Welcome to the 3rd Annual Nutmeg Ukulele Festival!
Workshop Materials
Workshop Class 1
One of the songs every ukulele player should know by heart -- Happy Birthday -- is a three chord song that has great potential. Personalize your birthday greeting by adding your own introduction, riffs, chords and other musical elements.
So you just picked up a ukulele, hooray! Let’s learn how to hold the ukulele, how to strum, the 4 most common chords, and a couple of simple songs.
Bored with your chords? We’ll use free fingers to embellish the chords you (possibly) already know!
Do you play the baritone ukulele?? Have you thought of getting a baritone ukulele but are not sure how it fits into the standard ukulele world, especially at group events when only standard ukulele chords are shown on the music or projected on the screen?? The baritone ukulele is the unsung hero of the ukulele world!! In this class we will explore the many benefits and uses of this fantastic instrument not only in group play but also as a solo instrument. We will look at some techniques to get the most out of the baritone ukulele and some ways to make it easier to participate in group events. So grab your baritone ukulele -- or come to see if adding a baritone ukulele to your musical journey is right for you -- and let's play!!
Workshop Class 2
Learn how to play musical theater songs on your ukulele! This genre of music explores complex harmonies, so there will be a large variety of chords. Tracklist may include: Tomorrow from Annie, For Good from Wicked, and Memory from Cats.
The famous three-chord progression to introduce a song and interlude between verses and refrains is based on the Circle of Fifths. The exact chords depend on the key of the song. Learn the Hawaiian vamp in the most popular keys and the strum and fingerpicking patterns to make it authentic.
Learn foundational technique to clawhammer ukulele
Learn how to play 22 easy Taylor Swift songs on your ukulele. Chords include C, F, Am and G. Tracklist: Out of the Woods, Shake It Off, All Too Well, Blank Space, and many more!
2024 is the bicentennial of the premiere of Beethoven's last symphony which contains the famous "Ode to Joy" in the final movement. In 1985 it was adopted to become the European Union anthem. Learn the different parts to play this piece together. You can finger pick and strum.
How to use chord substitutions to “jazz up” a simple 4 or 5 chord song. Based on the 2015 Flea Market Music book. We’ll also play through several Lyle Ritz classic jazz arrangements.
Workshop Class 3
Any level, working on rhythmic and chordal ideas to accompany Irish/old time/etc. tunes, and how to make it fit the style.
New to the world of fingerpicking? Come to this workshop to learn 3 common picking patterns that you can apply to many songs!
What are the 20% of chords and 20% of the keys that are used 80% of the time? Here's a shortcut to learning and accompanying most of the songs you'll ever play. We will cycle through these chords and dozens of songs you already know in this workshop, for all levels. Beginner players will practice fingering and switching between chords and learn new strum patterns. Advanced players can fingerpick the melodies as well as add riffs to ornament.
Workshop Class 4