participate via YouTube channel Live (if the tech behaves).

Attend smartly. We will not ask for your vax card, nor ask if you have been vaccinated. Respect others around you is all we ask. We can comfortably seat about 20-30 with social safe distancing (I think). There is a table in front of the leaders/teachers, please stay 6′ from that. We’ll give you as much space as we can.

NVUS Primer’s and Jams & Songs for Society members will be conducted via Zoom using different Zoom ID links. Jams and Open Mic are also live and virtual. See each event on the Society calendar for details.

NVUS Primer’s and Jams & Society Members [Live]: At Ono’s, brewhouse, bring chairs, stands, and books.
Zoom (must be signed into your Zoom App account before clicking link, pass code encoded link): https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84567412500?pwd=VUJjM0V2U1JrSmkrNEE2OXdhbXNudz09
YouTube Channel: TBP [can always go to https://www.youtube.com/c/NorthernVirginiaUkuleleSociety/Live]

This is a typical Society meeting where all members are encouraged to attend – beginners, too. RSVP early or as soon as you know you can make it – including any guests you bring.

What To Do

Song Books: Main materials we use for the jam session are NVUS Song books (Main, Tall Oaks, Patriotic, and Holiday Music) are online in our file folders. These are arrangements specifically for NVUS use at jams and performances.

Member Led Songs: Society member are also encouraged to bringing songs they want to lead the attending Society members in song. Make sure you bring sufficient copies. You can also practice paper reduction by posting on time to the monthly jams folder on the web site, then posting the names in the discussion posts below. Having sufficient copies is still your responsibility.

Logistics

  1. Bring a comfortable chair. Ideally, one with a drink holder since beer glasses from the tasting room is allowed.
  2. Bring your music stand
  3. Bring your music books or electronic devices — recommend you also acquire and use a blue-tooth enabled page turner. Moses uses a ‘Cicada’ device, especially for the 2-pager lead sheets (song sheets).

Basic Rules @ Ono Brewing Company Offshore Venue

  • Cleanliness: Since we can bring food into the Offshore from OddBBQ and when prior approved and explicitly announced by NVUS leadership, police after yourselves and other members if they forget. They do work there when we’re not using their brewhouse
  • Accountability: Remember to pay and close your tasting beer tab. Also, be accountable for your actions.
  • Respect: Careful to not lean or tip over any boxes — beer brewing materials are relatively expensive. Ono Brewing is one of our sponsors, but their materials is for their business and they are gracious enough to allow us to use it for our Society meetings.
  • Enjoy: Let’s enjoy ourselves but not be rowdy or overly loud. While the brewhouse is pretty insulated from the tasting room for transient sounds. If loud enough, sound will carry — especially low tones (e.g. Bass or UBass)

Basic agenda we follow is below with occasional excursions that might be appropriate to the songs and how we will play them in our club. Please, don’t forget the signature songs, too — Sweet Wahine, Kaulana Kawaihae, and Beautiful Hawaii.

General Agenda

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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

Bookings

RSVPs are closed for this event.

1 Comment

  1. My bad… mentioned wrong date for the NVUS Anniversary Party – Nov 27th. No Primer on Nov 27th — still starts 1:15 for socializing, then taps (cash bar — see Ono attendant for your beer card, your CC required), food (courtesy of the Society), and music!!

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