Hi all, I hope you are keeping well. this time of the year is quite a challenge, post Christmas blues, cold grey days and a temptation to just cozy up rather than venture out. Of course us ukers are a hardier bunch and our love of the joy of playing is all the motivation we need! On the positive side we are now seeing a little more daylight each day.
Tablature and Riffs A big thank you for throwing yourselves into this area of playing. Understanding and playing Riffs is I realise challenge. It maybe that you are not ready for this in your stage of playing development and thats ok. Also you may not actually want to play Tab and Riffs and that is also ok. I firmly believe each of us should be given the opportunity to aspire to the level we want to. That is why I will show new techniques to all. It is then an individual thing as to whether you you pursue the techniques. Some songs require a mixture of Chords and tabs to be effective. This is also why I want us to always play the instrumental Parts in a song.
So far we have used 2 songs to learn Riffs, Let It Be and Margaretaville. We will continue to refine these over time. Both of these songs are examples of Riffs displayed in Tab form, this shows which frets to play on which string. In musical terms the two finger Tab Riffs are known as double stops, simply because we use two fingers (double) on just two strings to play them. The term double stop comes from Violin Players.
Next Step I want to now move us on to playing melody using Tabs. Melody (as opposed to Rhythm which is strumming chords) is the bit of a song that makes it instantly recognisable without it being sung. think of Sunshine of your Love, by Cream. as soon as you hear the Riff you know the song. This time we will be playing individual strings to pick out the melody.
We are going to use a song from our Music list, I'm The Urban Spaceman. If you know the song you will know it has a very recognisable Riff at the beginning and end as well as, at times in the song. It is the Riff we are going to learn. I will take us through this step by step, it will be a challenge but I know you are up for it. Do remember though you do not have to master it if you are not yet ready to. Ultimately, we will have the majority of us playing the chords, with a few playing the Riff.
I have demonstrated the Riff for those of you who would like to prep for Friday. Also I want to orchestrate this song to show the potential for taking a song beyond the basic. So those who can play the Riff on Penny Whistle please bring your whistle along. The aim is to end up with most Ukes playing the song chords, some playing the Riff on Ukes and some playing the Riff on Penny Whistle. As well as strong vocals, we will use an appropriate strumming pattern.
IT Support we have a growing number of people utilising tablets (iPads etc, not performance enhancing!) With this in mind Roger Drake (Harmonica Player) has kindly offered his Tech expertise to those requiring set up or guidance on getting the best out of their tablet. Talk to him he will put you on the right path.
Our website, do keep an eye on our website as I constantly update things. You will find new songs being added from time to time. Also, if you have photos featuring us send me a copy and I will post them online.
Harmony a number of our members have attended a class run by Rosie and Danielle at the RIdger Pub Newton. It appears that it was very well attended and well worth attending. It is a monthly workshop and if you are interested speak to Sheila and Dot who can give you more detail. Harmony is a great area for us to develop as we have such strong vocals.
World Ukulele Day This was on Sunday, did anyone attend the mass strum in Liverpool One? I attended last year but didn't go this time as last year it was freezing and almost impossible to play. I am toying with seeing if some of the groups from the Wirral can get together for a mass strum next year, just a thought.
Friday, just wanted to finish by saying a massive thank you to all members of HUG you make it so enjoyable. I hope to see as many of you as possible on Friday.
Cheers
Dave
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