Newsletter von Ralph Shaw

[Uketeufel]

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The Ukulele Entertainer

Inspired Ideas to Maximize your Music
November 22 2011
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Dear Raimund,


People\'s access to all kinds of music has increased enormously thanks to the internet and portable music players. Now, with ukuleles in the hands of many, it is possible to provide chords and rhythm in almost any situation. The potential for group singing is limitless and today I offer ten tips to help make it great. If you find value in this newsletter then please consider forwarding it to a friend!

Word count this issue:  952 words

Estimated reading time:  just over 3.5 minutes

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UE #73  How to Lead an Awesome Singalong!

 

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To simply sing with others is a basic human need as essential to our social lives as eating and drinking. But, although they were once as natural as the afternoon nap, singalongs don\'t happen by themselves. They require a special person: someone to organize and motivate a group of wary screen gazers and transform them from being habitually passive observers into shining pillars of song. If you think you might be one such person here are some hints to help you get it right:

 

1) Attract willing people. Ideally folks should know ahead of time that they are going to be singing. That way they can bow out gracefully if they so wish. If your crowd contains too many arm-folded non-participants then you\'ll be fighting an uphill battle.

 

2) Be a leader. Being a leader means several things. Its up to you to put across the idea that singing in a group is a completely natural and acceptable thing to do. Be confident and enthusiastic. Be more outrageous and silly than you normally are. If others see you letting go perhaps they\'ll be more willing to unshackle their spirits and free their voices. A good leader is there to serve the group by keeping things fun and flowing. This means creating a plan but also having the flexibility to stray from the plan when inspiration takes the group in unexpected directions. Avoid being over-controlling and pushy.

 

3) A singalong is not a performance. In our world where everything musical is presented as something to be observed by others, the philosophy of unwatched group singing can seem a very foreign concept. The listeners are the same people making the music so there should be no fear of outside judgment. As a leader it is up to you to find every way you can to make the singers understand this. Whenever anyone comments that they will sing quietly because their voice is no good, firmly and kindly tell them that there are no bad voices. Nothing matters except to do your best and have fun doing it.

 

4) Get others to lead. Spot the stronger singers in the group and offer them the chance to lead one song or more. This is an especially good idea if you are a better organizer than you are a song leader.

 

5) Choose well known songs and stay close to the original. Your singalong will be a very quiet one if people don\'t know the words or the tunes. I recommend you pick songs that are known by at least a slim majority of your fellows (say 60%.) Popular songs have famous recorded versions that most people know. It can be helpful for cohesiveness to keep reasonably close to these arrangements. Fancy phrasing and stylizing make it harder for others to follow. This is not a fast rule however. It can be a lot of fun to play a song completely outside the genre in which it is usually heard. I recently led my group in a high speed rendition of Amazing Grace that clipped along at breakneck pace while still suiting the song.

 

6) Know your material. Practice the songs before venturing to lead them. Make sure you know the beginnings, endings and the starting note. You\'ll make mistakes as you go but keep remembering the mantra: do your best and have fun.

 

7) Kill the video and photo. The recording of sounds and images implies that someone will eventually observe and judge our efforts. This creates tension no matter how polite the camera person may be. No-one likes to have their image taken while eating so why allow video and photos while singing? You\'re in a group but it\'s still private time and just because someone owns an expensive piece of gadgetry made by slave labour in a far off part of the world doesn\'t automatically give them the right to use it. For the most part our wannabe paparazzi think they are far better at photography than they actually are. They believe that pressing a button is an art form. It isn\'t. Next time one of these bottom feeding lowlifes starts \"taking\" your picture without permission tell them you\'d prefer that they set up an easel and paint your image instead. See what kind of an artist they truly are. Seriously though, let your group decide the culture they want. For example, they may choose to allow video and photos for one or two songs only but I strongly advise against unlimited recording.

 

Include variety. Most songs are repetitious and singing a song the same way twice can get boring. Find ways to vary the music: Get the crowd to sing sections by themselves. Change the strumming style and the volume level. Play with the phrasing a little. Do what you can to make the same words and chords seem interesting all over again. If you have several short songs that are fun but which don\'t bear repetition then make them into medleys.

 

9) Encourage without compliments and critiques.  Offering words of encouragement like, \"sing louder!\" and \"oh yeah, you got it now!\" loosens up voices without inflating and deflating personal egos that individual remarks can do. Conversely, pay close attention to what the group is telling you. React to their comments and gestures. They may provide wonderful inspiration that you can draw on to make the experience spontaneous and exciting.

 

10) The singalong is made and enjoyed in the immediate moment. It is never the same way twice. It is timeless. Compared with such a reality, the production values of even a space age high-definition 3-D holographic camera are as empty and worthless as dry dust. It\'s a precious time. Be fully present and remember, because it can\'t be said too much: do your best and have fun!

 

© Ralph Shaw 2011  

 
 
EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 

Want to learn ukulele? or improve your ukulele playing? My Complete Ukulele Course DVDs shows you how.  

DVDs for adults and kids: The Complete Ukulele Course DVD Series  

 

Essential Strums for the Ukulele. Learn ukulele in the following styles: Samba, Bossa Nova, Bo-diddley, Reggae, Blues, Swing, Syncopation, Frailing - clawhammer and Waltz. Available from: www.RalphShaw.ca  

 

   

Upcoming Ralph Shaw Performances + Workshops 2011:    

 
December 11: Cool Yule Christmas show at the Cellar Jazz Club with the Swing Sisters. (3611 W. Broadway, Vancouver, BC: Reservations 604 738 1959) dinner from 6:30, 8pm show.

 

December 20: Vancouver Ukulele Circle monthly meeting  


Coming VERY soon!: The Ukulele Entertainer Book - Powerful Pointers for Players and Performers


 

If you found value in this newsletter. Please forward it to your friends that may be interested (Just use the little blue \"forward email\" link near the end of this email).

Got ideas for future newsletters? Then let me know. I\'ll be more than happy to consider them.

Privacy Policy: I will never share information from my email contacts list with anyone, for any reason whatsoever.

To change your email address: Go to the \"update profile/email address\" link near the end of the page.

To unsubscribe: Go to the \"safe unsubscribe\" link near the end of the page.

To subscribe: just visit my Newsletter Signup page where you can also see the Archive of previous newsletters.

Make a financial contribution to support this newsletter:
Make a Donation using Paypal or Credit Card


© Ralph Shaw 2011


 
 
 
 
You can Contact me by...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
email:bowlerhat@shaw.ca
phone: 604 689 2937 (Intl +1)
on the web:http://www.ralphshaw.ca/

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[Uketeufel]

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The Ukulele Entertainer

Inspired Ideas to Maximize your Music
December 6 2011
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Dear Raimund,


My new book The Ukulele Entertainer is in the final stages of production. Order soon and you should receive your copy in time for the holidays - it\'s down to the wire I know! In a day or two I\'ll email your ordering information so that your copy can be sent out as soon as they come in. Btw. If you find value in this newsletter then please consider forwarding it to a friend!

Word count this issue:  860 words

Estimated reading time:  less than 3.5 minutes

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UE #74  Longevity Tips from the World\'s Oldest Ukulele Entertainer

 

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The ukulele community has learned that Bill Tapia passed peacefully away on December 2, 2011 aged 103 years. His incredible professional career spanned over ninety years. At ten years old he was already playing \"Stars and Stripes Forever\" on his ukulele at USO shows for the World War I troops. Amazingly, he\'d learned the song directly from the composer, after hearing it played by John Philip Sousa\'s own band. By age twelve he was playing in Vaudeville. He later moved on to play guitar as a jazz sideman. He had some notable highlights too, including occasions when he got to accompany Louis Armstrong, Elvis Presley, Billie Holiday and Bing Crosby. It\'s even said that he was the one to introduce legendary broadcaster Arthur Godfrey to the ukulele.

 

Towards the end of his life the remarkable centenarian was touring again, performing live shows, recording CDs and signing them for countless fans of all ages. He is said to have been the oldest unionized performing musician ever.

 

Words like \"remarkable\", \"amazing\" and \"incredible\" come easily to mind when thinking about Bill Tapia. Such superlatives arise from a rare combination: his spritely old age plus his renowned talent as an entertainer. In a world where great music is often associated with youth cut short in its prime it can feel both surreal and slightly overwhelming to contemplate the human scale of time that was traveled by Mr Tapia and his uke.

 

As for me, I already feel old! I seem to bruise more easily now and my joints don\'t bend with the flexibility that they did in my younger days, when they said I was the spitting image of Michelangelo\'s \"David\" (well, one person said it anyway.) I\'ve also had my share of root canals, strained ligaments and grey hairs. My eye-sight is very good but it\'s clear to see that it\'s not everything it was. I\'m not complaining but here\'s what gets me: to reach Bill Tapia\'s final resting age I will have to live my whole life again and then several years on top of that. And quite frankly I find it very hard to imagine.

 

To gain some perspective on the length of his career, consider this: when Bill Tapia was a little boy there were no cars, radios or refrigerators. Or if there were he wasn\'t aware of them. As a young Hawaiian boy in 1915 he bought his first uke from Manuel Nunes, inventor of the ukulele, for 75 cents. And was already strumming ukulele chords when the instrument was just being introduced to the United States mainland. The roaring twenties hadn\'t even started.

 

We now think of \"hapa haole\" that is, \"part-white\" Hawaiian songs, like Ukulele Lady, My Little Grass Shack and Sweet Leilani as being substantially older than \"Golden Oldies\". They were popularized in the 1920\'s and \'30s and now seem positively archaic to us. Bill Tapia was playing those songs when they first came out of the sound cones of wind-up gramophone players. And he was hearing and playing jazz right when jazz was invented. It\'s nothing short of astounding!

 

Shortly before Bill Tapia\'s 100th birthday he and I performed on the main stage at the Southern California Ukulele Festival in Cerritos, California. We\'d both completed our sets and, as musicians often do, we were standing around at the back of the concert hall watching the rest of the show. Probably to be near our respective merchandise tables when the show ended.

 

A thought occurred to me that this was a unique opportunity to speak with Bill. Perhaps I could glean some secrets that might help me survive the rigours of musicianship for as long as he had done. I strolled on over and said, \"I want to be doing this when I\'m ninety-nine. Do you have any hints or advice to pass on?\" He thought for a moment and then answered me in four words, \"Just keep doing it.\"

 

I almost left it at that but felt to push the matter a little further. I said, \"No, come on Bill, there\'s got to be more to it.\" He thought for a spell and said. \"Well I always took pretty good care of myself. I didn\'t do drugs and I wasn\'t a drinker except for a social drink. I exercised by riding my bike every day until my doctor said I had to stop because of angina but even now I walk daily. The only bad thing I did was to smoke two packs of cigarettes a day until I was eighty-seven. I quit smoking because of the angina.\"

 

Here then, as far as I can surmise, are Bill Tapia\'s seven rules for a long and healthy musical life:

 

1)     Have the good fortune to be born with long-life genes.

 

2)     Be born into a time when everyone eats natural organic food and there are no unhealthy petroleum or corn derived products. Neither is there electromagnetic radiation from cell-towers, nuclear power stations, radio transmitters or X-rays. (There could still be the occasional World War or flu epidemic to survive but hopefully, with luck and some help from No. 1 you\'ll sail through all those.)

 

3)     Exercise daily.

 

4)     Don\'t do drugs and only drink alcohol in moderation.

 

5)     If you smoke heavily it\'s a good idea to quit, at least by the time you\'re in your late eighties.

 

6)     Play ukulele and sing.

 

7)     Just keep doing it.

 

© Ralph Shaw 2011  

 
 
EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 

Thinking to buy a ukulele teaching DVD in time for the holidays? When you purchase from my website we try to ship within 24 hours.  

Find learning DVDs for adults and kids here: The Complete Ukulele Course DVD Series  

 

New Book Coming VERY soon!: The Ukulele Entertainer - Powerful Pointers for Players and Performers

 

Essential Strums for the Ukulele. Learn ukulele in the following styles: Samba, Bossa Nova, Bo-diddley, Reggae, Blues, Swing, Syncopation, Frailing - clawhammer and Waltz. Available from: www.RalphShaw.ca  

 

   

Upcoming Ralph Shaw Performances + Workshops 2011:    

 
December 11: Cool Yule Christmas show at the Cellar Jazz Club with the Swing Sisters. (3611 W. Broadway, Vancouver, BC: Reservations 604 738 1959) dinner from 6:30, 8pm show.

