Newsletter von Ralph Shaw

[Uketeufel]

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

Inspired Ideas to Maximize your Music
August 14, 2012
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Raimund,
 
There is a lot going on when someone sings well. It seems effortless and natural. And just as a champion surfer makes riding the peak of a wave seem easy and graceful, getting your voice to float effortlessly upon a column of regulated airflow can be equally beautiful and relaxed. But how do we achieve that ability? btw. If you get value from this newsletter please consider forwarding it to a friend!    

 

Also I have some more local ukulele workshops coming up. And I\'ll be in Ontario for the second half of September. Keep checking my website for workshop/tour dates: www.RalphShaw.ca  
 

Word count this issue:  816 words


Estimated reading time:  just over 3 minutes

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
 
 
UE #86 Catch the Wave and Sing!!

 

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

   

Unless you happen to fall into the, sparsely populated, category of pure ukulele instrumentalists, singing well is a vital part of being a ukulele entertainer. I often have to remind new performers that the voice is the star, and the uke, no matter how skilfully played, plays the role of backing band.  

 

Unfortunately many self-taught singers use vocal techniques that don\'t support their voices. The result is poor quality singing and likely eventual vocal damage. I know this because I used to be one of those singers. I\'ve had to work hard to make my voice deliver itself in a natural way; through a process far more laborious than that which some, in their well-meaning ignorance, have described as a \"gift\".

 

My voice suffered in the past. Poor vocal technique meant that I\'d get hoarse if I sang too much. I admired people with big voices. They could fill their lungs and sing and shout for hours without hurting themselves. Babies, I noted, were especially talented in this regard. If I should have chosen to bawl and scream like that for more than a moment it would have done me irreparable harm, yet newborns could keep it up for hours. But, no matter how I tried, whenever I attempted to project a big or beautiful sound it just came out sounding somewhat strained.  

 

This fact did not stop me performing in semi-professional shows and amateur musicals however; that is until I actually damaged my voice to the point of needing an operation to have a nodule snipped off my vocal folds. The recovery process led me to try several singing teachers and to join a barbershop chorus. Over time I learned to reconnect my voice to my airflow--something that we all did naturally as babies--so that I was eventually able to truly sing; with power and with ease.

 

One of my teachers, Reid Campbell of Nova Scotia, described a process of \"catching the wave\" where he likened singing to surfing. I don\'t surf, but the analogy of catching a wave at just the right moment was so good that it worked to show me for the first time what true singing was supposed to feel like. I\'ll describe it to you and perhaps it will help you too:

 

1)     Lie down on the floor. If you need to raise your head use a cushion or a book under your head to bring it an inch or two off the floor. Close your eyes. Take some deep breaths and sigh them out. Relax. Notice where your body is touching the floor and imagine all those points being in those same relative positions when you stand and sing. The straightness of the spine and the alignment of the vocal mechanism is the reason many people sing better when they are lying down (there\'s a Simpson\'s episode where Homer Simpson becomes a famous opera singer, but only for as long as he\'s lying on his back.)  

 

2)     Keep your chest expanded. Place your fingertips on your chest and take a deep breath in. Feel the ribs expand. Do it again. Now this time when you breathe out, don\'t let your chest drop. Keep it big, like an opera singer. Use the muscles in your chest to keep the chest big and barrel-like. Continue to breathe. You may notice that keeping the chest expanded in this position means that your breathing has to come from the diaphragm (the muscle below your lungs) and other abdominal muscles.  

 

3)     Make a vocal impulse. While continuing to breathe, gently place your hands on your belly. Feel it rise and sink as the air goes in and out of your barrel-like chest. While this is going on imagine that a friend has just given you some news. It\'s neither good news nor bad news, so you react in a non-committal sort of way. You have no comment to make. All you can offer is a \"Hm\" sound. When you say, \"Hm\" your belly moves impulsively inwards. Catch yourself by surprise. Imagine the news being given and feel the subsequent inward jerk of your belly as you go Hm. Do it again and again.

 

4)     Catch the wave. That simple Hm may seem rather inconsequential right now but this is analogous to the moment that surfers call catching the wave. The wave is your airflow and your voice rides that wave in direct connection to your belly. Now all you need to do is lengthen the \"Hm\" and you\'ll be singing.  

 

5)     Ride the wave. This time do three Hms and on the fourth time let the sound continue for as long as you can: \"Hm Hm Hm Hmmmmmmmmmmm\"  If I have described this well, and you are following the instructions, you are now making a nice long vocal sound that connects directly to the muscles producing the breath control, way down in the belly.

 

6)     Practice every day. Get used to doing this. Quite soon you can replace the hm hmmms with vowel sounds: Mah, May, My, Mow, Moo etc. Try changing the pitch of the notes: sing higher and then go low. Eventually go on to sing song lyrics. And when you stand up to sing remember to keep the chest expanded, the neck long, the chin tucked in slightly, and everything else nice and relaxed.

 

Connecting the voice to the flow of air is the very basis of singing. If you don\'t have that happening for you then nothing else is going to sound all that great. Of course there is a lot more to learn in becoming a good singer but if you feel confident in doing the above then you\'re off to a great start, and you didn\'t even get wet!

 

 

© 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:

 

Ukulele Workshops at Gandharva Loka World Music Store on Granville Island


August 20 Monday -- The Secret to Infinite Strumming Patterns (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.) 8pm Cost=$20. To register: Tel: +1 604 683 7733 or email: vancouver@gandharvaloka.com
 

September 6 Thursday -- I Just Got a Ukulele, Now What Do I Do? Beginners Ukulele Workshop (Everything you need to know to get started, if you don\'t have a uke yet the store can lend you one.)
8pm Cost=$20. To register: Tel: +1 604 683 7733 or email: vancouver@gandharvaloka.com
 

September 11 Tuesday -- Melody Licks for Strummers (Use the well known arrangements of the songs you love to play to help you provide embellishments for your music. Students learn how to create their own arrangements by paying attention to various elements of famous songs.)
8pm Cost=$20. To register: Tel: +1 604 683 7733 or email: vancouver@gandharvaloka.com
 

Gandharva Loka World Music Store is at 1650 Johnston St. Granville Island, Vancouver

Nova Scotia and Ontario Tour
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

[Uketeufel]

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

Inspired Ideas to Maximize your Music
September 4, 2012
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Raimund,
 
Knowing your melody is very important. So are good neigbours. Especially the ones that can teach you a thing or two. btw. If you get value from this newsletter please consider forwarding it to a friend!    

 

Also I have two local ukulele workshops coming up (see below). And I\'ll be on tour in Nova Scotia and Ontario for the second half of September.

Need some help with your ukulele skills? The Complete Ukulele Course DVD series will get you playing a wide variety of strumming styles. Take a look at what\'s available visit: www.RalphShaw.ca  
 

Word count this issue:  935 words


Estimated reading time:  just over 3.5 minutes

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
 
 
UE #87 How to Build a Musical Shed

 

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

   

Neighbours can be handy things. Take my neighbour Doug. Whereas I make my living as a musical performer, who also tries practical skills such as carpentry from time to time, Doug is a carpenter who also enjoys singing in musical theatre. We get along great. He is of a similar turn of mind to myself in that he\'s always quick to make light of the serious, take seriously the ridiculous and burst into song with the merest encouragement.

 

He\'s fairly new to the neighbourhood so I invited him over one afternoon to try some of my U-Brew cider and to tour him around my shed. As I explained to Doug, the unnecessarily large and half-built shed I inherited has been a source of perplexity for some years now. It\'s basic construction is solid but the details leave a lot to be desired. For instance its four windows were big old glass sliding doors which still resided in their bent and scratched aluminum door frames. The door itself was non-existent; just a formidable 9 foot by 10 foot hole where there really ought to be something. But in the last four years I\'ve never been able to decide what. Doug had an answer.

 

Two days later he came by clutching a flapping sheet of grid-paper showing a drawing of my shed, but which now included a pair of over-size french windows. It looked terrific. The french windows, essentially large glass doors with wooden frames, would be constructed by Doug using the glass from two of the ugly sliding doors. After making approving noises for several minutes I told Doug that I would do the rest of the work, such as filling in the old windows and so on. Inevitably we gradually got onto the subject of singing. Doug asked, \"Does Kathryn sing?\"

 

Over the years, Kathryn, my wife, has made several attempts at singing but never got anywhere. As I explained to Doug, along with some eye rolling on my part, \"She doesn\'t seem to understand that in order to be able to sing you first have to know both words and melody to at least one song.\"

 

Doug laughed. And so, warming to my theme, I began a lecture, \"You know, without that bit of key knowledge it\'s kind of difficult to sing. Acapella harmony groups often spend several weeks with all members singing just the melody of a new song together. This has at least two benefits: One is that every singer becomes intimately acquainted with the rhythm and the phrasing of the words, so when they do split off into harmony they will be tightly synchronized. The second is that harmonizers need to know exactly what they are harmonizing with.

