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339 posts
The 8,000-forint Chinese ukulele
Tamás GállA few months ago an interesting email arrived in my ukulele inbox. It was written by none other than mrgergoke, who runs an extremely interesting blog called the “RendeljKínait Blog”. The message surprised me because that blog normally deals with electronic gadgets. Yet this particular email was abo…
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Thank you for Instagramming
Tamás GállAt the end of February I received an email from one of the organizers of Ki Mit Tube, who wrote, “I came across your videos on YouTube and I really like what you do,” and invited me to take part in this year's competition. After a few emails and phone calls we discussed the details, and in the secon…
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Testing a mini amplifier
Tamás GállI assume many of you have found yourselves wanting to play with other musicians, only for the ukulele to get a little lost in the mix because you had no amplifier. Obviously we can solve that by plugging into an available amplifier with a cable—or even wirelessly—or by positioning the ukulele in fro…
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Tanglewood TWT 16 E
Tamás GállI had heard and seen Tanglewood ukuleles several times, but until now I had never had the opportunity to try one. Finally, an example reached me, thanks in part to the help of an enthusiastic reader, Ádám. I was particularly curious about this instrument because its body is made from koa, just like…
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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Summer Ukulele Meetup 2020
Tamás GállDear (Future) Ukulele Players! In my previous blog post I wrote that we were planning a ukulele meetup for August. Fortunately, everything was coordinated quickly, and thanks to Ethnosound's efficient help, on Tuesday, August 11, 2020, we will be able to get together for some group strumming at Fonó…
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Summer ukulele courses 2023
Tamás GállDear (Future) Ukulele Players! Your interest in the ukulele courses remains strong, which genuinely makes me happy—thank you . After coordinating with the venue, the summer course dates are now set: Ukulele Course I – 4 June 2023 (Sunday), 9:00–16:00 APPLY If you are interested in the courses and wo…
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Summer Ukulele Course II — report
Tamás GállI held Ukulele Course II on 20 June. It was intended for players who were no longer complete beginners and already had the basic ukulele skills. The goal of Course II was to expand those foundations and, with some insight into music theory, help the chords start to “make sense”. On 20 June 2021 — ju…
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Summer Ukulele Course I — report
Tamás GállDuring the long months of lockdown I received a great many messages from people saying they wanted to attend the next ukulele course. As soon as restrictions began to be lifted, I immediately started organising new courses, and to my great delight enough beginner ukulele players signed up relatively…
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Summer Course II in 2023
Tamás GállYesterday's Course II, like the spring one, began with ten participants. We exercised the part of our brains responsible for rhythm and also learned muting techniques. We became acquainted with many, many chords, including barre shapes. For me, one of the highlights was the handful of songs we put t…
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Summer Course I in 2023
Tamás GállI was delighted to meet 12 very kind and likeable ukulele players last Sunday. I felt that the day had a really good atmosphere, and by the end it seemed as though the few hours we spent together had passed in an instant. First we learned the basics: how to hold and tune the ukulele and how rhythm w…
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Strumming Techniques for Beginners
Tamás GállI have received several messages asking, "Okay, I can hold the chord, but what rhythm should I strum?" If I wanted to give the simple but not very helpful answer, I would say: strum in whatever way the particular song or musical style requires. That is actually true. The more music we listen to - es…
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