 

December 20: Vancouver Ukulele Circle monthly meeting  


 
If you found value in this newsletter. Please forward it to your friends that may be interested (Just use the little blue \"forward email\" link near the end of this email).

Got ideas for future newsletters? Then let me know. I\'ll be more than happy to consider them.

Privacy Policy: I will never share information from my email contacts list with anyone, for any reason whatsoever.

To change your email address: Go to the \"update profile/email address\" link near the end of the page.

To unsubscribe: Go to the \"safe unsubscribe\" link near the end of the page.

To subscribe: just visit my Newsletter Signup page where you can also see the Archive of previous newsletters.

Make a financial contribution to support this newsletter:
Make a Donation using Paypal or Credit Card


© Ralph Shaw 2011


 
 
 
 
You can Contact me by...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
email:bowlerhat@shaw.ca
phone: 604 689 2937 (Intl +1)
on the web:http://www.ralphshaw.ca/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Uketeufel]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Ukulele Entertainer

Inspired Ideas to Maximize your Music
December 12 2011
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 Dear Raimund,


Tell your friends - The Ukulele Entertainer is here!!!


\"The collection of Ralph Shaw wisdom we\'ve been waiting for. Keep it in your ukulele case, under your pillow, in your car... anywhere you might need a little inspiration from a true entertainer and a gifted teacher.\"

-From the foreword by ukulele master James Hill

 
 
The New Book by Ralph Shaw  (click pic to order from website!)


My new book is ready and I\'m taking orders now...

Click here to order your copy immediately!

It\'s an exciting time in the Ralph Shaw household that\'s for sure. The book looks great and is everything I wanted it to be.

Here\'s what will happen:

Books get to me by Wednesday December 14. And mailing begins right away. First ones to be sent out will be to the supporters who already contributed towards this project. If you also want to have an excellent chance of receiving yours before the holidays order right now to make sure your book/s are sent out in the very next shipment. (If it\'s a gift for someone else you can use their shipping address so the book goes direct to them.)

Here\'s what you\'ll be getting:


The Ukulele Entertainer is a must have guide to improve your skills as a player and as a performer. With this book you\'ll learn how to:  

 

Put strings on a ukulele - correctly,  

 

Play three styles of triplet strum,

 

Know where to look when you sing,  

 

Tackle nerves and stage fright,  

 

Start and run a ukulele club,  

 

Remember lyrics and sing on pitch,  

 

Create a killer set list and much more.  

 

Learn from a seasoned pro how to relax and improvise, introduce more dynamics into your playing, even-just for fun-how to make ukulele wine! You\'ll get some lessons in musical history and be royally entertained by the \"King of the Ukulele\" himself. This book is the definitive collection of top tips from the Ukulele Entertainer newsletter series and is surely for you!

 

 

This book is only available directly from me, Ralph Shaw. So click here to Buy Now and be the Best Ukulele Entertainer You Can Be for only $19.99!



Note for international customers: Only orders from USA/Canada are sent by airmail. Other international orders are shipped by surface mail (approx. 6 to 10 weeks.) If you\'re a faraway customer who would like airmail please contact Ralph directly to place your order.  


About the Author  
Ralph Shaw is an \"uber-talented performer with the soul of a teacher\" who brings, along with his ukulele, the best of British Music Hall to the stage. The wit, charm and comic energy of his live performances are also evident in his writing. His original songs have been featured regularly on CBC Radio and can also be heard in movies and TV shows. Ralph lives in Vancouver, Canada, and travels widely to perform and teach at ukulele festivals and other events. This is his first book.  

 
 
 
 
You can Contact Ralph Shaw by...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
email:bowlerhat@shaw.ca
phone: 604 689 2937 (Intl +1)
on the web:http://www.ralphshaw.ca/


To subscribe to the regular newsletter: just visit my Newsletter Signup page where you can also link to the Archive of previous newsletters.  

 

© Ralph Shaw 2011

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[Uketeufel]

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The Ukulele Entertainer

Inspired Ideas to Maximize your Music
December 26 2011
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Dear Raimund,


I wish each and every reader a very Happy Christmas and a Peaceful Holiday Season. Btw. If you find value in this newsletter then please consider forwarding it to a friend!

Word count this issue:  1233 words

Estimated reading time:  Under 5 minutes

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UE #75  How to Build a Ukulele Case

 

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Do children still get home-made Christmas gifts? I certainly did. I don\'t mean to infer that I come from a particularly poor family. It is true that money was pretty tight in those days, but so it was for most young families in the little Yorkshire village of Millhouse Green. I\'d gaze through my bedroom window at the frosty garden hoping for snow and wishing for toys from the toyshop. Oh, how little did I know. My future playthings were not residing on store shelves waiting to be bought. Neither were they at the North Pole undergoing construction by Santa\'s undergrown munchkins. Neither were they hidden; wrapped and ready in the mid-morning of my childhood, lying dormant in secret coves known only to my parents. In fact, they were not so very far above my head.

 

For many years the weeks leading up to Christmas would find my dad up in the attic making gifts for me. I was asleep. Either that, or too young to be curious as to why my father spent so much time up above the trapdoor. Now I am older I remember those secret gifts with far more clarity than I do any of my shop bought toys.

 

There was a fort or \"castle\". Its formal name changed depending on whether it was occupied by small plastic cowboys repelling equally small plastic \"indians\"; or knights in armour, fighting, what else, but American G.I.s who were the only other adversary available to me at the time. I also remember a black policeman\'s hat. My dad even made me a flyover (or overpass) for me to push my toy cars over and under. I had no roads, just a single go-anywhere bridge. It worked. It was also quite bumpy. The fort was lumpy and bumpy too; so much so that my weapon waving warriors would rock precariously at the battlements anytime the fortress was nudged. This is because my toys were made from paper maché: my father\'s chief medium when it came to my Christmas gifts. In case you\'ve never come across it, paper maché is a porridgey mixture of wallpaper paste and torn scraps of newspaper that becomes quite solid and substantial when dry.

 

One year I clearly recall a wondrous sight in the window of the toy shop at the top of Shambles Street in Barnsley. It was a glorious thing to behold. A bright red rock \'n\' roll drum-kit. I thought about it, I longed for it and I must have talked about it. For on Christmas morning I had my very own set of bright red drums. My dad had taken two plastic plant-pots, one small, one large, and, attaching them together, he cleverly transformed them to make a very credible pair of bongo drums. Their tops were painted silver and trimmed with gold braid. When I think about it I can still smell the paint we used in those days.

 

I would be lying to say I wasn\'t disappointed. Bongos did not make the cut. I wasn\'t interested in \"hand\" drums. It had to be sticks. My disappointment was slightly alleviated when my dad hand-carved two wooden drumsticks for me. However it wasn\'t long before my sticks pounded through the paper maché drum-tops and my bongos went back to being plant-pots once again.

 

My goal in relating to you these tales of unusual, and uniquely undulating, gifts is not to elicit sympathy. Neither is it to make any claim that my dad was any cleverer, kinder, more frugal or resourceful than your or anyone else\'s dad. Though he could be all those things at times. My only goal is to suggest that the objects we make for ourselves are immensely cooler than anything you can ever possibly buy. I played with those attic-born gifts more than any mass-made factory fare you could mention. They were magical objects, and though they\'re now long gone, the memory of them is burned into my consciousness.

 

I make my own things now. I use a technique not unrelated to paper maché. It was shown to me by the great Tomas Kubinek who learned it from the legendary Al Simmons. Here\'s what you do: Take some corrugated cardboard and cover it with canvas and carpenter\'s glue. You\'ll discover that it hardens to become an extremely strong and light material. The product is very tough and happens to be perfect for making ukulele cases. It is also light, strong and always fixable. I wrote a song that describes the technique in detail and I\'ve been singing it for some time. The lyrics are below and I offer them to you now. All I beg in return is that you please send me a photo of your home-made ukulele case or any other object that you make using this technique.

 

If you want to see and hear the song being sung here it is on youtube.  

 

How to Build a Ukulele Case by Ralph Shaw

 

Use corrugated card for the top and base

But the sides should be of the none-corrugated kind

Use half-inch foam to pad your case

A sleeping mat from a camping shop is fine

 

The handles, clasps and hinges can be rescued from a knackered old doctor\'s bag

Or make-up box or satchel ready for the dump

And buy some paint, of a suitable hue

And a great big bottle of carpenter\'s glue.

 

It can be a lot of fun when you know what to do

Using cardboard, canvas and carpenters glue

You can do it by yourself you can put it on a shelf

You can tell the neighbours, \"I did that my-self\"  

 

Be-gin by drawing \'round the thing you want inside the case

Add one inch around then cut it out and that will be the base

Do the same for the lid, then measure for the height,

Add one inch then cut the cardboard for the sides.

 

With a sharp sharp knife score the board on the bends

Then attach the sides to the base with sewing pins

Do the same for the lid as what you just did

Doubling up the sides to make a little lip

 

With hot glue you can hold the edges firmly in their place

Re-move the pins then smother glue on the top and sides and base of your case...

Cover with cloth, thin canvas is best

Shmear more glue and while it dries......have a rest!

 

Once it dries, good and hard

It should sound like knocking on wood and not like card

Paint the whole thing, with the second coat on

Add the handles, clasps and hinges now you\'re done

 

You can buy a case for thirty eight dollars or less in an average store

But the one I made excluding time cost me quite a bit more...

But I\'d do it all a-gain \'cause I know what to do

Using cardboard, canvas and carpenters glue.

 

The things we buy today are made in China and Taiwan

But you can build things just as well as a Szechuan manufacturer can.

Check it with your eye does it all look true

Made from cardboard, canvas and Carpenters glue.

© Ralph Shaw  

 

It\'s been more than a delight to receive, in my email, photos of ukulele cases that people have made after attending one of my concerts; their only aid to construction was the words of my song. I can\'t describe how unutterably wonderful it is to think that people have made these things using only song lyrics as guidance.

[Uketeufel]

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The Ukulele Entertainer

Inspired Ideas to Maximize your Music
January 03 2012
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Dear Raimund,


There are many ways to play a roll on a ukulele. Today I will attempt to describe the most economical way of all.
Btw. If you find value in this newsletter then please consider forwarding it to a friend!

Word count this issue:  735 words

Estimated reading time:  less than 3 minutes

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UE #76 How to Do the One Finger Roll  

 

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One of the great advantages of not using a pick is that having your fingers and thumb available gives you access to a wider variety of playing techniques. One such technique is \"the roll\".

 

What is a roll? A roll is what you hear when several individual beats happen so quickly that it sounds like a continuous vibrating sound. I often call it a \"thrum\". For example if you flick through a deck of playing cards slowly you\'ll hear flak-flak-flak. But do it quickly and it sounds more like: fl-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r (the rolling r-r-r-r sound being like the front-of-tongue vibration of the \'r\' when a Spaniard says \"Burro\").  

 

The roll is also one of the signature sounds of Spanish flamenco guitar. The sound is achieved by strumming down on the strings, one finger at a time, using some or all fingers of the strumming hand. You can try it right now. Find a level surface and drum the pads of your fingers on it as if you were impatiently waiting for something. Try it using three fingers. Do it slowly at first making sure to keep all the beats evenly spaced. Speed up the roll. Now add another finger and then the thumb until all five digits are making a nice \"thrumming\" sound. Now reverse it: if you began the roll with your pinky now start it using the thumb.

 

Playing a roll on the ukulele is very similar to drumming on a desk except that instead of using the pads of the fingers you\'ll more likely be doing it with the fingernails or sides of the fingers. Experiment with the three and four finger roll. Always aim for a clear rolling sound and incorporate it into your playing. I show the technique on two of my DVDs: The Complete Ukulele Course and Essential Strums for the Ukulele.  

 

As any baker will tell you: there is more than one way to bake a mole, erm that is, make a roll. Most  players favour starting a three or four finger roll with the pinky finger. Others, like myself, begin the roll using the index finger and ending with the ring or pinky fingers. The former method has the advantage that it allows you to do a five finger roll, ending with the thumb, if you so wish.  