 

Most people don\'t realize this but melody singers and harmony singers are doing very different jobs. Melody singers sing the part that everyone recognizes as the tune. The only reference they have to tell them what the next note will be is the last note they sang. The job of the harmonizer however is to be in harmony with the melody, whether right or wrong. The sparkly bits of harmony have to hang from the tune like stars in the firmament. So, if the melody voice strays to a slightly flatter or sharper key, the harmony voices don\'t stick rigidly to what they know to be correct; instead they behave like good harmonizers and adjust--no matter how wrong it might be--to whatever the melody voice is singing.

 

As a ukulele player you may think that the playing of an instrument gives the singer a reference point to ensure accurate tuning. But I would argue otherwise. If you are using your ukulele to locate the tuning of your next note then it probably means that you don\'t truly know the melody.

 

Not being au courant with the melody can have pretty dire consequences. If part of your attention is always on listening to the uke for your next note then there\'s a far greater chance of that note being flatter than either you or your audience would find ideally desirable. Plus, the declining confidence arising out of not fully knowing your melody often leads to yet more wrong notes, and, subsequently, to forgotten lyrics, as it dawns on you that this performance is not going as well as planned. So, know your melody!\"

 

Over the next few days I removed one of the remaining windows from its aluminum door frame and endeavoured, without any knowledge or previous curiosity in window construction, to make a proper window frame. I took my time and measured everything carefully and banged the nails in hard once I knew I was correct. Of course, I botched it. My idea of what I thought a window frame was supposed to look like was in several ways quite at odds with what proper carpenters think.

 

Doug was kind, \"It\'ll be okay.\" He said, \"You can paint stars on it and people won\'t notice.\" I wasn\'t going to be doing stars. And at the thought of undoing my mistake and pulling all those nails out I moaned, \"I\'m so used to being inventive and doing things my own way, I really thought I could do this.\" Doug replied, \"No-one ever regretted taking the time to make sure something was done well.\" And, as an afterthought, he added, \"Always learn the melody first.\"

 

That\'s a low blow don\'t you think? I mean it\'s one thing to invite a person to correct their misdeeds with daubs of asteroids, comets and suchlike. But to take someone\'s story and then use it in metaphor against them; well, I mean to say, it\'s downright unneighbourly!

 

© 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:

 

Ukulele Workshops at Gandharva Loka World Music Store on Granville Island


September 6 Thursday -- I Just Got a Ukulele, Now What Do I Do? Beginners Ukulele Workshop (Everything you need to know to get started, if you don\'t have a uke yet the store can lend you one.)
8pm Cost=$20. To register: Tel: +1 604 683 7733 or email: vancouver@gandharvaloka.com
 

September 11 Tuesday -- Melody Licks for Strummers (Use the well known arrangements of the songs you love to play to help you provide embellishments for your music. Students learn how to create their own arrangements by paying attention to various elements of famous songs.)
8pm Cost=$20. To register: Tel: +1 604 683 7733 or email: vancouver@gandharvaloka.com
 

Gandharva Loka World Music Store is at 1650 Johnston St. Granville Island, Vancouver

Nova Scotia and Ontario Tour
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/

[Uketeufel]

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

Inspired Ideas to Maximize your Music
October 23, 2012
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Raimund,
 
My inbox receives many emails from ukulele teachers advertising their wares. The surprising thing is that their way of teaching ukulele is always the best! So today I\'m going to take a look at the more popular ways of learning ukulele and see if we can find the best teacher for you.  Btw. my book: The Ukulele Entertainer - Powerful Pointers for Players and Performers is now available as an eBook! Find it on kindle, kobo and all other ebook formats.

 

Word count this issue:  937 words


Estimated reading time:  just over 3.5 minutes

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
 
 
UE #88 The Best Ukulele Teacher of All

 

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

   

Ukulele teachers are no different from anyone else with goods or services to sell. The more they believe in their own product the more likely the public will invest in it. That\'s why uke teachers will generally market their training techniques as The best ukulele method out there! And when I say \"uke teachers\" I am of course including myself in that category because I\'ve been guilty of it too.  

 

When it comes to marketing either my Complete Ukulele Course DVD series (note, blatant advertising) or my group workshops I\'ve tended to extol their advantages. For example, my DVD sales pitch might go something like this:  

 

\"With the DVD you can choose whatever aspect of playing you wish to learn and observe it as many times as you wish. You get to see close-ups of what the hands are doing as well as hearing how it\'s supposed to sound. And the months of learning you get from one relatively inexpensive disc is much more cost-effective than taking one-on-one lessons.\"

 

You see there, while promoting the advantages of my own products, I also, in a subtle way put the student off trying other ways of learning; in this case private lessons. Now that is all well and good when I\'m doing it. But I have to say it\'s very naughty indeed when others do it at my expense! So perhaps we should all try to be fair and figure out what is best for the student\'s needs.

 

Here are some (hopefully) unbiased thoughts on the more popular ukulele learning methods:

 

Group Workshops

 

Group workshops offer an inexpensive chance to learn a lot of stuff in a short amount of time. Often this can be from a top level teacher who may otherwise be unavailable for private lessons. Such teachers, and I\'m one of them, may not offer individual lessons; or, they may live geographically too far away from you. It\'s worth bearing in mind that good workshop leaders are often entertainers too, which can make learning in a group setting both inspirational and fun.

 

Disadvantages include the possibility that you may become frustrated or bored if the workshop is not at your level. There also exists the chance that, through not getting much personal attention, you may miss a key piece of information and not even realize it..

 

Individual Lessons (In-person or by Skype)

 

These give you immediate feedback on whether you\'re playing a particular technique correctly. With a good teacher you will get information and techniques that are applicable to where you\'re at right now as a player. Video-Skype lessons also mean that you are no longer confined to a teacher in your area but can have face to face learning from anyone in the world. In-person lessons however give you the bonus possibility of really getting to know your teacher. For example: my first stringed instrument was the 5-string banjo. My teacher Sara Gray was (and still is) a working folk singer. The pleasure I got from hanging around with her and other musicians at concerts was a huge influence on my future career choice.

 

An obvious disadvantage of the personal touch is the cost of paying for regular private lessons. Also some people mistake the act of taking lessons for actual progress. Meeting teacher may be enjoyable social time but without doing quality practice it doesn\'t guarantee improvement.

 

 

DVD Video Tutorials

 

These are good because you get to learn a wide range of specific playing techniques from a teacher you trust without ever leaving your home. This system gives you the ability to clearly see and hear what you need to do. You also get to rewind and go over things as often as you wish. You get all this for the low price of a DVD so it\'s very cost-effective.

 

Disadvantages include the fact that this method won\'t work if you don\'t take the time to watch it! I\'m always interested in stories of people who work regularly with my DVDs or, conversely, bought one and never once tried it out. I wonder why that is. You\'ll need to develop self-awareness and self-criticism (which all musicians must learn) by listening to and watching yourself because no-one is there to give you feedback.

 

Online Video Tutorials (Youtube lessons)

 

These are more or less free, which is a big plus. That is except for paying your internet service bill of course. Advantages and disadvantages are similar to DVDs. But whereas DVDs are more likely to be produced by experienced teachers, online lessons can come from anyone so the quality of the teaching may be questionable and incomplete. (I\'ll be the first to admit however, that this is a claim I\'ve often heard repeated but never seen proven.)  

 

Friends

 

Spending time with others and sharing songs and techniques is fun, free (or cheap at least) and a fantastic way to learn. Ukulele clubs and other get-togethers are a great way to pick up new skills and get, what is hopefully, constructive criticism.

 

 

The Best Teacher of All

 

It\'s you. Every musical performer I\'ve ever known has spent a great deal of time alone working at and thinking about how to get the most from their instrument. You are the one who has the ambition to play and entertain. Decide what you want to play then figure out how to learn the techniques you need in order to express yourself in the way you imagine you can. Use every teaching method within your time and budget. Try different teachers, try different videos. When a ukulele teacher comes to town take advantage of their presence and participate in a workshop.  

 

But then again you may choose to go it alone: deciding instead to generate your own ways to play the sounds you hear, both on records, and in your head. Doing this comes with it\'s own flavour of satisfaction

 

You are in charge. You get to set your own goals and you get to do the work. You also get to reward yourself for occasional successes and take pleasure in the daily routine of practice. And, since no-one is judging you, you can do no wrong.  

 

But if you\'re serious about wanting to play better, then you had better do something!

