Author Archives: guido
UD#118 Christmas Waltz for One!
UD#118 Christmas Waltz for One!from Ukulele in the Dark with Guido Heistek A quick lesson today! About a year ago, I wrote a little tune called “Christmas Waltz for One.” It’s very simple: just a melody, with an accompanying “bass line.” The melody notes are meant to be plucked with the fingers, and the accompanying notes are meant to be plucked with the …Continue Reading
UD#117 Hear the Harmony
UD#117 Hear the Harmony!from Ukulele in the Dark with Guido Heistek I like to find musically compelling ways to practice scales with students. Here is an example using a C major scale. Have a listen! The bottom part starts on C and and top part starts on E, a third above. I usually begin with both the student and I playing the …Continue Reading
UD #116 The Meridians of the Uke
UD#116 The Meridians of the Ukefrom Ukulele in the Dark with Guido Heistek A quick question: On a ukulele with GCEA tuning, what note ison the 5th fret of the G string? Sometimes, students feel like they need to memorize the fretboard before they can play anything. I don’t think this is true. However, some knowledge of the notes on the fretboard is incredibly handy. So, I …Continue Reading
UD#115 I Spy With My Little Eye: a Uke!
UD#115 I Spy With My Little Eye: a Uke!from Ukulele in the Dark with Guido Heistek As a music teacher who also teaches the Alexander Technique, I am often looking for simple ways that my students can gain awareness of habits that may be interfering with their best functioning while playing.Looking down at the ukulele? Being able to look down at our instrument without unduly disturbing …Continue Reading
