My Favorite Things uke tab + lyrics

Good afternoon, Band 101! This Monday we covered Rodgers & Hammerstein's My Favorite Things, sung here by Julie Andrews:

Here is Mike Lynch's tab of My Favorite Things with the lyrics written underneath. I wrote tiny and got in all three verses.

How to read sheet music (a couple of online tools)

The Internet has an amazing array of online tutorials for those interested in learning to read music-- here are two of them.

Music Notes' How to Read Sheet Music. Don't be intimidated by the size of the document; most of it is enthusiastic praise from readers.

How to Read Music (via YouCanPlayIt.com)

Spooky strum-- unlocked!

We practiced our syncopated "Spooky" strum during last Monday's class. Counting individual strums is impossible; counting them off in 4/4 time is a lot easier. 

The Spooky strum happens at the end of a line. Start strumming on the Em chord:

Em

Down                 Down       Up            Down       Up           Down   Up

1         &            2              &              3              &              4       &

Am- 2 hard strums down

DOWN             DOWN                       rest                          rest

1        &            2              &              3              &              4      &

This is hard to read as it didn't fit on the page the way I wanted, so I made a printable cheat sheet for your reference. Practice strumming it to the sweetest version of the song there is. (Bless you, Dusty Springfield!)

We'll be playing this song and three others this Thursday at Paul Henry's Halloween party. Come join us! 

It's rhumba time!

As an old-time folkie, my beats are pretty square, which is why I'm glad we have Rich Boban in class to spice things up! 

Song 1: Miami Beach Rhumba by Xavier Cugat. Everyone made fun of me because I was the only one in the room who didn't know who Xavier Cugat was. He plays a mighty sweet rhumba, though. 

Song 2: Stormy by Classics IV. Bring back that sunny day! 

Triplet strums!

Cindy Contractor introduced me to Stuart Fuchs and his wonderful videos. Check out his tutorial on how to do the triplet strum-- he explains it more clearly than I ever could. Enjoy! 

Songs for July 31st, 2017

I've Endured by Ola Belle Reed

High on a Mountain by Ola Belle Reed

Something, written by George Harrison, performed by The Beatles.

I saw Paul McCartney do this on the ukulele in Tinley Park last week and knew we had to try it in Band 101. See you all soon!

I'll Fly Away on the chord changes (also Oye Como Va)

Alan, if you're reading this, call us or send us an email-- we miss you! Band 101 members have been asking about you.

Last week we covered I'll Fly Away. It's a beautiful song covered by everyone in the world. Here's Allison Kraus doing an especially bang-up job:

We originally did the song in the key of F, which gives us the infernal B-flat chord.

F                                 F
Some bright morning when this life is over
Bb
I'll fly away
F                         F
To that home on God's celestial shore
C            F
I'll fly a-way

Learning our chord progressions, we can change the I chord, or our "home base" chord, to a G.

G                                 G
Some bright morning when this life is over
C
I'll fly away
G                        G
To that home on God's celestial shore
D            G
I'll fly a-way

Song 2: Oye Como Va, by Tito Puente. Most of us know the version covered by Carlos Santana. It was so much fun to play a Latin beat! This is a new experience for us. After we got it in our heads the ukulele players couldn't stop-- it was beautiful.

I'm getting this in just before class tonight. We'll rehearse I'll Fly Away, Oye Como Va, and one mystery song for this Thursday's open mic performance at Paul Henry's Art Gallery. I hope to get some good band photos this week... wish me luck!

Bad Bad Leroy Brown, moveable chords, and ukes, ukes-- yikes!

Hi folks, it's been awhile! Rich and I have done some re-arranging of the schedules and here's the lowdown:

Band 101 is moving to Monday nights at the HUB of Innovation, 5233 Hohman Avenue in downtown Hammond. We're going to do Band 101 every Monday night starting July 10th. It's $5 to get in and the classes are open to all. Take one class and drop out, or (and really, this is what we're hoping for) you'll love it so much you'll want to stay with us for a thousand years.

But we'd better work hard to keep you! And this is what Rich came up with this Monday:

Jim Croce's Bad, Bad Leroy Brown and moveable chords. 

A moveable chord takes one chord shape and moves it up and down the neck to give you brand new chords. Take the G chord on a ukulele, for example.

Keep that same shape with your fingers and move the shape up (towards the body of the ukulele) two frets. Now that G has become an A (if you don't play the G string). Take that same shape up two more frets-- now that A has become a B. Keep that same shape and move it up one more fret. Now that B has become a C. Four chords with only one shape! This same effect can be had on the guitar or banjo, too. 

Here is the lyric sheet for Bad, Bad Leroy Brown. Enjoy, and we'll see you again on July 10th! 

Songwriting class March 6, 2017

After a too-long hiatus (in my opinion), Rich Boban's songwriting class is back! We meet the first Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. in the HUB of Innovation, 5233 Hohman Avenue in downtown Hammond.

Rich started off by handing us this worksheet, which made us feel more like we were in a math class than a music class:

Using only two chords, we practiced placing them over the beats listed, and Rich encouraged us to try putting chords over the pluses, or between the beats. It gave a bossa nova-like sound when he played it. It was pretty cool!

After that we described a leaf, which seems simple on the surface... until you think about all the types of leaves there are, in every season, which conjures up a multitude of feelings. Fall leaves may make you happy that football season is here (unless you're a Bears fan), or sad that summer is over and schooltime is about to begin. Rich played piano under our words and from that two minute exercise, we had the beginnings of a song.

April's assignment:

1. Describe Lake Michigan
2. Find two notes that don't sound great together and make them sound good, and
3. Noodle on your instrument of choice

What will we come up with? Come join us and find out on April 3rd!

Band 101 January meeting

January's meeting had a special theme: songs of protest. Specifically, we were singing songs in support of the Whiting 41, a group of protesters arrested last May for trespassing on BP property in Whiting. Their court date was the Friday after Band 101's January meeting, so our mission was clear.

Another first for us was an original song written just for the Whiting 41, Break Free by David Stocker. Even traditional songs are originals when you get right down to it, but this one is more recent than the others and even better, you can shake the songwriter's hand. Here are his lyrics and chords if you want to sing it yourself.

David Stocker: rabble-rouser, good-doer, songwriter

The other two songs in our set were Up Above My Head by Sister Rosetta Tharpe and the traditional song We Shall Not Be Moved. The songs come from 2016's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace Sing at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. (Here is the complete packet of songs from that day.)  

We had a full house on rehearsal night...

...and an even fuller one at Paul Henry's open mic the following evening!

The world has gone crazy but I refuse to play along. I'm going to stay sane playing with friends and singing songs. Our next Band 101 is Wednesday, February 8th at 7 p.m. in Paul Henry's Art Gallery, 416 Sibley Street in downtown Hammond. $5 admission to keep the lights on, and you get your very own packet of lyrics and chords to take home. If you're feeling particularly brave, you can play them at the open mic the following night, free of charge.