 

 

© Ralph Shaw 2012  

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

Need some help with your ukulele skills? The Complete Ukulele Course DVD series will get you playing a wide variety of strumming styles. Take a look at what\'s available visit: www.RalphShaw.ca  

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

Now on eBook too! Find it on kindle, kobo and all other ebook formats.
 
\"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:

 

Not much right now. Staying home to write and record. Please check my website for any local shows I\'m doing.    

 

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/

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

[Tuke]

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

Das Buch von Ralph Shaw habe ich im Urlaub als eBook gelesen und kann es
sehr empfehlen!

Der Mann kann schreiben und hat Humor & plaudert vergnüglich - oft auch anekdotisch -
über Ukulele und verwandte Themen.

Herz, was willst Du mehr?

[Uketeufel]

Ich hab das Buch auch (im Urlaub) als Paperback gelesen und seehr genossen. Allerdings ist das auch sehr anspruchsvolles Englisch, ich musste jedenfalls ordentlich nachschlagen. Hat sich aber wirklich gelohnt!

[Tuke]

ich musste jedenfalls ordentlich nachschlagen.

OT: Ich auch :-)
Das war der erste Urlaub mit einem eBook und ich habe es
gerade deshalb sehr genossen: Nachschlagen der schwierigen
Begriffe blitzartig auf Knopfdruck: genial!

[Spottdrossel]

Allerdings ist das auch sehr anspruchsvolles Englisch, ich musste jedenfalls ordentlich nachschlagen. Hat sich aber wirklich gelohnt!

Ich habe das Buch am letzten März mit dem Zug gelesen.   Sehr lustig.   Er lebt in Keiner da langezeit aber er hat immer noch einen sehr britschen Sinn für Humor.  Er verspottet gern.  hehe

Leider habe ich sein Workshop in Ottawa verpasst.  Ich war zu müde nach meiner Berliner Reise.

[Uketeufel]

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

Inspired Ideas to Maximize your Music
November 6, 2012
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Raimund,
 
We take our voices for granted. From birth we manufacture sound with the same unconscious ease as we produce spittle, piddle and poo. However it helps to understand how the voice works if we wish to refine its expression for more subtle uses. Btw. my book: The Ukulele Entertainer - Powerful Pointers for Players and Performers is now available as an eBook! Find it on kindle, kobo and all other ebook formats.  

 

Word count this issue:  986 words


Estimated reading time:  about 4 minutes

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
 
 
UE #89 Sing Like a Rubber Ukulele      

 

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

   

In UE #86 Catch the Wave and Sing I gave instruction on how to achieve good breath support. Another step in becoming a better singer is to improve the quality of sound you produce. If you presently feel that your voice sounds somewhat thin or insubstantial then today\'s column is for you.

 

Few people have an accurate mental picture of exactly where their voice hails from. Common knowledge tells us that our throat contains a \"voice-box\", or larynx, within which the \"vocal chords\" reside. Such language gives an imperfect picture of the vocal mechanism. For one thing: \"voice-box\" sounds altogether far too rectangular for what you actually see when you look in there. And the so-called \"vocal chords\" don\'t so much resemble chords as they do a folded piece of rubber tubing. Hence the more correct term: vocal folds.

 

The vocal folds are connected to the sides of the air passage by muscles that we unconsciously control to make sounds. Other uses of the larynx include closing off the air passage to stop food being inhaled and reflexively coughing in order to eject foreign particles. The physical size of the vocal folds determines to a large extent how high or low your voice can go. Men have weightier folds and therefore sing deeper, women\'s lighter folds enable them to sing higher. But other than that the vocal folds are limited in what they can do for you as a singer. They control pitch and volume, but that\'s pretty much it.  

 

Your larynx and vocal folds don\'t affect the quality of your voice. In fact the quality of your sound is pretty much all in your head. And I mean that literally. If you\'ve heard the terms head voice and chest voice forget them, they are very misleading. Your vocal resonance is not affected by your chest. Anyone who has heard Toronto singer Alex Pangman can attest that her beautiful vocal sound remained essentially unchanged even after a double lung transplant. Head voice is often used to describe falsetto singing; this technique of singing unnaturally high is actually achieved by a pinching together of the vocal folds (or by the, now thankfully archaic, practice of testicular removal). It\'s the air spaces inside your head and throat that determine vocal quality.

 

The ukulele and guitar each have a resonating chamber giving the instrument its distinct sound. This is why ukuleles generally tend to sound plinky and guitars more boomy. Human beings however have the interesting advantage of being able to change the size and shape of the resonant cavity inside their head. The degree to which we can vary our vocal resonance is akin to having a rubbery ukulele that can be stretched to guitar-size and shrunk back again at will. Developing the ability to do this however takes practice and playfulness (by the way, all practice should be playful. If it isn\'t ask yourself why not.)

 

Few complain that their voice is too resonant. The only exception I know was a childhood friend of mine whose playground voice carried so well that teachers always picked him out for unwanted attention. The fact is that most people\'s voices are thinner and reedier than they would wish. The need is to create more resonance. How to do that? Simple. Create more space inside your head.

 

Start with the mouth. Going in through the point of entry we first notice inflexible material: teeth, gums, hard-palate and so forth. We can\'t do much there. But the tongue is soft, so play around with ways of flattening it, bringing it back, making it wide and low and so on. The back of the mouth is flexible too. Try enlarging both the throat and the softer palate at the rear of the mouth. One trick is to open your mouth wide and react as if someone has thrown a baby hot-potato into the back of your throat. Imagine the sharp intake of breath and note especially how the back of the throat and soft palate reflexively expand. Alternatively, imagine swallowing a tennis ball. See if you can hold the expansion and try singing with a larger vocal cavity. We\'re so used to how our own voices feel and sound that these techniques will seem odd and unnatural at first, but work with it.

 

Touch your throat approximately where the larynx is. While singing \"Aaaah\" change the expansion in your mouth and throat. You should feel the larynx drop down as the cavity and resonance increases, and physically rise again as the resonance, and space in your mouth, decreases.

 

Relax the jaw muscles. Gently massage the point where your jaw meets your head. Imagine chewing on a rubber hockey puck and feel how the distance between the back teeth must expand to accommodate such a thing.

 

Get rid of mucus. Once you\'ve established expansion in your mouth and upper throat the only cavities left are within your sinuses. Obviously you\'ll get more resonance with clear sinuses. To this end singers prepare for performances by causing their faces to vibrate with all sorts of weird buzzing sounds. This is followed with a significant amount of nose-blowing. All this is done in an effort to clear mucus. Famous singers don\'t advertise it much in their autobiographies but believe me it\'s a common practice.

 

If your sinuses seem eternally plugged the problem could be dietary. Cow dairy and wheat are the usual culprits in this regard. Both of these modern products have been hybridized to the point where our, still old-fashioned, bodies have trouble digesting them. Look into replacements (goat dairy and low gluten grains for example) and see what works for you. Regular aerobic exercise also helps to clear the airways. Being in good physical shape is great for any occupation but especially singing (Bruddah Iz notwithstanding.)  

 

Play with the concept of expanding your range of vocal qualities. Discover in yourself the characteristics of different types of singers. Mimic them.  

 

As well as improving the overall quality of your voice this provides another tool with which to inflect meanings and emotions. Oh, and did I mention? You never get to the end of this process, so get used to it!

 

© Ralph Shaw 2012  

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

Need some help with your ukulele skills?

1) DVDs for Adults and Kids: The Complete Ukulele Course DVD series will get you playing a wide variety of strumming styles. Take a look at what\'s available visit: www.RalphShaw.ca

2) 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.
Available from www.RalphShaw.ca  
Now on eBook too! Find it on kindle, kobo and all other ebook formats.
 
\"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

3) CDs also available include: King of the Ukulele, Table for Two and By George!



Upcoming Performance Dates:

 

Not much right now. Staying home to write and record. Please check my website for any local shows I\'m doing.    

 

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
November 20, 2012
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Raimund,
 
Pam, a UE Reader asks, \"I have no trouble memorizing words and melody, but I find myself lost when it comes to playing the correct chord from memory. Is it a matter of instinct - knowing the right chord progressions? Or maybe just spending more time practising without the page? Could it be age-related? Sheer distraction or nerves?\"  

 

This is a great question for which there are several answers. Here is part one:

 

Btw. Now is the time to think about ordering my book, CDs or teaching DVDs for the ukulele player in your life. I\'ve got something for all ages and abilities. Reply to this email to contact me directly with questions. Or visit my website to find out more.

