Festival Workshops

Abe Lagramis Jr.

Tone, Sustain, Articulation — Manaha • All Levels

This workshop focuses on various right hand fingerpicking techniques that will bring your ukulele to its fullest potential. Applying these skills will improve your tone and allow your instrument to sing with Mahana (warmth) and maximum sustain, which will help you become a more musical and dynamic musician. Participants will learn excerpts from one of Abe's original compositions entitled "Mahana" (fingerpicking on the thumb, index, and middle).

Chord Melody: Fields of Gold (Sting) • Intermediate-Beginner to Advanced

This workshop is designed and will be taught for high-G ukuleles. Abe will teach you his approach on how to play the chord and melody simultaneously and incorporate that high G-string into playing melodies. Learn how to take a song with a simple melody and transform it into a beautiful and lush solo arrangement.

Amy Kuchrik

How to Play Waltzes • Beginner to Intermediate

Sometimes waltzes and other songs in 3/4 can seem strange: How do you strum them? Surely not just Down, Down, Down? In this workshop, we'll keep the chords beginner-friendly while you learn a few alternative strum patterns and very simple picking patterns you can use to play almost any song in 3/4 that you ever encounter.

Ukulele Orchestra: The Pink Panther • All Levels

In this workshop, we'll play a simplified version of Henry Mancini's Pink Panther theme, arranged for ukulele orchestra. Participants will have the opportunity to choose one of 4 different parts, ranging from beginner-friendly to intermediate/advanced, and for ukuleles from soprano to baritone in both re-entrant and low G tuning.

Bill Wynne

Chord Melody for Dummies — Yesterday • Intermediate-Beginner to Advanced

Bill will present an introduction to chord melody ukulele playing which he calls “Chord Melody for Dummies” in which he will teach you one of his unique chord melody arrangements for the ever-popular jazz standard “Georgia (On My Mind).” Minimal experience with chord melody playing is required, but the ability to play up and down the neck would be helpful, as would some fingerpicking experience. You do not need to read music, as the entire workshop will be taught both pictorially and in tablature. The course will be taught in GCEA tuning (high G and low G welcome!), but the techniques and arrangement can be applied to any ukulele in any tuning.

Chord Melody for Dummies — Georgia on My Mind • Intermediate-Beginner to Advanced

Bill will present an introduction to chord melody ukulele playing which he calls “Chord Melody for Dummies” in which he will teach you one of his unique chord melody arrangements for the ever-popular jazz standard “Georgia (On My Mind).” Minimal experience with chord melody playing is required, but the ability to play up and down the neck would be helpful, as would some fingerpicking experience. You do not need to read music, as the entire workshop will be taught both pictorially and in tablature. The course will be taught in GCEA tuning (high G and low G welcome!), but the techniques and arrangement can be applied to any ukulele in any tuning.

The Aloha Boys

Kanikapila with the Aloha Boys • All Levels

Join the Aloha Boys — Glen Hirabayashi, Isaac Ho'opi'i and Irv Queja in a traditional Hawaiian Kanikapila.

William Ernestburg

Learn the Hawaiian Songs of The Daily Ukulele, The Leap Year Edition (Blue Book) • All Levels

Join William Uncle Bill Ernestburg on the beach under the palm trees, (metaphorically as he presents 2 workshops and learn or strum along with all the songs of Hawaii contained in the Daily Ukulele Yellow and Blue books. How many of them do you know? Learn how the pronunciations and how play Hawaiian vamps to start your songs.

Funky Frets will have the Daily Ukulele — Yellow Book ($39.95) and Daily Ukulele — Blue Book ($39.95) books available for purchase.

Kirk Jones

The Easiest Barre Chord Song In The World • Beginner to Intermediate

In this ukulele workshop, I will show you how to play this classic song using only Barre Chords with only one finger. At the end of the workshop, you will not only know how to play Moondance but, also know how you can start to apply the newly learned techniques to other songs. You will never be scared of songs with Barred Chords again.

Double Stops • Beginner to Intermediate

Using only two fingers, they are an easy addition to songs as intros, solos, fills, outros. I will teach you, what they are, how to use them, and examples in popular music.

Michael August

Open Tuning Ukulele Slide • Beginner to Intermediate

Open Tuning Ukulele Slide – New to slide playing? Don’t fret! Michael August will get your started on the right path. Showing you the the chord shapes and how to have your High G sound like a banjo and Low G sing those bluesy tunes from of your ukulele. C-Tuning

Open Slide Ukulele Riffs • Intermediate-Beginner to Advanced

Open Slide Ukulele Riffs – Want to sound like the cool kids? Take your slide playing to next level with some blues riffs and soloing. C-Tuning

Ray Cygrymus

Getting Spicy with Embellishments • Beginner to Intermediate

In this workshop, we will focus on some fun and simple ukulele licks and chord embellishments to spice up our ukulele sound. This workshop will focus on chord suspensions, palm muting and the use of double stops to create some cool and varied techniques. Learning these techniques will provide you with the skills to recreate classic song introductions.

You Can Solo Too • Intermediate

Primarily using the C-major scale, we will look at various soloing techniques including bending, hammer ons, pull offs, and the use of vibrato to create smooth and impressive licks. You will have a chance to combine these techniques to create your own short improvisation which you may choose to share during a lively and entertaining jam session at the end of the workshop.

Uncle Zac

Tin Pan Alley – Where a Uke Really Sounds Like a Uke • Beginner to Intermediate

This workshop is designed for any player who wants to have some fun playing swing and jazz styles of Tin Pan Alley. The course is designed to accommodate ukuleles of all sizes and tunings, as well as players from beginner to intermediate. We will explore several LEFT HAND tips, tricks and techniques to take your playing out of first gear and into the wonderful world of swing. From chord substitution to melody and rhythms, putting a new set of tools in your “uke bag” and taking your playing to the next level is the ultimate goal…getting you there is the ultimate goal for Uncle Zac!

Baritone Ukulele - Three Ukes In One • Beginner to Intermediate