 

Ever heard of the six finger roll? It sounds like the start to a joke but it actually is a real technique. I first heard of it as being taught by Bob Brozman. It involves changing the direction of the roll so that one or more fingers are being used more than once in a seamlessly continuous sound. This leads us to the highly improbable but very real ten finger roll. Matt Dahlberg showed me this extraordinary technique. It involves the five digits rolling first in one direction and then immediately rolling back the other way. The slinky movement of the hand while doing this is an effect I call \"the ukulele double helix\". The ten finger roll sounds exciting, is visually stunning and musically pretty useless. Even Matt admits that the technique, though highly cool, is not one that fits comfortably into most musical situations.

 

Myself, I prefer simpler techniques. You can get an excellent roll by having the finger strum down immediately followed by the thumb. This \"thumb-roll\" is shown in the syncopated strum section of my Essential Strums DVD.  

 

But for sheer simplicity nothing can beat the one finger roll.    

 

This is an unusual technique. My usual policy is to instruct learners to practice new techniques slowly before gradually building up speed. Unfortunately I find that the one finger roll only truly sounds like a roll when played at speed. So you\'ll have to figure it out on the fly. Also note that it is effective if you strum with your finger-end like I do. But it may not work for thumb-strummers.  

 

Start by playing one of your faster numbers. As you strum, put in a quick shake of the finger and then return to the regular strum. That\'s all there is to it. Technically what you\'re doing is inserting a very short and fast tremolo. Keep a nice loose wrist as you strum down-up-down-up then quickly add some additional down-ups at double speed. But it is far easier to simply think of it as incorporating an added finger-shake.

 

A bonus of this technique is that, if you do happen to strum with a pick, you can now play a fast roll without having to use any additional fingers.    

 

© Ralph Shaw 2011  

 
 
EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 

 
New book by Ralph Shaw
New Book: The Ukulele Entertainer
Powerful Pointers for Players and Performers

Be the Best Ukulele Entertainer You Can Be!
available from www.RalphShaw.ca

Put strings on a ukulele - correctly,
Play three styles of triplet strum
Know where to look when you sing
Tackle nerves and stage fright
Start and run a ukulele club
Remember lyrics and sing on pitch
Create a killer set list and much more. Learn from a seasoned pro how to relax and improvise, introduce more dynamics into your playing, even-just for fun-how to make ukulele wine! You\'ll get some lessons in musical history and be royally entertained by the \"King of the Ukulele\" himself.
 
\"The collection of Ralph Shaw wisdom we\'ve been waiting for. Keep it in your ukulele case, under your pillow, in your car... anywhere you might need a little inspiration from a true entertainer and a gifted teacher.\"
-From the foreword by ukulele master James Hill

Ralph Shaw Australia Tour in March and April:  

I\'m pleased and excited to announce that I\'ll be at the Melbourne Ukulele Festival March 8 to 11. After that I\'m going to visit ukulele clubs and other venues in Brisbane, Sydney and Canberra (so far.) Plans are still under way. If you\'d like me to visit your bit of Australia to perform and/or teach then please let me know. I\'ll do my best to fit you into my schedule.  

If you found value in this newsletter. Please forward it to your friends that may be interested (Just use the little blue \"forward email\" link near the end of this email).

Got ideas for future newsletters? Then let me know. I\'ll be more than happy to consider them.

Privacy Policy: I will never share information from my email contacts list with anyone, for any reason whatsoever.

To change your email address: Go to the \"update profile/email address\" link near the end of the page.

To unsubscribe: Go to the \"safe unsubscribe\" link near the end of the page.

To subscribe: just visit my Newsletter Signup page where you can also see the Archive of previous newsletters.

Make a financial contribution to support this newsletter:
Make a Donation using Paypal or Credit Card


© Ralph Shaw 2011

[Uketeufel]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Ukulele Entertainer

Inspired Ideas to Maximize your Music
January 17 2012
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Raimund,


What is Your Passion? With so much going on in our lives it can seem pointless to even consider it. I can almost hear the reply, \"Huh? You want me to work full-time, raise kids, make meals and follow my passion? Sure thing buddy!\"  

Btw. Please consider forwarding this newsletter to a friend. Oh, and while you\'re here, check out the brand new Ukulele Entertainer book!


Word count this issue:  884 words

Estimated reading time:  about 3.5 minutes

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
 
 
UE #77  Find Your Passion  

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I complained to a friend of mine recently. She\'s a singer named Kristie. I griped that my life has become too diverse and I muttered that my activities have increased to the point where they\'re not so enjoyable anymore. Extra pressures include paperwork and endless online communication. But it\'s also from taking on new projects without letting old ones go. The result, I grumbled, is that I\'m juggling more objects and it\'s becoming less fun.

 

I felt mean-spirited to complain in such a muttering, grumbling sort of way. To display a lack of gratitude for opportunities in life seems churlish; especially when compared with the miserable lot of all those clapped in the shackles of grinding servitude. But instead of chastising my selfishness Kristie took me in a surprising direction. She asked, \"What is your passion?\"

 

\"Erm, why?\" I replied, \"What\'s that got to with anything?\" She said, \"If you know your passion then you can devote more time and energy to that and less to the other things.\"

I was stunned. This was a new way of thinking for me.

 

Some things were easy to cross off my passion list. They included taxes, house-hold chores and anything involving a computer or phone (basically life\'s unavoidable duties.) Much harder to choose from were my various work related roles: making music, live performance, teaching uke workshops, singing, creating songs, recording, and writing. All these things I take pleasure and pride in. If I had to drop all but one of them which would it be? This spurred me on to a new round of griping, \"I can\'t possibly...it\'s too hypothetical...how can I choose just one?\"

 

With further urging I narrowed down my top passion contenders to two choices. Kristie then asked me to imagine placing one of these in each of two corners of the room. As I closed my eyes she reminded me to visualize the choices I had made and the parts of the room where they resided.

 

Kristie said, \"Do you feel a pull towards one of the corners?\"  

Yes I did. The attraction to one corner was unmistakable, and slightly overwhelming. Moments before this my mind had been a confused swirl over what to do. Now it was clear. Apparently this was my passion. The other trivialities in my life paled in comparison and I felt a surge of deep feeling; an abiding sense that this experience was profound and true. It was actually enough to stop me grumbling for several minutes.

 

Many take up the ukulele with some idea that it will lead them to their passion. Which they believe must be to perform onstage. But I disagree with this thinking. When I travel to ukulele clubs I meet a wide cross-section of people who all happen to play the ukulele. But look more closely and you\'ll see the instrument is but a  conduit to many possible passions. The uke players come together to make music but their natural roles soon become evident:

 

Some are leaders: they express themselves by forging a vision for the group.

Some are carers: they scan the group looking for those in need of assistance and come to their aid.

Others are teachers: they strive to develop their own understanding in order to pass the knowledge to others.

Some are communicators: they develop the threads of interconnection that bind everyone together and help to disseminate information.

Some are stage entertainers: they shine in order that we may connect with our own spirits.  

Some are social entertainers. They may never go near the stage but are always ready to share a song or a story that will crack you up.

Some are hosts: they offer their homes and time to accommodate visiting entertainers from far away (Indeed I am presently being humbled by the kindness of several Australian strangers who are going out of their way to make my upcoming visit there possible.)

 

If you don\'t know what your passion is, perhaps this can help: Figure out what you enjoy doing most of all. It has to be something that you feel strongly about. It should be nearly as vital to you as food, air and water; something that you\'ll always want to do no matter where life takes you.

 

If your answer is unclear then sit in a quiet room and place your two most fulfilling activities in each of the far corners. Then close your eyes and notice if there is a pull of attraction towards one part of the room. You may experience this as a sense of peace or another feeling that draws you. If this works but seems incomplete it could be that you need to define your passion in more detail. Try using the technique more than once to refine your choice.

 

Knowing your passion helps focus your energies and decision making. Do newly presented choices further your life\'s purpose or are they mere sidelines and distractions? Cut out the things that no longer serve you. It\'s good for us to be diverse, for as author and waterbed inventor Robert Heinlein said, \"Specialization is for insects\", but enough is enough.  

 

Figuring out what you don\'t want is important. And imagine the joy you\'ll get in doing what you love, in the place where you want to be. It\'s certainly nothing to grumble about.

 

© Ralph Shaw 2011  

 
 
EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 

 
The Ukulele Entertainer by Ralph Shaw
My New Book!!!: The Ukulele Entertainer
Powerful Pointers for Players and Performers

Be the Best Ukulele Entertainer You Can Be!
available from www.RalphShaw.ca

Put strings on a ukulele - correctly,
Play three styles of triplet strum
Know where to look when you sing
Tackle nerves and stage fright
Start and run a ukulele club
Remember lyrics and sing on pitch
Create a killer set list and much more. Learn from a seasoned pro how to relax and improvise, introduce more dynamics into your playing, even-just for fun-how to make ukulele wine! You\'ll get some lessons in musical history and be royally entertained by the \"King of the Ukulele\" himself.
 
\"where else can you learn to play the \"wimpy-strong\" strum from a man who actually touched Liam Neeson\'s wig?\" -From the foreword by ukulele master James Hill

Calendar

 

Feb 25/26 Vancouver Ukulele Fest Vancouver, BC. Workshops only.  

 

March 2/3 Gorge Ukulele Festival, Hood River, Oregon. Friday Show and Sat workshops

 

Australia Tour (March/April):  

 

March  

8 to 11: Melbourne Ukulele Festival  

Weds 14: BUMS Brisbane Uke Club

Thu/Fri 15/16: Northern Rivers (to be confirmed)

Sat/Sun 17/18: SCUM Sunshine Coast Ukulele Club

Mon 19: BUK Balmain Club.
Tue 20: Balmain workshop at Guitar Factory. (to be confirmed by John Penhallow)
Wed 21: Swingaleles Wollongong.
Thu/Fri/Sat 22/23/24: Canberra events.
Sun/Mon 25/26: Milton
Wed 28: Newcastle (to be confirmed)
Thu 29: Uke-East/Petersham.
Sat/Sun/Mon 30th/31/April 1 (or part thereof) Blue Mountains events. T.B.C.
April 2nd: SSCUM South Sydney Uke Club  

 

If you found value in this newsletter. Please forward it to your friends that may be interested (Just use the little blue \"forward email\" link near the end of this email).

Got ideas for future newsletters? Then let me know. I\'ll be more than happy to consider them.

Privacy Policy: I will never share information from my email contacts list with anyone, for any reason whatsoever.

To change your email address: Go to the \"update profile/email address\" link near the end of the page.

To unsubscribe: Go to the \"safe unsubscribe\" link near the end of the page.

To subscribe: just visit my Newsletter Signup page where you can also see the Archive of previous newsletters.

Make a financial contribution to support this newsletter:
Make a Donation using Paypal or Credit Card


© Ralph Shaw 2011


 
 
 
 
You can Contact me by...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
email:bowlerhat@shaw.ca
phone: 604 689 2937 (Intl +1)
on the web:http://www.ralphshaw.ca/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Uketeufel]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Ukulele Entertainer

Inspired Ideas to Maximize your Music
January 31 2012
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Raimund,

First of all let\'s get one thing straight: there is no \"Big Time.\" The term dates back to Vaudeville days when a phenomenal performer might make it onto the Big Time Circuit: a tour of high class Vaudeville theatres. Performers came from all walks of life and were paid thousands when average working wages were measured in tens of dollars. A modern equivalent of Big Time are television talent shows. Typical of these is the [your country\'s name here]\'s Got Talent franchise, such as Britain\'s Got Talent and America\'s Got Talent. I auditioned for Canada\'s Got Talent and got a first-hand view of how the TV talent game works. Here is my report on what I experienced with the hope that you\'ll do better than I did: Btw. Please consider forwarding this newsletter to a friend. Oh, and while you\'re here, check out the Ukulele Entertainer book!  

Word count this issue:  925 words

Estimated reading time:  over 3.5 minutes

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
 
 
UE #78 Seven Tips to Make it Into the Big Time    

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Tip 1) If you don\'t try then you\'ll never know

I heard about Canada\'s Got Talent from my friend Geoff who insisted I was \"just the sort of thing they\'re looking for!\" At first I dismissed the idea. From what I\'ve seen of TV Talent shows they are overdone to the point of obnoxiousness but I figured there could be benefits: money, fame, material for one of my newsletters and pacifying people like Geoff.