 

Word count this issue:  885 words

 

Estimated reading time:  about 3.5 minutes

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
 
 
UE #90 What\'s the Next Chord? Part 1: Chords at Your Fingertips  

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

 

When I was a first year physics undergraduate we had a senior lecturer whom we called King Richard, since his grey hair was cut in a medieval style that I gather was much in vogue with knights of yore. As well as a peculiar haircut he also had two teaching habits that are worthy of mention. One was to use the word recipe for every mathematical proof he ever wrote on the blackboard. His goal in this regard was to get us to realize that any mathematical formula, no matter how complex, was simply a means to an end. In other words, following the mathematics will lead the student to the correct conclusion as surely as a baking recipe will help him turn out a perfect chocolate cake. It\'s a good lesson. Any major task seems less onerous if we can switch our thinking about it.

 

However he said recipe a LOT. The word came out of his mouth so often that we invented The Recipe Game! Every time King Richard said the word recipe you had to scratch your head. If you missed one, you had to scratch three times. My physics pals and I resembled a line of chimpanzees in the middle of the classroom. Recipes were coming thick and fast as we simultaneously scribbled formulas, scratched our heads and suppressed a gradually mounting hysteria.  

 

This story alone reveals several things about me including why I loved physics, why I was no good at it and why I have scant hair on the sides of my head. His other habit was to regularly insist that certain equations should always be at our fingertips. It was an ever-present reminder that some categories of knowledge shouldn\'t require thought, research or googling (\"looking things up\" as it was once known.) We should just know them. And it\'s true; to be a successful ukulele entertainer your chord changes need to be at your fingertips.

 

A good song performance requires that the words and chords be so ingrained within the mind-body memory that minimal effort is needed to recall them. But as Pam--the writer of today\'s question--has discovered, learning lyrics often comes more easily than memorizing chords.  

 

A reason for this is our ability to run lyrics and melodies in our mind at any time of day; even while running errands and pursuing other non-ukulele activities. Unfortunately, without a ukulele in our hand, the chord changes tend to go un-practised at these times. So extra work needs to be done. Here are some practical tips to get those chord changes at your fingertips:

 

1. Focus on Just the Chords. Sit down with the ukulele and play a song through while just focusing on the chords. Ignore the words and tune as much as possible. If you don\'t happen to have a ukulele to hand then mentally go over the chord changes in much the same way as you run lyrics in your mind. Visualize where your fingers would go.

 

2. Look For Patterns of Chords. Most songs have repeating chord patterns. Find where these repeating sequences are and where the patterns break down. For example, most standard songs of the jazz, pop and swing eras have four parts to them of typically eight measures each. The first, second and fourth parts share close to identical chord patterns. However the chord grouping in the third section tends to be completely different to the other three parts. Therefore playing the song through once gives us three times more practice on the chord grouping found in parts one, two and four than for the chords in section three. So it\'s wise to isolate the underplayed section and give it extra play to bring it to the level of the rest of the song.


3. Sing the Chord Names As You Play. This will aid memorization. It also helps to connect the sound of chords to the part of the brain that remembers chord names. This proves useful when writing songs, jamming or any other time you need to come up with chords for yourself.  

 

4. Play at High Speed. We should always look for ways to make practice fun. Here\'s a way to do that. Once you think you know a song try playing it as fast as you possibly can. Forget about sounding nice, this is just to get you covering as many chords as possible in the shortest amount of time. As well as being good exercise for your strumming arm this technique also helps you to highlight the areas where you need to slow down and do more work.

 

5. Start at the End. When practicing there\'s a tendency to commence each song from the beginning. Then, if we get interrupted, we start over from the beginning again. Ultimately this means that the first half of a song gets a lot more attention than the second half. So try working on the last quarter of a song first, then the last half, then the last three quarters and finally play the song from the start. Practicing in this way also gets us used to the idea of dropping into a song in the middle; a useful skill to have when playing with others.  

 

It may seem daunting now, but in time you\'ll discover that, by following the above recipe, scratch scratch, whenever a chord change comes your fingertips will automatically know where to go.

 

Next week: What\'s the Next Chord? Part 2 will give tips on guessing what the next chord will be when you\'re jamming without chord sheets.

 

© Ralph Shaw 2012  

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

Need some help with your ukulele skills?

1) DVDs for Adults and Kids: The Complete Ukulele Course DVD series will get you playing a wide variety of strumming styles. Take a look at what\'s available visit: www.RalphShaw.ca

2) 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.
Available from www.RalphShaw.ca  
Now on eBook too! Find it on kindle, kobo and all other ebook formats.
 
\"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

3) CDs also available include: King of the Ukulele, Table for Two and By George!



Upcoming Performance Dates:

 

Not much right now. Staying home to write and record. Please check my website for any local shows I\'m doing.    

 

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
November 27, 2012
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Raimund,
 
Do music and sport have anything in common? Today we improve our chances of scoring the musical equivalent of a goal, by playing the right chords when jamming with others. Btw. If you get value from this newsletter please consider forwarding it to a friend!

 

Now is the time to think about what to get for the ukulele player in your life. I\'ve got teaching DVDs, CDs and my book based on these newsletters. There\'s something for all ages and abilities. Check out the end of this newsletter, visit my website to find out more.  

 

Word count this issue:  1,237 words

 

Estimated reading time:  under 5 minutes

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
 
 
UE# 91 What\'s the Next Chord? Part 2: Hitting the Percentages  

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

 

Jocks are good at sport: they hit harder, throw balls further and score more love interests. I was never one of the school \"jocks\". It was a tough school and I was no good at skills like running, jumping, throwing and kicking. And that was just the chess club.    

 

Later in life I was surprised to discover musical jocks: The ones who manage to play something impressive no matter what gets thrown at them. If you\'ve ever floundered around in a jam session; perhaps spending every song just trying to figure out what key everyone\'s in; you\'ll know the people I\'m talking about; arpeggio athletes who always figure out the key and chords in no time at all. You wonder, How do they do that?

 

Some spent years studying music. They did all the hard slog that most of us thought we could avoid by playing ukulele. Not having benefited from such an education I\'ve instead acquired a somewhat incomplete knowledge of chords to the point where I can now make, shall we say, un-educated guesses about what chords are coming next.

 

And just like the jocks, who are always looking to improve their percentages in terms of hits, runs, goals etc., I look to increase my chances of landing on correct chords when I\'m jamming with others. Here are some tips to help you do that:

 

1) Find the Key That Everyone is Playing In. This is challenging but gets easier the more you do it. Try to find the single note that most fits with the song. If a song is in C then C will generally be the name of the last note and the last chord. In most jams the songs tend to be in the keys of C, F, G, D, A, and Bb so try those notes first. When the key note (or root note) is played repeatedly through a song it fits the song better than any other note.

 

An obvious way to figure out the key is to ask someone. However this doesn\'t always work; others may be even more confused than you are. It\'s also possible that they are one of the special breed of (usually) old-timers who play according to finger-shapes and have no idea what the names of the chords actually are (more about this another time.) So check people\'s chord-fingering. If you notice C, F and G7 chords are being played a lot then you can pretty well bet that the song is in C. Similarly F, Bb and C7 point to the key of F and so on for other keys.  

 

But watch out for minor keys! For example if you\'re fairly sure that the root note is D but the chords D, G and A don\'t sound right it could be that Dm is the key and the chords Dm, Gm and A will work better.

 

To expand on this idea play these chords: C Dm Em F G Am Bdim C. You can actually hear the C scale right? These are the characteristic chords that help you know you\'re in C/Am. This is a useful framework for figuring out the chords in a particular key. But it doesn\'t give a full picture since it fails to account for seventh chords and for the fact that composers, ignoring musical rules, often put in other chords that sound cool but aren\'t in that key.  

 

2) Notice the Song Style. Certain song styles have predefined structures which help when figuring out chords. Blues songs in C, for example, generally have the chords C, F and G (or G7) and you only need to listen a few times to know exactly where those changes happen. Traditional folk songs also use those same three chords plus an occasional minor chord such as Am or Em. The chords can come in any order so look at some songs and notice common chord patterns. Modern songs--from the last few decades--often use the I V VI IV chord progression (those Roman numerals correspond to the characteristic chords mentioned above.) In the key of C they are C, G Am F. This sequence has been found to produce the greatest emotional impact in western society\'s humans (and believe me, the music business is well aware of this fact.) Part of the emotional appeal of Iz\'s Over the Rainbow is due to this chord progression. If you want further proof visit Youtube to see a hilarious multi-song medley by Australian comedy group Axis of Awesome (warning: there\'s a naughty word near the beginning.) It\'s in the key of E, if you want to play along; the chords are: E  B  C#m  A

 

3) What is the Circle of Fifths For Anyway? Songs from the pre-Rock n Roll era (jazz, swing and tin-pan-alley type songs) often use a lot more chords than those described above and are harder to figure out by ear. But this is where the \"circle of fifths\" diagram that you often see at the front of music tuition books can come in handy. Look at any song in the key of C. You\'ll notice the last chord of the song is C and the one prior to it is almost always G7. That G7 chord leaves us with a feeling of hanging. And then when we play the C chord it\'s with a feeling of landing. In music theory G is known as the fifth of C. Count on your fingers starting with C as the thumb: D is the index, E is the middle finger, F is the ring finger and G is the fifth finger.

