Beginner Ukulele Hints and Helps Group on Facebook

Hello fellow Ukers, 
I finally figured out how to get back into my blog. Not an easy feat apparently,  when your computer is on the fritz. 

Happy to say,  I've figured it out on my phone and next I will try the iPad.  Ok,  so,  you're getting the idea that I'm not a teen,  nor young adult.  That's right,  30s Uke Girl is ancient in a child's eye,  but let me tell you,  I'm still pretty savvy.  Hahaha. 

My information today is on a group that I started about 6 to 7 years ago,  on Facebook,  called Beginner Ukulele Hints and Helps.  It started out with about 80 folks,  mostly local,  and was a place for beginners and professional performers to meet and interact.   Beginners post questions and videos,  then peers and professional instructors give feedback. 

Let me tell you about the last 4 months.  We've been growing steadily over 6 years till about 5 months ago,  when we hit 1k members.  I was like,  whoah,  so happy to see so many artists,  luthiers,  bloggers,  providing so much info,  and many many beginners joining and learning. 

In the last 4 months,  we've toppled over 2k and daily growth,  as of last night,  2300 members. 

It's the quarantine!!! Everyone is buying Ukuleles,  and they are eager and hungry for knowledge.  And,  with so many professionals out of work,  festivals canceled,  workshops canceled,  I'm more than happy to let them post links to their patreon pages,  and websites,  to generate funds.  Even more thrilled at how they are engaging the beginners,  with how to's  and recommends. 

I'm going to be posting a lot more content on this blog now,  and cleaning up the site,  as far as festival dates e.t.c.  and I hope to find and bring you tons of info about great sites,  awesome performers,  and cool clubs. Heck,  we're all under quarantine till who knows when.  Right?? So,  I've no excuses to not brighten your Ukulele Day!!!

So,  back to  the subject at hand,  whether you're a professional or a beginner,  go check out Beginner Ukulele Hints and Helps  on Facebook.  You'll be glad you did.  Make sure you answer all the questions when you request to be a member.  Makes it easier for me as admin. 

Ever Strumming,
Norine Mungo
Aka 30s Uke Girl

South Tampa Ukulele Jam celebrates 2 Year Anniversary at Jan K Platt Library!

Dear Dudes and Dudettes,
South Tampa Ukulele Jam has been going strong for 4 years, and since moving into the regional library, we're hitting 2 years at Jan Platt, in South Tampa, Florida! 

We have covered Rock N Roll Themes every month for 2 years!  We've done Elvis, 80s Pop, Monkey's, Traveling Wilbury's, Day of the Dead 1 & 2 (performers who died ), Rock N Roll Christmas, Country Rock Christmas, Doo Wap, Surf, British Invasion, Country Rock, Woodstock, Heartbreakers & CCR, Folk Rock, Rock Musicals, and well, it just gets crazier each month! 

So, in June we do our encore for the year, 2 to 3 of the best loved songs from each months theme July 2016 through May 2017. 

But, for this July, 2017! Are you Ready??!!!!
2 Year Anniversary at Jan K Platt Library, bring snacks and bottled water/soda cause we're going to the MOVIES!!!!  Music that is!
 

"Guardians of the Galaxy 1 & 2!!!!"

Guardians One: 
Hooked on a Feeling-Blue Swede
Go All the Way-Raspberries
Spirit in the Sky-Norman Greenbaum 
Moonage Daydream-David Bowie
Fooled Around and Fell in Love-Elvin Bishop
I'm Not in Love-10CC
I Want You Back-Jackson 5
Come and Get Your Love-Redbone
Cherry Bomb-The Runnaways
Escape (The Pina Colada song) -Rupert Holmes
O-Oh Child-The Five Stairsteps
Ain't No Mountain High Enough-Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell

Guardians Two:
Mr. Blue Sky – Electric Light Orchestra 
Fox on the Run – Sweet 
Lake Shore Drive – Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah
The Chain – Fleetwood Mac 
Bring It on Home to Me – Sam Cooke
Southern Nights – Glen Campbell
My Sweet Lord – George Harrison
Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl) – Looking Glass
Come a Little Bit Closer – Jay and the Americans
Wham Bam Shang-A-Lang – Silver
Surrender – Cheap Trick
Father and Son – Cat Stevens.
Flash Light – Parliament.
Guardians Inferno – The Sneepers featuring David Hasselhoff

 Yes! We are pulling together all the songs from both movies and let me tell you, just like in Woodstock, where you all came in Hippie garb, lol, everyone is planning to come in the face color of your choice, and heck, might even see a Peter Quill or a Drax!  

