The best part: I don’t know what I’m doing! Your First Ukulele Lesson: A Beginner’s Guide to Playing Ukulele, How to Read Ukulele Music: Your Guide to Understanding Musical Notation, How to Play Earl Scruggs–Style Banjo Rolls on the Ukulele, Raggy but Right: Blues Fingerpicking on Ukulele. I asked if it would be OK to tune the first and fourth strings down a whole step and—voilà—my career as a ukulele-ist began. Posted by James Hill Excerpted from the Fall 2018 issue of Ukulele Theme from La Réjouissance (G. F. Handel), arr. With the G and E strings dropped an octave, the result is this incredibly mellow, deep tuning with the same finger positions as everybody else in the room—but I’m playing way-down-low chords!”. My songs “Promenade” and “She’s Still Got It” are examples of this tuning in action. [D# B E A C#m Em] Chords for James Hill - If Wishes Were Horses (Official Audio) with capo transposer, play along with guitar, piano, ukulele & mandolin. If I ruled the world, soprano tuning would be a D F# B; concert, g C E A; tenor, e A C# F#; and bari, D G B E. Years ago I had a Washburn (Lyon & Healy) uke—15-5/8-inch-scale, bigger than concert, smaller than tenor—that some refer to as a super concert. because of the low sound he’s able to riff and play in a heavier style than a normal ‘ukulele would allow. I was introduced to this by Byron Yasui. The easy keys in D (D, G, A) are the same keys that guitarists, bassists, fiddlers and banjo players favor. It’s the same one that you hear Lyle Ritz use on his iconic recording “How About Uke,” and my idol, Benny Chong, uses this tuning as well. James Hill does that with the ukulele." The free Petrucci Music Library made it easy for me to track down Handel’s original score for La Réjouissance fro While I’ve always loved the sound and timbre of the banjo, I’d always felt that the plectrum tuning could have a whole world of possibilities on a mellower sounding instrument. Watch the Video. Ukulele in the Classroom by James Hill and J. Chalmers Doane is a methodical and sequential approach to developing musical literacy skills. Most professional and well-known ukulele players go for a tenor ukulele – James Hill is one example. One day, while at a friend’s house, I was invited to check out his brand-new ukulele. Good luck to you all. Speaking of baritone tuning, years ago I stumbled on the cross-tuning b E b e and I’ve been playing that way ever since. Your First Uke Lesson - Presented by James Hill this lesson starts with an introduction to the nomenclature, some basic chords and your first song in less than 7 minutes. And, crucially, it brings the vocal up a tone which makes it easier to project to the back of the room! I took up the ukulele in early 2014. I don’t know anyone else using it. -- The Green Man Review, 2004 "[Hill's] technique is a seamless blend of speed, accuracy and expressiveness... A glimpse into the future of the ukulele." -- Flea Market Music, 2004 See more. Bright and sweet, comfortable and beautiful, this uke is one of the finest. 14 talking about this. Christine Graves - group and private lessons in ukulele based James Hill "Ukulele In The Classroom" materials and pedagogy. I’m by no means comparing myself to Earl Scruggs, but I very much consider myself to be a ukulele player—I’m just out exploring. I don’t think anyone back then ever considered him to not be a real banjo player. D and C tunings co-existed happily before the internet was invented. If the current trend toward ukulele ensembles continues, we may see a resurgence of D tuning. I also enjoy playing around with Bb6 tuning, which is just tuning down the standard C6 tuning a whole step. “He’s generous, good-hearted and has empowered countless players to expand their view of the ukulele.” — James Hill. For inspiration, I started looking for recordings that used it heavily.The name James Hill came up more than once; I was told that "Man With a Love Song" was his best album, but didn't feature the ukulele pyrotechnics of his previous albums; I was told that, instead, it focused on his songwriting. I began to experience some serious hand/finger/arm issues and it was becoming more and more difficult for me to play. The Mighty Uke Roadshow Edit Sponsored in part by Kala Brand Music Co., the film continues to travel around the world for showings. James Hill grew up nearly three thousand miles east of Honolulu in the town of Langley, British Columbia, where ukulele instruction has been mandatory in many schools since the late 1970s. Ukulele Yes! We worked with GHS Strings to create the d G B E string set we currently use, since it is difficult to find this tuning for a tenor scale. The largest of the bunch comes in at 30 inches (76 cm) and is called the baritone. The ukulele is such an amazing instrument. Dear Ukulele Players. I tune my cavaquinho D G B E (an octave above baritone) because I don’t want to learn D G B D chord shapes. )4 busted strings2 broken fingernailsSeason to taste and serve hot! BY HEIDI SWEDBERG | FROM THE SUMMER 2020 ISSUE OF UKULELE We spoke with five professional ukulele players—Sandy Weltman, James