 

Do this again with G as the thumb. Count up from G and you now find that D, the pinky, is the fifth note. Repeat this with D as the thumb and you discover that A is the fifth of D. E is fifth of A and so on. (You don\'t have to use your fingers but it helps me!)

 

Many songs use the sequence of fifths and knowing this can help a lot. Take the song Five Foot Two Eyes of Blue. The chords go C E7 A7 D7 G7 C. You can see it\'s all fifths: E is the fifth of A, A is the fifth of D, D is the fifth of G, G is the fifth of C. Not all songs have such a nice string of fifths but if a song is in C and everyone\'s playing an A7 it\'s a good bet the next chord will be D7, after that G7 then C.

 

4) Transposing. As you work through the above chord changes in the key of C you also need to transfer what you\'ve learned into other common keys. For example take a three or four chord song that you always play in C and play it in the key of F. Now try it in other keys such as G, A, D and Bb. Get used to doing this and you\'ll notice the difference next time you are jamming.

 

Even a full understanding of all the above will not guarantee that you always find the right chord. But your chances of success will increase as you gain experience. Perhaps from time to time you\'ll play a string of correct chords; the musical equivalent of scoring a goal or hitting a home-run. And what a great feeling that will be!

 

If you think you\'d eventually like to be one of the special breed of old-timers that play according to chord-finger-shapes then wait in the dressing room for a future newsletter.

 

© Ralph Shaw 2012  

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

Need some help with your ukulele skills?

1) DVDs for Adults and Kids: The Complete Ukulele Course DVD series will get you playing a wide variety of strumming styles. Take a look at what\'s available visit: www.RalphShaw.ca

2) 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.
Available from www.RalphShaw.ca  
Now on eBook too! Find it on kindle, kobo and all other ebook formats.
 
\"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

3) CDs also available include: King of the Ukulele, Table for Two and By George!



Upcoming Performance Dates:

 

Not much right now. Staying home to write and record. Please check my website for any local shows I\'m doing.    

 

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 11, 2012
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Raimund,
 
I recently witnessed two things that resonated for me. The first took place on a fall evening while watching Anvil - The Story of Anvil: a documentary film following the misfortunes of a Canadian heavy metal band. The second happened the following day when I took a bicycle ride in the park and noticed a small family spending time together. The two events made me think of an important lesson for all of us who struggle with our art and performance. Btw. If you get value from this newsletter please consider forwarding it to a friend!

 

My 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.
Available from www.RalphShaw.ca  
Now on eBook too! Find it on kindle, kobo and all other ebook formats.
 

Word count this issue:  887 words

 

Estimated reading time:  about 3.5 minutes

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
 
 
UE # 92 Anvil and the Family In the Park    

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

 

I want to get the depressing part over with first; so I\'ll begin with the bike ride. A beautiful autumn day; people were dressed warmly as they played, strolled and kicked at the leaves in the park. As long as you were in the sunshine it wasn\'t a cold day; quite pleasant in fact. And on entering the park I slowed my pace down to enjoy the sight of people communing with the outdoors in countless different ways.

 

My eye was caught by a small boy, about three years old, who was about to kick a soccer ball to his father. The ball seemed half as big as the boy and I wondered how he\'d manage. The boy ran at the ball. His kick connected far better than I ever thought it could. He shouted with joy and I looked at the father\'s face to watch his response. Instead of taking delight in his son\'s achievement he was deeply engrossed in a phone conversation and paid only cursory attention to his son. The boy however continued to kick the ball surprisingly well while shouting enthusiastically to his mentally absent dad.

 

Meanwhile the boy\'s mother was filming this activity. Her camera followed the two of them as the husband trailed after his son at a pace slow enough to ensure that he wouldn\'t catch up with the boy and thereby have to interrupt his call. It broke my heart to see the boy\'s exuberant enthusiasm so much on display while his parents remained completely disengaged.

 

I don\'t own a mobile phone and therefore have no temptation to talk, text and take pictures during my every waking moment. This is perhaps why I get so appalled at the increasing disengagement of people from the present. My mind fast-forwarded to a time when the boy\'s unbridled enthusiasm would suddenly halt as he looked around and realized that his efforts were going unnoticed and unappreciated; that others were too engaged in their handheld communication devices to spare any attention for him. I wondered, what will happen then. Will he try harder? Or will he eventually quit the wearisome effort of showing how great life can be and in turn curl up in his own technological cocoon. As I said, it was a depressing moment, but quickly alleviated by remembering the life-affirming message of Anvil-The Story of Anvil.

 

The band Anvil, a heavy metal combo formed in Toronto in 1978, teetered on the brink of fame when they co-headlined Japan\'s Super Rock Festival in 1984. The other headliners were The Scorpions, Whitesnake and Bon Jovi. All these bands went on to sell millions of records while Anvil--whose name literally means a big piece of heavy metal--sank into obscurity.

 

The 2008 film catches up with Anvil thirty years from their formation. Steve \"Lips\" Kudlow, on lead vocal and lead guitar, now drives trucks for Children\'s Choice Catering which delivers children\'s meals to schools and institutions. He reflects on why the band, after thirty years and twelve albums, have still made no headway in becoming successful. The film follows them on a European tour where everything goes wrong. They get lost, miss trains, don\'t get paid and when they finally get to Transylvania to play the Monsters of Rock Festival in a 10,000 seat arena, only 174 people show up. With such a description you might think the movie would be a dreary, or at least a farcical, bad-luck story but not so. Part of its charm is the brilliant film-making skill of Sacha Gervasi (Anvil fan and former Anvil roadie) but what really grabbed me was the tireless optimism of \"Lips\" himself. There are many moments in the film where he is dealt severe setbacks and we see him momentarily mourn his ill-fortune. And then, again and again, we watch his spirit rebuild by sheer dint of his own powerful optimism. Seeing him transform his outlook over and over like this we come to realize what has made him, and his close friend, drummer Robb Reiner, hang in for all these years.

 

Life is worth nothing if we don\'t try to make our dreams come true. \"Lips\" Kudlow knows this instinctively. All musicians, artists and performers understand the power of holding on to the dream, even when things get dire. Sometimes misfortune can take place over a period of years--as in Anvil\'s case--or the misery may be agonizingly brief such as when we perform a disastrous show for an unappreciative crowd; the sort of show that leaves you questioning both your purpose and commitment.

 

Longevity has its own value. There is majesty in not giving up. Going through the personal fires of soul searing performance agony and coming out the other side really does make us better in so many more ways than just as entertainers. It gives us empathy for the myriad struggles of others and helps us understand what things in life are truly important; and what aren\'t.

 

The wonderful irony of the film is that its popularity has made Anvil a cult phenomenon; finally giving them a measure of fame that includes (paid!) concert bookings all over the world.

 

And, as the years go by, I\'ll wonder about that little boy and his talent and enthusiasm for kicking a ball. I pray that, regardless of whether people notice him, he will never give up. May he always delight in the physicality of playing outdoors. And as he grows I want him to keep striving to shoot further, higher and ever more gracefully. Perhaps he\'ll even reach a goal at some point; but truthfully, I really don\'t think that matters too much.

 

© Ralph Shaw 2012  

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

Need some help with your ukulele skills?

1) DVDs for Adults and Kids: The Complete Ukulele Course DVD series will get you playing a wide variety of strumming styles. Take a look at what\'s available visit: www.RalphShaw.ca

2) 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.
Available from www.RalphShaw.ca  
Now on eBook too! Find it on kindle, kobo and all other ebook formats.
 
\"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

3) CDs also available include: King of the Ukulele, Table for Two and By George!



Upcoming Performance Dates:

 

Vancouver Calling!!: A Tribute to Joe Strummer and The Clash.
 

I you\'re near Vancouver, Canada, please come to this unique concert featuring Ralph Shaw, Jim Byrnes, Steve Dawson, Ryan Gildemond (Mother Mother), Rich Hope, Cravery, Craig Northey (The Odds) and many more.
 

This promises to be an awesome concert. The Clash were a celebrated band because of their social awareness and brilliant songwriting skills--London\'s Calling, Rock the Casbah, Should I Stay or Should I Go and many more.)
 

I\'ll be doing a couple of their big hits, with ukulele of course, and a fabulous backing band led by Steve Dawson.
 