This is REALLY cool music and of course, it's Rock, so, like, Rock On Strummers of little Ukes!!!!!  

I say each month that, "This is going to be Awesome!"  But I think that I will say that "This month is going to be EPIC!!!"  LOL

See you all there and keep strumming Peeps, it makes me very happy to see YOU happy! 

Again, if you want music emailed to you from these Rock Sessions we do each month, go to Meetup.com and make sure you join Tampa Bay Ukulele Society, it's free, and it will keep you up to date on ALL the activities around the Tampa Bay Area for ukulele events. Scroll to South Tampa Ukulele Jam and then follow directions for our email mailing list!  You will also find on the meet up site for TBUS:  Workshops, concerts, jams, lessons, library lending programs, open mics, TBUS has it all!  Folks from all over the world have come to Florida for vacation and showed up to jam or play at open mics with us. 

We also have a festival in November, called Tampa Bay Ukulele Getaway, a full weekend of music at the infamous Sirata in Clearwater Beach!  National and International Artists, Concert and Workshops, Luau,   Meet & Greet, Vendors, Auctions, Raffles, non stop music, play your uke at the beach, and leave tired, fulfilled, happy, and thirsting for the next Getaway!!!  

OK, that's it for now, been busy, I try to get back here as often as I can, but soon, this is all I will be doing!!!  Retirement is on the horizon and then Vinny and I, 30s Uke Girl, AKA Reenee of Reenee &  The Rollers, will go on the road with our Ukulele Songs and teach the world to sing and play our original, It's An Ukulele Day!!!!  
Ever and Always, 30s Uke Girl!!! 

Transitional Chording!

Hi Boys and Girls,
Well, the article came out in Ukulele Magazine and requests have poured in from across the country as to what I am teaching in regards to Transitional Chording!  As this is a unique terminology, (I looked it up on the net, and lo and behold, it is a word I must have made up to explain what it is I do!), I thought it best to add a page to the blog and begin to produce some video on it!  I will also begin the production of a DVD on the technique for those who wish to view it as a workshop.

Thank you to Ukulele Magazine for the nice write up about our Tampa Bay Ukulele Society and all that we have to offer for the Ukulele Enthusiasts!  Happy Strumming and Ever Yours, Norine Mungo aka 30s Uke Girl!!!

Found some Great Sites with Ukulele Charts you can print!

Hello Boys and Girls, 
30s Uke Girl here with another great find.  I have been printing charts for my students in the past, but they were adults and the charts were a bit more complicated.  Now I have some youth students taking Ukulele and Voice so I've been on the hunt again for great sites that cater to small fingers with big minds!  

The newest site I have found that allows you to copy the image if you need to, is Ukulele Chords . Com King Of The Charts!   You can browse through every chord that exists and on top of that, it shows VARIATIONS of those chords all the way up the neck!  This comes in handy later when you are playing some of those jazzier tunes where several of the chords are on upper frets!  Why not play all the chords of the song in the same vicinity???  Less Finger movement equals faster chord changes!!! 

There is also a site that coexists with the one mentioned above.  It is a called Ukulele Scales Improvisation and Solos!  Wow!  I have to tell you that I am finally able to run through some finger picking now, AND I can finally read and play tablature.   So, adding these two sites to my treasure stash as well as continuing the journey of all things Ukulele, I am now enjoying music more than I ever have in my whole life. 

