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339 posts
Merry Christmas, dear Ukulele Players!
Tamás GállDear Ukulele Players! Today we lit the fourth candle on the Advent wreath ... As the end of the year approaches, I usually write a shorter or longer post looking back on the year. Please allow me to do the same again this year. Several of you have asked when there will be another community productio…
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Mennyből az angyal - Hungarian Christmas Carol
Tamás GállHere is a lovely and popular Hungarian Christmas carol. If you learn it on the ukulele and play it at Christmas, you are guaranteed to create a magical atmosphere. For now, here is the song itself - this is how it can sound (or much better than this): The proper background would be a snowy garden, b…
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Mennyből az angyal - How to Play It
Tamás GállIn the previous postI promised to show you how Mennyből az angyal can be played on the ukulele. Naturally, the way I play it is not "scripture"; it is simply one arrangement, and everyone is free to shape and change it as they like. Even so, I hope many of you will enjoy this version and learn it!
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Mendelssohn - Wedding March
Tamás GállFelix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy was born in Hamburg in 1809. Despite his short life - he lived for only 38 years - he explored many musical genres and gave humanity a number of unforgettable melodies. Perhaps the best known is the Wedding March, composed as part of the incidental music for Shakespeare's…
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Mastering chord changes!
Tamás GállOver the past few years I have had the good fortune to teach ukulele, among other things, to a number of enthusiastic beginners. Unfortunately I have never had enough time to teach more people, but the experience has been extremely instructive for me as well. Different people find different parts of…
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Már itt, e Földön...
Tamás GállLászló Komár left us yesterday for the eternal fields of rock 'n' roll. I am deeply sorry, because he was an excellent performer, and we will never again hear him tell us that he managed to buy a pair of patent-leather shoes last week. Or rather, of course we will. Fortunately the recordings remain…
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Let It Be
Tamás GállLet us begin learning chords with Let It Be! What is a chord? The shortest answer is: at least three notes sounding at the same time. A ukulele has four strings, so it can produce at most four notes simultaneously. (A piano, by contrast, can produce ten or even twelve if we use all our fingers and o…
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Learning an Instrument, Buying an Instrument
Tamás GállKnowing the ÁS-ÉS writings for more than ten years, recommending to everyone! Personally considering them timeless classics, often perfect sociological studies, rereading them repeatedly, always discovering something new. Anyone not knowing them, compulsory reading! A few years ago the writings movi…
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Latin Tunes in the Forest
Tamás GállI love Latin music. I can listen to - and watch - its magical, emotion-filled songs and dances for hours. There are countless styles within it, and I think everyone can find a branch of Latin music that appeals to them. To whet your appetite, here is a video in which the guitarist plays some "Spanis…
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Late-summer ukulele courses
Tamás GállDear (Future) Ukulele Players! Some of you could not attend the courses at the beginning of the summer, and several people also emailed to say they would like to come to the next one. I am delighted to announce two more ukulele courses at the very end of summer and the beginning of autumn: Ukulele C…
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Late-summer Ukulele Course I — report
Tamás GállAfter the June courses I received a steady stream of emails and Facebook messages asking about new course dates, so I did not waste any time: I organised Course I and Course II for 29 August and 5 September respectively courses. Yesterday, 29 August 2021, greeted us with a cooler-than-usual but stil…
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Lanikai ZR-T
Tamás GállI recently had the chance to try a seriously impressive Lanikai: a beautiful tenor-size ukulele made of ziricote. The workmanship is excellent in every detail and the finish is immaculate. Even running your hand along the neck is a pleasure: the wood feels silky and the fret ends are perfectly round…
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