Even better: the proceeds all go to the Foodbank.
 

Sunday December 23 Concert at 8pm to 10:30, (doors open 6pm)
at the Electric Owl, 928 Main Street, Vancouver, BC.
tickets: $25 in advance, $27 at door (cash only) Box Office=604 990 7810


Other than that there\'s not much right now. Staying home to write and record. Please check my website for any local shows I\'m doing.    

 

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 30, 2012
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Raimund,
 
As December ends and we count down the seconds into next year we forget the time we once practiced counting backwards until we could do it easily. Counting a song in is a similar sort of skill; appearing quite effortless once you can do it. Btw. If you get value from this newsletter please consider forwarding it to a friend!  

 

At the end of this email are links to videos and reviews from the Clash show that I took part in for charity last week. Who would have known that punk ukulele could be so great!

 

Word count this issue:  1,074 words  
 

Estimated reading time: just over 4 minutes

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
 
 
UE #93 andaone-andatwo-andaonetwothree

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

 

First let\'s pause to remember some of the big news events of 2012:

 

Of course the big highlight of the year for many was the detection of the Higgs-Boson particle. Who could forget where they were on hearing that momentous news! And London had its golden summer hosting both a summer Olympics and the Queen\'s diamond jubilee. Later, while on honeymoon, Kate Middleton was photographed topless which is somehow appropriate given that her name is an anagram of naked tit model. In tainted sports stories we learned how cyclist Lance Armstrong was able to ride so fast it was almost as if his pants were on fire. And Felix Baumgartner jumped from 24 miles up and broke the speed of sound during his freefall. He could have, he should have, and why he missed the opportunity to play a ukulele on the way down we will never know.

 
Great artists lost to the entertainment world included: Phyllis Diller, Dave Brubeck, Robin Gibb, Levon Helm, Whitney Houston, Etta James, Ravi Shankar, Justin Bieber (actually not true, just wishful thinking), Donna Summer, Doc Watson and Andy Williams. All were wonderful performers who delighted so many with their music and talent.

 

Meanwhile the rest of us have to keep working on our art. So, let\'s do that! All together now: Andaone-andatwo-andaonetwothree...

 

If you haven\'t practiced the act of counting-in then it comes as a shock when you\'re suddenly called on to do it--as happened to me many years ago. I was in my first band and had just introduced a new song to the group and everyone looked to me to start the music. Standing there holding my banjo I said, \"What?\" \"Aren\'t you going to count us in?\" they replied.

 

I had no idea what to do. So it was time for my first lesson in counting-in. It was also slightly embarrassing to interrupt a rehearsal in order that they could teach me such a basic musical skill. Learning how to deliver a count-in before you actually need to do it demonstrates a degree of professionalism and confidence. But first we need to ask ourselves:

 

Why Do It At All?

The count-in achieves two important tasks: It 1) tells all players the exact start of the song and 2) communicates the tempo of the song (how fast the song will be played.)

 

If you only ever play alone or if your group doesn\'t mind sloppy beginnings to songs then you don\'t need to count-in. Another way to avoid a count-in is to begin every song by having someone play the last few notes of the melody; just like the church organists of my childhood would always play the verse-ending so the choir knew when to start singing. But this is not recommended. For example it gets problematic in rehearsals when you need to count-in from the middle of a song.

 

The Two Parts to Doing a Count-in:

 

1) Decide on the correct tempo. This requires that you get into the head-space of the song you\'re about to play. Take a moment to silently sing a bit of the next song in your mind with the feeling you want it to have. (This is what is going on in the heads of singers whom you see taking a mental pause between songs.) Avoid rushing into the next song or you may start playing at the same tempo as the last song you did. Once you feel you know the tempo of the song: some part of you; an arm, a foot or your head, may move in time to the music you\'re about to play. This is a way of capturing the tempo in your body as your mind concentrates on the next part of the task:

 

2) Know which beat the song begins on. This is a little tricky at first but it does get easier. The reason for its trickiness is that counting-in a song would be easy if all songs started on the same beat. But they don\'t. Songs can start on the first, second, third or fourth beats. Here are some examples, all in 4/4 time:

 

A song that starts on the one beat is Blue Skies by Irving Berlin. To count this in you just need to count to four and the word Blue lands on the next one beat:

One-two-three-four: Blue skies smiling on me, Nothing but...

 

The word \"You\" from You Are My Sunshine happens to come on the two beat. The word sunshine is on the one beat of the next measure. So you count it in like this:

One-two-three-four-one: You are my sunshine, My only...

 

The Gershwin/Heyward song Summertime starts on the three beat so you count it in like this:

One-two-three-four-one-two: Sum-mer-time and the living is easy...

 

The song Tonight You Belong to Me (as played by Lyle Ritz in The Jerk) begins on the fourth beat with the syllable Al (from Al-though.) The next part of the word: though lands on the next one beat. So the count in goes like this:

One-two-three-four-one-two-three: Al-though you belong to somebody new...

 

Practice by going through your song repertoire and try counting each song in. At first you really have to think about it. Eventually you won\'t need to concentrate so hard and it will become as easy as tying laces, mending inflatable punctures and spreading mounds of whipped cream over yourself (all of which are activities featured in the coming sequel to this years blockbuster Fifty Shades of Grey - Hee hee)

 

The count-in can be delivered in many forms: In rock bands the drummer sets the pace by clacking his sticks. When studio musicians get intimately familiar with the process the count-in gets reduced to small bobs of the head followed by an intake of breath. There are many ways to do the job.

 

And when new year\'s eve comes and people are about to do the final countdown of the year notice how they introduce it. The person leading the countdown often makes sure that everyone starts on time and in the right tempo by counting-in the countdown. Going, twelve, eleven... and then everyone is set to come in together on ten and before you know it\'s next year and we get to do it all again.

 

I truly wish all my readers a very happy and successful 2013 and look forward to meeting many of you as I continue to travel and perform.

Best wishes to you.

 

© Ralph Shaw 2012  

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

Need some help with your ukulele skills?

1) DVDs for Adults and Kids: The Complete Ukulele Course DVD series will get you playing a wide variety of strumming styles. Take a look at what\'s available visit: www.RalphShaw.ca

2) 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.
Available from www.RalphShaw.ca  
Now on eBook too! Find it on kindle, kobo and all other ebook formats. Don\'t forget to leave a review too!
 
\"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

3) CDs also available include: King of the Ukulele, Table for Two and By George!

 Upcoming Performance Dates:
 

Dec 23 Vancouver Calling!!: This was a sold out Tribute to Joe Strummer and The Clash.
 

And a fabulous show it was: Read review #1. I was the only ukulele performer and sang two of the Clash\'s biggest hits: London Calling and Hateful. Read review #2.

Here\'s a partial video of London Calling and here is the whole video of Hateful.


Other than that there\'s not much right now. I\'m mostly staying home to write and record. Please check my website for any local shows I\'m doing.    

In non-ukulele news: Check out Avaaz (the word means \'voice\' in Urdu, Farsi and other languages.) They achieved a colossal 17 million members in 2012 and use the weight of people-powered democracy to successfully keep government and corporate greed in check.

 

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 2012


 
 
 
 
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 08, 2013
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Raimund,
 
Today I announce an exciting double-project with one of the country\'s most respected record producers. And I offer you a chance to be part of this exciting new venture. Btw. If you know of others who may be interested please consider forwarding this to a friend!  

 

Word count this issue:  732 words  
 

Estimated reading time: About 3 minutes

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
 
 
Help Me Create Love and Laughter!  

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

 

Nearly two years ago I reached out to you, my treasured newsletter subscribers, for help with two major endeavors: One was the self-publication of my book The Ukulele Entertainer and the second was the recording of a new CD.  

 

Your support enabled me to proudly publish a high-quality book that continues to collect fabulous reviews from all levels of ukulele player; but what of the CD? Well keep reading...

 

The Challenge: My songs fall into two broad categories: tender love songs and songs designed to stimulate laughter. These two genres are the hallmark of the Ralph Shaw experience. But in conceptualizing what form the CD would take I hit a roadblock. I felt that mixing up the love and laughter songs on a single album could result in a somewhat jarring listening experience.

 

The Solution: A musician friend suggested that: a) I release two separate CDs: one about love and the other about laughter and b) I talk to the respected Canadian record-producer/musician Steve Dawson. Amazingly, within 48 hours after approaching him with my ideas, Mr Dawson had committed to producing both albums. This was wonderful news; Steve Dawson is a 7-time Juno Award winner (the Canadian version of the Grammys.) I clapped my hands with joyful anticipation: after nearly seven years without a CD my wait was finally over!

