Hey Strummers!

We hope you had a good Christmas. Our January meetings will be at Guitar Solutions on the first and third Mondays at 6:30. I'm not posting any new songs this week; it looks like we have a few songs we've never played and this will be a good chance to try some of them.

If you're new to the group, be sure to scroll down through ALL the archived posts to print out the songs.

Jan. 7

Jan. 21

See you!

Our next meeting is December 17. It will be at Tim and Judy's house as Guitar Solutions will be closed. You can call us for directions. If you can't make this meeting, have a Happy Holiday and we will see you Jan. 7!

Here's a cute Christmas song. There's many versions on youtube, but I like Eartha Kitt. 

SANTA BABY

LET IT SNOW
WALKING IN A WINTER WONDERLAND

Our December meetings will be:
Dec. 3

Dec. 17

Note: I made a correction to Shoofly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy. You can reprint the chart, or just change the Fdim to G7. It's easier to play and sounds better. You can also substitute a Dm chord for the Dm7. Remember that seventh chords just add a certain flavor, like spice to a cooked dish. You can often leave them out or substitute a straight chord, or add them for a special flourish. 

Here are some Christmas songs to get you in the mood!

Note: You can watch Nellie McKay play "The Christmas Waltz" on the ukulele on Youtube. She is playing the chords in C, but her uke is tuned down 1/2 a step, so she's singing it in B. A neat trick for all of us alto singers! Nellie McKay "The Christmas Waltz"

THE CHRISTMAS WALTZ

JINGLE BELLS

RUDOLPH, THE RED-NOSED REINDEER

Here's a link to a whole book of Christmas and Holiday songs from the Seattle Ukulele Group, by way of the Halifax Uke Group (HUGS). The Halifax group also has a great children's song book and many other great books in pdf files, so check them out!   Holiday Songbook

See you Monday!

Judy

Nov. 15

Ready for winter? Here are some new songs for our next meeting on Nov. 19 at 6:30 at Guitar Solutions! 

If you don't know these, you can look them up on Youtube to hear the melodies. The keys and arrangements are probably different. "Button Up Your Overcoat" is from the 1920's and has lots of cute verses--stay away from bootleg hootch! "Your Feets Too Big" is a classic Fats Waller novelty number. Check out the Sesame Street version!

I've got a lot more lyrics to upload, so check back often!
Happy strumming!
Judy


BUTTON UP YOUR OVERCOAT

Your Feets Too Big (F)

BIG YELLOW TAXI

SHOOFLY PIE AND APPLE PAN DOWDY

Our November meetings will be:

Monday, Nov. 5

Monday, Nov. 19

at Guitar Solutions at 6:30. Feel free to bring your friends and neighbors!

Scroll down to October's post for the latest new songs.

Judy

Great to see everyone on Monday! We had fifteen strummers! Our next meeting in November 5.

Here are some great links for finding song lyrics and chords. If you learn a new song, please bring copies and teach it to the group. The first two sites have lots of old favorites; Ukulele Hunt also has a lot of modern and indie songs (I figure that if I've never heard it, it must be modern, which might make it a "classic" to some of you!)

www.doctoruke.com
 www.boiseukuelegroup.com
www.ukulelehunt.com

Also, check out Ukulele Mike on youtube. He has nearly 200 tutorials posted--ranging from basic skills (strum patterns, how to tune) to jazz chords. I can't say enough about his lessons. He explains everything in just enough detail and then shows the chords right on the screen so you can play along. Find him on Youtube or on his website at www.ukulelemikelynch.com

I'll be posting new songs on this page several times during the next few weeks, so you will want to check more than once. Also, if you are new to the group, be sure to scroll all the way down and print out all the songs. Please note--sometimes I'll post the same song in different keys. This is to accommodate the vocal range of different singers. If you learn a song to teach us, YOU get to pick the key!

Judy

MICHAEL ROW THE BOAT ASHORE

THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT (D)

I'LL FLY AWAY (C)

 Our next meeting will be October 15, 2012. In the meantime, I will be adding some new songs to try. June has sent me some songs as pdf files so we can see if these print out more easily. Please send any song you'd like us to learn (but remember, someone will need to be able to lead the singing!) See you soon!

Happy Strumming!
Judy

Note: I posted a more complex version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" in a lower key, for those who like a challenge. 


I'LL FLY AWAY

MONSTER MASH

OVER THE RAINBOW (G)


YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE

WILL THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN/GLORY GLORY