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Andy Stanton 02/01/2014 | Here we are in a brand new year. It occurs to me that it might be productive to do a bit more preparation for our sessions. David mentioned last time that we might spend a bit of time on strumming. Is there anything else anybody would like to explore? Top | Home JeffT 02/01/2014 Perhaps some rhythmic picking styles and maybe the odd bit of melody. Top | Home Colin Cutts 02/01/2014 Yes that's a good idea Top | Home JeffT 04/01/2014 Hi Andy, are you sure that you amended I'll Be Your Baby Tonight or even Maggie? Top | Home Andy Stanton 04/01/2014 Sorry, folks, two more bits of housekeeping, which I should have done as the administrator and that way you wouldn't have been bothered by it. Top | Home Andy Stanton 09/01/2014 Following the request for more input on things like picking and strumming patterns I've done a bit of preparation for next Wednesday. If you click on TOPICS on the website and then on "Picking (playing tunes) Part 1:- Scales", you will find a concise explanation of scales etc., plus a download exercise sheet. It would be handy if you could lokk at these before next time. Top | Home tony dawes 14/01/2014 I have a problem printing from the play list, the choice seems to be either the print is so small I can't read it or it only prints half the lyrics if I change to large text. What am I doing wrong? Tony Top | Home Andy Stanton 14/01/2014 I am at a genuine loss as to why you are only getting half the lyrics. By this do you mean that only half the lyrics appear on the screen, in which case I am completely baffled, or do you mean only half the lyrics will print if you try to print them out? If the latter is the case try clicking on 'File' on your menu bar, and on the drop down menu click on 'Print'. In the dialogue box click 'All' on the print range. If that doesn't do the trick then frankly I haven't got a clue what's going wrong. Top | Home Andy Stanton 16/01/2014 I've been asked to put "Take Me Home Country Roads" in the key of F on the play list. It is already on the play list although it is in the key of D. Having tried both I must say I prefer F, but before I change the song over to F could I have some views on this. Top | Home JeffT 16/01/2014 Yes, an interesting set of chords, Eb is not one that I have used so perhaps that it is a good thing. I don't find it any easier or more difficult and perhaps the drop in pitch is good. Just tried it in C (that's easy to play) Top | Home Andy Stanton 16/01/2014 Message relayed from David Hall, Well we got through our “audition”, so well done everyone ,let us hope for a good outcome. We can now concentrate on the March performance and practice our “rain” songs for the next few meetings. Thank you to Andy for his latest additions to our website, please download these as necessary. We probably have enough rain tunes now to keep us wet all summer! But feel free to add any you feel we could include in our playlist. Regards David. Top | Home Andy Stanton 19/01/2014 I've just this moment included a new page in the topics list "Practising 'A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square'". I haven't added it to the play list because it is fiendishly complicated. However, if you are feeling adventurous you might want to give it a try. A feature of this song is it uses both high and low chords. You'll see what I mean if you go to the page. To find it click on 'TOPICS' on the web site. Top | Home JeffT 19/01/2014 Andy what is ^ like in Am^ and Fm6^? Top | Home Andy Stanton 19/01/2014 It indicates that it is the higher of the two chords available. There is an A minor chord in a lower register [Am] and an A minor Chord in a higher register [Am^]. Both are A minor chords. On the chord diagrams you'll see you have a diagram for both [Am] and [Am^]. Ditto [Fm6]. Top | Home Andy Stanton 20/01/2014 The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain are on at the De Montford Hall, Leicester on 20th February. Pass it on! Top | Home Andy Stanton 22/01/2014 I've added two more songs to the list Freight Train by Elizabeth Cotten Fields of Athenry - Irish Traditional I've also slightly altered Folsom Prison Blues (repeated final line) Top | Home JeffT 26/01/2014 Fields of Athenry: YouTube cover at . It is in the same key, if you want something to strum along with (I need it to stop me speeding up!!)Click to ENLARGE video clip Top | Home JeffT 27/01/2014 Hello is there anybody out there? (not you Andy anybody else) Top | Home chris 27/01/2014 Hello folks have just started to really appreciate what a gem this site is well done Andy,hope my playing will start to improve as well Top | Home Tony Dawes 27/01/2014 Hi everyone, I would like to suggest that we have a priority list for our practice sessions, with a period at the end of the session for a free for all.What do others think? See you all on Wednesday! Talk soon Tony Top | Home Bob Cawson 27/01/2014 Hello Tony and all,Yes, Christine and I totally agree with your suggestion. We now have such a large and varied number of tunes to go at which is good for the experienced players. However, those of us not so talented would