 

The Problem I now face is the major financial commitment of hiring this talented record producer. Although Mr. Dawson has made his part as affordable as possible, it\'s still a huge amount for a self-employed entertainer to consider. This is where you come in!

 

The total cost will be about $18,000.00 which includes recording, mastering, artwork, manufacturing and marketing. It\'s not for the faint of heart I tell you!  

 

So I\'ve created a page on my website: my Love and Laughter page, where you\'ll find the options listed below along with a secure paypal button by each one inviting you to \"Buy Now\".  

 

You can lend a hand in various ways. Choose the one that suits your level of support and commitment:

 

 

1 - Donate an amount of your own choosing and expect nothing in return except wonderful karma & my undying love and gratitude!

 

 

2 - $15 gets you a LARGE (9\" X 17\") version of the Complete Ukulele Course CHORD CHART for the wall of your practice room.

 

 

3 - $30 gets you a SINGLE SIGNED COPY of either the Love or Laughter CD and the chord chart! (Remember to tell me your choice of CD.)

 

 

4 - $60 gets you SIGNED COPIES OF BOTH CDs. And of course the fabulous chord chart!

 

 

5 - $100 gets you PERSONALIZED signed copies of both Love and Laughter CDs PLUS an extra copy of each album to give to friends. That\'s four CDs total. And the unforgettable Chord Chart!

 

 

6 - $200 makes you a MAJOR SUPPORTER and as such you get YOUR NAME PRINTED IN THE CREDITS of both Love and Laughter CDs. As well as personally signed copies you also get 4 more CDs (wow!) to delight your nearest and dearest. Plus there\'s something else, whatever could it be, oh yeah the super-duper chord chart!

 

 

7 - $600 takes you into the LORD/LADY of the MANOR category in which you get all the above plus I come and do a house-concert in your mansion/home/studio apartment for you and your dear one/s. [Note: you also need to take care of necessary travel/accommodation costs, so think about that!]

 

 

8 - $1000 makes you a SONGMASTER! I will write a song with your name, or your loved ones name (and maybe both!), in the song. You decide on the theme of love or laughter. It\'s not possible to include the song in this current CD project but I will record the song onto a disc for you and offer the possibility that, if suitable, it may appear on a future album. Plus you get all the benefits offered in the Major Supporter category...and did I mention the chord chart? You get one. Hooray!!

 

To participate please go to: www.RalphShaw.ca/Love&Laughter

 
(If you supported me two years ago during my Book/CD project you will still get a CD. However, you\'re also welcome to contribute again if you feel so moved.)      
 

If you\'re a reader who thinks my writing has helped your playing and performance skills, now is the perfect time to give something tangible in return and I thank you in advance for your kind help.  

   

Your chance to be involved ends on Valentine\'s Day (February 14, 2013) So go, do it right now!
 

Thank you and have an amazing New Year.

Ralph Shaw

 

 

© Ralph Shaw 2013  

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

Need some help with your ukulele skills?

1) DVDs for Adults and Kids: The Complete Ukulele Course DVD series will get you playing a wide variety of strumming styles. Take a look at what\'s available visit: www.RalphShaw.ca

2) 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.
Available from www.RalphShaw.ca  
Now on eBook too! Find it on kindle, kobo and all other ebook formats. Don\'t forget to leave a review too!
 
\"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

3) CDs also available include: King of the Ukulele, Table for Two and By George!

 Upcoming Performance Dates:
 

February 22: Vancouver Ukulele Festival Evening Concert Details t.b.a.

March 24: Fundraiser for Hawaii Wildlife Sea Turtle Conservation at Arbutus Music, Nanaimo. B.C. Ralph Shaw to do a workshop and concert. More performers too Click here for details.

In non-ukulele news: Check out Avaaz (the word means \'voice\' in Urdu, Farsi and other languages.) They achieved a colossal 17 million members in 2012 and use the weight of people-powered democracy to successfully keep government and corporate greed in check.

 

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 2012


 
 
 
 
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 15, 2013
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Raimund,
 
Today\'s column is for anyone curious about making a living as a musical performer. It\'s a subject that those of us doing it don\'t discuss too much since the reality is often at odds with what we want people to see. It may also help you understand why a seemingly successful ukulele performer would appeal to his newsletter readers to help with his latest creative project Visit the Love & Laughter project.  

 

So! I\'ll just yank back the curtain here... and let the enlightenment begin (swish):

 

Word count this issue:  1,084 words  
 

Estimated reading time: About 4 minutes

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
 
 
UE #94 The Economics of Entertainment

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

 

\"The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a Society that honours the servant and has forgotten the gift.\" Albert Einstein.

 

Why Do We Do It?

The work of an entertainer is too unpredictable to be a job, too ungrounded to be a career and too financially insecure to be a business. It\'s a calling. I have to do this. Sometimes I conjure up more financially stable and mentally less stressful ways of living but in the end I can\'t imagine doing anything else.

 

I know there are those who graft away in much more arduous professions than mine. But can there be a more misunderstood life than that of a performer? People see me smiling and well-dressed and tell me I\'m so lucky to do what I love. And they\'re right; I do love my work. But here\'s why I don\'t recommend life as an entertainer to anyone:

 

The pay is less than you think and the work is harder than it looks.

Countless unpaid and unseen hours go into the preparation of each show. So it\'s ironic when, after a successful performance, there\'s a certain look I sometimes get from a client as he hands over the cheque. Slightly resentful; it says, \"You were laughing, playing the ukulele and having such a good time. Heck, we even fed you! Now on top of all that I have to pay you?!\"  The client doesn\'t realize how hard it is for a performer to go into an unknown group of strangers and become one of them. Other occupations don\'t depend on cheerfulness but if an entertainer isn\'t having a good time then how can the audience be expected to? I confess I have evenings when staying home would be preferable to cranking up my energy and adrenalin levels. But, as they say, the show must go on.  

 

It costs money to make money.

One evening at Napa\'s Wine Country Ukulele Festival I commented to a local person how lavish the Winery was where I\'d just played. She responded, \"You can make a large fortune in the wine business - so long as you start with a small fortune.\" That can also be said of the music business. I didn\'t start with a small fortune. But I did have ample reserves of naiveté, blind faith and ignorance; plus energy and willingness to learn on the job. Here\'s the thing: when you become an entertainer you need to figure out what sort of performer you\'re going to be. Then you create marketing materials--websites, printed matter, videos, song clips, even a newsletter (ta daa!)--in order to reach the people who pay you. It\'s as if you had to apply for your job every day that you go to work.

 

It\'s expensive and all kinds of things can mess up your plans. For example: years ago I decided to become a guest-entertainer on cruise ships. Getting this job required a promo video of my show being performed with a 10-piece orchestra. To this end I paid thousands to a band-arranger who wrote musical scores that I could hand to any cruise ship orchestra. Suddenly, with the 2008 financial crisis, the economics of the entertainment industry changed. An insider told me that cruise-ships were laying-off guest entertainers.  

 

But by then I\'d also come to realize my spirit craves variety and life as a ship\'s entertainer wasn\'t for me and I gave up the idea. Money wasted? Perhaps; but I prefer to think it was wisely invested in my own self-discovery. Sour grapes? Maybe so but it\'s a fact that many projects die on the vine. How would you like to have a job where each time you made money a proportion, sometimes all, had to be invested in a gamble on the next creative project? Over time it gets somewhat easier. Mistakes help you understand the territory as you get smarter about investing your energies.

 

What about time off?

Ha ha. Creativity is never on holiday. Once you get habituated to hustling for each dollar, and, especially if you have a family to support, your mind becomes attuned to putting food on the table. Creative ideas are your stock-in-trade and the flow never ends. I call it the beautiful curse. Creativity is life but it also means the work never stops.

 

Touring is no holiday either! Last year I spent 3 weeks performing in beautiful Australia and got about 90 minutes of beach time. The rest was spent in the day to day business of finding food, getting to places and show prep. (Btw. A quick hello here to all my Australian friends currently enduring a catastrophic heatwave. I wish I could send you some of the incessant rain pouring down here.)

 

What about product sales?

Stuff doesn\'t sell itself. The marketplace (internet and otherwise) is full of jostling competitors. You don\'t sell a thing without putting time, energy and money into having good stuff and marketing it well. This opens another Pandora\'s box of do\'s and don\'ts; suffice it to say you need to be a jack-of-many-trades to be master of one. And it\'s not getting better. My teenage daughter tells me that, of all her friends, not one ever thinks to pay for the music they listen to. That\'s the future, folks!

 

Basically I\'m saying that becoming a professional performer is a lot less fun behind the curtain than in front. You probably shouldn\'t do it. Unless, like me, you have no choice.

 

I truly believe in myself. Even though I\'m at an age when many performers are winding down (or at least regurgitating) their former careers I still have much to do and far to go.  