 

Tip 2) Register for your audition time as soon as you hear about the contest

Don\'t put this off until the pre-registration deadline passes. Or, like me, you\'ll stand in line from 8am until 6pm. The majority of other hopefuls were young singers (aged twenty-one and under.) The females had that warbling, semi-yodel style that one hears so much of these days. They did it well. But after listening to their clone-like vocalizing all day, distinctive and unique are not labels I would hang on any of them. I learned that my style of singing is now referred to as \"old school\". Other acts included a large synchronized-skipping troupe, two guys balancing soccer balls, a roller-blade artiste with an arm in a sling and Canada-guy (bedecked in red tights, red hat & glasses, flippers and a Canada flag; he stood on his head to play the national anthem on a kazoo.) During the whole day I never saw another ukulele player. That surprised me.

 

Tip 3) Choose the right song

Picking the right audition song was a puzzle wrapped up in an enigma within a pain in the arse. What would they be looking for? I figured my song should grab the judge\'s attention quickly. Getting attention can be achieved by being louder, faster, flashier or by being unusual, say, mellower, sweeter or from a different era. Choosing the latter tactic I picked the bitter-sweet Inkspot\'s song \"Every Night About This Time\" (recorded on my album Table For Two.) Side-musicians with huge repertoires don\'t know this one but I thought its obscure nature might be a plus. However, the warbling clones suggested otherwise, \"You\'re more likely to win with a well-known song\" they all agreed. Following their advice I changed my audition piece to the better known Brazil. I also decided that doing Brazil as a one-man-band might give me an edge. I phoned Kathryn and asked her to bring my one-man-band gear. Not hard to do since I was still roadside at this point.

 

Tip 4) Don\'t over-practice on the day

With hours spent waiting you may feel like working your audition piece. While it\'s important to be warmed up, don\'t overdo it to where the song gets routine and your voice gets sore.

 

Tip 5) Have fun, keep your perspective

Eventually we moved indoors to the hotel lobby, then on into a large conference room. Each of us got a large number sticker to stick on the front of our bodies and we each signed a contract promising to attend future auditions wearing the exact same clothing and hair style (this news momentarily troubling the W.C.s.) Waiting in the final holding area a young guy with an earring played his original song over and over again. His guitar technique was childishly basic and his song was dreadful. I felt embarrassed for him. Yet he thought he was fantastic. It was wrong to judge him though. Every person there (including myself) truly believed against all odds that we had as good a chance to win as anyone else. So much self delusion all in one place. Fortunately the real music business is not like that at all - Ha ha.

 

Tip 6) Show your best stuff and do it asap.

Five of us entered the audition room where a kind looking gentleman sat behind a table with a video operator alongside. The kind man explained: \"Give your name and town. I\'ll ask some questions then you show me what you\'ve got. Perform as if you were in front of hundreds of people. No more than ninety seconds each please.\"

Considering we\'d been waiting around for close to ten hours, ninety seconds may sound a bit chintzy. But I\'ll tell you now - it is ample. In fact thirty or even twenty seconds would have been enough for most acts. The show is all about talent discovery. Your singular ability must be strikingly identifiable within seconds. There is no time to get acquainted with the audience. You have to be instantly brilliant. Be clear what your talent is and demonstrate its glory as soon as you can.

 

Tip 7) Try and look ordinary

I quickly set up my gear and the interviewer asked me what I do for a living. I wanted to tell him I had a boring day job. However Googling my name would show organizers that I\'m an established ukulele entertainer. I reluctantly told the truth that I\'ve performed for many years. The unspoken implication hung in the air: \"Why hadn\'t he heard of me?\"

 

My decision to change audition piece had been a mistake: the audition room made my drum sound so boomy my singing was obscured. I also regretted wearing my suit and bow-tie: too polished perhaps? I was learning that the show has a strong \"rags to riches\" component: witness the ridiculous hysteria that erupted when dowdy talent contestant Susan Boyle began to sing.

 

All in all, my years of performing couldn\'t get me past the first round of a national TV talent show. No surprise really. I was up against thousands of participants from all over the country. But I\'ll try again next year (maybe) and I\'ll be better than ever!

 

So if you\'re thinking of having a crack at the modern day Big Time I suggest you hit them with your best shot, dress down and don\'t forget to mention your boring day job.

 

© Ralph Shaw 2012  

 
 
EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 

 
The Ukulele Entertainer by Ralph Shaw
My New Book!!!: The Ukulele Entertainer
Powerful Pointers for Players and Performers

Be the Best Ukulele Entertainer You Can Be!
available from www.RalphShaw.ca

Put strings on a ukulele - correctly,
Play three styles of triplet strum
Know where to look when you sing
Tackle nerves and stage fright
Start and run a ukulele club
Remember lyrics and sing on pitch
Create a killer set list and much more. Learn from a seasoned pro how to relax and improvise, introduce more dynamics into your playing, even-just for fun-how to make ukulele wine! You\'ll get some lessons in musical history and be royally entertained by the \"King of the Ukulele\" himself.
 
\"where else can you learn to play the \"wimpy-strong\" strum from a man who actually touched Liam Neeson\'s wig?\" -From the foreword by ukulele master James Hill

Calendar

 

Feb 25/26 Vancouver Ukulele Fest Vancouver, BC. Workshops only.  

 

March 2/3 Gorge Ukulele Festival, Hood River, Oregon. Friday Show and Sat workshops

 

Australia Tour (March/April):  

 

March  

8 to 11: Melbourne Ukulele Festival  

Weds 14: BUMS Brisbane Uke Club

Thu/Fri 15/16: Northern Rivers (to be confirmed)

Sat/Sun 17/18: SCUM Sunshine Coast Ukulele Club

Mon 19: BUK Balmain Club.
Tue 20: Balmain workshop at Guitar Factory. (to be confirmed by John Penhallow)
Wed 21: Swingaleles Wollongong.
Thu/Fri/Sat 22/23/24: Canberra events.
Sun/Mon 25/26: Milton
Wed 28: Newcastle (to be confirmed)
Thu 29: Uke-East/Petersham.
Sat/Sun/Mon 30th/31/April 1 (or part thereof) Blue Mountains events. T.B.C.
April 2nd: SSCUM South Sydney Uke Club  

 

If you found value in this newsletter. Please forward it to your friends that may be interested (Just use the little blue \"forward email\" link near the end of this email).

Got ideas for future newsletters? Then let me know. I\'ll be more than happy to consider them.

Privacy Policy: I will never share information from my email contacts list with anyone, for any reason whatsoever.

To change your email address: Go to the \"update profile/email address\" link near the end of the page.

To unsubscribe: Go to the \"safe unsubscribe\" link near the end of the page.

To subscribe: just visit my Newsletter Signup page where you can also see the Archive of previous newsletters.

Make a financial contribution to support this newsletter:
Make a Donation using Paypal or Credit Card


© Ralph Shaw 2011


 
 
 
 
You can Contact me by...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
email:bowlerhat@shaw.ca
phone: 604 689 2937 (Intl +1)
on the web:http://www.ralphshaw.ca/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
 
 

Forward email
   

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Ralph Shaw Entertainment | 105-1035 Pacific St. | Vancouver | BC | V6E4G7 | Canada

[Uketeufel]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Ukulele Entertainer

Inspired Ideas to Maximize your Music
Tuesday 14 2012
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Raimund,

Memorizing a song for a performance can be somewhat stressful. Today I offer some ideas to help you with the first (and second) time showing of a new song. Btw. Please consider forwarding this newsletter to a friend. Oh, and while you\'re here, check out The Ukulele Entertainer book!  

Word count this issue:  736 words

Estimated reading time:  under 3 minutes

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
 
 
UE #79 Memory and Performance  

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The mystery

I really wish I could give you one easy method to help you memorize songs but I can\'t. The human mind is a mystery even to those who study it in detail. Our minds all work differently from one another. The way I learn a song may be entirely at odds with how you do it. As if that weren\'t enough, the stress of performance can change everything. It\'s common to find ourselves unable to remember even the first word of a song we sang flawlessly at home.

 

Allow time

Through trial and error I\'ve found that I learn songs slowly, but well. If I have to perform a song without music in front of me I make sure to be working on it at least three weeks beforehand. Although I\'ve been known to memorize songs quickly, sometimes in just a few hours, it generally culminates in missing chords, words and even whole sections of the song. Having a longer lead time does two things for me: First it allows the song to become a part of my being: I want the song to sit comfortably in my psyche so I hardly need to think what word or line is coming next. Secondly it helps enormously with confidence. It\'s stressful to sing a song onstage that was only committed to memory a day ago. I\'m much calmer if I\'ve already been singing a song for some time.

 

A photographic memory doesn\'t always help

Although it would be nice to instantly commit lyrics to memory I would not want to do so at the expense of performance quality. One player I know has a photographic memory. He can quickly store any number of songs in his memory banks. He\'s also a very musical person and has no problem with stage fright. Sounds ideal, yes? His performances are technically well executed but woefully uninspiring. He doesn\'t make eye contact with listeners. His eyes are up in the air and appear to move from left to right. It\'s as if he sees the song lyrics inscribed above the heads of the audience who, for the most part, sit bored and unmoved. Enjoy the process of learning great songs; research and mine their hidden depths to seek new meanings in the words.

 

Develop a process that works for you

 Figure out how long it takes you to fully commit a song to memory. Collect techniques that help you to learn. Try these:

 

- Work on the song often and for short amounts of time.

- Get away from using the paper as soon as you can.

- Sing the song to yourself when not playing ukulele (leave your music devices at home next time you go for a walk. Instead, sing your song over and over.)

- Practice the song last thing at night before going to sleep and then again first thing next morning.

- Rehearse creatively: Play the song for an imaginary live audience, again and again.

 

The big night

Eventually you\'ll know how long it takes you to get a song ready for that nerve-wracking initial presentation. As with first impressions you only get one chance to sing a song in public for the first time. Sometimes the result is a disaster. But here\'s something interesting: if you\'ve done your work well then it is possible that the first time out with a new song could be the best performance of it you\'ll ever give. I\'m not completely sure how this effect happens. It seems that the product of the work plus heightened focus and raw awareness that the stage brings often contributes to a performance that a crowd finds completely captivating. It\'s like a high wire act. You don\'t need to tell the audience that you\'re unveiling a new song. Their animal instincts sense the fact that you are stepping on the edge and could fall at any moment. It\'s a thrill for them and a powerful moment for you. And oh what a relief it is to get to the other side and step onto solid ground once more!

 

Beware

The most dangerous performance is not the first one, it\'s the second one. Don\'t be lulled into a warm feeling of security that the worst is over. I tend to make more mistakes on the second outing of a song than the first. So I urge you to prepare for the second performance as if the first one had not even happened.

 

© Ralph Shaw 2012  

 
 
EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 

 
The Ukulele Entertainer by Ralph Shaw
New Book: The Ukulele Entertainer


Powerful Pointers for Players and Performers

Be the Best Ukulele Entertainer You Can Be!
available from www.RalphShaw.ca

Put strings on a ukulele - correctly,
Play three styles of triplet strum
Know where to look when you sing
Tackle nerves and stage fright
Start and run a ukulele club
Remember lyrics and sing on pitch
Create a killer set list and much more. Learn from a seasoned pro how to relax and improvise, introduce more dynamics into your playing, even-just for fun-how to make ukulele wine! You\'ll get some lessons in musical history and be royally entertained by the \"King of the Ukulele\" himself.
 
\"where else can you learn to play the \"wimpy-strong\" strum from a man who actually touched Liam Neeson\'s wig?\" -From the foreword by ukulele master James Hill

Calendar

 

Feb 25/26 Vancouver Ukulele Fest Vancouver, BC. Workshops only.  

 

March 2/3 Gorge Ukulele Festival, Hood River, Oregon. Friday Show and Sat workshops

 

Australia Tour (March/April):  

 

March  

8 to 11: Melbourne Ukulele Festival  

Weds 14: BUMS Brisbane Uke Club

Thu/Fri 15/16: Bangalow, Northern Rivers  

Sat/Sun 17/18: SCUM Sunshine Coast Ukulele Club

Mon 19: BUK Balmain Club.
Tue 20: Balmain workshop at Guitar Factory. (to be confirmed by John Penhallow)
Wed 21: Swingaleles Wollongong.
Thu/Fri/Sat 22/23/24: Canberra events.
Sun/Mon 25/26: Milton
Wed 28: Newcastle
Thu 29: Uke-East/Petersham.
Sat/Sun 30th/31 Blue Mountains events.  
April 2nd: SSCUM South Sydney Uke Club  

 

If you found value in this newsletter. Please forward it to your friends that may be interested (Just use the little blue \"forward email\" link near the end of this email).

