Report from the ukulele meetup

I arrived excitedly at the venue of yesterday's ukulele meetup shortly before 5 p.m. Loaded down with ukuleles, I made my way inside, and it was not long before the first “colleagues” arrived. My first thought on seeing the venue was that it was rather dark – how were we going to find the chords? – and that if many people came it might also become stuffy. So I asked for a few extra lights to be switched on, and around eight to ten fans helped keep some air moving through the room.

But as more and more people arrived and everyone became busy playing, nobody minded either the mood lighting or the “heating-up atmosphere” .

I was delighted to see the seats disappearing until we had filled the room nicely. Petróleumlámpa went brilliantly at the beginning, followed by the indispensable Let It Be with everyone playing the chords. I admit that the solo-ukulele version of Let It Be was a little too much; it is simply not possible to teach that to so many people at once, so I will probably make a video about it instead.

After that we split into smaller groups. Little spontaneous “ukulele circles” formed in the different rooms, and from what I could see and hear, you were having a great time playing together. I went off with the beginners and tried to give them a few fundamentals so that they would know what to practise over the coming weeks .

Toward the end of the programme, as people gradually left, a group of around eight to ten of us remained and kept playing music together until about 9:30 p.m.!

People often say in situations like this that “considering it was the first time, it went well”. I think it went well in absolute terms too! I certainly had a wonderful time. I know which circumstances can and should be improved so that the next meetup will be even better, but I would also like to hear your ideas and wishes. So if you have any suggestions or requests concerning the next ukulele meetup, please feel free to write to me.

Thank you once again for coming in such numbers. For me, yesterday afternoon and evening were a wonderful experience, spent in the company of so many kind people who love the ukulele. I would also be very happy if you emailed me any photos or videos you made!