 

In times when creativity is so culturally undervalued the only means I know of to continue my work is to appeal to those who understand the struggle of the creative life. So, please, take a moment to look at my most recent project. Simply pre-order a CD or contribute any amount you wish. It means so much.  

 

At the height of World War II it was suggested to Britain\'s Prime minister, Winston Churchill, that funding for the arts be cut in order to support the war effort. Churchill responded, \"Then what would we be fighting for?\"

 

 

Support the Love and Laughter Project here


Projected cost of project is approx. $18,000. (includes recording, mastering, artwork, manufacturing.) Big thanks to the 31 people who contributed so far - present total is $2525.

 

(If the full goal isn\'t reached the project goes ahead anyway, thanks to a bank line of credit. So the more you help the less I\'ll be in debt and penury!)

 
 

Thank you!


 

© Ralph Shaw 2013  

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

Need some help with your ukulele skills?

1) DVDs for Adults and Kids: The Complete Ukulele Course DVD series will get you playing a wide variety of strumming styles. Take a look at what\'s available visit: www.RalphShaw.ca

2) 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.
Available from www.RalphShaw.ca  
Now on eBook too! Find it on kindle, kobo and all other ebook formats. Don\'t forget to leave a review too!
 
\"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

3) CDs also available include: King of the Ukulele, Table for Two and By George!

 Upcoming Performance Dates:
 

February 22: Vancouver Ukulele Festival Evening Concert Details t.b.a.

March 24: Fundraiser for Hawaii Wildlife Sea Turtle Conservation at Arbutus Music, Nanaimo. B.C. Ralph Shaw to do a workshop and concert. More performers too Click here for details.

In non-ukulele news: Check out Avaaz (the word means \'voice\' in Urdu, Farsi and other languages.) They achieved a colossal 17 million members in 2012 and use the weight of people-powered democracy to successfully keep government and corporate greed in check.

 

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 2013


 
 
 
 
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 29, 2013
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Raimund,
 
If you\'ve read my recent columns you\'ll know that I\'ve been gathering funds to help pay for a double CD project: Love and Laughter produced by multi-award winner Steve Dawson.  

 

What I didn\'t tell you was how imminently the recording was to happen. I can now reveal that, after nearly eight years since my last CD, this latest artistic effort is largely recorded and has gone exceedingly well. I\'m glad I waited so long for this because I\'ve never in my life been so ready to tackle something new. Today\'s newsletter is about waiting for the right moment.

 

Word count this issue:  948 words + a Bonus Photo!!

 

Estimated reading time: Just over 3.5 minutes

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
 
 
UE #95 Ripe for the Picking - knowing when you\'re ready  

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

 

My recent studio experience required me to be at the top of my game both musically and artistically. I prepared like an athlete heading for the Olympics. Steve Dawson is a producer who believes in capturing great performances in the studio; so instead of multi-tracking every instrument all the bed-tracks were recorded in one shot (mostly myself on ukulele and voice, Steve on guitar and Rob Becker on bass.) Therefore each song had to be played near-flawlessly by every musician. Small errors were tolerated; even welcomed, like the imperfections in fine leather that prove its authenticity, but perfection was our aim.

 

Performing twenty-one songs with feeling but without mistakes requires great mental and physical readiness and I wanted to be in peak condition.  

 

Here\'s how I prepared for recording:

 

-        Physical Health: Moderate running, yoga/stretching, meditation and cycling. I quit stimulants: caffeine, alcohol, sugar to help sleep and concentration.

-        Vocal Health: I sang daily to strengthen my voice and drank water regularly. I also took care to avoid vocal abuse (talking in noisy environments, shouting and coughing.)

-        Instrument Prep: Changed all my ukulele strings (I recorded on 5 different ukes so that was 26 strings to change; yeah, some have more than 4 strings.)

-        Coaching: Took two lessons with Jennifer Scott, a highly talented vocal coach, who answered some questions I had about singing.

-        Song Prep: Analyzed every song to make decisions about intro\'s, endings and where solos should go. Much of this work was changed in the studio; but you have to have things figured out in order to change them, right?

-        Practice: Mostly we didn\'t record to a Click (the metronome beat that keeps musicians exactly in time) nevertheless I practiced for hours with a metronome. By the time I got in the studio it was second nature for me to keep a part of my attention always on the other instruments.

-        Dealing with personal matters: I didn\'t want my thoughts distracted by outstanding issues; so I answered emails, tidied my work space and erased all concerns that could affect my concentration. I knew a Tai-Chi competitor who wrote his will before a championship so thoughts of his own mortality wouldn\'t disturb his composure. I didn\'t go that far.

-        Waiting for the right moment: In my desire to make a new CD I\'ve made several false starts. Each time, although I believed I was ready to record, something prevented me from going ahead. With the benefit of hindsight I\'m now very glad I didn\'t force those projects into happening.

 

Everything about my recent work has felt right. From the moment Steve Dawson\'s name was suggested to me I\'ve had a gut feeling that things were ready to start working out. Just like fruit gets easy to pick and eat only when it\'s ripe; everything in this project dropped with a sense of inevitable readiness. You can\'t force this stuff to happen, either the timing is right, or it\'s not.

 

Several times in my career I\'ve been faced with a well-meaning but overzealous parent and her self-conscious teen. The mother, is saying of her son, \"His music is fantastic. But no-one else knows it because I can\'t get him to perform. We go to parties and schlep along his guitar/ukulele but he never wants to play. What do you suggest; how can I get him to perform?\"

 

I look at the painfully embarrassed boy; his down-turned eyes are fixated on his feet shuffling haphazardly below his awkward frame. For a moment I become him, I know what he\'s going through. I look back at mom and I shrug my shoulders and say, \"He\'s not ready to perform, he\'ll know when it\'s time.\"

 

The boy\'s feet stop shuffling but he continues to stare at his toes as Mom begins her manifesto of why he needs to \"get out there\" and not \"hide his light under a bushel\". She wants me to back her up, wanting my words to agree and somehow inject a dose of Ralph Shaw magic to transform her reclusive strummer into a denizen of the stage.

 

I tell her, \"But he wants to get good first.\" The boy\'s eyes snap upwards at this unexpected turn of events. Mom is surprised but continues to argue the point, \"Yes, but isn\'t it better if..., shouldn\'t he..., don\'t you think...\"

 

I stop her, \"You wouldn\'t want to embarrass yourself in public and neither does he. He\'ll know when he\'s ready. And when he is, people will watch and they\'ll listen and you will be very proud of him.\"

 

As the concept sinks in mother and son turn to look at each other in a silent new understanding. I find myself supremely touched by whatever invisible force it is that gives us the inner knowing of what it means to be ready. I\'ve been wrong about many things but I do know there are certain feelings to be trusted. There is a time for learning, a time for waiting and preparation and a time when fruit is ripe for the picking.

 

It\'s been a thrill to spend six straight days doing the most intense musical work I have ever done. I\'m expecting the results to surpass my goals. If you want to help with my work now would be the perfect time to do it as I am already writing checks for musicians and production costs.

 

Visit Love and Laughter to learn about the available options. Example: $200 gets your name printed on the CD cover as a Major Supporter. I trust you\'ll be proud to have your name associated with my work.

 
Present total is $4780. towards a grand total of $18,000.  


 
Jan 20, 2013. Hour 3 Day 4. Photo from the Love n Laughter sessions.
L to R: Rob Becker, bass; Steve Dawson, Producer and Guitars; Ralph Shaw, Voice and Ukuleles; CR Avery, Poet and Human Beatbox. Taken after we performed an insanely fun song destined for the Laughter album.


 

© Ralph Shaw 2013  

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

Need some help with your ukulele skills?

1) DVDs for Adults and Kids: The Complete Ukulele Course DVD series will get you playing a wide variety of strumming styles. Take a look at what\'s available visit: www.RalphShaw.ca

2) 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.
Available from www.RalphShaw.ca  
Now on eBook too! Find it on kindle, kobo and all other ebook formats. Don\'t forget to leave a review too!
 
\"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

3) CDs also available include: King of the Ukulele, Table for Two and By George!

 Upcoming Performance Dates:
 

February 22: Vancouver Ukulele Festival Evening Concert Details t.b.a.

March 24: Fundraiser for Hawaii Wildlife Sea Turtle Conservation at Arbutus Music, Nanaimo. B.C. Ralph Shaw to do a workshop and concert. More performers too Click here for details.

In non-ukulele news: Check out Avaaz (the word means \'voice\' in Urdu, Farsi and other languages.) They achieved a colossal 17 million members in 2012 and use the weight of people-powered democracy to successfully keep government and corporate greed in check.

 

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 2013


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

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