Got ideas for future newsletters? Then let me know. I\'ll be more than happy to consider them.

Privacy Policy: I will never share information from my email contacts list with anyone, for any reason whatsoever.

To change your email address: Go to the \"update profile/email address\" link near the end of the page.

To unsubscribe: Go to the \"safe unsubscribe\" link near the end of the page.

To subscribe: just visit my Newsletter Signup page where you can also see the Archive of previous newsletters.

Make a financial contribution to support this newsletter:
Make a Donation using Paypal or Credit Card


© Ralph Shaw 2011


 
 
 
 
You can Contact me by...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
email:bowlerhat@shaw.ca
phone: 604 689 2937 (Intl +1)
on the web:http://www.ralphshaw.ca/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Uketeufel]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Ukulele Entertainer

Inspired Ideas to Maximize your Music
February 28 2012
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Raimund,

After judging a video song contest I came away with some basic ideas to make your Youtube efforts more watchable. Btw. Please consider forwarding this newsletter to a friend. Oh, and while you\'re here, check out The Ukulele Entertainer book!  

Word count this issue:  879 words

Estimated reading time:  3½ minutes

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
 
 
UE #80 Make Better Youtube Videos - Please!  

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

These days I hardly watch Youtube at all. Unless I have an extremely compelling reason to go there it\'s simply a resource I use for learning songs. Much of my disinterest in Youtube\'s enormous, and ever growing, content stems from the poor quality of so many homemade musical videos.

 

In the run up to a local festival I helped judge about two dozen entries in the categories of Best Original Song, Best Cover Song and Best Ensemble Song. It was my first time judging such a competition and I found it surprisingly difficult. Separating the qualities of songwriting, singing ability, performance and videography to come up with a grade that fairly represented the videos was a challenge.

 

In congratulating the contestants I found myself saying, \"All the videos were so good it was hard to know which one to pick.\" Indeed, there were many talented performances but the truth is that nearly every video contained flaws that could so easily have been avoided. So I\'ve come up with a list of things you can do to make your videos, if not great, then at least more watchable:

 

1) Beware of hats. When Britain\'s Prince William came to Canada he was presented with a beautiful white cowboy hat. Did he put it on his head right away and grin for the cameras? No he did not. And there\'s a good reason for that. Hats can make you look odd, foolish, creepy or just plain crazy. This is especially true with low quality videos shot with bad lighting so they cast shadows to hide your eyes. Hats can work, but make sure your chosen titfer (cockney rhyming slang) supports your performance rather than serves as a distraction. Later on in their Canada tour William, Kate and the coach driver wore cowboy hats for a carefully planned photo op. and they looked great.

 

2) Find good sound balance. In many of the contest videos the ukulele was so loud it overpowered the vocal. Since many singers aren\'t enunciating too well to begin with, this makes it very hard to hear lyrics. Think of the ukulele as your backing instrument. Got an electric uke? Avoid using it. The sound of cheap pickups through computer speakers comes through with a lot of treble and not enough lower frequency tones. It sounds poor and tinny and usually way too loud. Position the recorder so your voice is the primary feature and use the natural acoustic sound of your instrument.

 

3) Sing clearly and well. You may think it\'s cool to mush up the words but I, and some others, have little tolerance for a song whose lyrics can\'t be made out. Use vocal techniques such as dynamics, vibrato and phrasing to make the song more interesting to listeners.

 

4) Think about your location, wardrobe and camera angles. There are many ways to look weird and eccentric and you probably want to avoid that. Imagine how your video will look to others, and ask yourself, \"Is this how I want the rest of the world to see me long into the future and possibly after I\'m dead?\"

 

5) Make eye contact. Communicate. Looking away to one side, up in the air or down at your feet sends a mixed message. It\'s as if you\'re saying: \"I have something important to tell you so excuse me while I focus my attention somewhere else entirely.\" Relate to the camera as you would to a person.

 

6) Create emotion and playfulness. This is what makes your video worth watching. As viewers we\'re not expecting a flawless performance. But as we gaze at your work we do yearn for a glimpse, however brief, of your humanity. So show us who you are. Entertain us: make us laugh, cry or wonder. Exactly how you achieve this is your call but work on it before you power up the camera. Don\'t believe for a moment that the camera will create the magic for you. Take a risk and do something a little outside your comfort zone (but keep your clothes on. Sheesh.)

 

7) Do many takes. Be honest with yourself. Notice any problems your video has. Solve the issues and try again.

 

And... SMILE!! Remember, you\'re making a Youtube video, not defusing a bomb.

 

To back up some of my points I\'d like to show you the winner of the Solo Cover Song category. Her name is Jessie McNeil. Her video which you can see here on Vimeo (a similar site to Youtube) is all the more remarkable since the song she sings, Swing Low Sweet Chariot, is one I bet you\'ve heard hundreds of times. But look at what she does right: The video clearly shows her face and ukulele; not a pile of background clutter. The sound is clear and balanced. I admit she doesn\'t make much eye contact but that isn\'t a problem here because of her introspective performance style. See the many small ways she subtly conveys the emotion of the song.

 

You\'ll also note that she sings with rare grace and a natural charisma. It\'s the sort of voice that most of us could spend a lifetime struggling to achieve and still not get there. Despite her obvious talent she could easily have spoiled her video. But either through good luck or careful planning she didn\'t. Oh, and did you notice? No hat.

 

© Ralph Shaw 2012  

 
 
EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
New Book: The Ukulele Entertainer


Powerful Pointers for Players and Performers

Be the Best Ukulele Entertainer You Can Be!
available from www.RalphShaw.ca

Put strings on a ukulele - correctly,
Play three styles of triplet strum
Know where to look when you sing
Tackle nerves and stage fright
Start and run a ukulele club
Remember lyrics and sing on pitch
Create a killer set list and much more. Learn from a seasoned pro how to relax and improvise, introduce more dynamics into your playing, even-just for fun-how to make ukulele wine! You\'ll get some lessons in musical history and be royally entertained by the \"King of the Ukulele\" himself.
 
\"where else can you learn to play the \"wimpy-strong\" strum from a man who actually touched Liam Neeson\'s wig?\" -From the foreword by ukulele master James Hill

Calendar

 

March 2/3 Gorge Ukulele Festival, Hood River, Oregon. Friday Show and Sat workshops

 

Australia Tour (March/April):  

 

March  

8 to 11: Melbourne Ukulele Festival  

Weds 14: BUMS Brisbane Uke Club

Thu/Fri 15/16: Bangalow, Northern Rivers  

Sat/Sun 17/18: SCUM Sunshine Coast Ukulele Club

Mon 19: BUK Balmain Club.
Tue 20: Balmain workshop at Guitar Factory. (to be confirmed by John Penhallow)
Wed 21: Swingaleles Wollongong.
Thu/Fri/Sat 22/23/24: Canberra events.
Sun/Mon 25/26: Milton
Wed 28: Newcastle
Thu 29: Uke-East/Petersham.
Sat/Sun 30th/31 Blue Mountains events.  
April 2nd: SSCUM South Sydney Uke Club  

 

If you found value in this newsletter. Please forward it to your friends that may be interested (Just use the little blue \"forward email\" link near the end of this email).

Got ideas for future newsletters? Then let me know. I\'ll be more than happy to consider them.

Privacy Policy: I will never share information from my email contacts list with anyone, for any reason whatsoever.

To change your email address: Go to the \"update profile/email address\" link near the end of the page.

To unsubscribe: Go to the \"safe unsubscribe\" link near the end of the page.

To subscribe: just visit my Newsletter Signup page where you can also see the Archive of previous newsletters.

Make a financial contribution to support this newsletter:
Make a Donation using Paypal or Credit Card


© Ralph Shaw 2011


 
 
 
 
You can Contact me by...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
email:bowlerhat@shaw.ca
phone: 604 689 2937 (Intl +1)
on the web:http://www.ralphshaw.ca/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Spottdrossel]

After judging a video song contest I came away with some basic ideas to make your Youtube efforts more watchable.
 

1) [size=18]Beware of hats.[/size] When Britain\'s Prince William came to Canada he was presented with a beautiful white cowboy hat. Did he put it on his head right away and grin for the cameras? No he did not. And there\'s a good reason for that. Hats can make you look odd, foolish, creepy or just plain crazy. This is especially true with low quality videos shot with bad lighting so they cast shadows to hide your eyes. Hats can work, but make sure your chosen titfer (cockney rhyming slang) supports your performance rather than serves as a distraction. Later on in their Canada tour William, Kate and the coach driver wore cowboy hats for a carefully planned photo op. and they looked great.

OK... kein Hut mehr....   hehehe   NIEMALS!!!!!!!!  :twisted:

BTW - Ich habe sein Buch gekauft und es ist ausgezeichnet!

[Uketeufel]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Ukulele Entertainer

Inspired Ideas to Maximize your Music
May 22 2012
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Raimund,

Here is the final part of my Australian tour travelogue. I hope you\'ve enjoyed coming with me on my journey. To read the same thing with pictures Visit my blogpage Btw. Please consider forwarding this newsletter to a friend!

Word count this issue:  1761 words

Estimated reading time:  seven minutes max

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
 
 
The Ukulele Entertainer Downunder Part 5: Hey, the Sun is Going Backwards!      

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Newcastle, Australia, boasts more ukulele players per capita than anywhere else in the country: no-one\'s sure if the claim is true but if so it\'s surely due to the combined energies of Mark Jackson, his partner Jane Jelbart, and their friend Danielle Scott. Between them they teach classes for adults and kids, lead ukulele groups and do gigs with their own small combo. Newcastle is also a first class surfing location. Mark and Jane live close to the beach and though my time was limited we promised me some beach-time before I moved on.

 

My workshop and performance took place at The Royal Exchange Theatre. Let me tell you about this venue. It calls itself a Hybrid Theatre and is the sort of spot I could imagine myself running had I gone the path of putting on shows instead of being in them. Part of its bohemian character is down to longevity. Small theatres start up all the time but they usually don\'t last long. It\'s remarkable that Dean Winter has been running this place for eleven years. One night you could be there watching a comedy cabaret, the next you might find yourself in a picture house specializing in \"cinema for the soul\", the next a concert venue, or a life drawing class featuring a contortionist.

 

Places with limited seating can only exist with low overhead costs. To this end Dean operates his theatre mostly as a one-man show. I saw him single-handedly set up the room, lights and sound for both myself and the opening act (The Newcastle Ukestra.) During intermission Dean was in the bar pouring wine and beer for thirsty customers; not licensed for alcohol he invites \"donations\" in exchange for \"free\" drinks. I informed Dean I would make my entrance through the main door of the theatre. When the time came Dean was right there following me with a spotlight.

 

His years of hands-on experience have brought him the sort of journeyman\'s facility which enables him to play his theatre as if it were some big musical instrument. And a touch I especially appreciated: at the top of the stairs, within a massive ornate frame, hangs a huge poster of Tiny Tim.

 

Next morning I was with Mark down at the beach. After a few questions about my swimming experience he established that I wasn\'t ready to ride the big rollers, so he surfed while I spent an idyllic hour splashing around in the shallow waters and jogging on the beach. And that was pretty much it for my entire beach time in Australia. Next time remind me to plan for more.

 

John Chandler was an invaluable asset to me whenever I was in or near Sydney. He\'s pretty well known in those parts thanks to his work as a ukulele teacher and uke dealer selling instruments from both the Magic Fluke and Boulder Creek companies. Not only did John help me with introductions and travel to many of the local uke clubs such as Balmain, Gladesville and Petersham, but he was also the consummate tour-guide making sure I saw everything of note while in NSW.