probably benefit from a more structured programme of music that we can get our teeth into over the 2 weeks before attending the next session. A free for all period at the end of each meeting is fine. B and C Top | Home Robin Hardy 27/01/2014 As I'm just beginning, a priority list would be good for me, Tony. I really like the cartoon too - I'm with the second guy, after all, the instrument is Hawa-i-i an! Robin Top | Home David Hall 28/01/2014 Please comment here Not sure what has happened to my last comment. Anyhow I had assumed that we had a priority list in the the "rain" songs we are practicing for the March meeting. Perhaps we could look at what the group feels is their priority for future sessions. David. Top | Home JeffT 28/01/2014 Do we know which "Rain songs" we are using? Top | Home Andy Stanton 29/01/2014 Apologies, I won't be able to make it this week. See you all in February. Top | Home Andy Stanton 29/01/2014 Relayed from David Hall:- Despite the numbers present today we did manage to practice all our “rain” songs and agree which (5) songs we continue to practice. These are: ‘Singing in the Rain’, performed as an intro to the March monthly meeting. Then later ‘Listen to the Rhythm of the falling Rain’ ‘Have you ever seen the Rain’ ‘April Showers’ and ‘Blue Skies’. Until the next time. Regards David. Top | Home Andy Stanton 30/01/2014 INTRODUCING You can now put pictures  and video clips into your comments.Click to ENLARGE video clip Top | Home Tony Dawes 30/01/2014 Hi All, I left a uke stand at practice yesterday. Did any kind person find it, if so please let me know and I will collect it at next practice. Many thanks. Tony Top | Home Andy Stanton 30/01/2014 Hi everybody,Just a few words to say how gratified I am that people are beginning to use this web site as it was intended to be used. I always hoped that it would become as important part of learning as the U3A group itself. Music is certainly best performed with others. However as the saying goes piss poor preparation makes for piss poor performance. The only way to make headway is through regular practice. Two hours a fortnight is no way near sufficient to improve. And that is why I’ve put so much time and effort into this website. By creating a forum we have the means of maintaining a dialogue between sessions, and hopefully this will encourage participants to work on techniques and stuff between sessions. I have also laboured hard to make this thing interactive. Finding stuff on the web and sharing it with others can be fun. It’s all about sharing the enthusiasm we have for our little jumping fleas. All the best and thanks. P.S. The UOGB clip is just a bonus. Click to ENLARGE video clip Top | Home JeffT 30/01/2014 Has anybody worked out in what key Rod Stewart sings "Have you ever seen the rain"? Click to ENLARGE video clip Top | Home Andy Stanton 30/01/2014 B major Top | Home JeffT 30/01/2014 So, does that mean if we are playing in C (I think)? we are playing one tone lower? So I would have to drop the video playback by one tone? (2 semitones) Top | Home Andy Stanton 31/01/2014 If we are playing in C, we are playing a full tone higher than Rod, which if you want to sing along with him makes things tricky. You can't simply pop a capo on to the second fret and play the chord shapes of C on the second fret. You'll be playing in D. B is just about the most awkward of all keys to transpose. If you were to play the chords straight they would be B, F#, B7, E, D#m, G#m, some of which are quite tricky. An alternative would be to place a capo on the fifth fret and play the chord shapes for the key of F i.e. F, C, F7, Bb, Am, Dm. They are quite straightforward chords but once you've got a capo on the fifth fret on a ukulele there is absolutely no space to play them. And this is why I selected the video clip of the young lady rather than Rod singing this song. She's singing in the key of C (rather nicely to my mind). Top | Home Andy Stanton 31/01/2014 Looking back at your comment, "So I would have to drop the video playback by one tone?" is this the work of the devil? You are wanting to know how to alter the video playback to make it compatible. You need to raise the playback by one full tone. Top | Home JeffT 31/01/2014 Thanks Andy, that worked. Now playing RS "Have you ever seen the rain" in C. Can I post a wav file? Who was the girl, did I miss a clip? Top | Home Andy Stanton 31/01/2014 Hi Jeff, I'm working on how to embed wav files. It's trickier because of the size of the file. I'm going to see if I can do something with SoundCloud! Click on VIDEO CLIPS and then on Have You Ever Seen The Rain. Top | Home Andy Stanton 31/01/2014 Hi Jeff, Me again! It is tricky accepting and then playing wav files for copyright reasons. If we start making other people's tracks available to play then we run the risk of breaching somebody's copyright. Actually, I don't know how republication is covered with YouTube clips, but frankly I don't want to end up on the other end of a copyright piracy charge. Of course it would be completely different if we were recording and playing are own stuff! Top | Home | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||