UD#125 What’s Below the Musical Iceberg?
UD#125 What’s Below the Musical Iceberg?
When we try to learn to play a piece of music, it’s tempting to go straight to the final act without attending to the steps that will lead us to a successful performance. Why is this? One reason may be that taking the preliminary steps seems like a waste of time. For example, it can be very tempting to push through a passage with whatever fingering comes most habitually to us. This can seem to be more efficient in the short term but, in the long term, maybe not.
UD#124 Secret Ukulele Notes!
One of the wonderful things about a ukulele, or a guitar, is that, unlike on a piano, the same note can be found in multiple places. Here’s a simple exercise to show you how that works in an experiential way. I find it’s a wonderful ear-awakening practice for players of all levels…
UD#123 Choir Music for Ukulele!
In one of my classes, we’ve made a project of taking music for different types of ensembles and transcribing them for ukulele. We’ve used music for recorder (Thanks Mom), brass and choir.
Here are the soprano and alto parts to a public domain choir arrangement of “Away in a Manger” played as a ukulele duet…
UD#122 Let The Pinky Play Too!
When unfamiliar fingerings are called for, it often elicits a conundrum. So, I’ve started using a simple exercise which I developed for myself and my students. It’s a great warm up or break in a practice session…
UD#121 The Power of the Pause!
When we play our ukuleles, or any instrument, we often use more force or exertion than we need to. This can show up in excessive gripping, held breath, tightened and narrow shoulders, tightened jaws, narrowed focus, etc. Today I’d like to share with you an Alexander Technique inspired procedure that I use with students to explore how habits are initiated….