 

A day out in Sydney was organized by John and Evelyn Chandler. We rode on the Manley Ferry and saw the Opera House, Sydney\'s Luna Park and the Zoo. We visited touristy shops and, since this was my first chance to shop for souvenirs, I suddenly found the impulse to purchase so strong that I ravenously bought trinkets at every stop. At days\' end I looked in the bag and it was full of absolute crap. I\'d bought A PVC place-mat showing a pictorial map of Australia, a hand-painted melamine plate with its own plastic display stand, a bottle opener, two tea towels, some postcards and a hat. Actually, in retrospect, the hat is great, I wear it regularly; and the tea towels aren\'t bad either; and the bottle opener is useful; in fact the plate looks fabulous on our mantle-piece at home. But the PVC place-mat, that is still crap.

 

Evelyn is a wonderful cook and we were joined by Cameron Murray and uke-luthier Steve Taylor for an extremely enjoyable evening meal. I had crossed paths with Cameron several times on this visit but never really got to know him. I learned that he is one of the rare folks who, like myself, was already plonking a uke back in the 1990s. Having initially inherited and learned the instrument from his grandfather his personal interest and journalistic background have conspired to produce Kamuke magazine. It\'s a colourful and informative periodical that I\'m sure you will enjoy [especially issue Four - coming soon - which features a tall man with bow-tie and English accent. Offstage whisper: Ralph Shaw!]

 

John, Evelyn and I took a most memorable trip to the Blue Mountains stopping first at Springwood: The town was holding a street festival to celebrate something or other; of the three locals I asked no-one knew what was being celebrated. I was delighted to join the legendary Blue MUGs (Blue Mountain Ukulele Group) on the main stage. The Blue MUGs are another ukulele band except they have taken the art of having a bunch of ukulele players onstage to full-on professional-level entertainment.  

 

Several factors have contributed to their highly entertaining show but it seems to mostly be down to personnel. Every aspect of their show has got people with expertise and energy to make things go as well as they possibly can: Rob Weule is the chief musical engine that drives the show. Assisting him are a couple of lads - James and Taylor - on bass and drums, plus several others eager to take on lead vocals. \"Dancin\' Dean\" provides an eyeful of reckless abandon as he enthusiastically boogies his aspects off at stage-front; yet thoughtfully managing to do so without totally hogging the limelight. Steve Roberts heads the organizational team that communicates, books gigs and, yes, even obtains permission for the songs that the group sings. Steve is rightly proud of the fact that he and his team personally got permission from Australian supergroup AC/DC to perform their song It\'s A Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock and Roll) both onstage and printed in their ukulele club songbook. Quite spectacularly they got permission to use every one of the approximately 250 songs in the songbook; a massive undertaking that was extremely worthwhile, renders them fully legal and quite frankly makes the rest of us look bad! This video of The Blue MUGS was taken on ANZAC Day, April 25. It\'s not a typical show but cool for the fact that it features bagpipe accompaniment.

 

My Blue Mountains workshop and show took place on the stage of the venerable Alexandra Hotel in Leura. It\'s a genteel pub with refined dining during the day and wall-thumping disco on Saturday night. I took a nap in my hotel room one afternoon. Since the sun had already passed I left the curtains open. Shortly thereafter, the sun was shining in my face. How could this possibly be? It took me a moment to realise the sun travels from right to left in the southern hemisphere. Wow. Nearly every day in Australia provides me with something to blow my mind.

 

My forty-five minute evening show went on for at least an hour and a half. It was a little long but I can only blame the Blue MUGS whose enthusiasm as an audience easily equals their onstage drive. It was a bloody good time and I\'ll never forget the spontaneous collaborations on Viva Las Vegas and Stairway to Heaven.

 

Next day John, Evelyn and I were up bright and bleary to see the sights. You\'d think the extra hour of sleep caused by the autumn time change would have seen us in tiptop shape but unfortunately the DJ felt licensed to run the Saturday disco, thumping away below our rooms, until 3am instead of the usual 2am.

 

As we approached our first destination, the renowned Echo Point, John regaled me with happy childhood memories of visiting this place. I asked, \"So what is the echo like then John?\" He replied \"I never thought to try\".  

 

Tourists milled about, looking through binoculars and such while I marvelled that people could come to a place called Echo Point and not bawl their tonsils out to appreciate every feature of the locations\' sound bouncing qualities. It was up to me. I cupped my hands around my mouth, filled my lungs, and bellowed \"HELLOOOOO.\" I waited expectantly. Nothing. I waited some more; still nothing. The other tourists were staring fixedly at the view to avoid any eye contact with crazy shouting man. I turned to them uttering, \"There\'s no echo\". Then louder, \"It\'s a sham. You\'ve all been tricked. There\'s no echo. Go home\". A few laughed but nobody left. I suppose they all felt that a world class view rivaling the Grand Canyon was enough. Besides, it was free, so what\'s to complain about?

 

The only distant sound I could hear up in those lofty heights was the call of the Bell Bird. Actually its penetrating squeak is rather more like a loud rusty axle than any kind of bell. It\'s amazing to hear nature produce such an industrial sort of sound. Comparable, I suppose, to the pneumatic rat-a-tat-tat of a woodpecker echoing through the British Columbian forests.

 

We had an enjoyable day poking around local shops. I was thrilled to find a perfect Balinese Aloha shirt in Leura. And later I scored, not one, but two toast racks! This was in a magical and dusty antique shop in Lawson run by a woman not a day under 147. Folks in Canada have never heard of toast racks and have no concept of the need for crisp toast. What is wrong with these people?

 

My final evening in Australia was a workshop/performance at St. George and Sutherland Community of Ukulele Musicians (SSCUM), John\'s own uke club in Gymea. The crowd was fabulous and it was a perfect evening with which to end my tour of Australia.

 

In order to keep these newsletters as concise as possible I\'ve left out so many stories, impressions and meetings with friendly Aussies. Memories include train travel, trying to figure out what sort of socks work best with sandals (I am part British after all) and learning the history of the song Waltzing Matilda. I experienced tropical humidity, torrential rain, blistering sun and an electrical storm never to be forgotten. It was a wonderful time in so many ways and if you\'ve never been, I urge you to visit Oz!    

 

Heading home. As my plane approached Vancouver the satellite TV came on and I saw Canada\'s Got Talent, a show I\'d auditioned for in September 2011.  The judges, including comedian Martin Short, were reacting to everything in that ludicrously over the top manner which one expects from these programs. Since I never got a call back from my audition I was curious to see what I\'d missed out on.

 

The acts, nearly all non-musical, although on audition day probably 90% were singers, included a fire twirler, some acrobats and a bicycle balancing duo from Vancouver. When they eventually did get to a singer it turned out she was young, female, pretty and had given up a kidney to save the life of her brother. Jeez, I thought, it\'s no wonder I didn\'t make the grade if those are the standards they expect!

 

© Ralph Shaw 2012  

 
 
EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
New Book: The Ukulele Entertainer


Powerful Pointers for Players and Performers

Be the Best Ukulele Entertainer You Can Be!
available from www.RalphShaw.ca

Put strings on a ukulele - correctly,
Play three styles of triplet strum
Know where to look when you sing
Tackle nerves and stage fright
Start and run a ukulele club
Remember lyrics and sing on pitch
Create a killer set list and much more. Learn from a seasoned pro how to relax and improvise, introduce more dynamics into your playing, even-just for fun-how to make ukulele wine! You\'ll get some lessons in musical history and be royally entertained by the \"King of the Ukulele\" himself.
 
\"where else can you learn to play the \"wimpy-strong\" strum from a man who actually touched Liam Neeson\'s wig?\" -From the foreword by ukulele master James Hill

Calendar

 
June 23/24: Seattle Workshops and Concert at - Dusty Strings Ukulele Festival


If you found value in this newsletter. Please forward it to your friends that may be interested (Just use the little blue \"forward email\" link near the end of this email).

Got ideas for future newsletters? Then let me know. I\'ll be more than happy to consider them.

Privacy Policy: I will never share information from my email contacts list with anyone, for any reason whatsoever.

To change your email address: Go to the \"update profile/email address\" link near the end of the page.

To unsubscribe: Go to the \"safe unsubscribe\" link near the end of the page.

To subscribe: just visit my Newsletter Signup page where you can also see the Archive of previous newsletters.

Make a financial contribution to support this newsletter:
Make a Donation using Paypal or Credit Card


© Ralph Shaw 2011

[Uketeufel]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Ukulele Entertainer

Inspired Ideas to Maximize your Music
June 5, 2012
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Raimund,

If you\'ve been playing for a while you may be getting to the point where you need to supply your own Public Address system, or P.A. This can be a daunting prospect if knobs, buttons and blinking lights generate a cold sweat. Today some help from one non-techie (that\'s me) to another (that would be you.) on using a basic P.A.

And I have Workshops and Concerts coming later this month in Seattle WA and Courtenay BC - See the end of this email for details.

Word count this issue:  910 words

Estimated reading time:  over 3.5 minutes

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
 
 
UE #81  Your First P.A.      

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Being at the mercy of other people\'s bad sound systems can be funny but is rarely fun. A friend of mine Paul Latta runs a Las Vegas style Polynesian dance company. His tales of bad PAs that his clients have supplied (usually to avoid renting professional sound gear) are quite hilarious. My favourite is the time he arrived at a gig and the client handed him a childs\' my first Sony CD player. In order to avoid such situations it can be beneficial to get your own gear.

 

What Is a PA Exactly?

PA, Sound System and Amp are fairly interchangeable terms meaning: equipment that makes you louder.

 

PAs/Sound Systems can have multiple components including: microphones, a mixer, an amplifier, monitor speakers and main speakers which all connect by cables. You don\'t really need all that stuff. An Amp (shorthand for amplifier, but it also includes a speaker and inputs for a couple of microphones) is a single device that does the job.

 

What Do I Need?

Think about your requirements. The average ukulele entertainer needs a P.A. that is:

-       Loud enough to be heard at most of the gigs you expect to be doing.

-       As natural sounding as possible. What comes out of the speaker should be like your acoustic sound only louder.

-       Reasonably portable. Think about how you travel to gigs. Will it fit in your vehicle? Can it be carried by bike, bus or on the plane?

-       Reasonably priced. Generally, the more you pay the better you sound.

-       Simple to use. Forget any piece of equipment that is so complex you feel you need a Masters degree in acoustic sciences to work it.

 

What\'s Available?

The good news is that many PA companies now sell portable amps tailor-made for independent small-scale performers. Just plug in your microphones, adjust the sound controls and sing. They require little expertise, are reasonably priced and sometimes have a built-in battery for outdoor gigs where no electricity is available.

 

How Much Should I Spend?

An \"okay\" sounding amp can cost two or three hundred dollars. That was my budget twelve years ago when I went shopping for an amp at my local music shop. Rob, the owner, insisted on showing me an amp that had just come in-German-made by AER-it could be lifted with one hand. The sound was clean and powerful and without distortion at loud volume. It was also five times over my budget but I knew right away I had to get it. To pay for it I sold all my multi-component gear-a purchase I never regretted-the new amp was an improvement over the old PA in every way. I\'m not necessarily saying that AER is what you should get. Look around, these days there are more choices and prices have come down. Try some out and see what works for you.

 

What Do All Those Knobs and Buttons Do?

To illustrate this I\'ve grabbed a picture of the control panel of a guitar amp (cross out the word guitar and put in ukulele if it makes you feel better.) You can see it has two main sections called Channel 1 and Channel 2:  

 

 

Channel 1 - If your instrument has an electric pickup plug the ¼ inch cord from your instrument into the Channel 1 \"input\". If your uke doesn\'t have a pickup you\'ll need to play it into a microphone.  

Note: Most microphone cables have an XLR connector - that\'s a chunky connector with 3 pins inside. You can buy an adapter to take your XLR so you can plug into the ¼ inch socket.

 

Channel 2 - This is for your vocal microphone. You can see that this input takes the XLR 3-pin connector from a standard microphone cable.

 

Gain - Each channel has a Gain control meaning that your instrument and voice each have their own volume knobs. When turning on the amp always start with each Gain and Master volume set at zero. Increase the levels slowly so you don\'t blow your speaker. Turn up the Master a little and then adjust each Gain so voice and ukulele are in good balance. Then turn up the total volume to the required level using the Master.

 

Clip - If a red Clip light is coming on then your Gain is set too high. So turn down the Gain and increase the master volume. If your master is turned up full, your Clip lights are on and you\'re still not loud enough - it\'s time for a bigger amp.