Hill, Mick Jeffries, Joel Eckhaus, and Sarah Maisel—about alternate tunings for their instrument. October 25-27, 2019: An unforgettable weekend of music, learning and rejuvenation at the beautiful Harrison Hot Springs Resort in British Columbia, Canada. In a C-tuning jam session, I find my voice getting really tired after an hour or so. It’s killer. He was an older gentleman and told me that was what the tenor-size ukes were tuned to when he was growing up in Honolulu in the 1940s and ’50s. . It turns out that between the soprano, concert, tenor, and baritone versions of the instrument, there are plenty of iterations to tinker with. We will return in 2021 on the dates above. James Hill & Anne Janelle photos. I liked the guitar/not-a-guitar quality of the baritone, but my brain was dithering between guitar and ukulele names for the same chord shapes. “The ukulele is a musical instrument that’s sociable, accessible and lots of fun – and the same could be said for Ben Hassenger, who’s taught many a satisfied uke student in his classes and workshops here at Elderly Instruments. For me it works very well for arranged solo pieces or with just a singer. The Wild Women of Anywhere Beach are currently well and self-isolating. But having listened to numerous great cavaquinho players, I think that D G B D would work well on uke. Snow Shovel Blues | In keeping with this issue's theme of engaging both left- and right-brain learners, the Teaching Notes for this fun, open-ended blues include strategies for going "beyond the page" with students of any neurological persuasion.Free score! BY HEIDI SWEDBERG | FROM THE SUMMER 2020 ISSUE OF UKULELE. Extend the Range of Your Uke and Find New Inspirations with Alternate Tunings, Shutdown Skills Series: Give an Old Song New Tricks with Chord Substitutions, Review: Uke Books on Duke Ellington and Charlie Parker from Paul Hemmings, Inside Craig & Sarah’s Not-So-Mini Uke Fests, Remembering Glenn Frey: Watch a Soulful Ukulele Cover of ‘Take It Easy’, Kanile’a Introduces New MT-4, KCS, and Willie K Models at Summer NAMM 2017: Video, A Visit to the 2017 Ashokan Ukulele Festival. Also voice lessons. Canadian virtuoso James Hill – a student of the Doane ukulele program – emerges as one of the world’s foremost masters of the instrument, his dynamic approach to the ukulele inspiring ukulele enthusiasts, professional musicians, music educators, ukulele teachers, and a host of others to take a serious look at a fun instrument. I built a copy of it and found that it resonated nicely on the A note, so I fooled around with the string gauges and found some that worked well with e A C# F# tuning. The 2020 Valla Beach Ukulele Camp and Beach Party . The series features a wide range of creative exercises and over 75 carefully prepared arrangements of tradition music from around the world, works by great classical composers and popular songs, each reinforcing elements of an ever … She teaches private lessons, group classes, a formal adult learning ukulele ensemble program, is a sessional lecturer at the University of Guelph, and is Director of Engagement for Ukulele in the Classroom as part of the James Hill Music Team. Learn More. It puts me back in the beginner’s mind. Over 80 ukulele teachers, music specialists and ukulele enthusiasts learned, laughed, sang and jammed the day away at the Langley Ukulele Workshop on September 26, 2009. He often tunes it B E B E to get huge-sounding power chords. It’s frustrating to play a song in the key of C on the bari because you’re one tone short of hitting that low tonic note! I first heard about it when a friend of mine from Hawaii had a uke tuned that way. Perhaps the main advantage of D tuning is the way it meshes with other stringed instruments. It turns out that between the soprano, concert, tenor, and baritone versions of the instrument, there are plenty of iterations … James Hill, Cynthia Kinnunen, Liz DeBarros and Gary Peare. The Blog for Ukulele Teachers. Delegates at the 2009 Langley Ukulele Workshop. . James Hill - Voodoo Child (Hendrix Ukulele Cover) - YouTube The reason? It’s great to have the standard tuning mixed with bari-tenor tuning—it adds more depth to our sound and allows us to create some beautiful harmonies. This one obviously has the deepest tone and sounds even more like a classical nylon-stringed guitar. will not happen this year. Check out the main part of Heidi Swedberg’s article on Alternate Tunings below. Learn A Chord A Day. It has a lovely sound. It’s brighter, louder, and the strings have a nice snap to them (I just crank regular strings up a tone). Join my mailing list and get a FREE song: http://www.jameshillmusic.com/joinLearn ukulele with me: http://www.uketropolis.comFB: http://facebook.com/jameshillmusiq | T: http://twitter.com/jameshillmusiqVideo recorded live without looping or overdubs.RECIPE:1 Mya-Moe baritone ukulele (Low G - G - B - E)1 guitar amp (Fender Blues Junior or equivalent)1 bass amp (15 inch)1 line splitter (Radial ABY box)1 Diamond J-Drive pedal (made in Halifax, NS! Plectrum tuning certainly isn’t for everyone and can get lost in the mix