BOOKULELE THIS SUNDAY!

Please join us for Bookulele this Sunday, October 31st, 6 p.m. at The Pinhook in dowtown Durham.

Bookulele is the annual uke-centered Halloween event thrown by High Strung. It will feature performances by the Durham Uke Jam, Shawn Luby (of Humble Tripe), the Durham Ukulele Orchestra, and headliner Lil' Rev. There will be door prizes and an audience "uke-in."

AND don't forget to dress up your ukulele for halloween and enter the uke costume contest to win some fabulous prizes!

Pre-Register for Lil' Rev workshop!

The Lil' Rev workshop is approaching quickly - next Sunday, October 31st, 2-3:30 p.m., at High Strung.

Pre-register now!
http://shop.highstrung.info/Blues-Tunes-and-Licks-with-Lil-Rev-20101031.htm

Why should you pre-register? Read below.

Rev will be teaching us how to play the blues on ukulele. We'll learn common blues forms/styles and chord progressions, and some fun "licks" and ornaments. I'm extra excited about this topic because I've been wanting to add some blues to the uke jam repertoire. Playing blues offers lots of opportunity for improvised jamming and I think we could have a lot of fun in the jam with the blues. Rev is a dynamic teacher and performer, as some of you know already. This is going to be a fun time!

SO....
If you are planning to attend, please pre-register with High Strung. What are the benefits of pre-registering? You will help:

1. Lil' Rev: If he knows how many people are coming, he can plan the flow of his class and prepare his handouts accordingly.
2. You: If you are pre-registered, all you have to do at the start of the workshop is come in, find a seat, and get your uke out. No waiting around to sign in or pay at the door. (Even if you just sign up in advance, and then pay at the door, you will speed up the process quite a bit!)
3. High Strung: Workshop organizers love it when they have an idea in advance how many people are coming to workshops. For one thing, they then know if they have enough participants to cover their costs. For another, they can plan things like chair and music stand set-up.

So what are you waiting for? Come join us next Sunday. In the meantime, sign up here:
http://shop.highstrung.info/Blues-Tunes-and-Licks-with-Lil-Rev-20101031.htm

UKE WORKSHOPS IN OCTOBER

Hi everyone.
October is "ukulele month" at High Strung, and for the next three Sundays there will be uke workshops at 2 p.m., starting with an introduction to uke class for complete beginners tomorrow, and capping off with Lil' Rev's workshop on October 31st. You can register for any of the workshops through High Strung:
http://www.highstrung.info/High_Strung_Workshops.html

Here are the details:


Intro to uke, Part I
Sunday, October 17th, 2-4 p.m.
This is the class for new ukulele players. Come join us if you've just started playing and want basic info about chords, how to read chord diagrams, how to play simple melodies, etc. Or send your friends who have been eyeing your ukulele jealously and claiming that they've "always wanted to play a musical instrument." Having your own uke helps, but is not required for this class!
Cost: $20

Intro to uke, Part II
Sunday, October 24th, 2-4 p.m.
This class is for anyone who came to the Part I class, or who has been playing just a little while and is familiar with the very basics of the uke, such as names of the strings, a few chords, and wants to learn a little more. We'll play more melodies, learn some strum rhythms, and have a good time!
Cost: $20

Blues tunes and licks with Lil' Rev
Sunday, October 31st, 2-3:30 p.m.
Learn essential blues strums, patterns, licks and scales, as well as secrets to improvisation, Boogie, Woogie, Jug-Band Tunes, Hokum, Chicago Blues, Shuffles, Jazzy Blues Licks, Turnarounds and much more. Open to all levels. We will use tab, live demo and Q and A. Bring a recorder if you have one!
Cost: $25
More details:
http://shop.highstrung.info/Blues-Tunes-and-Licks-with-Lil-Rev-20101031.htm

What should Lil' Rev teach?

