February Ukulele Course II — 2022

Yesterday's Course II was fantastic. I had such a good time, and I hope you did too, dear Participants ! We reviewed picking techniques, practised rhythm, learned the notes along the ukulele neck and memorised a great many chords, then applied all of that in songs. In the afternoon we had a spontaneous blues jam, followed by more chords, and finally we worked with barre-chord shapes as well. It looked as though I managed to give both the participants' fingers and their brains a proper workout , but everyone handled the “ordeal” fantastically . Thank you all for your attention and perseverance.

It is incredible how many people music brings together. In everyday life we do so many different things and work in completely different fields, yet music is one and universal: everyone is equal in it, and everyone can find the same kind of joy in it. I genuinely believe that, even if that last sentence did take me to almost Paulo Coelho-like heights. I saw the sparkle in your eyes, the joy of recognition and success when your hands finally settled onto a more difficult chord, or when you suddenly realised which familiar song we had found ourselves playing. And that is without even mentioning the blues jam after the break, where everyone played wonderfully. Thank you for the courage, dedication and enthusiasm that radiated from you throughout the day . I came away full of energy.

Thank you to Viki for the video recording above and the two audio recordings below:

Chariots of Fire:

When the Saints:

At the end of the course, thanks to D'Addario — one of the world's largest manufacturers of strings and accessories — we raffled off several ukulele accessories. A huge thank-you to D'Addario!

Call for suggestions:Dear ukulele players, please write to meand tell me which city I should bring the ukulele courses to. Every course so far has been held in Budapest, but if there is enough interest I would be happy to organise one farther away as well. Arranging a course at a distant venue requires more work, so I would be grateful for any help, including recommendations for suitable locations — especially because there is a good chance the first time I see the venue in person will be when I arrive on the morning of the course . It also helps if you know a community or group from which several people might attend, making it easier to ensure the required number of participants. Thank you in advance for your messages.