And Boys and Girls, it's been a very long life!!!  Why, I feel like I am the Grandma Moses of Music!!  Ok, I'm not THAT ancient, but I'm just saying!  If I can take on this project in my later adult years, then so can YOU!!  

I know that, at first, even the simplest chords can seem confusing.  But just stick with it.  Learn a simple song first, by heart!  Learn those two or three basic chords thoroughly! Learn several strum patterns to that song in those same chords.  Keep at it till your strums are clear and bright.  Learn to lift those knuckles up off the fret board and allow the strings under your hand to freely ring out.  It takes a little time to do this, but soon, it is like a light turns on and you GOT it! Then, the next song takes a little less time, and the next, until, after a few months of doing that, you can just pick up a song and follow along nicely, without too much effort!  

I am always rooting for you!  I'd love to see the whole world go UKE crazy!  Wouldn't that be something?

Ok, I have to run, I am planning my next lessons!  You all take care and let me know how you are doing! I look forward to hearing from Ukulele enthusiasts from all over the world!
Ever Yours, 30s Uke Girl!

OK, 30s Uke Girl is back on it! New Videos coming and lots of news on Ukulele Surge!!!

Hey there boys and girls from all over the world!  It looks like the phenomenon of the Ukulele surge is not slowing down one bit.  It is exciting to see all the buzz in the news lately about all the clubs and festivals and the surge in Ukulele sales over the last year.  It is only getting better and bigger and that is great for all of us enthusiasts!

I just finished a festival last weekend and was so thrilled to see people turning around from far away points and making their way over to the stage area when they heard the music.  People were smiling and tapping their feet to the music, and they not only commented on the original songs afterward, but that they loved the ukulele!  This was not an Ukulele festival, but a Folk Festival.  So, you can imagine that I was really happy to hear all the great comments.

I did a lot of shout outs for our Tampa Bay Ukulele Society, and for Ukulele playing in general.  Hey, I am by no means extremely talented on picking but I do write great songs and now that I am comfortable playing them on Baritone and Tenor, well, it just adds to the songs appeal.

I will be posting some videos on here for a couple of different groups.  One is for the Girls Picking Party and that is songs that we will all work on through the year via video.  The other group is for my peeps here in Tampa Bay Ukulele Society, and that will be all originals and some instructional on some cover tunes for Beginner Sessions and South Tampa Jam!

So, here is a video of an original I wrote called Nothing Lasts Forever, a love song, lol, and forgive the quality of sound, as I am new at this recording with the pc cam.  I will get better!  Enjoy and stay tuned in and turned on as there are many events coming up over the next two months that will rock your hula girl socks right off!  Ever, 30s Uke Girl aka Norine Mungo

Events for December in Tampa Bay!

 Tampa Bay Ukulele Society 
December Events for TBUS are listed below with links to each event.  To become a member, it's free, just click on the link above to go to the home page!

Events to plan for are:
December 14th . 2nd Saturday Jam this month is the
3rd Annual Christmas Jam, from 1 PM to about 5 PM, hosted by Jay Nunes and members of TBUS.  This is a must for the best and hottest jam going out there in the St Petersburg/Largo area.   There will be a potluck social from about 1 to 2 pm, with jam following. Dress in Holiday Spirit for this one if you like!  Lots of PHOTO ops!

The song lists for the December Jams are at the following links:
Kents Christmas Songs
Christmas Songs 1
Christmas Songs 2
A big thank you to Jay and Kent for putting those together for the Society.  We will be using those songs throughout the December activities!

Beginner Sessions on Wednesday, December 18th, starts at 7 pm. Hosted by 30s Uke Girl, Norine Mungo We will go over more Holiday songs that you can use at your activities and events.  TBUS site has the details! For this event, there are certain preparations that you need to do in order to be ready to learn.  See the requirement list on the page. Also, print the songs from the three links above as they will be used on this session. 

