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339 posts
The story of two strap buttons
Tamás GállNot long ago I showed you a Kala tenor ukuleleand also mentioned that this ukulele does not come with strap buttons fitted at the factory, so I would have them installed myself. I have also been in guitar-related Facebook groups for years, and one name became firmly lodged in my memory:Tibor Medgyes…
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Kala KA-SMH-TG-CE
Tamás GállIt has been quite a while since I wrote an instrument-review blog post, so it was time for one. A beautiful Kala ukulele has been staying with me—and will stay . I will explain why in the near future. I am still memorizing the model designation because the manufacturer gave it quite a long string of…
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Don't Be Cruel
Tamás Gáll...in other words, “Ne légy kegyetlen!” in Hungarian. This is a great rock-and-roll song by Elvis, recorded in a New York studio in 1956 together with another excellent song, Hound Dog. The latter immediately shot to the top of the charts, but after a while Don't Be Cruel overtook Hound Dog. In fact…
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Report on the ukulele course of 28 August 2022
Tamás GállLast Sunday I held Course II. I was delighted that there was so much interest that the course was fully booked, so a few minutes after 9:00, 18 enthusiastic ukulele players started making music together. As usual, we worked on rhythm techniques during the morning and learned a few new chords, then i…
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Report on the ukulele course of 21 August 2022
Tamás GállTo be honest, I did not expect so many of us at the course because many people are still on holiday at this time of year, enjoying the final days of summer. To my great delight, however, the room was almost full, and at 9:00 on 21 August 2022 we began the 12th ukulele course with 15 enthusiastic pla…
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A Flemish folk song (lullaby)
Tamás GállI would like to teach you a very sweet lullaby, the Flemish folk song beginning "Szép gyermekem..." (“My beautiful child...”). Before we get to the song itself, I warmly recommend the Ringató – Lila könyv (“Purple Book”), where you can find the sheet music and lyrics of this and many other valuable…
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Chords 22: B7
Tamás GállIf you happened to miss the blog post about B majorplease read it. At the beginning I summarize the basic things you need to know about barre chords, which I will not repeat here. The barre version of B7 differs from B major in that you do not need to place your ring finger on the fourth fret of the…
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Ukulele courses in August 2022
Tamás GállDear (Future) Ukulele Players! I was delighted that after the May course, people eager to learn the ukulele kept sending me emails and asking about new courses. The new dates are now set, and I warmly welcome your applications! Ukulele Course I – 21 August 2022 (Sunday), 9:00–16:00 APPLY Ukulele Cou…
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Fyodor M. Dostoevsky and the Devil
Tamás GállFor a long time I have had the thought that it would be worth arranging something by Tamás Cseh — and making a video about it — because his guitar-and-vocal format, even though many songs later add further instruments and sometimes a whole band, seems naturally suited to ukulele and voice as well. I…
Read moreTaiwan International Online Ukulele Festival
Tamás GállA few days ago I received a message from David Chen inviting the Hungaria ukulele community to the virtual event named in the title of this post. It is a genuine honour to be invited, because David is one of those ukulele players who travel the world spreading the word — that making music is good an…
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Chord sequences for warming up
Tamás GállI would like to show you two chord sequences in the next video. I “developed” them a few years ago because I became bored with strumming the same basic chords as a warm-up or whenever I tried a new instrument. In these sequences we alternate between two chord shapes, and it does not matter where — m…
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Report from the 11th ukulele course
Tamás GállAs a continuation of last week's anniversary ukulele course , I held Course II today. During the morning we worked on rhythmic techniques and learned several new chords; in the afternoon we moved on to further chords, including barre shapes. We covered a dense and substantial amount of material. It…
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