 

EQ Controls (equalization) - Bass, middle and treble are used to adjust the frequencies of your sound. Set them to center position. Listen to your sound. Is it too tinny? Then turn down the treble a little (or turn up the middle). Too boomy, then turn down the bass. Different rooms and different crowds require different EQ settings. If possible get someone with experience to stand in the audience and inform you what adjustments should be made. If you\'re not sure, keep them centered.

 

Effects - Some amps have effects built into them. The most common two are reverb and echo. I never use echo but reverb is useful. It fills out your sound (like singing in the shower) and that\'s good, up to a point. The Return knob gives you more and more reverb. But keep it subtle. If it\'s turned up to where people notice you\'ve added reverb then it\'s too high. The eff. (effects) pan allows you to put more effect either onto your voice or your instrument.

 

Not all amps are exactly as described. You\'ll find every PA has its own idiosyncrasies to figure out, so don\'t be afraid to learn on the job.  

 

Having your own gear will add to your performing confidence. Many facilities, such as community and old folks centers, for example, will boast that they have a PA for you to use. But be wary - it may be a my first Sony!!

 

Next time: Some microphone basics for you.  

 
© Ralph Shaw 2012  

 
 
EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 

 
New Book: The Ukulele Entertainer


Powerful Pointers for Players and Performers

Be the Best Ukulele Entertainer You Can Be!
available from www.RalphShaw.ca

Put strings on a ukulele - correctly,
Play three styles of triplet strum
Know where to look when you sing
Tackle nerves and stage fright
Start and run a ukulele club
Remember lyrics and sing on pitch
Create a killer set list and much more. Learn from a seasoned pro how to relax and improvise, introduce more dynamics into your playing, even-just for fun-how to make ukulele wine! You\'ll get some lessons in musical history and be royally entertained by the \"King of the Ukulele\" himself.
 
\"where else can you learn to play the \"wimpy-strong\" strum from a man who actually touched Liam Neeson\'s wig?\" -From the foreword by ukulele master James Hill

Upcoming Performance Dates:

 

Saturday June 16, Comox Valley Uke Club (Courtenay, Vancouver Island, BC)  

Workshop and Concert.  

Workshop = The Secret to Infinite Strumming Patterns-is for experienced Beginners and up. Workshop and Concert are $15 each or $25 for both. For details: email Richard.  

 

 Friday June 22 to Sunday June 24 Dusty Strings Ukulele Festival, Seattle WA

Friday night concert. 7:30 pm $23  

Saturday workshops: The Music and History of Tin-Pan-Alley + The Secret to Infinite Strumming Patterns

Sunday Workshops: Strummed Solos Using the Syncopated Slit-Stroke + Melody Licks for Strummers (Workshops $35 each)  

   

If you found value in this newsletter. Please forward it to your friends that may be interested (Just use the little blue \"forward email\" link near the end of this email).

Got ideas for future newsletters? Then let me know. I\'ll be more than happy to consider them.

Privacy Policy: I will never share information from my email contacts list with anyone, for any reason whatsoever.

To change your email address: Go to the \"update profile/email address\" link near the end of the page.

To unsubscribe: Go to the \"safe unsubscribe\" link near the end of the page.

To subscribe: just visit my Newsletter Signup page where you can also see the Archive of previous newsletters.

Make a financial contribution to support this newsletter:
Make a Donation using Paypal or Credit Card


© Ralph Shaw 2011


 
 
 
 
You can Contact me by...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
email:bowlerhat@shaw.ca
phone: 604 689 2937 (Intl +1)
on the web:http://www.ralphshaw.ca/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
 
 

Forward email
   

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Ralph Shaw Entertainment | 105-1035 Pacific St. | Vancouver | BC | V6E4G7 | Canada

[Uketeufel]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Ukulele Entertainer

Inspired Ideas to Maximize your Music
June 12, 2012
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Raimund,
 
Last time, I gave you some basic tips when getting and using your first PA. Today we\'re looking at important choices to be made when purchasing microphones to plug into your PA.

I have Workshops and Concerts coming later this month in Seattle WA and Courtenay BC - See the end of this email for details. And if you got value from this newsletter please consider forwarding it to a friend.

Word count this issue:  685 words

Estimated reading time:  just over 2.5 minutes

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
 
 
UE #82  Your Microphones and You    

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Before we discuss microphones I feel it is important to first say a few words about:

 

The Microphone Stand

Tall, thin, silent and elegant; the presence of a microphone on a stand adds focus and gravitas to a performance. Think of the singer who walks out and stands at the microphone. The seemingly inanimate mic. stand, as it is usually called, is a pedestal for an object that makes humans sound like gods. Somehow it draws the audience focus as much as a bright spotlight. For sheer charismatic appeal, a friend of mine, singer/guitarist Josh Minsky, equates the presence of a microphone stand to having a second performer onstage with you. The microphone and its accompanying stand are seldom pondered but they\'re as vital to the performers\' stage presence as the costume and the smile. I urge you to consider this phenomenon if you are considering getting a headset microphone. Such a microphone may be suitable for dancers, clowns, evangelists and anyone else who needs to jump around and wave their arms about. But unless you absolutely need to be fully mobile I\'d suggest staying with the traditional setup.

 

The stand can have a weighted base or tripod style with folding legs. I prefer the latter as it\'s lighter and easier to store. In order to make room for your ukulele plus strumming arm you\'ll want to stand back a little from the stand, so you\'ll need a microphone boom. This is a rod that attaches to the top of your stand and holds your microphone exactly where you need it. If you\'re also using an instrument microphone then you don\'t need to buy another stand. You can get a clamp which attaches to your existing stand. The clamp supports a second boom which holds your instrument microphone.

 

The Vocal Microphone

The industry standard for vocal microphones is the Shure SM58. It\'s the cardioid, dynamic (ice cream cone shaped) microphone you always see performers using. There are better sounding mics. in the world but this is a reliable and robust microphone that rarely lets you down. For optimal sound quality you need to sing close to the microphone; say about three or four inches. In other words your mouth needs to maintain a distance from the microphone equivalent to the breadth of a hand. Your body can gyrate all it wants but your head needs to stay still if you don\'t want the sound to get louder and quieter.
 

The Condenser Microphone

A different way to go is to use a condenser microphone. With this microphone the performer, or performers, can stand up to several feet behind the microphone. If you use a condenser microphone to pick up the total sound from both your voice and the ukulele then positioning is very important. The microphone needs to be placed in such a way that the voice and ukulele volumes are in balance. This microphone is more forgiving with movement than the dynamic microphone and the sound quality can be excellent. Sometimes whole bands will stand around a single microphone to play. But it doesn\'t work in all situations. Condenser microphones pick up more external sound than you expect, so watch your mouth when you turn away to say things that you think the audience can\'t hear. Feedback can also be a problem with these mics. especially in group situations. They also usually require a power supply such as a battery or 48V phantom power (usually supplied by the amplifier). Before buying a condenser microphone make sure it\'s what you need and that your amp can supply the phantom power if necessary.
 
The Instrument Microphone  

If you want to plug your instrument directly into an amp then your uke needs to have a pickup either built into it or stuck onto it. For information about ukulele pickups read my earlier newsletter or buy my book.

 

Truly though, you\'ll usually get a better sound by using an external microphone. Once again the Shure company can claim the most widely used instrument microphone of all. The Shure SM57 invented by Shure engineer Ernie Seeler, is a microphone you can use onstage or in the studio. It shouldn\'t let you down, in fact, It\'s been used to amplify speeches by every president since its introduction in 1965. Mr Seeler, expected his microphone to be used for classical orchestras. He despised rock music which, ironically, is where his microphone has been most used for the last four decades. There is no word on what he thought of ukuleles.  

 

When buying sound equipment: Remember that being louder does not equate to sounding better. Seek equipment that retains as much of your natural acoustic sound as possible.

   

(Does anyone remember the 1980s Michael Keaton comedy Johnny Dangerously? The title of todays\' newsletter is an oblique reference to something in that movie, perhaps only amusing to me!)


© Ralph Shaw 2012  

 
 
EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 

 
New Book: The Ukulele Entertainer


Powerful Pointers for Players and Performers

Be the Best Ukulele Entertainer You Can Be!
available from www.RalphShaw.ca

Put strings on a ukulele - correctly,
Play three styles of triplet strum
Know where to look when you sing
Tackle nerves and stage fright
Start and run a ukulele club
Remember lyrics and sing on pitch
Create a killer set list and much more. Learn from a seasoned pro how to relax and improvise, introduce more dynamics into your playing, even-just for fun-how to make ukulele wine! You\'ll get some lessons in musical history and be royally entertained by the \"King of the Ukulele\" himself.
 
\"where else can you learn to play the \"wimpy-strong\" strum from a man who actually touched Liam Neeson\'s wig?\" -From the foreword by ukulele master James Hill

Upcoming Performance Dates:

 

Saturday June 16, Comox Valley Uke Club (Courtenay, Vancouver Island, BC)  

Workshop and Concert.  

Workshop = The Secret to Infinite Strumming Patterns-is for experienced Beginners and up. Workshop and Concert are $15 each or $25 for both. For details: email Richard.  

 

 Friday June 22 to Sunday June 24 Dusty Strings Ukulele Festival, Seattle WA

Friday night concert. 7:30 pm $23  

Saturday workshops: The Music and History of Tin-Pan-Alley + The Secret to Infinite Strumming Patterns

Sunday Workshops: Strummed Solos Using the Syncopated Slit-Stroke + Melody Licks for Strummers (Workshops $35 each)  

   

If you found value in this newsletter. Please forward it to your friends that may be interested (Just use the little blue \"forward email\" link near the end of this email).

Got ideas for future newsletters? Then let me know. I\'ll be more than happy to consider them.

Privacy Policy: I will never share information from my email contacts list with anyone, for any reason whatsoever.

To change your email address: Go to the \"update profile/email address\" link near the end of the page.

To unsubscribe: Go to the \"safe unsubscribe\" link near the end of the page.

To subscribe: just visit my Newsletter Signup page where you can also see the Archive of previous newsletters.

Make a financial contribution to support this newsletter:
Make a Donation using Paypal or Credit Card


© Ralph Shaw 2011


 
 
 
 
You can Contact me by...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
email:bowlerhat@shaw.ca
phone: 604 689 2937 (Intl +1)
on the web:http://www.ralphshaw.ca/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
 
 

Forward email
   

This email was sent to sper@online.de by bowlerhat@shaw.ca |  
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Ralph Shaw Entertainment | 105-1035 Pacific St. | Vancouver | BC | V6E4G7 | Canada

[Uketeufel]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Ukulele Entertainer

Inspired Ideas to Maximize your Music
June 26, 2012
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Raimund,
 
Ukulele players who are starting to perform in public tell me they wish their performance skills were better and they wonder what to do about it. Today I offer some important, yet playful, suggestions to help you put on a show that your

audiences will enjoy. btw. If you get value from this newsletter please consider forwarding it to a friend!


Word count this issue:  929 words

Estimated reading time:  about 3.5 minutes

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UE #83  Play and Have Fun!    

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Once a month I run the Vancouver Ukulele Circle. It\'s a roomful of 90 or so people who come along with ukes and pack the Our Town Café well beyond the point of \"standing room only\". They come for the enjoyment of playing music with like-minded friends. But it\'s obvious from their faces, and the laughter that comes out of those faces, that they also get very entertained. While at the ukulele circle their hearts get lifted, problems get forgotten and smiles get broader. You might ask who or what is responsible for this phenomenon? Well, and I say this with all humility, much of it is due to me.

 

When I head off to run my ukulele club I leave home with the desire, aim and commitment to put on a great show. It\'s no different from every other gig I do. When my fellow ukers and I start to play you might notice, if you could do some sort of a clever brain scan, that my mind is fully on the job of making every moment count towards entertaining my fellow strummers.

 

People love the variety. The off-the-cuff comments, the humorous asides, my improvised singing, my hot dance moves and the way I pick on individuals--in a good natured way of course--all adds up to an evening where folks don\'t really know what is going to happen next and anything is possible. If I had to sum up what I do with just one word I\'d call it playing.