with an ensemble. Whereas C tuning favors the flat keys (F, Bb), making it a natural duet partner for wind instruments. Contact Christine for info and to register: 613-316-5357 Also check out her Facebook page. The 2009 Langley Ukulele Workshop By James Hill . J. Hill These days anyone can access original manuscripts for most public-domain works. It was his choice for good reason. I think it’s unfortunate that soprano, concert, and tenor ukes are all tuned g C E A. James Hill has taken to playing baritone ukulele in the past few years to compliment his singer-songwriter folk rock. Learn to Play Ukulele! I just couldn’t relate immediately to the tuning. Craig [Chee, her husband and duo partner] and I love trying out different tunings. Too often, the humble instrument is content to be a toy of those who like to pretend they're playing Hawaiian music, long-time backup instrument in a dozen different folk albums, reliable, sweet and chronically overlooked. DUETS FOR ONE: 15 remarkable arrangements., each of which has two distinct "If you thought James Hill was simply the ukulele wunderkind, his latest album will convince you that he is also a great songwriter." This instrument is the exact specs of James Hill's custom DaSilva ukulele. Performed live at NAMM 2013. ... power chords, and “James Hill” chords. Earl Scruggs was a radical pioneer. James Hill. The Langley Ukulele Ensemble, made up of high-school artists in British Columbia, has nurtured such luminaries as award-winning artist/ukulele advocate James Hill. What’s the Deal with Ukulele Chord Changers? To his fourth grade classmates, the ukulele was a means to an end, a way for them to dip their toes into the vast ocean of music. In addition to her own musical career, Christine is participating in the James Hill Ukulele Initiative. Each day of 2021 there’s a new chord you can learn, adding to your chord vocabulary. C tuning is more intimate and mellow; it’s the sound of kanikapila. James Hill Ukulele version of Billie Jea... James Hill and Bakithi Kumalo give an awesome ukulele performance of Billie Jean, by Michael Jackson. ” - Wellington Dominion-Post Four strings and a favourite chocolate bar: that's all James Hill – “possibly the best ukulele player in the world” (Waikato Times) – and Anne Janelle – “a cellist of true beauty” (Ottawa Citizen) – had in common when they first met. I loved the nylon strings, the size of the instrument didn’t bother my arm, and, most important, I loved the sound. I put my fingers on the frets and surprising sounds come out. I teach in C tuning because that’s how most people tune these days. He played the banjo unlike most people before him had ever done or even thought about doing. MEET YOUR TEACHERS! Standard baritone tuning has a beautiful low D note, making it a perfect partner for D-tuned ukes. In 2020 Cathy Welsford on the mid-north coast of NSW has now taken over this stock for Australian distribution. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Hill_(Canadian_musician) We’ll see. D tuning was perfect for vaudeville and the pre-amplification music-hall scene. I loved the sound and feel of it . Powerful and punchy. Very few people, if any, realize that I’m not in a standard ukulele tuning. HILL, JAMES 125188 View arrest, prison and release information for this inmate that has been incarcerated at the Michigan Prison sytem (DOC) James Hill Ukulele Teaching Resources For nearly a decade we proudly sold ukulele teaching books and resources, primarily from the brilliant mind of James Hill. Bio. - Penguin Eggs The chord for: Feb 13, 2021 Take a look, there's more there than you might think. We spoke with five professional ukulele players—Sandy Weltman, James Hill, Mick Jeffries, Joel Eckhaus, and Sarah Maisel—about alternate tunings for their instrument. Playing in different tunings is a great songwriting tool that can help re-inspire your playing. The tones have a ringing chime and sustain you can't help but love. [Db Gb Ab Bbm B Eb G Bb Ebm C D A Gbm F Fm] Chords for James Hill - When You're Smiling with capo transposer, play along with guitar, piano, ukulele & mandolin. JAMES HILL PRESENTS. Please stay at home, keep playing beautiful music and keeping in touch through social media. I used to think of myself as not a real ukulele player until a few years ago when I realized that, well, I am playing on a ukulele. James Hill is a ukulele's best friend. It still has so much unexplored territory and potential. I continue to try to get my beloved bari to play nice with g C E A. Baritone ukulele. “The perfect evening of tunes, stories and musical virtuosity. But when I perform, it’s always in D. It’s how I learned as a kid. Singing low and loud is hard! D tuning is my mother tongue. Four strings and a favorite chocolate bar: that’s all James Hill – “possibly the best ukulele player in the world” (Waikato Times) – and Anne Janelle – “a cellist of true beauty” (Ottawa Citizen) – had in common when they first met.It was more than enough. It is a nice lower alternative to soprano tuning and a step above D G B E, baritone tuning, but reentrant. Whatever.