Uketoberfest! 2023 Fall Ukulele Event

Classes will take place in-person at the Mallory-Towsley Center for Arts Leadership

Please note that this schedule may be subject to change..

Class Session Descriptions

UKULELE PLAYING LEVEL DESCRIPTIONS

NOTE: Keep in mind that these descriptions are a rough guideline. Feel comfortable to try moving up or

down a level, you can always leave one workshop and join another if you find a certain class too easy or

difficult.

Beginner

• This level has been playing for up to 6 months and has learned 3 – 4 chords but hesitates in between chord changes to move the fingers to the next location.

Confident Beginner

• This player knows a handful of chords and can move from one chord to another without pausing. Has trouble with barre chords, and has developed a strum or two or a basic finger pattern for picking.

Intermediate

• This player can hold a steady rhythm, and is competent with a variety of basic chords (for example: A, Am, Bb, B7, C, C7, D, Dm, E7, Em, G, and G7. Understands simple chord progressions (such as I, IV, V chords), can sing and strum at the same time, and learns chords to simple tunes fairly quickly. (BF) “Baritone Friendly” Classes – Classes labeled as such can be enjoyed by baritone players. You should know the baritone equivalent of the standard ukulele chords used in the classes as they may not be provided on handouts. If a class isn’t listed as BF, you may be able to use a ukulele capo.

(BF) “Baritone Friendly” Classes

Classes labeled as such can be enjoyed by baritone players. You should know the baritone equivalent of the standard ukulele chords used in the classes as they may not be provided on handouts. If a class isn’t listed as BF, you may be able to use a ukulele capo.

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS

Class Session 1: 9:45 - 10:45 a.m.

1) Beginner: Ukulele 1-2-3 (Hassenger)

• For the beginning ukulele player. Learn the basics of the uke, including: parts of the instrument, tuning, beginning chords, and simple songs to get you used to chording and strumming.

2) Confident Beginner: Welcome to the Barre (Malloy)

• When you begin on the ukulele, you learn a variety of "open chords”; chords where you cover 1, 2, or 3 strings on different frets, leaving the rest of the strings open. Pat will show you how to use just a few of these simple chord shapes that you already know to be ready to play in any key.

3) Confident Beginner - Intermediate: Take It! Single Note Soloing Part 1 (Ross)

• Have you ever wondered how musicians play just the right notes when it’s time to take a solo? Do they randomly pick notes out of thin air or is there some logic to the musical lines they play? Have you ever been to a jam session and when it’s time to take an instrumental solo everyone looks at you says “Take It!” We will learn what to do when that situation arises. It’s not as difficult or scary as you may think; you can do it! Single note soloing is easy. We’ll learn some tricks and techniques that will have you playing more than just chords. You will be soloing within the first fifteen minutes of the class – guaranteed! (Part one of a two-part workshop)

Class Session 2: 11:00 a.m. -  Noon

1) Beginner and up: Fingerpicking for the Ukulele (Goldberg)

• Most of us start our ukulele careers strumming everything in sight, but fingerpicking your ukulele can open up a whole new way of accompanying a song. In this workshop we will explore basic fingerpicking techniques and learn several fingerpicking patterns that you can use to accompany songs.

2) Confident Beginner You’ve Got the Whole Uke in Your Hands (Malloy) (BF)

• Learn how your strumming and fretting hands work individually and together to maximize the potential of each and make your playing more dynamic and musical.

3) Confident Beginner - Intermediate: Three Note Chords: All You Need for that Bluesy/Jazzy Sound (Ross)

• Just because the ukulele has four strings doesn’t mean you have to play them all; many times, you can say more musically with just two or three notes. We will learn how easy it is to finger three-note chords that sound much more bluesy and jazzy than their four-note counterparts. Simple Blues songs will be used to demonstrate this very effective and hip-sounding style. No music theory needed, no music reading required, no knuckle-busting chord shapes to learn; just fun!

Class Session 3: 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. 

1) All levels: Paperless Jam (Goldberg) (BF)

• We all rely on paper song sheets or charts sometimes, but are you totally lost without your paper? Being able to play without paper can improve your listening and playing skills and help you connect to the music at a deeper level. In addition to playing through some songs with no paper, we’ll look at tricks and tips for remembering chord progressions and how to listen for chord changes in a song. Beginner to Intermediate, baritone friendly.

2) Confident Beginner: EZ Tab (Hassenger) (BF)

• Do you have a good handle on strumming, but would like to learn to play the melodies of songs on your ukulele? Ben will teach you tablature, a way to read music for the ukulele without having to understand actual music notation. We’ll play a three-part round of the classic “Dona Nobis Pacem/Give Us Peace”

3) Confident Beginner - Intermediate: Take It! Single Note Soloing Part 2 (Ross)

• A continuation of Gerald’s morning soloing workshop

Class Session 4: 2:45 - 3:45 p.m.

1) All levels: C Jam Blues Ensemble (Hassenger/Malloy/Szilagyi) (BF)

• The Ukulele Kings team up to teach our “Stop, Look, and Listen: The C Jam Blues” workshop, where we’ll use a high-ceiling, low-floor approach so all levels of players can participate in this ensemble activity; playing the Duke Ellington classic as a group with chords, melody, and improvisation.

2) Confident Beginner - Intermediate: Carter Family-Style Ukulele (Goldberg)

• The Carter Family were one of the most influential music groups in North American country music, recording hundreds of classic songs that are still heard at folk, country and bluegrass jams and song circles everywhere. Mother Maybelle Carter’s pioneering guitar style anchored their sound and paved the way for generations of guitar players to come. In this workshop, we’ll look at how to adapt Mother Maybelle’s style to the ukulele and learn a Carter Family song.