Open Mic Ukulele Jam at The Whistle Stop  December 19th on Thursday.  This is in Safety Harbour and runs from 7 pm to about 10 pm.  The host, and leader of Tampa Bay Ukulele Society, Steve Boisen, does a set of music and then calls up the ukulele performers who have signed up on the list for that evening.  Make sure you bring your ukulele even if you don't want to get up for the crowd.  There is always a jam along after the open mic and we play songs from the Daily Ukulele books.  It is great fun when the whole restaurant whips out ukuleles and everyone plays along!

South Tampa Jam Holiday Extravaganza!  Saturday, December 21st!  This will run from 1 pm to about 5 pm. Social time till everyone gets in and settled.  Wear holiday colors, bring cookies, cupcakes and treats, and we will do the Christmas songs from the three lists above.  The stage is set beautifully for Christmas, and we will have many members getting up to perform for the jam.  This is a jam along, and as members sing on the stage, you will be playing along with them.  After the jam, there will be caroling in our park community,  so if any of you would like to form a group and carol for the over 55ers, just let me know.  I think it would be uber cool to take our ukes and walk a street!  LOL.  This jam is hosted by, ME, 30s Uke Girl.  I will provide a hot cider punch at the jam.  

That is it for December!  Lot's of stuff coming up next month too!  Keep checking in! Until then. . . 

Happy KahMasZaa and Merry New Year! (covers HanukKAH, ChristMAS, and KwanZAA)  I hope it catches on!  I made it up about 3 years ago and you are welcome to copy paste it to your facebooks and blogs.  May it go viral, may there be cards with it going out to friends and family, and maybe, just maybe, we can love our neighbors, Aye?  And as Miss Congeniality says, May we all work toward world peace!  It starts with YOU!!! Ever yours, 30s Uke Girl!

Tampa Bay Ukulele Getaway was wild!!!

Boys and Girls, OMG!  Attended my first Ukulele Getaway with TBUS, and it was a wild one!  My cheeks hurt from smiling and laughing all weekend.  My fingers hurt from the Workshops that were excellent.  The entertainment/performers were top rated nationally, and the local talent on the Friday concert were just a good!  

I met so many people that I'd become acquainted with on Facebook, and also got to spend the weekend with all the friends and peeps I've made in the Tampa Bay Ukulele Society.  Oh man, and people were there from all over the state as well as from other states.  

We met great people from Pensacola, and from Naples and Fort Meyers, and of course people trekked across  from the "Other" coast, so pretty much most of Florida was represented! 

On top of all that, and adding in the jamming that we all did, we were treated to a Sunday concert and Luau with Ty and his band.  Hawaiian music and lots of the members got up and did the hula!  LOL

Lastly, but most significantly, I, 30s Uke Girl, WON an Ohana!  It is the TK 35G.  Again, OMG!!  I got home today, freshened up, and ran down to our friends house were a nice bbq party was ensuing.  Vinny and I played Ukulele songs for them on the new Acquisition!!  lol.

I will post a video soon of me playing the new Ohana!  Did I mention my cheeks hurt from smiling???  Pictures coming soon!  Ever, 30s Uke Girl, aka Norine Mungo

South Tampa Jam Grows Up!!!

Hey Boys and Girls,
Just a quick heads up for all upcoming South Tampa Ukulele Jams!  We have the HALL!!!  This September on the 21st will be at the Hall in the park here.  Go to Tampa Bay Ukulele Society Meetups to sign up for it.  Membership is free!  Starts at 2PM!  Social 1/2 hour then play.  There is a stage!  It seats up to 250 people at tables!  Bring your friends!  The park of Regency Cove is invited to listen and sing along, and we hope they all join the Society and become Ukulele players too!   October will be the 26th, November will be the 23rd and Dec will be the 21st.   

January will be outdoors for a picnic!  Then from Feb to Dec of 2014, we have the hall EVERY 3rd Saturday!!!  So So So Happy Strumming!!!!!  

So here is a workshop for Beginner Ukulele down in the Sarsota Nokomis area.  Bargara Gail is one awesome lady and she beats a good drum.  Now their shop is selling Ukuleles, and I am really excited for them.  Check them out on their website as well! Happy Strumming!  Here is that link:

The Rhythm Inlet