 

Although we are used to saying that we play music and play the ukulele the lightness and easiness of the word gets forgotten somewhere during the practice stage; so, by the time we actually get to perform, this thing we do has become a serious business indeed. So serious, in fact, that the dread of performing can lead to paralyzing stage fright. For most though, the seriousness of playing music in front of others is a somewhat staid ordeal. You\'re so busy trying to \"get it right\" or \"not screw up\" that there is no time for the extra fun stuff. That is the actual parts of your performance that make it engaging and worthwhile.

 

Whenever I leave the house to go to a gig the last words I hear from my wife Kathryn, as I go out to the car are \"Have fun!\" It has become something of a ritual for us. There is always a moment, just as I step in the car that I take mental pause to contemplate Kathryn\'s words and consider their importance. When people see me perform they do indeed want my show to be of a satisfyingly high musical standard. But deep down inside they want to be entertained. It\'s always been this way since the beginning of humanity.

 

Before Shakespeare\'s time actors were known as players. I saw Ricky Gervais interviewed on David Letterman\'s talk show, just before Gervais was to host the Golden Globe acting awards for the third time. He was asked to justify his somewhat sharp mockery towards the actors present in the theatre. Letterman wondered if Gervais was perhaps being a little too cruel. Gervais replied saying, Give me a break, they\'re not wounded soldiers. We\'re talking about people who pretend to be other people for a living. Of course I\'m going to make fun of that.

 

People love Gervais\'s irreverence. And the ratings for the Golden Globes went up every year that he hosted them. But what does it mean when we say that musicians and actors are players? And how do we improve our spirit of playfulness? Well, if we want to be better players I suggest we learn from the experts: kids. If you ever get a chance, try and eavesdrop on some children who are in the middle of free play. Listen to the ease with which ideas flow. You were a child once. Cast your mind back to a time when you had the sort of easy facility to create a mental playground with your friends. Any room in which you found yourselves could, in your imaginations, become a cave, a palace, a hospital or a bus.  

 

Once, when about six years old, during recess at school, my friends and I were playing at being knights in armour. One of our number, Richard Pratt, had an air of authority about him. We honestly believed that he knew everything. I tired of being a knight and called to Richard to ask, \"Were there dinosaurs in those days?\" Richard thoughtfully considered my question for a moment and answered, \"Yes.\" With glee I became a tyrannosaurus and attacked my armoured foes by breathing fire on them. That is play and that sort of thinking is what we need to cultivate and cherish. We need to be like Richard Pratt and say, \"Yes!\" to the silly, the abstract and ridiculous, and make it seem real enough that our audience will come along for the ride.

 

Improving our performance with playfulness, irreverence and spontaneity has the magic effect of bringing those same qualities out in others. However, such playfulness shouldn\'t come by sacrificing the quality of the music we\'ve worked so hard to achieve. It\'s important, therefore, to perform pieces that are within our skill level. Avoid performing songs that are musically over-ambitious. If you want to improve your performance you\'re going to have to relax and get playful. You can only do this if you truly have confidence in your music.

 

And one final suggestion: Since it helps to be constantly reminded of the value of having a childlike sense of play; get your spouse, parent, kid or neighbour to yell out, \"Have fun!\" every time you leave for a gig. It works for me.  

 

© Ralph Shaw 2012  

 
 
EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 

New Book: The Ukulele Entertainer
                   Powerful Pointers for Players and Performers

Be the Best Ukulele Entertainer You Can Be!

Put strings on a ukulele - correctly,
Play three styles of triplet strum
Know where to look when you sing
Tackle nerves and stage fright
Start and run a ukulele club
Remember lyrics and sing on pitch
Create a killer set list and much more. Learn from a seasoned pro how to relax and improvise, introduce more dynamics into your playing, even-just for fun-how to make ukulele wine! You\'ll get some lessons in musical history and be royally entertained by the \"King of the Ukulele\" himself.

Book available from www.RalphShaw.ca (Also find great DVDs to help you, and the child in you, with your ukulele playing.)
 
\"where else can you learn to play the \"wimpy-strong\" strum from a man who actually touched Liam Neeson\'s wig?\" -From the foreword by ukulele master James Hill



Upcoming Performance Dates:

 

 
Friday June 22 to Sunday June 24 Dusty Strings Ukulele Festival, Seattle WA

Friday night concert. 7:30 pm $23  

Saturday workshops: The Music and History of Tin-Pan-Alley + The Secret to Infinite Strumming Patterns

Sunday Workshops: Strummed Solos Using the Syncopated Slit-Stroke + Melody Licks for Strummers (All Workshops $35 each)  

   

If you found value in this newsletter. Please forward it to your friends that may be interested (Just use the little blue \"forward email\" link near the end of this email).

Got ideas for future newsletters? Then let me know. I\'ll be more than happy to consider them.

Privacy Policy: I will never share information from my email contacts list with anyone, for any reason whatsoever.

To change your email address: Go to the \"update profile/email address\" link near the end of the page.

To unsubscribe: Go to the \"safe unsubscribe\" link near the end of the page.

To subscribe: just visit my Newsletter Signup page where you can also see the Archive of previous newsletters.

Make a financial contribution to support this newsletter:
Make a Donation using Paypal or Credit Card


© Ralph Shaw 2011


 
 
 
 
You can Contact me by...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
email:bowlerhat@shaw.ca
phone: 604 689 2937 (Intl +1)
on the web:http://www.ralphshaw.ca/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Uketeufel]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Ukulele Entertainer

Inspired Ideas to Maximize your Music
July 24, 2012
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Raimund,
 
Today some suggestions to put more variation into your strumming.

You will need: 1) a Paper Bag (or piece of card) 2) You.

 

I\'ll be in Ontario and Quebec, second half of September. Keep checking my website for tour dates: www.RalphShaw.ca btw. If you get value from this newsletter please consider forwarding it to a friend!    

 

Word count this issue:  847 words

Estimated reading time:  less than 3.5 minutes

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
 
 
UE #85 Uke-less Strumming Practice

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   

It\'s very common for beginning players to get into a rut with their strumming. After learning the basics, the beginner often adopts a default, or one-size-fits-all, strum which they use for every song. We all know it shouldn\'t be that way. Recorded songs have a particular feel, or groove, and the essence of that rhythmic feeling, plus the variations within it, is what we want to capture when we strum.

 

The \"feel\" of a song refers to the basic quality of a song\'s rhythm. There are two main types of strumming feel: Straight and Swing. To illustrate this, pretend to strum a ukulele:  

 

Give the up strums equal value to the down strums so that the timing of your down-up-down-up goes: da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da. This is \"straight\" playing. Now try strumming again. But this time hesitate briefly after each down strum so as to make each up strum come slightly late. It should sound something like: daa-da-daa-da-daa-da-daa-da. The down beats are all right on time but up beats are a little late. This is known as \"swing\".

 

Most songs that most of us tackle are played either straight or with some degree of swing feel. But, as you listen to any recorded piece you\'ll notice that, as well as the basic feel of a song, there are other rhythmic nuances that can also be added to the mix. So the question becomes: how do we retrain ourselves to strum in new and interesting ways?

 

I teach many different strumming patterns in The Complete Ukulele Course DVD series. But the drawback to teaching specific rhythms is that it\'s often necessary to get quite analytical, even mathematical, about the structure of each strum. This can be helpful to a point but a more natural and effective way to develop new strums is simply to listen and copy. And you don\'t even need a ukulele to do this!      
Improve on air-strumming by making your strums audible. You can achieve this with a paper bag or a piece of light card. If you\'re using a bag: scrunch up one end and hold it in your left hand while your right hand strums the body of the bag. There\'s a wonderful old Youtube video of British ukulele entertainer Two-Ton Tessie O\'Shea at the Wheel Tappers and Shunters Club. She uses this technique to great effect as she leads the audience singalong using only a paper bag.  Alternatively, get a small (playing card sized) piece of flexible card or stiff paper. Hold the card parallel to the floor in your left hand at about the position where your strumming finger makes contact with the strings. Every time you strum, your finger brushes the edge of the card. My music teacher friend, Guido Heistek, has developed paper-strumming into a very effective teaching tool. His DVD--Hear the Strum--puts these ideas into action.  

 

Step 1: First, just listen. And I really mean that. One of the reasons that beginners get stuck in the rut of a single strum is that they don\'t actively listen to what they are strumming along with. Put all your focus on listening to the rhythm and beats of the music. When you feel ready, then and only then, pick up your paper bag or oblong of card and start to strum along.

 

Step 2: Get the feel. While still listening, allow your finger to strum your paper to match the feel of the song. Focus on the listening and let your strumming hand discover its own way to find the groove of the music. The feel may swing or be played straight; or be mostly straight with perhaps a flavour of swing in it. Any combination is possible. Let your innate musicality find the rhythm. If you find there are too many rhythmic elements within the music to fit your strum, try doubling the strumming speed and see if that helps.

 

Step 3: Put in extra beats, missing beats and other variations. Once you\'ve settled into the feel of the song it\'s now time to add or remove any other beats you can hear. There\'s no rule exactly how to go about this. Keep listening to the rhythm section; usually drums, bass, piano, guitar but could be other instruments too. As before, I want you to keep intent on the listening while you allow your finger to put in any extra accents (accents are more pronounced strums) or miss out certain beats altogether by deliberately missing the paper on the beats you don\'t want to hear. Then take it a step further: include variations to the basic strum while still being faithful to the song\'s feel.

 

Using a paper bag or cardboard rectangle in this way removes us from all the parts of ukulele playing that aren\'t strumming related. It helps us to break old, unhelpful patterns while creating new ways to play.

 

And, should you arrive at your gig to discover you left your instrument at home, you can always take a tip from the great Tessie O\'Shea and entertain the audience using only a paper bag. Who knows, they might enjoy it even more than your uke playing!

 
© Ralph Shaw 2012  

 
 
EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 

New Book: The Ukulele Entertainer
                   Powerful Pointers for Players and Performers

Be the Best Ukulele Entertainer You Can Be!

Put strings on a ukulele - correctly,
Play three styles of triplet strum
Know where to look when you sing
Tackle nerves and stage fright
Start and run a ukulele club
Remember lyrics and sing on pitch
Create a killer set list and much more. Learn from a seasoned pro how to relax and improvise, introduce more dynamics into your playing, even-just for fun-how to make ukulele wine! You\'ll get some lessons in musical history and be royally entertained by the \"King of the Ukulele\" himself.

Book available from www.RalphShaw.ca (Where you\'ll also find great DVDs to help you with your ukulele playing.)
 
\"where else can you learn to play the \"wimpy-strong\" strum from a man who actually touched Liam Neeson\'s wig?\" -From the foreword by ukulele master James Hill



Upcoming Performance Dates:

 

July 30th, 8pm: The Secret to Infinite Strumming Patterns: In this workshop Ralph teaches the techniques of accents, damping, ghost strum, tremolo, rolls and triplets to vary your strumming styles in an endless variety of ways.  Learn how to play styles from reggae, waltz, bo-diddley, samba and more.  
at: Gandharva Loka, Granville Island, Vancouver. Pre-registration recommended as space limited. Contact the music store to book your place at 604.683.7733, or email them at: vancouver@gandharvaloka.com

More workshops will be announced for August and September.


September 14-16:  Dock Street Uke Camp, Nova Scotia
19: Ottawa
24: London, Ontario
25: Dundas
26 and 27: Corktown
28 Port Dover
Montreal t.b.a.

   

 

If you found value in this newsletter. Please forward it to your friends that may be interested (Just use the little blue \"forward email\" link near the end of this email).

Got ideas for future newsletters? Then let me know. I\'ll be more than happy to consider them.

Privacy Policy: I will never share information from my email contacts list with anyone, for any reason whatsoever.

To change your email address: Go to the \"update profile/email address\" link near the end of the page.

To unsubscribe: Go to the \"safe unsubscribe\" link near the end of the page.

To subscribe: just visit my Newsletter Signup page where you can also see the Archive of previous newsletters.

Make a financial contribution to support this newsletter:
Make a Donation using Paypal or Credit Card


© Ralph Shaw 2011


 
 
 
 
You can Contact me by...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
email:bowlerhat@shaw.ca
phone: 604 689 2937 (Intl +1)
on the web:http://www.ralphshaw.ca/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
 
 

Forward email
   

This email was sent to sper@online.de by bowlerhat@shaw.ca |  
Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy.

Ralph Shaw Entertainment | 105-1035 Pacific St. | Vancouver | BC | V6E4G7 | Canada