Hi all, have to start out thanking everyone who was able to play at the St James Church Christmas Fair on Saturday. The feedback was really good and we were well received. We were made very welcome and took top billing! We even had some dancing going on. The organisers wanted to make a donation to us but I hope you don't mind I suggested that they donate back to Church funds that the Fair was in aid of. It was good fun and another learning curve for us. Take a look at our website where I have posted some photos and video of the event. (the video in the blog is clickable).
Gig 2nd December 19 We will now prepare for our next Gig at Heswall Hall. We don't need to stick to Christmas songs for this one, phew! Over the past few weeks we have been quietly rehearsing gig songs. We have half an hour to play on the 2nd Dec so we certainly won't play them all but we will play a selection from the following in no particular order as yet:- Cotton Fields, Sloop John B (G), Deck the Halls, Jackson, Little Old Wine Drinker Me, Folsom Prison Blues, Leaning on a Lamp Post, Eight Days a Week, Hello Mary Lou, Maggie Mae, Medley 2, Whisky in the Jar, Winter Wonderland and White Christmas. The 3 Christmas songs will be included as will Leaning on a Lamp Post. We then will select 6 to make a gig list of 10. Of course an encore song as well!
If you have Christmassy stuff to wear then please do. The evening starts at 7.30pm and there is an invitation to us to come along and join in from then. See Blog 14 for details.
We are due to play from 8.15pm for 30 minutes. We should have access to the dressing room situated to the left of the stage (being spoiled with dressing rooms now!)
Christmas Meal, Really looking forward to getting together socially for the first time as a group. It should be a great night at the Fox and Hounds who will look after us. Thanks go to Sheila and Dot for organising everything. Smart casual dress will be great, best to be comfortable as it is likely to be warm! Just a reminder, a few of us will be playing Ukes so we can have a singalong but the owners have requested that we don't all play because there will be other clients. We can share around the ukuleles!
Dates to Make a note of OUR LAST FRIDAY before Christmas will be the 20th December. We will NOT meet on the 27th December 19. We will resume on the 3rd January 2020. Where have the years gone?
It will be good to blow off the cobwebs!
CHORDS OUTSIDE WORDS This is something for us to be mindful of because if we don't all play these chords to the appropriate count then it throws out our timing for singing.
Whenever a Chord at the end of a line is beyond the words we play this chord as a 1234 count (there may be exceptions to this).
Also, whilst we are looking at chord instructions, if a chord has a / after it, that is telling us to play a single down strum. Similarly, if there were multiple //, then we play the required number of down strums on that chord as indicated.
We don't have to be able to read music but there are some conventions for us to be mindful of when music includes the chord name, like the two above.
HUG 2 The new group made significant progress on Friday. we played our first song! My favourite, Achy Break Heart. I forgot how much I love it! Next Friday we will add the G Chord and Learn another song. The aim for this group is for those who want to to join the main group when they are ready.
Gary Murphy, a few of us went to see Gary at the White Owl on Saturday. If you have not seen Gary play before then I would recommend catching him playing. He is a wonderful Guitarist and a great performer. All round good guy to boot.
Opera Lele, There is a great show on Melrose Hall, Hoylake on the 6th December at 8.00pm. A duo called Opera Lele, Its their Christmas Show of Comedy and Carols. Invitation to take along your Ukulele to join in, you don't have to get up and perform! This is being promoted by Em and Pat of Summer Strum fame. Tickets are £10.
See you all Friday
Dave
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