I am happy to let you know that Lil' Rev will be returning to Durham for ukulele workshops on Halloween weekend. He will participate in the annual Bookulele show (which, rumor has it, will be at Pinhook this year) on Saturday, October 30th. (Stay tuned for more Bookulele details.) And he will present a workshop at High Strung on Sunday, October 31st. Those of you who came to his workshops last Spring will remember how fun he is as a teacher and performer, so put this on your calendars!

And.... I want to know what you want Lil' Rev to teach. Check out his current workshop topics here. My current preference is for the Blues Styles for Ukulele topic. And we've had another uke jam member vote for blues as well:

I woke up this morning with them and did not know what to play. I need this workshop.

I think learning to play blues would be really fun, and would add a lot of possibilities to uke jam. But I'm interested in hearing what you guys would like to learn . As it stands now, I think we'll just get one workshop, but there's a chance he'll agree to teach two if there's strong demand.

The workshop will be geared towards advanced beginner and beyond players, meaning there will be no absolute beginner workshop. So you have a couple of months to get comfortable with basic chords and basic strumming, which you can do by coming to uke jam (hint, hint!).

Beginner Uke workshops at High Strung

I am teaching a two-part beginner ukulele workshop at High Strung that starts tomorrow, Sunday, July 25th, and continues on Sunday, August 15th. Both parts are two hours each, from 2-4 p.m.

Part I will cover the very basics - names of strings, how to tune, beginner chords, like C, F, and G (and a few others), playing simple melodies and rhythms, and how to read chord charts and melody tabs. This workshop is geared towards people who've never played before, have just started playing and need some basic information, or people who've been playing a little while and want to make sure their basics are intact before they move on.

Part II will continue on the above topics, with some new rhythms, chords, and melodies introduced. Part I is a great preparation for part II, but anyone who knows 3 chords and has played the uke for at least a few weeks can join in too.

So, if you've been wanting some beginning instruction, come join us. Or send your friends who've been pining over your ukulele!

Loaner ukes will be available for the part I class.

Check High Strung's web site for more info, but feel free to come on by if you haven't registered in advance (but please come a little early).

Uke Jam tonight!

Come one and all and play with us tonight. New players and new songs are always welcome.

Durham Uke Orchestra at Bull Moon Ride tonight!

The Durham Ukulele Orchestra will be playing at the Farmers' Market tonight (Saturday, July 10th) starting around 8:30 p.m. for the Bull Moon Ride. Bull Moon Ride is a fun ride through downtown Durham in a music-filled, festive atmosphere, and it benefits Habitat For Humanity. Check out their website for info on the ride, or just come stop by and sing along with us!

Uke jam tonight

We are having uke jam tonight at the usual time (7-9) and place (High Strung), so come by and play with us! First timers, including people who've never played before, are welcome, as always.

DUO performs at Harry's on Saturday

We had such a great time playing at Harry's Market a little while ago, that we're doing it again this Saturday:

The Durham Ukulele Orchestra will perform classic songs from multiple genres bathed in glorious vocal harmony and played on a variety of instruments both large and small at Harry's Market at White Cross, on Saturday, May 22 from 7-9 p.m. With this band, you can expect the unexpected!

The Durham Ukulele Orchestra is:

Marilee Annereau - vocals, ukulele, celestette, melodica, bass, percussion
Scot Billman - vocals, ukulele, percussion
Jay Cunningham - vocals, ukulele, bass
Brian Lewis - vocals, ukulele, accordion, mandolin, bass
Paul Overton - vocals, ukulele, bass, percussion

If the weather's nice, the music will be outside under the stars.

Harry's Market features free live music every Friday & Saturday night in a smoke-free, family-friendly environment. They serve coffee, tea, beer, wine and other drinks, Loco Pops, and an assortment of baked goods. They're located at 3300 Highway 54 West, exactly 5 miles west of Carborro Plaza. As you go west from Carrboro, it's on your left, directly across the road from a Shell gas station and the Fiesta Grill (great Mexican food, which can be brought to Harry's!).

http://www.harrysmarketatwhitecross.com/

Hope to see you there!